Ecuador Ramsar wetland
Santay Island
259 bird species recorded; the most in December.
Spring Travel · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
175 species in January.156 species in February.138 species in March.133 species in April.157 species in May.139 species in June.155 species in July.143 species in August.157 species in September.160 species in October.164 species in November.192 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.
VU
VU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
259 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).
- 259Speciesrecorded more than once
- 57Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 3ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 36,768Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 28Raptors
- 4Owls
- 14Waders
- 10Gulls & seabirds
- 9Ducks & geese
- 20Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 102Songbirds
- 70Other 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 259 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Snail KiteRostrhamus sociabilis
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Savanna HawkButeogallus meridionalis
- Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostris
- Crane HawkGeranospiza caerulescens
- Harris's HawkParabuteo unicinctus
- Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
- Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus
- Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Great Black HawkButeogallus urubitinga
- Hook-billed KiteChondrohierax uncinatus
- Collared Forest FalconMicrastur semitorquatus
- White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
- Grey-lined HawkButeo nitidus
- Grey-headed KiteLeptodon cayanensis
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus
- Bat FalconFalco rufigularis
- Laughing FalconHerpetotheres cachinnans
- Pearl KiteGampsonyx swainsonii
- Buteo polyosomaButeo polyosoma
- Grey-backed hawkLeucopternis occidentalis
- Swallow-tailed KiteElanoides forficatus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Pacific Pygmy OwlGlaucidium peruanum
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
- Ferruginous Pygmy OwlGlaucidium brasilianum
- Black-and-white OwlStrix nigrolineata
Waders14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Wattled JacanaJacana jacana
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- WilletTringa semipalmata
Gulls & seabirds10 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Grey-headed GullChroicocephalus cirrocephalus
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Grey GullLeucophaeus modestus
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Large-billed TernPhaetusa simplex
- Inca TernLarosterna incaNT
- Peruvian BoobySula variegata
Ducks & geese9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- White-cheeked PintailAnas bahamensis
- American Comb DuckSarkidiornis sylvicola
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Horned ScreamerAnhima cornuta
- Masked DuckNomonyx dominicus
- Yellow-billed PintailAnas georgica
Herons, ibises & grebes20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Cocoi HeronArdea cocoi
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Least GrebeTachybaptus dominicus
- Rufescent Tiger HeronTigrisoma lineatum
- Pinnated BitternBotaurus pinnatus
- Peruvian PelicanPelecanus thagusNT
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Chilean flamingoPhoenicopterus chilensisNT
Songbirds102 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Quiscalus mexicanusQuiscalus mexicanus
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- Blue-gray TanagerThraupis episcopus
- Dives warczewicziDives warczewiczi
- Furnarius leucopusFurnarius leucopus
- Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybea
- Saffron FinchSicalis flaveola
- Blue-and-white SwallowNotiochelidon cyanoleuca
- Tropical GnatcatcherPolioptila plumbea
- Southern Beardless-tyrannuletCamptostoma obsoletum
- Social FlycatcherMyiozetetes similis
- Southern House WrenTroglodytes musculus
- Yellow-rumped CaciqueCacicus cela
- Ecuadorian ThrushTurdus maculirostris
- Fasciated WrenCampylorhynchus fasciatus
- Boat-billed FlycatcherMegarynchus pitangua
- Shiny CowbirdMolothrus bonariensis
- Snowy-throated KingbirdTyrannus niveigularis
- Variable SeedeaterSporophila corvina
- Scarlet FlycatcherPyrocephalus rubinus
- Southern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx ruficollis
- Thraupis palmarumThraupis palmarum
- Yellow-tailed OrioleIcterus mesomelas
