Birds at La Saladita — Pacific Flyway & Río Petatlán Estuary

Notable Species

The species you'll actually see.

Top species at Saladita

Photo field guide, GBIF + Sound ID

Herons & wading birds (the signature group)

Garza blanca Great Egret Ardea alba Year-round, lagoon

Garceta nivosa Snowy Egret Egretta thula Year-round

Garceta tricolor Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor Lagoon shallows

Garcita verde Green Heron Butorides virescens Mangrove edges

Garza azul Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Year-round, large

Garza ganadera Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Year-round

Pedrete corona negra Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Dawn / dusk

Pedrete corona clara Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea Crepuscular

Espátula rosada Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja Year-round, peak winter

Cigüeñón Wood Stork Mycteria americana Lagoon edges

Garza cucharón Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius Rarity — secretive

Garceta rojiza Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens Rarity — Near Threatened

Coast, sea & shorebirds

Pelícano pardo Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis Year-round

Fragata magnífica Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens Year-round

Charrán real Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus Beach, year-round

Playero pihuiuí Willet Tringa semipalmata Winter migrant

Zarapito Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Aug–Oct migrant

Raptors (hawks & falcons)

Aguililla camino Roadside Hawk Rupornis magnirostris Common, brown

Aguililla gris Gray Hawk Buteo plagiatus Dry forest

Aguililla negra menor Common Black Hawk Buteogallus anthracinus Coastal, riparian

Caracara quebrantahuesos Crested Caracara Caracara plancus Often on the ground

Forest, scrub & village

Chachalaca occidental West Mexican Chachalaca Ortalis poliocephala Mexican endemic

Urraca-hermosa cara blanca White-throated Magpie-Jay Calocitta formosa Dry forest

Cacique mexicano Yellow-winged Cacique Cassiculus melanicterus Mexican endemic

Saltapared sinaloense Sinaloa Wren Thryophilus sinaloa Mexican endemic

Tecolote enano Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium brasilianum Small tropical owl

Trogón citrino Citreoline Trogon Trogon citreolus Mexican endemic

Carpintero enmascarado Golden-cheeked Woodpecker Melanerpes chrysogenys Mexican endemic

Bienteveo social Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis Vocal, year-round

Tirano tropical Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus Year-round

Zanate Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus Ubiquitous

Bolsero dorso rayado Streak-backed Oriole Icterus pustulatus Year-round

Colorín pecho naranja Orange-breasted Bunting Passerina leclancherii Mexican endemic

Cardenal rojo Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Year-round

Paloma alas blancas White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica Year-round

Mirlo pardo Clay-colored Thrush Turdus grayi Year-round, gardens & edges

Tórtola colilarga Inca Dove Columbina inca Roads at dawn/dusk, white tail flash

Periquito frente naranja Orange-fronted Parakeet Eupsittula canicularis Noisy flocks, farms & trees

Loro corona lila Lilac-crowned Parrot Amazona finschi Mexican endemic · IUCN Vulnerable

Loro cabeza amarilla Yellow-headed Parrot Amazona oratrix IUCN Endangered · candidate ID, photo needed

Seasonal migrants & warblers

Chipe amarillo Northern Yellow Warbler Setophaga aestiva Winter migrant

Vireo verde-amarillo Yellow-green Vireo Vireo flavoviridis Spring–summer migrant

Photos via iNaturalist (CC-licensed observations from across the Pacific Mexican range). Species grouped by habitat. Herons are the signature group at the estuary; the dry forest behind the village holds eight Mexican endemics or near-endemics — Yellow-winged Cacique, Sinaloa Wren, West Mexican Chachalaca, Citreoline Trogon, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Orange-breasted Bunting, and the Vulnerable Lilac-crowned Parrot, plus the regional Gray Hawk. The Lilac-crowned Parrot specifically is one of the species the Pacific slope of Mexico is responsible for protecting globally.

Worth reporting if seen

Rarities and the secretive ones

Garza cucharón / Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius): present in the Río Petatlán mangroves but uncommon and crepuscular — most often seen at the lagoon edge near dawn or dusk. The huge, spatula-shaped bill is unmistakable. Roosts in dense vegetation by day. If you see one, upload to iNaturalist.

Garceta rojiza / Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens): global population estimated under 10,000. Near Threatened (IUCN). The Guerrero Pacific coast supports one of the larger wintering populations.

The 18-species list to the left is what you'll see on a normal day. Anything else is a bonus — and worth logging. eBird hotspot for Saladita: L3356631.

Photo: Andreas Trepte via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus Data pending · Common · Aug–Oct (literature) Peak: August – October

One of the Pacific Flyway's signature long-distance migrants, the Whimbrel breeds on Arctic tundra and winters along tropical coasts. The distinctive down-curved bill and bold head stripes make it one of the easier shorebirds to identify. Saladita's mudflats and lagoon margins are exactly the habitat it seeks during southbound migration through August and September.

Photo: Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens Data pending · Common · Year-round (literature) Year-round resident

The frigatebird is one of the most conspicuous birds along this coast — a large, angular silhouette soaring on long scythe-shaped wings above the break all year. Males display a distinctive inflatable red throat pouch. Frigatebirds live largely by piracy, routinely chasing other seabirds and forcing them to drop their catch mid-flight.

Photo: Frank Schulenburg via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja Data pending · Uncommon · Nov–Mar (literature) November – March

One of the most visually striking waterbirds in the Americas, the Roseate Spoonbill's pink plumage and spatula-shaped bill are unmistakable. In winter, small numbers move into the Río Petatlán lagoon system. The population wintering on Mexico's Pacific coast is small, making any sighting here relatively uncommon and worth noting.

Photo: Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Brown Pelican

Pelecanus occidentalis Data pending · Common · Year-round (literature) Year-round resident

Brown Pelicans are a constant presence along Saladita's beach — gliding in loose formation above the breaks, then plunge-diving for fish with an audible splash. Watching a pelican drop from fifteen feet with the same rhythm as a surfer reading a set is one of the incidental pleasures of time in the water here.

Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Reddish Egret

Egretta rufescens Notable · NT (IUCN) · <10,000 globally October – April

The Reddish Egret is among the rarest herons in North America, with a global population estimated under 10,000 individuals. Its foraging behavior is distinctive — it runs, spreads its wings, and lunges at fish in a canopy-feeding posture unlike any other heron. The lagoon and tidal flats adjacent to Saladita provide appropriate habitat.

More species recorded at La Saladita

Photo: Faucon via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Marbled Godwit

Limosa fedoa October – April (winter)

Photo: Frank Schulenburg via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Snowy Egret

Egretta thula Year-round

Photo: Acarpentier via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias Year-round

Photo: NASA via Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus October – April