El Salvador / Guatemala Ramsar wetland
Lake Güija
250 bird species recorded; the most in March, in May and from October to November.
Germán Tovar · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
155 species in January.147 species in February.170 species in March.120 species in April.168 species in May.90 species in June.106 species in July.106 species in August.105 species in September.165 species in October.160 species in November.158 species in December.
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.
NT
NT
NT
NTNT
VU
NT
NT
NT
NT
NTNTNT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
250 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 250Speciesrecorded more than once
- 116Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 2ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 14,068Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 430 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 24Raptors
- 5Owls
- 19Waders
- 8Gulls & seabirds
- 14Ducks & geese
- 19Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 106Songbirds
- 54Other 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 250 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Snail KiteRostrhamus sociabilis
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
- Grey-lined HawkButeo nitidus
- White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
- Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostris
- Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Laughing FalconHerpetotheres cachinnans
- Harris's HawkParabuteo unicinctus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Great Black HawkButeogallus urubitinga
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus
- Crane HawkGeranospiza caerulescens
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Buteo albicaudatusButeo albicaudatus
- Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni
- Lesser Yellow-headed VultureCathartes burrovianus
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ferruginous Pygmy OwlGlaucidium brasilianum
- Pacific Screech OwlMegascops cooperi
- Mottled OwlStrix virgata
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
- Striped OwlPseudoscops clamator
Waders19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern JacanaJacana spinosa
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- Southern LapwingVanellus chilensis
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Bartram's SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
Gulls & seabirds8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
Ducks & geese14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Masked DuckNomonyx dominicus
- Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanoptera
- RedheadAythya americana
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
Herons, ibises & grebes19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Least GrebeTachybaptus dominicus
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Pinnated BitternBotaurus pinnatus
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- Bare-throated Tiger-heronTigrisoma mexicanum
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
Songbirds106 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great KiskadeePitangus sulphuratus
- Quiscalus mexicanusQuiscalus mexicanus
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- Clay-colored ThrushTurdus grayi
- Blue-black GrassquitVolatinia jacarina
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Melodious BlackbirdDives dives
- Ruddy-breasted SeedeaterSporophila minuta
- Rufous-backed WrenCampylorhynchus capistratus
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
- Morelet's SeedeaterSporophila morelleti
- Altamira OrioleIcterus gularis
- Scrub EuphoniaEuphonia affinis
- Streak-backed OrioleIcterus pustulatus
- Social FlycatcherMyiozetetes similis
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- White-throated Magpie-JayCalocitta formosa
- Saltator grandisSaltator grandis
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Boat-billed FlycatcherMegarynchus pitangua
- Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
- Yellow-olive FlatbillTolmomyias sulphurescens
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- White-lored GnatcatcherPolioptila albiloris
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Masked TityraTityra semifasciata
- Banded WrenThryophilus pleurostictus
- Stripe-headed SparrowPeucaea ruficauda
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Rose-throated BecardPachyramphus aglaiae
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Violet-green SwallowTachycineta thalassina
- Sulphur-bellied FlycatcherMyiodynastes luteiventris
- Common Tody-flycatcherTodirostrum cinereum
- Tropical MockingbirdMimus gilvus
- Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculifer
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Rufous-browed PeppershrikeCyclarhis gujanensis
- Brown-crested FlycatcherMyiarchus tyrannulus
- Northern Beardless-TyrannuletCamptostoma imberbe
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Ivory-billed WoodcreeperXiphorhynchus flavigaster
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Blue-gray TanagerThraupis episcopus
- Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybea
- Yellow-winged TanagerThraupis abbas
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Spot-breasted OrioleIcterus pectoralis
- Black-headed SaltatorSaltator atriceps
- Tropical PeweeContopus cinereus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Rufous-capped WarblerBasileuterus rufifrons
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Southern House WrenTroglodytes musculus
- Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana
- Lesser GoldfinchSpinus psaltria
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Mangrove SwallowTachycineta albilinea
- Black phoebeSayornis nigricans
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Blue BuntingCyanocompsa parellina