- Chestnut-collared SwallowPetrochelidon rufocollaris
- Streak-headed WoodcreeperLepidocolaptes souleyetii
- Brown-chested MartinProgne tapera
- Streaked FlycatcherMyiodynastes maculatus
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Tropical ParulaSetophaga pitiayumi
- Rufous-browed PeppershrikeCyclarhis gujanensis
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Crimson-breasted FinchRhodospingus cruentus
- Sooty-crowned FlycatcherMyiarchus phaeocephalus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Grey-and-gold WarblerMyiothlypis fraseri
- Rusty-margined FlycatcherMyiozetetes cayanensis
- One-coloured BecardPachyramphus homochrous
- Orange-crowned EuphoniaEuphonia saturata
- Streaked saltatorSaltator striatipectus
- Giant CowbirdMolothrus oryzivorus
- Long-tailed MockingbirdMimus longicaudatus
- Masked Water TyrantFluvicola nengeta
- Baird's FlycatcherMyiodynastes bairdii
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Peruvian MeadowlarkSturnella bellicosa
- Thick-billed EuphoniaEuphonia laniirostris
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Saffron SiskinSpinus siemiradzkii
- Euscarthmus fulvicepsEuscarthmus fulviceps
- Necklaced SpinetailSynallaxis stictothorax
- Blue-black GrassquitVolatinia jacarina
- Parrot-billed SeedeaterSporophila peruviana
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Mouse-coloured TyrannuletPhaeomyias murina
- Common Tody-flycatcherTodirostrum cinereum
- Short-tailed Field-tyrantMuscigralla brevicauda
- Chestnut-throated SeedeaterSporophila telasco
- Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculifer
- Jet AntbirdCercomacra nigricans
- Olive-crowned YellowthroatGeothlypis semiflava
- BananaquitCoereba flaveola
- Golden GrosbeakPheucticus chrysogaster
- Collared AntshrikeThamnophilus bernardi
- Yellow-bellied ElaeniaElaenia flavogaster
- White-edged OrioleIcterus graceannae
- Orange-bellied EuphoniaEuphonia xanthogaster
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca
- Black-lored YellowthroatGeothlypis auricularis
- Pacific ElaeniaMyiopagis subplacens
- Flame-rumped TanagerRamphocelus flammigerus
- Yellow-olive FlatbillTolmomyias sulphurescens
- Yellow-billed CaciqueAmblycercus holosericeus
- Red-breasted MeadowlarkSturnella militaris
- Guira TanagerHemithraupis guira
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Buff-throated SaltatorSaltator maximus
- Superciliated WrenCantorchilus superciliaris
- White-tailed JayCyanocorax mystacalis
- White-lined TanagerTachyphonus rufus
- Plumbeous-backed ThrushTurdus reevei
- Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana
- Greenish ElaeniaMyiopagis viridicata
- Olivaceous WoodcreeperSittasomus griseicapillus
- Red-billed ScythebillCampylorhamphus trochilirostris
- Bay-headed TanagerTangara gyrola
- Red TanagerPiranga flava
- Western Wood-PeweeContopus sordidulus
- Bran-colored FlycatcherMyiophobus fasciatus
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Tumbes PeweeContopus punensis
- Speckle-breasted WrenPheugopedius sclateri
- Piratic FlycatcherLegatus leucophaius
- Black-tailed MyiobiusMyiobius atricaudus
- Ochraceous AttilaAttila torridusNT
- Blackish-headed SpinetailSynallaxis tithysVU
- Wedge-billed WoodcreeperGlyphorynchus spirurus
- Plain-brown WoodcreeperDendrocincla fuliginosa
- Black-capped SparrowArremon abeillei
- Lesser GreenletHylophilus decurtatus
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- Western Slaty-antshrikeThamnophilus atrinucha
Other birds70 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Ecuadorian Ground-DoveColumbina buckleyi
- Red-masked ParakeetAratinga erythrogenys
- Eared DoveZenaida auriculata
- Amazilia HummingbirdAmazilis amazilia
- Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
- Pale-vented PigeonPatagioenas cayennensis
- Pacific ParrotletForpus coelestis
- Gray-cheeked ParakeetBrotogeris pyrrhopteraVU
- Canary-winged ParakeetBrotogeris versicolurus
- Smooth-billed AniCrotophaga ani
- Golden-olive WoodpeckerColaptes rubiginosus
- Black-cheeked WoodpeckerMelanerpes pucherani
- Green KingfisherChloroceryle americana
- Croaking Ground-DoveColumbina cruziana
- Greater AniCrotophaga major
- Scarlet-backed WoodpeckerVeniliornis callonotus
- White-tipped DoveLeptotila verreauxi
- Short-tailed SwiftChaetura brachyura
- Ringed KingfisherMegaceryle torquata
- Rufous-necked Wood-RailAramides axillaris
- Ecuadorian TrogonTrogon mesurus
- LimpkinAramus guarauna
- Short-tailed WoodstarMyrmia micrura
- Common PotooNyctibius griseus
