Mexico Birding Tour

This tour can be booked as a private guided birding tour

Next group tour departure dates: 15 July 2024

Full Itinerary: Mexico Birding

Day 1:
Arrival in Oaxaca City
Welcome to magical Mexico!
You are in one of the six “cradles of civilization” on Earth, a place that can trace its origins back to 8,000 BC! Mexico’s history is a rich tapestry of ancient indigenous people, Spanish colonial rule and a distinct modern identity. It has the world’s 15th largest economy, was the 6th most visited country in the world in 2018 and is often identified as an emerging power. From a cultural perspective, Mexico ranks 1st in the Americas and 7th in the world for number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Importantly for us birders it is also one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, ranking as high as 5th in natural biodiversity. With over 200,000 different species, Mexico is home to an incredible 10 to 12% of the world’s biodiversity!

You will arrive from your international destination via the Oaxaca-Xoxocotlan Airport, located only a few kilometres south of the city centre of Oaxaca City. You will be met by a company representative and transferred to our comfortable hotel.

The attractive city of Oaxaca (its full name is actually Oaxaca de Juárez, but most people just use the shortened “Oaxaca”) is in the Central Valleys region of the state of Oaxaca, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín, Oaxaca’s sentinel hill. The city has an average elevation of about 1,555 metres (5,102 ft) above sea level. It has numerous colonial-era structures as well as significant archaeological sites and elements of the continuing native Zapotec and Mixtec cultures. The city, together with the nearby archaeological site of Monte Albán, was designated in 1987 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The state of Oaxaca (officially called the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca) is one of the most biologically diverse states in Mexico, ranking in the top 3, along with Chiapas and Veracruz, for numbers of reptiles, amphibians, mammals, plants and birds. Oaxaca has one of the most rugged terrains in Mexico, with mountain ranges that abruptly fall into the sea. Between these mountains are mostly narrow valleys, canyons and ravines.

If you have time today it might be a good idea to walk around the city (or take one of the city’s famous tuk-tuks to get around) and see some of its wonderful architecture, many parks and cultural history. Some of the top spots to visit include the Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, the State Government Palace, several museums, the green garden area of Alameda de León, the Macedonio Alcalá tourist corridor, the Oaxaca Cathedral, also referred to as Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, excellent markets, the church and former monastery of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, and many, many others.
While spending time marvelling at the sights and sounds of Oaxaca, remember to look out for some of our avian friends. Some of the first birds you could put on your Mexico list (or even your life list!) include Cedar Waxwing, Inca and White-winged Dove, Rufous-backed and Clay-coloured Thrush, Berylline Hummingbird, Grey Silky-flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee and many others.

At dinner we will get our first taste of the local cuisine. Oaxaca has long been considered “Mexico’s culinary capital”, and the gastronomical delights here truly rival anything in Latin America. The most notable aspect of Oaxacan cuisine is its variety of moles, which are a type of complex sauce, always served over something and never eaten alone. Like the rest of Mexican cuisine, Oaxacan food is based on staples such as corn, beans and chilli peppers, but there is a great variety of other ingredients and food preparations due to the influence of the state’s varied geography and indigenous cultures. If you are feeling adventurous, why not order some chapulines? It is a dish of grasshoppers (from the genus Sphenarium) that are toasted in a pan and seasoned with garlic, salt and lime juice. It is considered a delicacy in Oaxaca and is sold at local sports and culture events. Try it!

After dinner we will get a good night’s sleep at our comfortable hotel, our home for the next 4 nights. Rest up, tomorrow we really start birding!

Day 2:
Oaxaca birding
We will have an early start today with breakfast at the hotel. We must try some huevos motuleños! It is a fried tortilla topped with black beans, fried eggs, sauce, plantains and some form of meat. Yummy!

Over the next 3 days we will bird the wonderful areas surrounding Oaxaca City. We normally plan certain areas for specific days, but this could change depending on recent sighting reports or local weather conditions. But rest assured we will cover all the hotspots in search of this region’s top birds!

The valleys that surround Oaxaca City contain mostly scrub vegetation, but also pine and thorn forests, and hosts some of the most amazing species of birds, including many endemics. The beautiful area of Teotitlán del Valle (very well known for its textiles, especially colourful rugs) is one we will visit, including the famous Teotitlán road.

This morning, we will look for special endemic species such as Bridled and Oaxaca Sparrow, Boucard’s Wren, Dusky Hummingbird, Beautiful Sheartail, Grey-breasted Woodpecker, White-throated Towhee, White-striped Woodcreeper, Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater, and our first chances for the stunning Collared Towhee. Other species include Crested Caracara, Least Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Great and Snowy Egret, Great and Little Blue Heron, American Coot, Spotted, Solitary and Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, Black and Turkey Vulture, Acorn Woodpecker, Black-vented Oriole, Curve-billed Thrasher, Cassin’s and Thick-billed Kingbird, Painted Whitestart, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Elegant Euphonia, Pileated, Nutting’s, Ash-throated, Vermilion and Social Flycatcher, Bridled Titmouse, American Bushtit and many more.