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Spot-breasted WrenPheugopedius maculipectus
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Yellow-green VireoVireo flavoviridis
- Cave SwallowPetrochelidon fulva
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- MacGillivray's WarblerGeothlypis tolmiei
- Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Cabanis's WrenCantorchilus modestus
- Rufous-and-white WrenThryophilus rufalbus
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Nutting's FlycatcherMyiarchus nuttingi
- Streak-headed WoodcreeperLepidocolaptes souleyetii
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Gray-crowned YellowthroatGeothlypis poliocephala
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana
- Fan-tailed WarblerBasileuterus lachrymosus
- American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva
- Red-legged HoneycreeperCyanerpes cyaneus
- Yellow-bellied ElaeniaElaenia flavogaster
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Lesser GreenletHylophilus decurtatus
- Barred AntshrikeThamnophilus doliatus
- Black-headed SiskinSpinus notatus
Other birds54 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
- Inca DoveColumbina inca
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Ruddy Ground DoveColumbina talpacoti
- Golden-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes aurifrons
- American CootFulica americana
- Turquoise-browed MotmotEumomota superciliosa
- LimpkinAramus guarauna
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Common Squirrel-cuckooPiaya cayana
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- White-tipped DoveLeptotila verreauxi
- Common Ground-DoveColumbina passerina
- Spot-bellied BobwhiteColinus leucopogon
- White-fronted AmazonAmazona albifrons
- Lesser Ground CuckooMorococcyx erythropygus
- Red-billed PigeonPatagioenas flavirostris
- Orange-chinned ParakeetBrotogeris jugularis
- Trogon elegansTrogon elegans
- Plain-breasted Ground-DoveColumbina minuta
- Cinnamon HummingbirdAmazilia rutila
- Aratinga canicularisAratinga canicularis
- PauraqueNyctidromus albicollis
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- White-bellied ChachalacaOrtalis leucogastra
- Lesson's MotmotMomotus lessonii
- Thicket TinamouCrypturellus cinnamomeus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Vaux's SwiftChaetura vauxi
- Green KingfisherChloroceryle americana
- Golden-olive WoodpeckerColaptes rubiginosus
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Collared AraçariPteroglossus torquatus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Lesser NighthawkChordeiles acutipennis
- Cynanthus canivetiiCynanthus canivetii
- Ringed KingfisherMegaceryle torquata
- Ruddy CrakeLaterallus ruber
- Lineated WoodpeckerDryocopus lineatus
- Aratinga strenuaAratinga strenua
- Amazon KingfisherChloroceryle amazona
- White-collared SwiftStreptoprocne zonaris
- Gartered TrogonTrogon caligatus
- Berylline HummingbirdSaucerottia beryllina
- Green-breasted MangoAnthracothorax prevostii
- Plain-capped StarthroatHeliomaster constantii
- Long-billed StarthroatHeliomaster longirostris
- Chlorestes eliciaeChlorestes eliciae
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Chestnut-collared SwiftStreptoprocne rutila
- Band-tailed PigeonPatagioenas fasciata
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Common PotooNyctibius jamaicensis
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
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 March, in May and from October to November.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan25°/15°26 mm
- Feb28°/15°21 mm
- Mar30°/16°20 mm
- Apr32°/18°37 mm
- May30°/20°142 mm
- Jun27°/19°198 mm
- Jul27°/19°165 mm
- Aug27°/19°198 mm
- Sep26°/19°224 mm
- Oct25°/18°158 mm
- Nov24°/16°62 mm
- Dec24°/15°33 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Lake Güija.
Lake in Guatemala and El Salvador
Lake Güija is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in El Salvador, 430 m above the sea.
250 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 14,068 open records.
The most recorded are the Great White Egret, the Phalacrocorax brasilianus and the Turkey Vulture.
41 species come for the summer, 73 for the winter and 2 only pass through.
2 are threatened worldwide, including Lesser yellowlegs and Grey Plover.
The most species are recorded in March, in May and from October to November.
Get there and watch
- La Perla de Azacualpaplace to stay · 2.4 km · 13 within 10 km
- Metapánnearest town · 10 km in a straight line
- Ilopango International Airport (ILS)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 76 km in a straight lineCar hire at SAL airport (San Salvador)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
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.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 13places to stay within 10 kmLa Perla de Azacualpa, Auto Hotel Los Arcos, Villa Blanca and 10 more
- 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 Lake Güija.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas56 mountains within 25 kmSan Diego781 m · 4.0 kmCerro de los Prados · 17 kmCerro de Los Hoyos · 18 kmCerro de Las Yeguas · 20 kmCerro Mongoy · 20 kmCerro Lencho · 22 kmCerro Tultepeque · 23 kmIxtepeque1,292 m · 25 km
Lakeyas2 lakes within 15 kmLake Güija36 km² · 1.2 km↗Laguna de Metapán3.2 km² · 7.5 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.
Other places nearby.
Lake Güija
El Salvador
- 71Birdyas Score
- 250Species
- 116Migrants
- 2Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q1800414) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 14,068 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Lakeyas, 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.
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Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
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Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit