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Colombia Colombia Ramsar wetland

Ciénaga de Zapatosa

83 bird species recorded; the most in May.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec58at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

Evetila24 · CC BY-SA 4.0

This month here

36 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.

Osprey
OspreyPandion haliaetusWinter visitorEl Golli Mohamed · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bicolored Wren
Bicolored WrenCampylorhynchus griseusWinter visitorHector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0
Whispering Ibis
Whispering IbisPhimosus infuscatusWinter visitorAlastair Rae from London, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0
Great White Egret
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCalibas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Greater Ani
Greater AniCrotophaga majorResidentCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Snowy Egret
Snowy EgretEgretta thulaResidentAMMuench · CC BY 4.0
Great Kiskadee
Great KiskadeePitangus sulphuratusResidentRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
Carib Grackle
Carib GrackleQuiscalus lugubrisResidenthttp://www.birdphotos.com · CC BY 3.0
Blue-gray Tanager
Blue-gray TanagerThraupis episcopusWinter visitorCharlie Jackson · CC BY 2.0
Russet-throated Puffbird
Russet-throated PuffbirdHypnelus ruficollisWinter visitorAndrés Rodríguez · Public domain
Barn swallow
Barn swallowHirundo rusticaWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Scaled Dove
Scaled DoveColumbina squammataWinter visitorCristóbal Alvarado Minic · CC BY 2.0
Ruddy Ground DoveColumbina talpacotiResident
Tropical Kingbird
Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicusResidentMdf · CC BY-SA 3.0
Southern Lapwing
Southern LapwingVanellus chilensisResidentCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cocoi Heron
Cocoi HeronArdea cocoiResidentFernando Flores · CC BY-SA 2.0
Crested Caracara
Crested CaracaraCaracara plancusResidentAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 4.0
Striated Heron
Striated HeronButorides striataResidentFélix Uribe from Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia · CC BY-SA 2.0
Western Cattle Egret
Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibisResidentiNaturalist.org (Patrick Le Mao) · CC0
Gray-breasted Martin
Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybeaResidentCláudio Dias Timm from Rio Grande do Sul · CC BY-SA 2.0
Pied Water Tyrant
Pied Water TyrantFluvicola picaResidentThe Lilac Breasted Roller from Sullivan's Island, United States · CC BY 2.0
Turkey Vulture
Turkey VultureCathartes auraResidentFrank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cattle Tyrant
Cattle TyrantMachetornis rixosaResidentJullowy · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savanaResidentRogier Klappe · CC BY 2.0
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

83 species, counted.

45out 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).

  • 83Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 21Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 1ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 529Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 9Raptors
  • 4Waders
  • 2Gulls & seabirds
  • 6Ducks & geese
  • 15Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 1Storks & cranes
  • 28Songbirds
  • 18Other 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 83 species.