In the afternoon we will ascend further to the pine oak forest at about 2,750 metres (9,000 ft) above sea level. This area can be quite foggy and rainy, but with a bit of luck we will have some great success in these scenic forests. This area of forest is also the upper part of the Benito Juárez National Park and home to some incredible species.

The park was established in 1937 and honors President Benito Juárez, who was a native of Oaxaca, and served as Mexico’s leader from 1858 to 1872. The park ranges from 1,650 to 3,050 meters (5,400 to 10,000 feet) above sea level and contains pine and oak forests in the upper reaches of the mountains, as well as scrub oaks and tropical deciduous forest lower down in the canyons. The park is very popular with local downhill mountain bikers, but we are here for the birds!
Some of the target species that we will look for today include the incredibly striking Red Warbler, endemic Collared Towhee, gorgeous Mountain Trogon, near-endemic Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, endemic Russet Nightingale-Thrush, Pine Flycatcher and Rufous capped Brushfinch.

Other fantastic species we could see today include Northern Pygmy Owl, Long-tailed Wood Partridge, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, White-eared Hummingbird, Mexican Violetear, Steller’s Jay, Aztec, Black and Hermit Thrush, Brown-backed Solitaire, Strong-billed and Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, Brown Creeper, Yellow-eyed Junco, Greenish Elaenia, Rose-throated Becard, Tufted Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, Cassin’s and Thick-billed Kingbird, Hutton’s and Plumbeous Vireo, Mexican Chickadee, Bridled Titmouse, American Bushtit, Olive, Golden-browed, Wilson’s, Crescent-chested and Red-faced Warbler, Painted and Slate-throated Whitestart, Chestnut-capped Brushfinch and many others.

After our exciting day in the surrounding valleys, we will return to our hotel in Oaxaca City. We will get together for dinner and to update our lists, and then head off to bed for a good night’s sleep.

Day 3:
Oaxaca birding
We start our day with breakfast at the hotel, after which we head out for another exciting day of birding.
We will spend the morning exploring the humid pine-oak forest near La Cumbre, the best place in the world to see the endemic Dwarf Jay, which occurs among noisy flocks of Steller’s Jays and Gray-barred Wrens. Numerous other birds are possible here like Collared Towhee, Northern (Mountain) Pygmy-Owl, Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, White-eared and Rivoli’s Hummingbirds, Red, Golden-browed, and Olive Warblers, Mountain Trogon, Russet Nightingale-Thrush, Strong-billed and White-striped Woodcreeper, Rufous-capped Brush-Finch, Long-tailed Wood partridge & Aztec Thrush!
We will head back to Oaxaca City in the late afternoon. We then get together for dinner and some socialising after another great day of birding in the Oaxaca region.

Day 4:
Oaxaca birding
We will enjoy some breakfast and then head out on our day’s excursion.
On the menu today is another area of scrub vegetation mixed with oak forest about 45 minutes northwest of Oaxaca City at about 1,850 metres (6,000 ft) above sea level. There is a winding dirt route that leads up the community of Arroyo Guacamaya that is normally especially productive.

The main targets in this area include the range-restricted Ocellated Thrasher, Blue Mockingbird, Steller’s Jay, White-eared Hummingbird, Elegant Euphonia, Slaty Vireo, Oaxaca Sparrow, Hepatic Tanager, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Grey Silky-flycatcher, Black-headed Grosbeak, Rufous-capped Brushfinch and many others.
Mammals are not entirely forgotten on this trip! During our time around Oaxaca City, we could see species like White-nosed Coati, White-tailed Deer, Central American Red Brocket, Hooded Skunk, Kinkajou, Mexican and Eastern Cottontail, Mexican Grey and Rock Squirrel, Osgood’s Mouse, Plateau and Mexican Deer Mouse, Zempoaltepec Vole and many species of bats if we move about at night. With lots of luck we could even glimpse one of the rarely seen wildcats like the iconic Puma or Near Threatened (IUCN RedList 2015) Margay.

After our exciting day we will return to the hotel in Oaxaca City to freshen up. Then we have dinner together while we update our lists and maybe show off our best photographs of the trip so far. Thereafter we head to our rooms for a good night’s rest.

Day 5:
Onwards to San José del pacific via Yagul
We will start with another scrumptious breakfast and then check out of our hotel.
Today is a travelling day, but before we tackle the route to San José del Pacific, we will detour via Yagul. Yagul is an archaeological site and former city-state associated with the Zapotec civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, located just 36km from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The site was declared one of the country’s four Natural Monuments on 13 October 1998. Here we will be on the lookout for Lesser roadrunner, White throated Flycatcher, Golden Vireo, Gray-breasted Woodpecker and Beautiful Hummingbird among any other birds we have missed.

We will do some roadside birding along the way and arrive at our hotel in the afternoon. Then we will have dinner and update our trip lists. Then we are off to bed for a good night’s sleep; tomorrow we go searching for some very special birds.

