Resident Birds of the Gomez Farias Region, Tamaulipas, Mexico FredS. Webster,It. ß.. Middle America'snorthernmost cloud forest,with an avifauna quite unlike thatof southernTexas... The Gomez Farias area of Tamaulipas is a Avifauna is predominantly tropical. Of the unique and fascinating region, and highly ac- speciesthat breed in the cloud forest, lessthan a cessibleto North American birders, being just dozen nest anywhere in the United States. The over 200 miles south-southwest of Brownsville, most commonbreeding bird is the Black-headed Texas, on good highways. Its ornithological Nightingale-thrush.Rufescent Tinamou, Singing features include Middle America's northernmost Quail, Mountain Trogon, Blue-crownedMotmot, cloud forest, with an avifauna quite unlike that three speciesof woodcreepers,Blue Mockingbird found in southern Texas, a succession of and Flame-coloredTanager are someof the other vegetationalzones that, within 20 miles, go from Mexican specieswhich nest here. Larger mam- tropicallowlands -- thorn and deciduousforest -- mals include black bear, coati, tayra, jaguar, to pine forestat 7000 feet. puma and brocketdeer. Rancho del Cielo, which is a convenient center The cloud forest is on the easternslope of the from whichto explorethis area,is a field stationof Sierra de Guatemala, a disjunctsegment of the Texas SouthmostCollege, and is locatedat 3800 Sierra Madre Oriental. The presenceof cloud feet in the Sierra de Guatemala. An equally con- forest at elevations between 3,000 and 4,000 feet venient center nearby is Rancho Cielito, in the (approx.)is owinglargely to the configurationof lowlands, situated on the bank of the Rio Sabinas, the range and the rapid upsurgeof moisture-laden the river in George M. Sutton'sAt a Bend in a winds from the Gulf of Mexico, about 90 miles to Mexican River, New York, 1972. the east. The Sierra de Guatemala offers a unique op- DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA portunityfor comparingthe ecologyof a varietyof Rancho del Cielo is located in the heart of Mid- vegetationzones within a distanceof lessthan 20 dle America's northernmost cloud forest. miles(crow flight). From thorn forest and tropical Although major componentsof this forest -- deciduousforest at lower elevations,one may toweringoaks and sweetgum, with somehickory, progress altitudinally through tropical semi- maple, walnut, redbud and magnolia-- also are evergreenforest, cloud forest, humid pine-oak common to certain parts of the eastern and forest, dry oak-pine forest, and montane southern United States, the resemblance ends chaparral. Pine is most common at higher there;myriad epiphytes-- includingmany species elevationsof this range, which reachesnearly of orchids and bromeliads -- trees such as 7,000 feet. podocarpus,and other tropical plants not found Cloud forest, tropical deciduous forest, and farther north, add to the beauty of this verdant tropicalsemi-evergreen forest (also called tropical area. In placesthe loftycanopy is brokenby rocky, moss-coveredhillocks where large trees find no foothold; these rock piles supportthe growth of suchplants as agave. •4926 Strass Drive, Austin, Texas 78731. Volume 28, Number I 3 mountainside forest) occur no farther north; therefore, a number of plant and animal species reachtheir northernlimits in this region. The sub-regionextends roughly from El Carrizo southto San Gerardoon the Pan-AmericanHigh- way, and westwardsome 20 kilometersto a north- southline passingthrough the valleyof La Joyade Salas. This includes the towns of Encino and Gomez Farias, and Rancho del Cielo in the Sierra de Guatemala. This is the portion of the Gomez Farias region which has been studied in some depth by ornithologistsand birders, and includes all localities which are visited by personneland guestsof Texas SouthmostCollege on college- sponsoredtrips. The list that follows is a combined summer and winter resident list. Specieswhich are only tran- sient through the region are omitted. It should be emphasizedthat muchwork remains to be donein this area, and that some specieswhich are un- doubtedlypresent have not beenlisted, for lack of knowledge. Typical "rock pile" in cloud tbrest. These ecoloœicallydistinct "islands" do not support the larœertrees. but are small enonœhin diameter so that the.lbrest canopycloses over them. 4 American Birds. February 1974 SYMBOLS Summerrange of breedingbirds, by vegetation zones(see below) is givenin the righthandcolumn. The breedingstatus of somespecies -- indicated by an asterisk(*) -- is basedon reasonableassum- THE LIST ption,although firm evidenceis lacking. Range delineation is arbitrarily drawn. The ecologyof this regionis quitevaried and complex. Rufescent Tinamou (Thicket Tinamou, P), Numerous interdigitations,and isolated habitat C.rvpturelluscinnamomeus LTC pockets(some caused by