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

Raptors9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
  • Black-collared HawkBusarellus nigricollis
  • OspreyPandion haliaetus
  • Snail KiteRostrhamus sociabilis
  • Black VultureCoragyps atratus
  • Turkey VultureCathartes aura
  • Savanna HawkButeogallus meridionalis
  • Lesser Yellow-headed VultureCathartes burrovianus
  • Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostris
Waders4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Wattled JacanaJacana jacana
  • Southern LapwingVanellus chilensis
  • Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
  • Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
Gulls & seabirds2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Large-billed TernPhaetusa simplex
  • Black SkimmerRynchops niger
Ducks & geese6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
  • Northern ScreamerChauna chavaria
  • Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
  • Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
  • White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
  • Cairina moschataCairina moschata
Herons, ibises & grebes15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
  • Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
  • Snowy EgretEgretta thula
  • Cocoi HeronArdea cocoi
  • Striated HeronButorides striata
  • Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
  • Whispering IbisPhimosus infuscatus
  • Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
  • Buff-necked IbisTheristicus caudatus
  • Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
  • AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
  • Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
  • Capped HeronPilherodius pileatus
  • Reddish EgretEgretta rufescensNT
  • Green HeronButorides virescens
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Wood StorkMycteria americana
Songbirds28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
  • Great KiskadeePitangus sulphuratus
  • Carib GrackleQuiscalus lugubris
  • Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybea
  • Pied Water TyrantFluvicola pica
  • Yellow OrioleIcterus nigrogularis
  • Bicolored WrenCampylorhynchus griseus
  • Cattle TyrantMachetornis rixosa
  • Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana
  • Shiny CowbirdMolothrus bonariensis
  • Yellow-chinned SpinetailCerthiaxis cinnamomeus
  • Blue-gray TanagerThraupis episcopus
  • Yellow-backed OrioleIcterus chrysater
  • Stripe-backed WrenCampylorhynchus nuchalis
  • Caribbean HorneroFurnarius longirostris
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • Social FlycatcherMyiozetetes similis
  • Brown-chested MartinProgne tapera
  • White-winged SwallowTachycineta albiventer
  • Olive-grey SaltatorSaltator olivascens
  • Rufous-browed PeppershrikeCyclarhis gujanensis
  • Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
  • Black-crested AntshrikeSakesphorus canadensis
  • Clay-colored ThrushTurdus grayi
  • Yellow-bellied ElaeniaElaenia flavogaster
  • Gray KingbirdTyrannus dominicensis
  • Southern House WrenTroglodytes musculus
  • Thraupis palmarumThraupis palmarum
Other birds18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Greater AniCrotophaga major
  • Ruddy Ground DoveColumbina talpacoti
  • LimpkinAramus guarauna
  • Ringed KingfisherMegaceryle torquata
  • White-tipped DoveLeptotila verreauxi
  • Smooth-billed AniCrotophaga ani
  • Russet-throated PuffbirdHypnelus ruficollis
  • Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
  • Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
  • Red-crowned WoodpeckerMelanerpes rubricapillus
  • Brown-throated ParakeetAratinga pertinax
  • Scaled DoveColumbina squammata
  • PauraqueNyctidromus albicollis
  • White-collared SwiftStreptoprocne zonaris
  • Orange-chinned ParakeetBrotogeris jugularis
  • Pale-vented PigeonPatagioenas cayennensis
  • Rock DoveColumba livia
  • Crested BobwhiteColinus cristatus

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 May.

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

  1. Jan3633°/22°19 mm
  2. Feb3535°/23°21 mm
  3. Mar2835°/24°45 mm
  4. Apr3634°/24°78 mm
  5. May5832°/24°113 mm
  6. Jun3933°/24°78 mm
  7. Jul034°/24°78 mm
  8. Aug034°/24°85 mm
  9. Sep1432°/23°93 mm
  10. Oct5030°/23°128 mm
  11. Nov030°/22°110 mm
  12. Dec032°/22°49 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Ciénaga de Zapatosa.

Ciénaga de Zapatosa is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Colombia.

83 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 529 open records.

The most recorded are the Great White Egret, the Black-bellied Whistling Duck and the Wattled Jacana.

9 species come for the summer, 12 for the winter and 0 only pass through.

1 are threatened worldwide, including Lesser yellowlegs.

The most species are recorded in May.

Ciénaga de Zapatosa
Evetila24 · 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.

Ciénaga de Zapatosa 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

  • 2places to stay within 10 kmHostal 1748, Hotel Central
  • 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

Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.

In our other atlases

Around Ciénaga de Zapatosa.

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

Peakyas8 mountains within 25 km
Cerro Chimichagua · 12 kmLoma Ceiba Arriba · 16 kmCerro Cabrito · 16 kmCerro Animito · 19 kmAlto El Champán · 20 kmLoma Palanquera · 22 kmLoma Las Flores · 22 kmCerro Botillero · 23 km
Lakeyas6 lakes within 15 km
Ciénaga El Perro0.9 km² · 7.6 kmCiénaga Purgatorio0.6 km² · 8.0 kmCiénaga EL Palmar287 km² · 11 kmCiénaga Los Pájaros4.0 km² · 13 kmCiénaga Limpia1.4 km² · 14 kmCiénaga Saloa17 km² · 14 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.

Atardecer en Ciénaga de Zapatosa
Evetila24 · CC BY-SA 4.0
3 mosqueteros
Mathias David P · CC0

Other places nearby.

Ciénaga de Zapatosa

Colombia

  • 45Birdyas Score
  • 83Species
  • 21Migrants
  • 1Threatened

Ciénaga de Los Olivitos

Venezuela · 328 km

  • 64Birdyas Score
  • 160Species
  • 52Migrants
  • 5Threatened

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name and typeWikidata (Q2974922) · CC0
Birds529 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, Lakeyas

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.