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El Salvador El Salvador Ramsar wetland

Cerrón Grande Dam

122 bird species recorded; the most in October.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec82at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

JMRAFFi · CC BY-SA 4.0

This month here

57 species in January.

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.

Western Kingbird
Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalisWinter visitorRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
Barn swallow
Barn swallowHirundo rusticaWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Short-tailed Hawk
Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurusWinter visitorOriginal uploader was Amendezg at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Western Cattle Egret
Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibisSummer visitoriNaturalist.org (Patrick Le Mao) · CC0
Inca Dove
Inca DoveColumbina incaResidentElaine R. Wilson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Cinnamon HummingbirdAmazilia rutilaResidentCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Clay-colored Thrush
Clay-colored ThrushTurdus grayiSummer visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Melodious Blackbird
Melodious BlackbirdDives divesSummer visitorAdam Jackson · CC0
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
Ferruginous Pygmy OwlGlaucidium brasilianumSummer visitorUser: Sky Jacobs · CC BY-SA 3.0
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Stripe-headed SparrowPeucaea ruficaudaSummer visitorFrancesco Veronesi from Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorGregory "Slobirdr" Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0
Turkey Vulture
Turkey VultureCathartes auraResidentFrank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0
White-winged Dove
White-winged DoveZenaida asiaticaResidentD. Gordon E. Robertson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lesser Ground Cuckoo
Lesser Ground CuckooMorococcyx erythropygusResidentdominic sherony · CC BY-SA 2.0
White-throated Magpie-JayCalocitta formosaWinter visitor
Black VultureCoragyps atratusResident
Aratinga canicularisAratinga canicularisResident
Golden-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes aurifronsResident
White-tipped Dove
White-tipped DoveLeptotila verreauxiResidentTimWhitehouse at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Streak-backed Oriole
Streak-backed OrioleIcterus pustulatusResidentdominic sherony · CC BY-SA 2.0
Masked Tityra
Masked TityraTityra semifasciataResidentGary L. Clark · CC BY-SA 4.0
Black-headed Saltator
Black-headed SaltatorSaltator atricepsSummer visitorKathy & sam from Beaverton OR, USA · CC BY 2.0
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Orange-chinned ParakeetBrotogeris jugularisSummer visitorAndy Morffew from Itchen Abbas, Hampshire, UK · CC BY 2.0
Osprey
OspreyPandion haliaetusWinter visitorEl Golli Mohamed · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

122 species, counted.

49out of 100

Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).

  • 122Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 35Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 0ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 1,554Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 193 mAltitudeabove the sea
  • 17Raptors
  • 2Owls
  • 3Waders
  • 4Ducks & geese
  • 9Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 1Storks & cranes
  • 57Songbirds
  • 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 122 species.

By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.