clearingof thewoodland) LeastGrebe, Colymbus dominicus OVodiceps dominicus, DEP) L* complicate the determination of faunal Eared Grebe or Black-neckedGrebe, Colymbus distribution on altitudinal levels. caspicus(Podiceps caspicus, D E P) The Gomez Farias Region, as designatedby Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbuspodiceps Martin (1958: 6-7), includeseight of the twelve OlivaceousCormorant (Neotropic Cormorant, vegetationzones recognized in Mexicoby Leopold P), Ph alacrocorax olivaceus L* (1950: 508); however, for the purpose of this Great Blue Heron,Ardea herodias listing, only a portion of the region is used, and Green Heron, Butorides virescens L* this segment is simplified into five zones, as Little Blue Heron, Florida caerulea follow: CommonEgret or LargeEgret (Am. Egret,D; Great Egret,P), Casmerodiusalbus (Egretta L- Lowland tropleal Riverside forest; cul- egretta, D) tivated fields; tropical deciduousforest SnowyEgret, Leucophoyx thula (Egretta thula, to lowerslopes of the sierra. DP) T- Mountainside tropical Upper portions Cattle Egret, Bubulcusibis of tropical deciduous forest; tropical Bare-throated Tiger-Heron (Mexican Tiger- semi-evergreenor mountainsidetropical Bittern,D; Tiger Bittern,E), Heterocnus forest to about 3000 feet. mexicanus(Tigrisoma mexicanurn, DP) L Black-belliedTree-Duck, Dendrocygna C - Cloudforest Oak - sweetgum and oak - autumnalis L* sweetgum - beech cloud forestsbetween Muscovy(Muscovy Duck, BDE), Cairina about 3000 and $000 feet. moschata L P - Humid pine-oak Humid pine - oak for- Common Pintail (Northern Pintail, DP; Pintail est mainly on eastern flank of the sierra E),Anas acura from about $000 to 7000 feet. Gadwall(Gadwall Duck, D), An asstrepera O - Dry oak-pine Dry oak - pine woodland Northern Shoveler(Shoveler, E), Spatula clypeata and savannahon the westernslope of the Baldpateor Am. Wigeon(Am. Wigeon,BDE; sierra. Am. Wigeon,P), Mareca americana Ring-neckedDuck, Aythya collaris NOMENCLATURE LesserScaup, Aythya qffinis Ruddy Duck, Oxyurajamaicensis Namesused arc thoselisted in The Speciesof Black Vulture, Coragypsatratus L Middle American Birds, Eugene Eisenmann, Turkey Vulture, Cathanesaura * 1955. Trans. Linnaean Society qf N. Y. VII, New White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus L York, revised in certain instances to conform to PlumbeousKite, Ictinia plumbea T current A.O.U. Check-list Committee usage. Sharp-shinnedHawk, Accipiter striatus P* When authors of the most commonlyused field Bicolored Hawk, Accipiter bicolor LT guides use different names, these are given in Cooper'sHawk (Cooper Hawk, B),A ccipiter parenthesesand the author identified by letter. cooperii B--Emmet Reid Blake, D--Irby Davis, E--Er- White-tailed Hawk, Buteo albicaudatus L* nest P. Edwards,P--Roger T. Petersonand Ed- Red-tailed Hawk, B uteojamaicensis * ward L. Chalif. RoadsideHawk (Large-billed Hawk, D), Buteo magnirostris LT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS GrayHawk, Buteo nitidus (Buteo plagiatus, D) LTC Bay-wingedHawk (Harris' Hawk, D; Harris's The author is indebtedto John C. Arvin for his major Hawk, E), Parabuteo unicinctus (Parabuteo contribution to this list, especially in lowland birds harrisi, D) L around his base of operationsat Rancho Cielito. Work Common Black Hawk (Black Crab-Hawk, D), at Ranchode Cielo by the author and others,especially Buteogallusanthracinus LT Marie Webster and Mabel Deshayes,has been made possibleand productiveby the cooperationof the Sta- tion Director, Barbara Warburton, to whom the author is profoundlygrateful. Volume 28, Number 1 S Great BlackHawk (Ridgway'sBlack-Hawk. D). Common Gallinule (Florida Gallinule, D), Hypomorphnusurubitinga (Hypomorphnus Gallinula chloropus(Gallinula cachinnans,D) L* ridgwayi,D; Buteogallusurubitinga, P) L PurpleGallinule, Porphyrula martinica L* OrnateHawk-Eagle (Ornate Eagle-Hawk, B), American Coot. Fulica americana L* Spizaetusornatus TC American]acana (Northern ]acana, DP; Jacana, Marsh Hawk, Circus .cyaneus E),Jacan a spinosa L* Blackish Crane-Hawk (Black Crane-Hawk, DE: Killdeer, Charadriusvoc•ferus L* Crane Hawk, P), Geranospizanigra SpottedSandpiper, Actitis rnacularia (Geranospizacaerulescens, P) T Red-billedPigeon, Colurnba.tlavirost•s LTCP LaughingFalcon, Herpetotheres cachinnans LT Band-tailedPigeon, Colurnbafasciata 0 Collared Forest-Falcon (Collared Forest Hawk, Mournin• Dove, Zenaidura rnacroura L E). Micrastur semitorquatus LT White-wingedDove, Zenaida asiatica L CrestedCaracara. Pol. vborus cheriway ( Caracara Inca Dove,Scardqfella inca L cheriway,BD; Polyborusplancus, P) L CommonGround-Dove (Scaly Ground-Dove, D), PeregrineFalcon. Falco petegrinus Colurnbigallinapasserina ( Colurnbina Bat Falcon (White-throated Falcon, D), Falco passerina, DEP) L albigularis(Falco petoensis. D: Falco RuddyGround-Dove, Colurnbigallina