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Free and Sovereign State of Colima

Red Warbler Cardellina ruber ©Dubi Shapiro Website

Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the central Pacific coast, and includes the four oceanic Revillagigedo Islands. It is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The fourth smallest federal entity, it covers just over covering just over 5,600 km2 (a little over 2,000 square miles). It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Mainland Colima shares borders with the states of Jalisco to the north and east and Michoacán to the south and with the Pacific Ocean to the west. In addition to the capital city of Colima, the main cities are Manzanillo and Tecomán.

Colima is the fourth smallest state in Mexico and has the smallest population less than three-quarters of a million people more than half of whom live in the capital. It has one of Mexico’s highest standards of living and the lowest unemployment. However, it is also the state with the highest murder rate per capita and one of the highest crime rates, due to its ports being a contested area for drug cartels.

Natural geography divides the state into a northern and southern region. The north has a cooler climate due to the higher mountains. The south is hotter and includes the Pacific Ocean coastline. The state is in an offshoot of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range and geographically consists of four mountain systems. The most important of these is the Cerro Grande and its related peaks of Jurípicho-Juluapan, Los Juanillos, La Astilla, El Ocote, El Peón, El Barrigón, San Diego, and La Media Luna.

The second consists of mountain chains parallel to the coast between the Marabasco and Armería Rivers, which include El Espinazo del Diablo, El Escorpión, El Tigre, El Aguacate, El Centinela, El Tora and La Vaca. The third is located between the Armería and Salado Rivers and includes the Alcomún y Partida, San Miguel y Comala and San Gabriel/Callejones peaks. The last is between the Salado and Naranjo or Coahuayana Rivers and contains small mountain chains such as the Piscila, Volcancillos, La Palmera, El Camichín and Copales. Three quarters of the state is covered by mountains and hills.

Lago Volcán de Fuego – ©Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones México, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

At the very north of the state, the border is marked by two volcanoes. The Colima Volcano, also called the Volcán de Fuego, is active and the Nevado de Colima is not. The Nevado de Colima is taller at over 14,000 feet.

The main rivers of the state are the Cihuatlán River, also called the Chacala, Marabasco, or Paticajo, which forms the state’s border with Jalisco on the west; the Armería, which descends from the Sierra de Cacoma and crosses the state north–south into the Pacific, and the Coahuayana River, which forms Colima’s eastern border with Michoacán. The Salado is another important river, which flows entirely within Colima before emptying into the Coahuayana. Many of the state’s streams and arroyos empty into the Salado.

Coastal lagoons include the Potrero Grande in Manzanillo along with the Miramar and the San Pedrito. On the Tecomán municipality coast there are the lagoons of Alcuzahua and Amela, with the Cuyutlán lagoon split between the municipalities of Armería and Manzanillo. Inland, there are various fresh water lakes, with the larger ones near the coast and smaller ones in the Valley of Colima. The valley lakes are fed by the runoff from the Colima Volcano and include the Carrizalillo, Las Cuatas, El Jabalí, El Calaboso, La María and La Escondida. Cropland covers 27% of the state’s territory, with another 28% dedicated to pasture. Forest covers 35% with the rest composed of bodies of water and urban areas.

Rio Coahuayana – ©Wiper México CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The predominant climate is hot and relatively moist, with the coast particularly moist. One exception is the Tecomán municipality where the climate is dry and very hot. The mildest climates are in the municipalities of Comala and Cuauhtémoc. On the coast, the average temperature varies from between 24 and 26 °C and inland, at the highest elevations, the temperature averages between 20 and 22 °C.

Birding Colima

Most wild vegetation in the west of the state consists of moderately deciduous rainforest of medium height. Plants that lose leaves do so in the dry season. These include commercially important trees such as red cedar. From the west of Manzanillo and into the municipalities of Armería and Coquimatlán, there is rainforest of medium height with tree species such as copal and cuajilote with some pines, oaks, and salt-friendly mangrove forests and scrub.

There is great diversity of wildlife species although a number of mammal species, such as ocelots, pumas, wild boar and deer, are disappearing. Among the state’s rodents is the Magdalena rat Xenomys nelsoni, a small rare animal little known outside Colima. Reptiles include crocodiles, with a nursery in Tecomán dedicated to their survival. It is also one of three Mexican states where the tarantula species Brachypelma hamorii is found.

Bird species include wild turkeys, although these have mostly disappeared, and chachalaca. A number of ducks and many migratory birds pass through.

Around sixty of Mexico’s endemics can be seen in this small state such as Orange-breasted Bunting, Red Warbler, Blue Mockingbird, Banded Quail, Aztec Rail, Black-chested Sparrow, Transvolcanic Jay, Balsas Screech-Owl and Bumblebee Hummingbird.  Although it has no truly endemic species of its own it does have one species that breeds nowhere else but Colima – Craveri’s Murrelet Synthliboramphus crave

Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 586

    (As at November 2024)
Endemics
  • But one 'breeding endemic' Craveri's Murrelet Synthliboramphus craveri
Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Colima , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them.

