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Free and Sovereign State of Sonora

Nuting's Flycatcher Myiarchus nuttingi ©Dubi Shapiro Website

Sonora is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital (and largest) city of which being Hermosillo (formerly Pitic), located in the centre of the state. Other large cities include Ciudad Obregón, Nogales (on the Mexico-United States border), San Luis Río Colorado, and Navojoa. Sonora is in northwest Mexico and is bordered by the states of Chihuahua to the east, Baja California to the northwest and Sinaloa to the south. To the north, it shares the US–Mexico border primarily with the state of Arizona with a small length with New Mexico, and on the west has a significant share of the coastline of the Gulf of California. It has a territory of almost 185,000 km2 (over 71,000 square miles) and is the second largest state of the country.

Sonora’s natural geography is divided into three parts: the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains dominate the east of the state; with plains and rolling hills in the centre and the coast to the west on the Gulf of California. It is primarily arid or semiarid deserts and grasslands, with only the highest elevations having sufficient rainfall to support other types of vegetation. Climate patterns bring moisture east from the Pacific Ocean, forming rivers and streams that cross the plains area and empty into the gulf. These rivers have brought down sediment from the volcanic rock of the Sierra Madre and eventually buried most of the mountains and hills of the center of the state, smoothing them into plains. These soils are rich in clays and thousands of feet thick in places, making this region very fertile, only lacking water.

San Carlos is on west coast in the Sea of Cortes – ©Samuel Oth, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

The state has over 800 kilometres (500 miles) of coastline, all of which faces the Gulf of California, with its relatively shallow and very calm waters. There are beaches along most of this coastline, some of which with fine, white sand.

Habitats and vegetation vary greatly depending on elevation and rainfall. An estimated 22,300 km2 (8,600 square miles) of Sonora is in arid grasslands; 12,000 km2 (4,600 square miles) are covered in forests, over 3,000 km2 (1,000 square miles) in rainforest and nearly 11,000 km2; (c.4,200 square miles) in farmland. So, seventy percent of the territory is covered in desert vegetation (scrub, small bushes or cactus) or arid grasslands. Most forests are located in the northeast of the state, covering about 6.4% of the state. Deforestation has been rapid in all parts of Sonora and the dessert is steadily increasing.

 Sonoran Desert in San Carlos during the wet season – ©Tomas Castelazo via Wikimedia Commons

There are four major climate regions in the state: arid, semi-arid lands, semi-moist lands, and temperate zones. Ninety percent of the state has arid or semi-arid conditions. The other two climates are restricted to the areas of the state with the highest altitude such as the Yécora area, the mountains north of Cananea and a strip along the southeast of the state on the Chihuahua border.

Average annual maximum temperatures across the sate range from 24 °C to 35 °C. In the winter, cold air masses from the north reach the state, and can produce below freezing temperatures and high winds at night in the higher elevations, but the temperature can then jump back up to over 20 °C. Freezing temperatures almost never occur in the lowlands.

Birding Sonora

Sonora has 18,463 square kilometres (7,129 square miles) of protected wildlife areas of three types: biosphere reserves, areas for the protection of flora and fauna and areas for the protection of natural resources. Some of these are: The El Pinacate biosphere reserve is located between Puerto Peñasco and the United States border in the Altar Desert. The reserve consists of an area with a series of gigantic dormant volcanic craters, which are covered with flora and fauna.  The Cañón las Barajitas is a protected natural area that consists of three different ecosystems, located 31 kilometres north of San Carlos. It contains beaches and a canyon which has two distinct microclimates, one arid and desert-like and the other subtropical. The area has a wide variety of fauna including whales, dolphins and manta rays that can be seen off the coast depending on the season. The Alto Golfo y Delta biosphere reserve in the northwest of Sonora and northeast of Baja California Norte at the northernmost part of the Gulf of California and the delta of the Colorado River. The area is home to a very large number of marine species. There are also rocky beaches along with those with fine sand. Some of these are home to groups of seals and sea lions. The reserve was created in 1993 and encompasses an area of 934,756 hectares. On land, there are arid scrub brush, coastal dunes and an estuary. It extends into the far upper part of the Gulf of California.

Sonora’s Northern Coast – ©Francisco Javier Espinoza Pérez CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Bahía e islas de San Jorge covering 130 km2 is located on Sonora’s northern coast between Caborca and Puerto Peñasco. The islands were first made a federal reserve in 1978 due to its importance to migratory birds. They are especially important to species such as Least Tern Sterna antillarum, colonies of Brown Booby Sula leucogaster, the Fish-eating Bat Myotis vivesi and Californian Sea Lion Zalophus californianus. The islands are large rocks and are white with guano. The beaches extend for 10 km and end at the bay of San Jorge on the south end. The area is home to sea lions and a type of fishing bat. The Isla Tiburón is an ecological reserve with about 300 species of plants with desert and marine wildlife. The La Mesa el Campanero-Arroyo El Reparo reserve is found in the municipality of Yécora. It is a mesa with mountains which cover 430 km2  containing pine and tropical forests, rivers, arroyos, rock formations and dirt roads. Due to its altitude of between 700 and 2100 meters above sea level, its temperatures are mild for the state. It is part of the Sierra Madre Occidential bio region and in the upper basins of the Yaqui and Mayo rivers.

The state contains 139 species and subspecies of native mammals, with the most important being white tailed deer, mule deer, wild sheep, bats, hares, squirrels, moles, beavers, coyotes, wolves, foxes, jaguars, and mountain lions. Amphibians and reptiles include frogs and toads, desert tortoises, chameleons, gila monsters, rattlesnakes and other types of snakes. Well over 500 bird species native to the state or regular visitors, major resident species include roadrunners, quail, turkeys, buzzards and doves.

Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 576

    (As at October 2024)
Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Sonora , 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

  • The Birds of Sonora

    | By Stephen M Russel & Gale Monson | University of Arizona Press | 1998 | Hardback | 362 pages, distribution maps, Black & White Illustrations | ISBN: 9780816516353 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Observatories

  • Sonoran Joint Venture

    Observatory WebsiteSatellite View
    The Sonoran Joint Venture is a regional partnership working to conserve the unique birds and habitats of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
Organisations
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • BR Isla San Pedro Mártir

    ArticleSatellite View
    The Isla San Pedro Mártir Biosphere Reserve is one of the best-preserved sites in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), has great scientific relevance and should be considered a natural laboratory of adaptation and evolution. This marine protected area has great biological richness, with 292 species of flora and fauna, both marine and terrestrial, of which 42 species are protected

  • BR Pinacate

    InformationSatellite View
    The Pinacate Reserve and the abutting Gran Desierto de Altar Reserve are less than a day`s drive from the US-Mexico border. Together, the two contiguous reserves protect the sea, coast, and inland desert. El Pinacate stands out for its easier access as well as because of its surreal beauty…

  • Bavispe Flora and Fauna Protection Area

    InformationSatellite View
    Native birds include golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), aplomado falcon (Falco femoralis), elegant trogon (Trogon elegans), acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae), Mexican jay (Aphelocoma wollweberi), military macaw (Ara militaris), and thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha).

  • NR Monte Mojino Reserve

    WebpageSatellite View
    ReMM lies within the Alamos Federal Reserve, a federally protected area of roughly 247,000 acres established in 1996 and overseen by CONANP, Mexico’s National Commission of Natural Protected Areas. This area was established with the help of Alamos residents and covers the watershed of the Río Cuchujaqui, a pristine tributary of the Río Fuerte (the headwaters of which have been made famous by the Copper Canyon or Barranca del Cobre). It is home to five cat species, including the iconic jaguar, and provides an important habitat to migrating birds.

  • SP Cajón del Diablo

    InformationSatellite View
    El Cajón del Diablo is a special Biosphere Reserve located west of the State of Sonora ( Mexico ), between the municipalities of Hermosillo and Guaymas . It has an area of ​​147000 Hectares.

  • SP Campo Verde - Northern Jaguar Reserve

    InformationSatellite View
    The reserve was mainly established to protect the jaguar, which is still found in the reserve. In addition, the reserve is home to three other cat species: puma, bobcat and ocelot. Important prey species of the large cats are white-tailed deer and javelinas. There are 215 species of bird in the reserve, which include typical neotropical species, like the military macaw and typical North American species like the bald eagle, which has its southern range limit here.
Sightings, News & Forums
Guides & Tour Operators

  • Calidris Birding Tours

    Tour Operator
    ...Continuing our journey westwards we leave early, with a five-hour drive towards Yecora, Senora state. We plan on making a lunch stop at Basaseachi, a spectacular, massive canyon that sometimes holds American Dipper. Once we arrive at Yecora we have the remainder of the afternoon and all of the next day in a variety of habitats in this pleasant countryside to add to our bird list. The main target in this area is Aztec Thrush, a tough bird to find throughout its range but here we have a very good chance if we are persistent...

  • Naturalist Journeys

    Tour Operator
    Join us for a relaxing week of birding and exploring the incredible diversity of southern Sonora and the beautiful colonial city of Alamos.

  • Solipaso Tours

    Tour Operator
    Solipaso is a small, owner-operated birdwatching tour company offering custom, high quality birding trips to avian rich states of Mexico.

  • Wings West Birding

    Tour Operator
    Tour departs from Tucson. We cross the international border west of Nogales. Once our tourist visas are in hand, we head south through the Sonoran foothills and then the low desert on our way to San Carlos. Roadside birding will include a stop north of Hermosillo in habitat suitable for Bendire's Thrasher and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. Once we arrive at the coast in San Carlos we will visit a local estuary to take in the shorebird and large wader spectacle. Night at Condos Garimar...
Trip Reports

  • 2017 [08 August] - Max Berlijn - Arizona and a bit of Northern Mexico

    PDF Report
    Annotated list
Places to Stay

  • Paradiso Resort San Carlos

    Accommodation
    Great local birding

  • Rancho Los Ba

    Accommodation
    At the ranch we have five species of cat: mountain lion, bobcat, ocelot, ring-tail cat and the occasional, migrating jaguar. Additionally, in the mid-elevation hill country live many jackrabbits and coyotes, along with bobcat. Our high elevations are home to black bear, Gould’s turkeys and Coues’ deer. The canyons come alive at night with ocelot, ring-tail cats, mountain lion, gray fox, skunk, badger, porcupine and javelina. The one constant, especially in the desert, is that wherever there is water, there is wildlife.
Other Links

  • Birding Sonora’s Free Zone

    Webpage
    However, you can get a taste of birding Mexico without the time-consuming hassle to get permits. Mexico allows U.S. visitors 72 hours in Sonora without either a visa or car permit, as long as you don’t venture out of the ‘free zone.’ You still need to have Mexican car insurance, but that’s easy to get by phone in Tucson. This Sonoran ‘free zone’ includes mainland Mexico west of highway 15 from Nogales to Guaymas and north of highway 2 from Imuris to Naco, Arizona. That’s a lot of territory and includes birding hotspots in Rocky Point, Hermosillo, Kino Bay, San Carlos and Guaymas.

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