Native Birds Of Mexico

Mexico serves as a home to a variety of bird species, some of which are rare and endemic while others are common and widespread across many other countries. These birds occupy the Mexican deciduous forests, tropical forests, and in its lowlands and coastal regions. Due to human activities that cause degradation to the natural ecosystems, these birds are at a risk of extinction or endangerment. In an effort towards conservation of this important biodiversity, Mexico has put up laws and regulation for the conservation, demarcated protected areas as well as efforts from nongovernmental organizations.

West Mexican Chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala)

This bird species is non-migratory, and endemic to the deciduous forests of southwestern Mexico and the Pacific coastal slopes. The Chachalaca occupies tropical dry forests and tropical moist lowland forests. The bird forages within forest canopies for a vegetable matter such as fruits, seeds, and flowers sometimes eating insects, small reptiles, rodents or frogs. The Chachalaca is typically loud and social living in single-species flocks of up to ten individuals. They have a monogamous mating system laying a clutch of two to three eggs. The conservation status of this bird is the least concern with threats from poaching and habitat destruction.

Green Parakeet (Psittacara holochlorus)

The Green Parakeet is a non-migratory species native to Mexico. The parakeet has a body length of 32 centimeters which is mainly green with a yellow beak. The bird feeds primarily on seeds of a variety of fruits, and corn making it a crop pest. The bird’s habitat includes scrubs, swamp forests, woodlands and forest clearings. Breeding occurs in pairs where the two nest in tree holes. Eggs are laid in a clutch of three to four eggs. After the season of reproduction, the birds form large communal roosts. The birds are considered are categorized as least concern on the conservation status.

Tawny-Collared Nightjar (Antrostomus salvini)

The Tawny-collared Nightjar is an endemic species found in eastern Mexico, where it resides mainly in the dense scrubby woodland forests and thorn forests in arid and semi-humid regions. The Nightjar has a cinnamon hind-collar, upper parts with gray, brown and black mottles, black feathers with a whitish fringing and a dark crown. The species is a solitary and non-migratory with a Sally foraging behavior. The bird feeds on terrestrial invertebrates.

Mexican Woodnymph (Thalurania ridgwayi)

This Woodnymph is a vulnerable bird species of the hummingbird family endemic to western Mexico, where it is patchily distributed in the Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco, and Colima. Its habitats include humid, semi-deciduous and shade coffee plantations. The bird is found at elevations of between 250 and 1200 meters in its habitats. The bird is medium-sized at about 10 centimeters, mainly green with black wings, a bluish black tail, and a straight black bill. Its principal threats are habitat loss and fragmentation. Protected areas have been established in Cerro San Juan, Nayarit, and Jalisco.

Bronze-Winged Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus aeruginosus)

The bronze-winged woodpecker is a species of forest flicker endemic to northeast Mexico, where it makes its habitats in the broad-leaved evergreen forests, especially in montane areas. The bird has a body length of about 20 to 21 centimeters, weighing 68 to 82 grams. The male has a dark slate gray forehead and crown, and a red nape. The Woodpecker feeds mainly on ants, termites, wood boring larvae, and fruits. The species breeds in tree hollows. The bronze-winged woodpecker is considered a least concern species due to its relatively stable population.

Diverse Mexican Landscapes, Diverse Mexican Birds

From Mexico's deserts to lush forests to coastlines, the country houses many birds found nowhere else on earth. Some other species native to Mexico include the Yucatan wiren, Cozumel Thrasher, dwarf jay, Socorro Wren and Fuertes’s Oriole which occupy the forests and coastal area of the country.