Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula, MexicoKlaas, Erwin E.
Science
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Klaas, Erwin E.
Birds -- Yucatan Peninsula
Paynter's (1955a) system of vegetational zones on the peninsula is
useful to ornithologists. He recognized three zones: Scrub, Deciduous
Forest, and Rain Forest. The Scrub zone occupies Isla Holbox and Isla
Mujeres and the arid northern coast of Yucatán. The zone extends only a
few miles inland and consists of low-tropical thorn forest of mesquite
(_Prosopsis_), _Mimosa_, _Yucca_, _Agave_, and mangrove (_Rhizophora_)
wherever standing water occurs. Sisal in Yucatán and Isla Mujeres of
Quintana Roo are in this Scrub zone.
The Deciduous Forest zone is a vast area of low, semiarid, secondary
forest occupying all of the state of Yucatán not in the Scrub zone,
northern Campeche, and a thin strip a few kilometers wide in Quintana
Roo along the Yucatán-Quintana Roo border and a similar narrow band
along the eastern coast. The island of Cozumel is also included in this
zone. Collections were made in the Deciduous Forest at Champotón,
Campeche, Isla Cozumel and Puerto Juárez, Quintana Roo, and Pisté,
Yucatán.
The Rain Forest zone occupies the remainder of the peninsula and
includes most of the territory of Quintana Roo, and the southern half
of Campeche. Collections were made in this zone at Escárcega, Campeche,
and at Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Pueblo Nuevo X-can, Quintana Roo.
Isla del Carmen cannot be accurately assigned to any of these three
zones because most of the island has been planted in coconut palms. It
is an area of high rainfall and may once have supported rainforest.
In the present report the term "second growth" refers to areas that
have been recently cut over. In these areas, the forest is
characteristically low and in a stage of transition. In the Rain Forest
zone "second growth" areas usually contain species of deciduous trees.
Paynter (1955a) has given an excellent descriptive summary of the
topography, climate, and phytogeography of the Yucatán Peninsula and
there is little need to go into further detail here. During summer, the
rainy season, the Deciduous Forest is much more luxuriant in appearance
than in winter when most of the trees have lost their leaves. Also, the
numerous _cenotes_ in this zone support a limited growth of evergreen
trees. For example, the large Cenote Seco about two kilometers east of
Chichén-Itzá contains elephant ear (_Caladium_), mamey (_Mammea_), figs
(_Ficus_), and other large trees the trunks of which are some 10 meters
below the surface of the surrounding tableland. These plants project
five to 10 meters above the surrounding low forest. The floor of this
_cenote_ is near the watertable but not below it.
GAZETTEER
The specimens of birds reported herein were collected at the localities
shown on the accompanying map (Fig. 1). These localities are listed
below in alphabetical order according to states.
Campeche
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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