Mexico Ramsar wetland
Lake Chapala
180 bird species recorded; the most from October to November.
Gil Garza · CC0
This month here
95 species in January.60 species in February.42 species in March.40 species in April.32 species in May.27 species in June.49 species in July.41 species in August.106 species in September.138 species in October.128 species in November.41 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
180 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 180Speciesrecorded more than once
- 85Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 0ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 7,422Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 1,524 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 20Raptors
- 3Owls
- 1Waders
- 3Gulls & seabirds
- 7Ducks & geese
- 10Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 106Songbirds
- 29Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 180 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Grey-lined HawkButeo nitidus
- Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni
- Hook-billed KiteChondrohierax uncinatus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinus
- Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
- White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
- Buteo albicaudatusButeo albicaudatus
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Glaucidium gnomaGlaucidium gnoma
- Ferruginous Pygmy OwlGlaucidium brasilianum
Waders1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
Gulls & seabirds3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
Ducks & geese7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- GadwallMareca strepera
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanoptera
Herons, ibises & grebes10 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Clark's GrebeAechmophorus clarkii
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Green HeronButorides virescens
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
Songbirds106 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Lesser GoldfinchSpinus psaltria
- Bewick's WrenThryomanes bewickii
- Canyon TowheeMelozone fusca
- Black-throated Grey WarblerSetophaga nigrescens
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculifer
- Scarlet FlycatcherPyrocephalus rubinus
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Blue MockingbirdMelanotis caerulescens
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- Spotted WrenCampylorhynchus gularis
- Red TanagerPiranga flava
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Violet-green SwallowTachycineta thalassina
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Canyon WrenCatherpes mexicanus
- Black-headed GrosbeakPheucticus melanocephalus
- Orange-billed Nightingale-thrushCatharus aurantiirostris
- Buff-breasted FlycatcherEmpidonax fulvifrons
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Greater PeweeContopus pertinax
- MacGillivray's WarblerGeothlypis tolmiei
- Grace's WarblerSetophaga graciae
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Cassin's KingbirdTyrannus vociferans
- Western Wood-PeweeContopus sordidulus
- Gray Silky-flycatcherPtilogonys cinereus
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Townsend's WarblerSetophaga townsendi
- Hammond's FlycatcherEmpidonax hammondii
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Hermit WarblerSetophaga occidentalis
- Cinnamon-rumped SeedeaterSporophila torqueola
- Empidonax difficilisEmpidonax difficilis
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- American Dusky FlycatcherEmpidonax oberholseri
- Greenish ElaeniaMyiopagis viridicata
- American BushtitPsaltriparus minimus
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Rufous-capped WarblerBasileuterus rufifrons
- Streak-backed OrioleIcterus pustulatus
- Sinaloa WrenThryophilus sinaloa
- Rusty-crowned Ground-SparrowMelozone kieneri
- Ash-throated FlycatcherMyiarchus cinerascens
- Vireo cassiniiVireo cassinii
- Rufous-crowned SparrowAimophila ruficeps
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Painted RedstartMyioborus pictus
- Varied BuntingPasserina versicolor
- Northern Beardless-TyrannuletCamptostoma imberbe
- Great KiskadeePitangus sulphuratus
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Bullock's OrioleIcterus bullockii
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- Green-tailed TowheePipilo chlorurus
- Stripe-headed SparrowPeucaea ruficauda
- Quiscalus mexicanusQuiscalus mexicanus
- Rusty SparrowAimophila rufescens
- Vireo plumbeusVireo plumbeus
- Nutting's FlycatcherMyiarchus nuttingi
- Happy WrenPheugopedius felix
- Social FlycatcherMyiozetetes similis
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Lazuli BuntingPasserina amoena
- Thick-billed KingbirdTyrannus crassirostris
- Red-faced WarblerCardellina rubrifrons
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Rufous-backed RobinTurdus rufopalliatus
- Hooded OrioleIcterus cucullatus
- Rufous-capped Brush-finchAtlapetes pileatus
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Curve-billed ThrasherToxostoma curvirostre
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Northern Tufted FlycatcherMitrephanes phaeocercus
- Elegant EuphoniaEuphonia elegantissima
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Aztec ThrushRidgwayia pinicola
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Black-vented OrioleIcterus wagleri
- Black-backed OrioleIcterus abeillei
- Pine FlycatcherEmpidonax affinis
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Vireo huttoniVireo huttoni
- Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
- Blue BuntingCyanocompsa parellina
- Yellow-eyed JuncoJunco phaeonotus
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Botteri's SparrowPeucaea botterii
- Lucy's WarblerLeiothlypis luciae
Other birds29 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Inca DoveColumbina inca
- Ladder-backed WoodpeckerDryobates scalaris
- Broad-billed HummingbirdCynanthus latirostris
- Leucolia violicepsLeucolia violiceps
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- White-tipped DoveLeptotila verreauxi
- Berylline HummingbirdSaucerottia beryllina
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufusNT
- Golden-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes aurifrons
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- American CootFulica americana
- Vaux's SwiftChaetura vauxi
- Broad-tailed HummingbirdSelasphorus platycercus
- Common Squirrel-cuckooPiaya cayana
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
- Lesser RoadrunnerGeococcyx velox
- White-throated swiftAeronautes saxatalis
- Greater RoadrunnerGeococcyx californianus
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Common Ground-DoveColumbina passerina
- Acorn WoodpeckerMelanerpes formicivorus
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Black-chinned HummingbirdArchilochus alexandri
- White-eared HummingbirdBasilinna leucotis
- Lesser NighthawkChordeiles acutipennis
- Calliope HummingbirdSelasphorus calliope
- Great Swallow-tailed SwiftPanyptila sanctihieronymi
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from October to November.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan23°/8°10 mm
- Feb26°/10°17 mm
- Mar28°/12°7 mm
- Apr31°/14°2 mm
- May32°/16°28 mm
- Jun29°/17°149 mm
- Jul25°/16°205 mm
- Aug25°/16°169 mm
- Sep25°/15°143 mm
- Oct25°/13°52 mm
- Nov25°/10°14 mm
- Dec24°/9°7 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Lake Chapala.
Lake in Jalisco in Mexico
Lake Chapala is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Mexico, 1,524 m above the sea.
180 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 7,422 open records.
The most recorded are the Black Vulture, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and the Inca Dove.
24 species come for the summer, 57 for the winter and 4 only pass through.
The most species are recorded from October to November.
Get there and watch
- Mezcalanearest town · 1.9 km in a straight line
- Guadalajara International Airport (GDL)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 39 km in a straight lineCar hire at GDL airport (Guadalajara)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
- places to stay within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Lake Chapala.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas8 mountains within 25 kmCerro Punta Grande · 3.2 kmCerro San Francisco · 14 kmCerro El Molino · 15 kmCerro El Chiquihuitillo · 18 kmCerro Grande · 18 kmCerro El Terrero · 22 kmCerro El Papanton de Juanacatlan · 22 kmCerro Buenos Aires · 25 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Lake Chapala
Mexico
- 62Birdyas Score
- 180Species
- 85Migrants
- 0Threatened
Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve
Mexico · 229 km
- 69Birdyas Score
- 237Species
- 107Migrants
- 1Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q318350) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 7,422 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
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Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit