The glass-clear, warm, aquamarine waters of the Caribbean Sea, milling throngs of rose-pink Caribbean Flamingos, and the beautifully preserved Mayan city-states of Uxmal, Chichén Itzá, Cobá, and Tulum: these form the backdrop for your birding tour of Mexico's famed Yucatán Peninsula. Our trip begins on Cozumel Island, located just 12 miles off the mainland in the dream-colored blue waters of the Caribbean. Here we’ll divide our time between the sea and its neon array of tropical fish, and the unique birdlife. The island boasts three species of endemics—Cozumel Emerald, Cozumel Thrasher (rare), and Cozumel Vireo—many species of Caribbean endemics, such as White-crowned Pigeon, Black Catbird, and Western Spindalis, as well as abundant Bananaquits, and a cornucopia of wintering warblers. Tulum presides over perhaps the most dramatic Caribbean view of any Central American ruin, and at Cobá we'll see the tallest Mayan temples in Mexico—as well as such tropical jewels as the Cinnamon Hummingbird and Rose-throated Tanager. Our hotel typically hosts a pair of Bat Falcons, and the lake in front of the hotel has a good population of Ruddy Crakes. Endemic Yucatán Jays along the road to Chichén Itzá underscore the bird wealth of the Peninsula. Birds like Yellow-winged Tanager, Green Jay, and Rufous-browed Peppershrike may vie for our attention as we visit the Sacred Well, or cenote, used by the Mayas for religious sacrifices. But the undeniable glamour bird of the Yucatán is the American Flamingo, which only occurs in protected inlets along the northern peninsula coastline. Aside from the flamingo colony, we'll look for American Pygmy Kingfisher, Black-throated Bobwhite, Sandwich Tern, and endemic Mexican Sheartail. Uxmal represents the finest puuc style architecture in the Yucatán. Here we may hope to see Lesser Roadrunner, Grayish Saltator, and Melodious Blackbird. Both Blue-crowned and Turquoise-browed Motmots haunt the ruins here, as well as at Sayil. Our trip ends in Mérida, a colonial city founded in 1542 and the capital of the state of Yucatán. With its beautiful white downtown buildings, bustling mercado, and elegant boutiques, Mérida provides an elegant conclusion to our travels in a region where history suffuses the present. Our hotels throughout the Yucatán Peninsula and Cozumel Island feature lush gardens, picturesque Spanish architecture, and full modern amenities, all at a season when the weather promises to be perfect.

$100 will be discounted if Yucatán Biospheres is combined with Yucatán, Birds & Ruins—$6190.

Photo:  Turquoise-browed Motmot
Photo by:  Rick Taylor

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