North American Important Bird Areas A Directory of 150 Key Conservation Sites Table of Contents This publication was prepared by the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The views contained herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the CEC, or the governments of Canada, Mexico or the United States of Table of Contents America. Foreword . v Acknowlegments . ix Reproduction of this document in whole or in part and in any Introduction. 1 form for educational or nonprofit purposes may be made with- Methods. 5 out special permission from the CEC Secretariat, provided Criteria . 9 acknowledgement of the source is made. The CEC would appre- Conservation and Management of Important Bird Areas . 17 How to Read the IBA Site Accounts. 29 ciate receiving a copy of any publication or material that uses this document as a source. Canada . 31 Introduction to the Canadian Sites . 35 Published by the Communications and Public Outreach Depart- United States . 139 ment of the CEC Secretariat. Introduction to the US Sites . 143 For more information about this or other publications from Mexico . 249 the CEC, contact : Introduction to the Mexican Sites. 253 COMMISSION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION 393, rue St-Jacques Ouest, bureau 200 Montréal (Québec) Canada H2Y 1N9 Tel: (514) 350–4300 • Fax: (514) 350–4314 http://www.cec.org ISBN 2-922305-42-2 Disponible en français sous le titre : Les zones importantes pour la con- servation des oiseaux en Amérique du Nord (ISBN 2-922305-44-9). Disponible en español con el título Áreas Importantes para la Conservación de las Aves de América del Norte (ISBN 2-922305-43-0). © Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 1999 Legal Deposit–Bibliothèque nationale du Québec, 1999 Legal Deposit–Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999 Paper: Fifty percent recycled, with 20 percent post-consumer content / no coatings, no elemental chlorine Ink: Vegetable ink containing no chlorine or heavy metals Fountain Solution: No isopropyl alcohol / less than one percent VOCs Press Washes: Low VOC press washes used Design & Layout: Station | Communications Printed in Canada iii Foreword Foreword Some 1,400 species of birds inhabit North America. This is roughly equivalent to one species in six of all the world’s avifauna. By country, one finds over 1,000 species in Mexico, over 800 in the United States and over 600 in Canada. More than 250 species in North America are migratory. The spectacular array of bird life found across the continent is supported and created by the varied tapestry of North America’s lands and waters. For example: • Waterfowl and shorebirds stage in the hundreds of thousands in Mexico’s Lagunas de Chacahua National Park, the United States’ Chesapeake Bay Wetlands System and Canada’s Southern James Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuaries; • Songbirds migrate by the millions in the spectacular gulf crossings along Mexico’s Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, the United States’ Mississippi River Valley and Canada’s Long Point National Wildlife Area; • Birds of prey form a unique river of raptors across Veracruz, Mexico and soar by the thou- sands across Mexico’s Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, the United States’ Hawk Mountain lookout and Canada’s Rocky Mountain national parks system. In addition to serving as a significant aspect of North American landscape, wild birds sup- port many people in North America in terms of basic human needs, especially food. Our relationship with birds, however, goes far beyond sustenance. Other bird-related activities include bird watching, bird feeding, hunting and falconry. Birds are also important in the realms of the arts, science and spirituality. Furthermore, birds serve as flagships for many highly valued natural ecosystems: ducks symbolize wetlands, parrots embody the color of the rain forests, quetzals exemplify cloud forests, eagles represent mountain landscapes. Highly visible, well known, and popular with people, birds are clearly one of mankind’s closest links with nature. Bird-related activities can also generate billions of dollars in economic activity. For exam- ple, 1991 survey by Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service calculate that, in Canada, $5.6 billion (Canadian) was spent on wildlife-related activities. These expenditures contributed close to 7 percent of Canada’s GDP, $3.8 billion in personal income and $3.1 billion in tax revenues. A 1991 survey produced by the US Census Bureau concludes that in the United States, some 109 million residents spent $59.1 billion on wildlife-related activites, of which $18.1 billion was mainly on bird watching and nature appreciation activities. In Mexico, eco-tourism, often in the form of bird watching, is becoming an increasingly attractive, environmentally friendly, economic alternative for communities. Local residents have begun to see the conservation of birds as a viable alternative to economic activities, such as logging and subsistence agriculture, which result in deforestation and the destruc- tion of wildlife habitats. The role birds play also provides numerous hidden benefits, often unaccounted for eco- nomically. Birds may be keystone species in the life-supporting cycles. To a large extent, the fate of the North American forest sector rests on the health of birds residing in and travel- ling through all three countries. As voracious eaters of weed seeds, farm rodents and insect pests, as well as dispersing agents of fruit seeds, birds provide society with “free” ecologi- cal services. The conservation of birds throughout the continent is vital to the one of our largest, shared economic sectors—the wood and wood products sector. How many North Americans, however, are aware of this? v North American Important Bird Areas Foreword Moreover, human well being is dependent on birds. Loss of insect-eating birds from farms, enhancing coordination, and fostering greater cooperation among the nations and peoples woodlots and hedgerows will reduce the natural pest-control services previously provided of the continent. One of these efforts includes the Important Bird Areas program in North by birds. Healthy, diverse bird populations are also an excellent indicator of the underlying America. This program will identify sites in North America which are critical for the con- health of the ecosystem in which they—and we—live. When a wetland begins losing its servation of birds, and will develop actions that focus on the protection of those sites. ducks, rails, warblers and swallows, it is a sign that it is likely to be not as good a provider Through these initiatives, the CEC is helping to conserve the bird populations of North as when it was abundant with clean, filtered water. America now and for many generations to come. Despite their enormous value, bird populations in North America are becoming increasingly threatened. The World Conservation Monitoring Center, in its 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, includes 71 bird species in Mexico, the United States and Canada as threatened: 34 are listed as endangered, 22 as vulnerable and 15 as rare. Many of the threatened and endangered species migrate across our political boundaries, forging a fundamental ecological link between Canada, Mexico and the United States. From March to May each year, during the northern springtime, a tremendous tide of bird life surges north from the tropics and near-tropics, re-filling quiet northern forests, prairies, wet- lands and tundra. After a short, song-filled and energetic breeding season, the tide withdraws southward. During the northern autumn, from August to November, the tide of avian wildlife recedes back to warmer climates where the insects that sustain birds abound. The lesson, of course, is that birds carry no passports and “belong” to no nation. Flying within and among the nations of North America, migratory birds see no boundaries. They have surged north- ward and southward each year, long before humans populated the Americas and borders were created. Loss of natural habitats, pollution, pesticides, chemical spills, over-hunting, collisions with buildings, predation by uncontrolled dogs and cats—these are the principal threats to the birds of the three North American countries. Although any of these threats can place a bird species in decline or even push it to extinction, one is key: loss of natural habitat. Once the natural habitat is lost, or so severely degraded as to render the habitat unsuitable for the bird, it is often impossible—or would entail enormous amounts of effort, money and time—to replace. Natural habitat—both quantity and quality—must be secured to ensure long-term survival of all species, including birds. It is the cornerstone of all conservation efforts. Once a rea- sonable expanse of habitat is secured for bird species to breed, migrate and winter, other threats such as over-hunting and pollution can then be tackled. Since most birds are migratory to some extent, a variety of habitats for feeding and breed- ing, as well as for shelter, migration and wintering are needed. And since many birds migrate long distances, crossing international boundaries, bird conservation requires continental cooperation. Probably no other nations on earth are as dependant upon each other for the survival of shared birds and other wildlife as are Canada, Mexico and the United States. These three nations, therefore, face the enormous responsibility and challenge of working together to conserve their bird populations. The efficient and effective conservation of birds in North America calls for