Raptors17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Turkey VultureCathartes aura
  • Black VultureCoragyps atratus
  • Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
  • Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni
  • Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
  • OspreyPandion haliaetus
  • Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus
  • Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
  • Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
  • Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus
  • Grey-lined HawkButeo nitidus
  • Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
  • Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
  • Laughing FalconHerpetotheres cachinnans
  • Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinus
  • MerlinFalco columbarius
  • Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Ferruginous Pygmy OwlGlaucidium brasilianum
  • American Barn OwlTyto furcata
Waders3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
  • KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
  • Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
Ducks & geese4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
  • Northern PintailAnas acuta
  • Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
  • Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
Herons, ibises & grebes9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
  • Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
  • Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
  • Green HeronButorides virescens
  • Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
  • Snowy EgretEgretta thula
  • Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
  • Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
  • Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Wood StorkMycteria americana
Songbirds57 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Great KiskadeePitangus sulphuratus
  • Clay-colored ThrushTurdus grayi
  • Black-headed SaltatorSaltator atriceps
  • Boat-billed FlycatcherMegarynchus pitangua
  • Streak-backed OrioleIcterus pustulatus
  • Rufous-backed WrenCampylorhynchus capistratus
  • Masked TityraTityra semifasciata
  • Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybea
  • Melodious BlackbirdDives dives
  • Stripe-headed SparrowPeucaea ruficauda
  • American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
  • Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
  • Altamira OrioleIcterus gularis
  • Quiscalus mexicanusQuiscalus mexicanus
  • White-throated Magpie-JayCalocitta formosa
  • Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
  • Rufous-browed PeppershrikeCyclarhis gujanensis
  • Saltator grandisSaltator grandis
  • Yellow-billed CaciqueAmblycercus holosericeus
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
  • Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
  • Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
  • Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
  • Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
  • Yellow-green VireoVireo flavoviridis
  • Sand MartinRiparia riparia
  • Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
  • Western Wood-PeweeContopus sordidulus
  • Barred AntshrikeThamnophilus doliatus
  • Cabanis's WrenCantorchilus modestus
  • Bushy-crested JayCyanocorax melanocyaneus
  • Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
  • Sulphur-bellied FlycatcherMyiodynastes luteiventris
  • Streak-headed WoodcreeperLepidocolaptes souleyetii
  • Scrub EuphoniaEuphonia affinis
  • Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
  • Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
  • Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
  • Mangrove SwallowTachycineta albilinea
  • Ruddy-breasted SeedeaterSporophila minuta
  • Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
  • Social FlycatcherMyiozetetes similis
  • Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
  • Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
  • Buff-breasted FlycatcherEmpidonax fulvifrons
  • Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
  • Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
  • Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
  • Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana
  • Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
  • Ivory-billed WoodcreeperXiphorhynchus flavigaster
  • Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculifer
  • Brown-crested FlycatcherMyiarchus tyrannulus
  • Yellow-winged TanagerThraupis abbas
  • Purple MartinProgne subis
  • Rufous-capped WarblerBasileuterus rufifrons
Other birds29 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
  • Aratinga canicularisAratinga canicularis
  • Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
  • White-collared SwiftStreptoprocne zonaris
  • Inca DoveColumbina inca
  • Lesser Ground CuckooMorococcyx erythropygus
  • Cinnamon HummingbirdAmazilia rutila
  • Orange-chinned ParakeetBrotogeris jugularis
  • Golden-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes aurifrons
  • White-tipped DoveLeptotila verreauxi
  • Common Squirrel-cuckooPiaya cayana
  • Berylline HummingbirdSaucerottia beryllina
  • Trogon elegansTrogon elegans
  • Lesson's MotmotMomotus lessonii
  • Turquoise-browed MotmotEumomota superciliosa
  • Red-billed PigeonPatagioenas flavirostris
  • Spot-bellied BobwhiteColinus leucopogon
  • Golden-olive WoodpeckerColaptes rubiginosus
  • Thicket TinamouCrypturellus cinnamomeus
  • Plain-capped StarthroatHeliomaster constantii
  • Lineated WoodpeckerDryocopus lineatus
  • Gartered TrogonTrogon caligatus
  • Ruddy Ground DoveColumbina talpacoti
  • Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
  • Lesser Swallow-tailed SwiftPanyptila cayennensis
  • American CootFulica americana
  • Vaux's SwiftChaetura vauxi
  • White-bellied ChachalacaOrtalis leucogastra
  • Striped CuckooTapera naevia

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 October.

Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.

  1. Jan5730°/16°9 mm
  2. Feb3132°/18°8 mm
  3. Mar1433°/19°9 mm
  4. Apr734°/20°32 mm
  5. May731°/21°152 mm
  6. Jun4828°/20°186 mm
  7. Jul2729°/20°151 mm
  8. Aug4629°/20°189 mm
  9. Sep6927°/20°218 mm
  10. Oct8227°/19°174 mm
  11. Nov1827°/17°43 mm
  12. Dec2828°/17°18 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Cerrón Grande Dam.

Dam in Chalatenango (El Salvador)

Cerrón Grande Dam is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in El Salvador.

122 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 1,554 open records.

The most recorded are the Turkey Vulture, the Black Vulture and the White-winged Dove.

20 species come for the summer, 14 for the winter and 1 only pass through.

The most species are recorded in October.

Presa Cerron Grande El Salvador
JMRAFFi · CC BY-SA 4.0

Get there and watch

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.

Cerrón Grande Dam seen from above (Sentinel-2)
Seen from above: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 6 × 6 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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 Cerrón Grande Dam.

    The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.

    Peakyas23 mountains within 25 km
    Cerro Mapítera · 9.4 kmCerro Los Coyotes · 13 kmCerro Las Partidas · 14 kmCerro Tecomatepe · 20 kmCerro Macance · 20 kmCerro Tecoluca · 20 kmCerro El Paraíso · 21 kmGuazapa1,438 m · 23 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.

    CEL Presa Cerrón Grande
    JMRAFFi · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Other places nearby.

    Cerrón Grande Dam

    El Salvador

    • 49Birdyas Score
    • 122Species
    • 35Migrants
    • 0Threatened

    Lake Güija

    El Salvador · 76 km

    • 71Birdyas Score
    • 250Species
    • 116Migrants
    • 2Threatened

    See the guide

    Jiquilisco Bay

    El Salvador · 77 km

    • 66Birdyas Score
    • 178Species
    • 67Migrants
    • 4Threatened

    See the guide

    Lake Olomega

    El Salvador · 114 km

    • 73Birdyas Score
    • 257Species
    • 95Migrants
    • 3Threatened

    See the guide

    Where these figures come from

    Name and typeWikidata (Q3433688) · CC0
    Birds1,554 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
    See these recordsgbif.org
    SpeciesGBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons
    AltitudeCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
    Temperature and rainNASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2)
    What is around© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
    ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
    Sister atlasesPeakyas, Riveryas

    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.