Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico, also known as Ciudad de México or the Federal District (Distrito Federal). It was the capital of the Aztec empire. It is the most important economic, industrial and cultural centre in the country, and a megalopolis with 22.5 million people! It covers just under 1,500 km2 (575 square miles) and is the densest city in Mexico and the largest in North America and number six in the world as a whole. Together with the neighbouring conurbation stretching into the neighbouring state, it is home to a quarter of the nation’s population. It is located in central-South Mexico. It is bounded by the state of Mexico on the west, north and east, and by the state of Morelos on the south. Mexico City and its metropolitan area, which extends into the state of Mexico, are located in the Valley of Mexico or Anáhuac Valley that lies at an average of 7,349 feet above sea level. This valley is a basin surrounded by mountains on all four sides, with only one small opening to the north. In the southern part of the basin, the mountain range reaches an altitude just short of 13,000 feet; and to the east the volcanoes reach an altitude of over 16,000 feet. Three of Mexico’s tallest peaks are located within 100 miles of the city, those being Popocatépetl at 17,802 feet, Iztaccíhuatl and Nevado de Toluca.

Originally much of the valley lay beneath the waters of Lake Texcoco, a system of interconnected salt and freshwater lakes. The Aztecs built dikes to separate the fresh water used to raise crops in chinampas and to prevent recurrent floods. These dikes were destroyed during the siege of Tenochtitlan, and during colonial times the Spanish regularly drained the lake to prevent floods. Only a small section of the original lake remains, located outside Mexico City, in the municipality of Atenco, State of Mexico.

Ajusco Mountain seen from Mexico City – ©Gengiskanhg CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The region of the Valley of Mexico receives anti-cyclonic systems, whose weak winds do not allow for the dispersion, outside the basin, of the air pollutants which are produced by the 50,000 industries and millions vehicles operating in or around the metropolitan area. Mexico City has a temperate highland climate, due to its tropical location and high elevation. The lower region of the valley receives less rainfall than the upper regions of the south; the lower boroughs of Iztapalapa, Iztacalco, Venustiano Carranza and the west portion of Gustavo A. Madero are usually drier and warmer than the upper southern boroughs of Tlalpan and Milpa Alta, a mountainous region of pine and oak trees known as the range of Ajusco. The average annual temperature varies from 12 to 16°C, depending on the altitude of the borough. Lowest temperatures, usually registered during January and February, may reach -2 to -5°C, usually accompanied by snow showers on the southern regions of Ajusco, and the maximum temperatures of late spring and summer may reach up to 32°C. Overall precipitation is heavily concentrated in the summer months, including dense hail. The central valley of Mexico rarely gets precipitation in the form of snow during winter.

Birding Distrito Federal

You would not think that Mexico City is a great birding area, but it is surrounded by natural parks, and even within the city there are great birding spots to explore. Moreover, the city’s location is a favourable one as it straddles the Nearctic and Neotropic regions, so, where there is nature there is a high diversity of species, habitats and ecosystems.

Desierto de los Leones National Park – ©gonzalodebuen CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Chapultepec is the city’s most iconic public park. It has a history back to the Aztec emperors who used the area as a retreat. It is located south of Polanco district, and houses the Chapultepec Zoo, several ponds and seven museums. Other iconic city parks include the Alameda Central, which is the oldest public park in the Americas. Parque México and Parque España are both in the Condesa district; Parque Hundido and Parque de los Venados in Colonia del Valle, and Parque Lincoln in Polanco. There are many smaller parks throughout the city. Most are small squares occupying a few square blocks amid residential or commercial districts. Several other larger parks such as the Bosque de Tlalpan and Viveros de Coyoacán, and in the east Alameda Oriente, offer many recreational activities. Northwest of the city is a large ecological reserve, the Bosque de Aragón. In the southeast is the Xochimilco Ecological Park and Plant Market, a World Heritage Site. West of Santa Fe district are the pine forests of the Desierto de los Leones National Park.

So, visitors to the city will be able to see some good birds, especially if they get out to the surrounding countryside.