Mexico: Oaxaca and Western Chiapas

Oaxaca and Western Chiapas comprises one of the richest areas of bird endemism in Mexico: the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The region’s unique blend of species are a reflection of its location at the point where the Nearctic faunal realm meets the Neotropics. South of the isthmus, for example, there are no more chickadees or nuthatches, two bird families very much part of the temperate northern avifauna, but diversity shoots up in terms of antbirds and tyrant flycatchers, two families centered in the Neotropics.

We’ll start in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, a modern city and the state capital of Chiapas, which lies within easy driving distance of habitats ranging from arid scrub to rain forest and the humid pine-oak highlands. We’ll head next to Arriaga, on the Pacific side of the isthmus, and then move west and north to end in Oaxaca City, a time-honored favorite of birders and travelers. Within a short distance of Oaxaca City, we’ll explore habitats ranging from cool montane forest to arid scrub, each with its own suite of birds. Birds along the route run the gamut from the elusive Lesser Ground-Cuckoo and Giant Wren (as big as a Dwarf Jay!) to the electrically colored Rosita’s Bunting and the little-known Nava’s Wren.