  • eBird

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.
Useful Reading

  • Bats of Colima, Mexico

    | By Cornelio Sánchez-Hernández et al., | University of Oklahoma Press | 2016 | Paperback | 321 pages, 200+ colour photos, b/w line drawings and colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9780806152165 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Festivals & Bird Fairs

  • Colima Birding Festival

    Information
    Colima Birding Festival is an event focused on birdwatching that seeks to showcase the biodiversity of birds found in the State of Colima, with its 450 bird species of which 46 are endemic to Mexico. There will be three days of training sessions, conferences, panels, and forums focused on the topic of birds held at the University of Colima.
Organisations

  • Colima Bird Watching Club

    Facebook Page
    Created for you to share photos, videos, sounds and interesting facts about the Birds of Mexico and around the world; In addition to achieving an exchange of knowledge between bird watchers of the country and interacting with them if we travel to their places of origin. Go out and explore the paths of your community in search of birds and help us preserve its ecosystem!
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • *Protected areas of Colima

    InformationSatellite View
    Interactive links to protected areas, reserves and National Parks etc...

  • BR Sierra De Manantlan Region

    InformationSatellite View
    The bird tally for the general area is 336 species – 30% of Mexico's birds, including the locally rare Amazona finschi (lilac-crowned amazon, cotorra); Ara militaris (military macaw, guacamaya verde) and Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle, águila real); 30% of the species are totally or partially migratory, and 32 species are endemic to western and central Mexico.

  • El Jabalí Flora and Fauna Protection Area

    InformationSatellite View
    El Jabalí Flora and Fauna Protection Area is a protected natural area located in Colima State, México. It covers an area of 51.79 km2, which includes forests and several natural lakes.

  • NP Revillagigedo Islands

    InformationSatellite View
    Revillagigedo Archipelago are a group of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, known for their unique ecosystem.

  • NP Volcán Nevado de Colima National Park

    InformationSatellite View
    Volcán Nevado de Colima National Park is a national park in western Mexico. It protects the upper slopes of two volcanic mountains, Volcán de Colima and Nevado de Colima, in the states of Jalisco and Colima.
Sightings, News & Forums
Guides & Tour Operators

  • Admire Mexico Tours DMC

    Local Tour Operator
    We can observe endemic and migratory birds on the slopes of the most active volcano in Mexico. Amoung some of the birds that we might see are: Lesser roadrunner, grey-crowned woodpecker, Grey-silky flycatcher, orange-fronted parakeet and others. We will also be able to observe the flora from this part of the state and the impressive Volcan de Colima and the Volcan Nevado de Colima.

  • BirdQuest

    Tour Operator
    The ultimate itinerary in the region: Sierra Madre Occidental, San Blas, Colima, Jalisco & Baja California

  • Birding in Mexico

    Local Tour Operator
    Manzanillo Airport Marshes

  • Corazon de Colima Tours

    Local Tour Operator
    The state of Colima is on an upward plane, which it raises from sea level until the top of the Colima’s active volcano, where the elevation is 12664 feet above de sea level. That gives to Colima’s State the benefit of having a wide variety of microclimates. Besides that, an area of Colima land occupies a part of the southern mountain range and part of the Mexican volcanic belt and it also has some valleys, rivers, lagoons and mangrove swamps.

  • Ornis Birding Expeditions

    Tour Operator
    Visiting classic destinations in this endemic-rich region, we will target all the specialties. Elegant Quail, Long-tailed Wood Partridge, the mega Tufted Jay, beautiful Red Warbler, Slaty Vireo, both Orange-breasted and Painted Buntings, Red-breasted Chat, and even Aztec Thrush at our reliable stakeout.

  • Partnership For International Birding

    Tour Operator
    Birding Mexico in Colima and Jalisco - This tour is a comprehensive birding exploration of two of Mexico’s western states, Jalisco and Colima. This area epitomizes the richness and diversity of birding in Mexico. During this tour we will explore tropical forests, coastal wetlands, pine-oak forests and more

  • Zoothera Birding

    Tour Operator
    While we will visit areas in Sinaloa, along the Durango Highway and San Blas, the majority of our time will be spent in the bird rich areas of Colima and Jalisco and the twin volcanos that are home to a staggering array of bird diversity.
Trip Reports

  • 2017 [03 March] - Zoothera Birding

    PDF Report
    ...Driving back up across the hills we saw a Swainson’s Thrush feeding along the road and eventually a White-bellied Wren. Driving to Colima took about 90 minutes and along the way we saw a Roadside Hawk. We arrived at the motel at 5pm and took the opportunity for a rest before dinner...

  • 2023 [04 April] - Pete Morris

    PDF Report
    …On our final day in the Colima area we still had some unfinished business to do, and hauled ourselves up the volcanoes for one final time. We were greeted by a rather annoyed Great Horned Owl which gave some great views in the early morning light. After what seemed like an age of searching, we eventually tracked down a couple of singing, and much-appreciated Dwarf Vireos...
Places to Stay

  • Hotel La Posada

    Accommodation
    Bart Varelmann, the American owner and operator since 1960, provides a unique personal touch to the small (22 rooms) seaside inn. Here you are someone special - not just a room number. You`ll be greeted personally upon arrival (there`s no front desk) and quickly began to relax and enjoy total informality at Bart`s unique seaside inn.
Other Links

  • Birding In Colima

    Website
    You can enjoy rewarding birding just by hiking around Comala. It is a fairly compact town of about 8,000 people whose outskirts quickly become scattered housing and then agricultural and woodland areas.

  • Birding In Colima

    Webpage
    The state of Colima has diverse ecosystems, ideal for bird watching (birding or birdwatching) as a sustainable tourism activity. Beaches, valleys, rivers, lagoons and mangroves provide a wide diversity of climates, resulting in a large plurality of flora and fauna.

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