Imagine a large black, white, and gray warbler with a blood-red breast and vent. Arguably one of Mexico’s most dramatically-colored avian jewels, the Red-breasted Chat is just one of many specialties that draw birders to Oaxaca. Approximately 730 species of birds occur in this southern state of Mexico. That is approximately the same number of birds regularly found in all of North America, compressed in an area only a 100th its size. Some 51 species are endemic, nearly five times the number found in the United States. Sandwiched between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean at the narrowest point in Mexico, Oaxaca draws avifaunas from both slopes, as well as from both the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madre. Our loop around the 100-mile-wide land bridge encompasses all of Oaxaca’s varied habitats. Beginning in the geographic heart of the state we swiftly ascend the barrier ranges that separate the capital from the tropical northern lowlands. In the conifer-cloaked highlands we have a good chance of finding such wonderful birds as Long-tailed Wood-Partridge, Mountain Trogon, and Black Robin. Dropping 9,000 feet into the lowlands we should see Keel-billed Toucans, as well as a host of rainforest species near the northern limits of their distribution. Throngs of vireos, thrushes, warblers, tanagers, and orioles will also be staging here before continuing their journeys north to the U.S. and Canada. Another full day has been set aside to explore the broadleaf foothill forests and the bromeliad-draped cloud forests above Tuxtepec, where the haunting songs of Slate-colored Solitaires cast their spell, and turquoise and orange Elegant Euphonias preside on canopy treetops. After three days at Tuxtepec we cross the waist of Mexico to Tehuantepec in the Pacific lowlands. The unique Cinnamon-tailed Sparrow—which has one of the smallest ranges of any Mexican bird—occurs on the edge of town. Nearby La Ventosa Lagoon hosts flocks of waders and waterbirds in transit to Alaska. Birding our way to the small resort town of Huatulco we should find the gorgeous Orange-breasted Bunting. Doubleday’s Hummingbird, currently considered a subspecies of Broad-billed, is common along our route, and we may also encounter Cinnamon-sided Hummingbird, a subspecies of the Green-fronted. The trip concludes with two days to explore the Sierra de Miahuatlán. Among the many endemics found in this range are such wonderful birds as Great Swallow-tailed Swift, Blue-capped Hummingbird, Golden Vireo, Happy Wren, and Red-headed Tanager.

$100 will be discounted if Oaxaca Valley is combined with Grand Oaxaca—$5690.

Photo:  Lesser Ground-Cuckoo
Photo by:  Rick Taylor

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