- Rufous-tailed HummingbirdAmazilia tzacatl
- Guayaquil WoodpeckerCampephilus gayaquilensis
- White-collared SwiftStreptoprocne zonaris
- Red-lored AmazonAmazona autumnalis
- Blue Ground DoveClaravis pretiosa
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Long-billed StarthroatHeliomaster longirostris
- West Peruvian DoveZenaida meloda
- Gray-rumped SwiftChaetura cinereiventris
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- Pallid DoveLeptotila pallida
- Ruddy PigeonPatagioenas subvinacea
- Black-throated MangoAnthracothorax nigricollis
- Gray-capped CuckooCoccyzus lansbergi
- Chestnut-collared SwiftStreptoprocne rutila
- Gartered TrogonTrogon caligatus
- Rallus longirostrisRallus longirostris
- Lesser NighthawkChordeiles acutipennis
- Common Squirrel-cuckooPiaya cayana
- Black-tailed TrainbearerLesbia victoriae
- Sapphire-vented PufflegEriocnemis luciani
- Scrub NightjarNyctidromus anthonyi
- Chlorestes julieChlorestes julie
- White-throated CrakeLaterallus albigularis
- American Pygmy KingfisherChloroceryle aenea
- Blue-headed ParrotPionus menstruus
- Plain-breasted Ground-DoveColumbina minuta
- Olivaceous PiculetPicumnus olivaceus
- Whooping MotmotMomotus subrufescens
- Gray-breasted CrakeLaterallus exilis
- Long-billed HermitPhaethornis longirostris
- Green-breasted MangoAnthracothorax prevostii
- PauraqueNyctidromus albicollis
- Sparkling Violet-earColibri coruscans
- Lineated WoodpeckerDryocopus lineatus
- Striped CuckooTapera naevia
- Little woodstarChaetocercus bombusNT
- Green-fronted BrilliantHeliodoxa jacula
- Lesser Swallow-tailed SwiftPanyptila cayennensis
- Southern Mealy AmazonAmazona farinosa
- Maroon-tailed ParakeetPyrrhura melanura
- Bronze-winged ParrotPionus chalcopterus
- CockatielNymphicus hollandicus
- Scaled PigeonPatagioenas speciosa
- Piaya minutaPiaya minuta
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in December.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan33°/22°123 mm
- Feb31°/22°215 mm
- Mar31°/22°212 mm
- Apr32°/22°126 mm
- May33°/21°38 mm
- Jun34°/21°10 mm
- Jul35°/20°3 mm
- Aug36°/20°3 mm
- Sep36°/20°2 mm
- Oct35°/20°6 mm
- Nov34°/20°8 mm
- Dec34°/21°24 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Santay Island.
Island in Durán Canton, Ecuador
Santay Island is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Ecuador.
259 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 36,768 open records.
The most recorded are the Quiscalus mexicanus, the Tropical Kingbird and the Blue-gray Tanager.
30 species come for the summer, 23 for the winter and 4 only pass through.
3 are threatened worldwide, including Gray-cheeked Parakeet, Lesser yellowlegs and Blackish-headed Spinetail.
The most species are recorded in December.
Get there and watch
- Coleg. Mazarellocampsite · 4.9 km · 13 within 10 km
- Malecon Innplace to stay · 3.9 km · 290 within 10 km
- Guayaquilnearest town · 4.4 km in a straight line
- José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (GYE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 8 km in a straight lineCar hire at GYE airport (Guayaquil)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
- 2observation towers within 6 kmTorre de Observación 1
- 2visitor centres within 6 kmInicio Via Concesionadas - CONCEGUA
- 5viewpoints within 5 kmCdla. la Martina, Mirador de Ecuavisa, Monumento "Elemento Tierra" and 2 more
- 2car parks within 3 km
- 5restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 13campsites within 10 kmColeg. Mazarello, C N E, jj and 10 more
- 290places to stay within 10 kmMalecon Inn, Hotel La Torre, Hostal Montesa and 287 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 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 Santay Island.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas5 mountains within 25 kmSanta Ana Hill60 m · 4.9 kmCerro del Carmen · 5.3 kmCerro Santa Ana · 6.1 kmCerro San Eduardo · 9.2 kmCerro Azul · 20 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.
Santay Island
Ecuador
- 65Birdyas Score
- 259Species
- 57Migrants
- 3Threatened
Gulf of Guayaquil-Tumbes mangroves
Ecuador · 40 km
- 66Birdyas Score
- 206Species
- 63Migrants
- 4Threatened
Machalilla National Park
Ecuador · 131 km
- 89Birdyas Score
- 336Species
- 98Migrants
- 10Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q7420096) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 36,768 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.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
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