Day 6:
Pluma Hidalgo
We start our day with breakfast and coffee or tea in the hotel restaurant, and then set off.
We will do some birding at great spots around San José del pacific which could include specials such as White-throated Jay, Hooded Yellowthroat, Bumblebee Hummingbird, Garnet-throated Hummingbird and many more.

Pluma Hidalgo is a small mountain community located northeast of Chacalapa, Oaxaca, in a coffee-growing region. Pluma means feather and comes from the shape created by a cloud forming at the top of the nearby hilltop. Hidalgo honors the priest by that name who played a role in securing Mexico’s independence. Pluma Hidalgo is a hub for coffee and chocolate production and you can certainly get a good cup of coffee or chocolate here as well as purchase excellent coffee beans to take home.
On our way we will do some road side birding in search of Long-tailed Wood-partridge, White-eared Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Aztec Thrush, Russet Nightingale Thrush, Olive Warbler, Collared Towhee, Rufous-capped Brush-Finch, Red-faced Warbler, Red Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler, Hooded Yellowthroat and White-throated Jay and Blue-capped Hummingbird.

We will have dinner and socialise into the evening, hopefully having ticked some more great birds.

Day 7:
Further towards the coast to Huatulco
Today we start with breakfast and some more good local coffee.
We will be on the road early as usual to do some birding at Tropical Semi deciduous forest near Pluma Hidalgo in search of species such as Blue Capped Hummingbird, Gray Crowned Woodpecker, Red Headed Tanager, Fan tailed Warbler, Happy wren, Red-breasted Chat, Orange-breasted Bunting, Citreoline Trogon, Russet-crowned Motmot, White-throated Magpie-Jay, and Broad-billed (Doubleday’s) Hummingbird, Blue-capped (Oaxaca) Hummingbird. As well as Rufous-naped Wren, Colima Pygmy-Owl, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, White-fronted Parrot, Emerald Toucanet, Mottled Owl, Northern Bobwhite, Crested Guan, Plain-capped Starthroat and Masked Tityra.

Our destination is the gorgeous city of Huatulco on the Pacific coast.
We will go to our comfortable hotel (our home for the next 2 nights), check in and freshen up. Then we will have dinner and update our trip lists. Then we are off to bed for a good night’s sleep. On one of the evenings, we might squeeze in a session of owling, and species we could see include Pacific Screech Owl and Buff-collared Nightjar.

Day 8:
Oaxaca coast (Huatulco)
Today we could go birding in the low deciduous forest, visiting several trails near Huatulco or even parts of the Huatulco National Park. It covers 11,890 ha (29,400 acres) and boasts 9,000 plant species, almost 500 reptile species, many mammals and over 700 bird species. It was declared a protected area, then a national park in 1998 and later designated as part of a larger UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, as well as being a RAMSAR Wetland of Importance. The park has many different ecosystems, including tropical forests, dry forests, mangroves, coral reefs and wetlands. Apart from birding, there is also scuba diving, snorkeling, boat rides, hiking, biking and many other activities to choose from in and around the park.

We will spend our day in the area and look for species such as Thicket Tinamou (a possible future split into a full species of the occidentalis subspecies that occurs in this area), endemic West Mexican Chachalaca, Colima and Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, White-tipped Dove, distinctive Lesser Ground Cuckoo, endemic Citreoline Trogon, Russet-crowned Motmot, monotypic Mexican Cacique, Golden-cheeked, Lineated, Ladder-backed and Pale-billed Woodpecker, endemic and endangered Lilac-crowned Amazon, Orange-fronted Parakeet, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Spot-breasted, Streak-backed and Altamira Oriole, Cinnamon and Broad-billed Hummingbird, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, endemic and striking Red-breasted Chat, Yellow-green Vireo, Olive Sparrow, endemic Flammulated Flycatcher, Sclater’s, Happy and Veracruz Wren (all 3 endemic), White-lored Gnatcatcher, Blue and Orange-breasted Bunting (both beautiful and the latter also endemic), Scrub Euphonia and American Yellow Warbler among many others.

Mammals are not forgotten around the Huatulco area, and we could see Northern Tamandua, a type of anteater, one of the most interesting mammals found along Oaxaca’s tropical Pacific coast. Others that we could see include Central American Red Brocket, Collared Peccary, White-nosed Coati, Northern Raccoon, endemic Pygmy Spotted Skunk, Nine-banded Armadillo, Spotted Paca, the critically endangered Mexican Black Agouti, Deppe’s and Mexican Grey Squirrel and Grey Four-eyed Opossum. A rare possibility is the beautiful Ocelot.

Reptiles are also plentiful on the Oaxaca coast, and we will almost certainly see iguanas, including Western Spinytail and Green Iguana, along with many lizards and even a few snakes.
After another great day we will return to our hotel to enjoy our last dinner together. We will finalise our lists and complete our count.

Day 9:
End of tour and Departure
We will start our day with breakfast and then say our farewells. We will also exchange e-mail addresses so we can all keep in contact in the future and even send each other some cool trip photos.
We will say our goodbyes at the Huatulco International Airport, and everyone will depart on their homeward or onward flights.

Do you have a quick question about this birding tour? Speak to a specialist at
info@naturetravelbirding.com