In the Field Guides tradition of going to new and exciting places, we've developed this birding route to show you the best of Eastern Mexico, a karstic region rich in endemics, dramatic mountains, enormous limestone sinkholes, colorful pueblos, and flavorful food. Starting in Mexico City, we'll head north into the state of Hidalgo where we'll be exposed to some of Mexico's northernmost cloud forest at the little town of Tlanchinol. Here, among the towering sweetgums, tree ferns, and bromeliads, we'll seek the endemic Tamaulipas Pygmy-Owl as well as Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, White-naped Brushfinch, Middle American Leaftosser, both Unicolored and Azure-hooded jays, Brown-capped Vireo, Slate-colored Solitaire, Hooded Yellowthroat, the Bronze-winged form of Golden-olive Woodpecker and a diverse assortment of woodcreepers including Spotted, Spot-crowned, Olivaceous, Ivory-billed, and Strong-billed. Working our way north into the state of San Luis Potosi, we'll spend a few days exploring the Xilitla area in the heart of the Huasteca Potosina, the humid side of the state. First, we'll stop at the little community of La Trinidad that sits in the pine/oak zone, where we'll dedicate a morning to seeing one of Mexico's skulkiest endemics: Bearded Wood-Partridge. Singing Quail is found here too, along with Hooded Grosbeak, Black Thrush and Mountain Trogon.
The town of Xilitla, with its narrow, winding streets and colorful architecture, took center stage during Mexico's surrealist movement in the 1940s. Among the notable characters of this period was Edward James, an eccentric British millionaire who was the patron of Salvador Dali, Leonora Carrington, and Rene Magritte. James designed a surrealist sculpture garden, known as Las Pozas, set within the rainforest of Xilitla. Amid winding staircases leading to nowhere, concrete lotus blossoms, and whimsical columns, we'll look for Northern Emerald Toucanet, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, and White-winged Tanager. We'll be sure to visit Sotano de las Huahuas, a collapsed limestone sinkhole that plunges to a staggering depth of 1,568 feet. Arriving at dawn, we'll witness the emergence of several hundred Green Parakeets and several thousand White-collared Swifts, all whirling out of the sotano in a remarkable avian vortex. Along the trail we'll keep an eye out for Fan-tailed Warbler, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Blue-capped Motmot, and Crimson-collared Grosbeak.[Our tour description text continues below the video.]
Guide Micah Riegner has compiled video of some of the birding highlights to be seen on this tour that we think you'll enjoy watching! Click on the video to get it started, or on the fullscreen icon at bottom right of the video to see it in larger format.
Continuing north towards Ciudad Valles, we'll check a nesting colony of wild Red-crowned Amazons in an ancient stand of cottonwoods before embarking on a canoe ride up the Rio Tampaon to see nesting Military Macaws. Later, we'll check for Altamira Yellowthroat (favoring sugar cane fields, of all places), then we'll try for Tawny-collared Nightjar, another Mexican endemic we don't see on any other Field Guides tour.
For the final days of our tour, we'll bird in the state of Nuevo Leon, near the city of Monterrey. We'll visit Valle de la Soledad, a high desert grassland full of Mexican Prairie Dogs and one of the last strongholds of Worthen's Sparrow, a Field Sparrow look-alike with a distinctive voice. Sadly, it is one of the most endangered birds in Mexico, due to potato agriculture encroaching on its native Condalia flats. We'll conclude our tour with a visit to the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, where dramatic limestone cliffs support breeding colonies of Maroon-fronted Parrots. These iconic and endangered parrots, in the genus Rhynchopsitta, feed primarily on conifer seeds that they extract with their powerful bills, and they nest in caves within the limestone cliffs. They share their vertical nesting quarters with White-throated Swifts and Peregrine Falcons--the shaded valleys below support breeding Colima Warblers, Audubon's Orioles, Black-crested Titmice, and Long-billed Thrashers. We've scouted this route and chosen some delicious restaurants, cute cabañas, and talented local guides, so pack your bags...another fabulous Mexico adventure awaits!
Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.
Client comment
"Micah Riegner is an exceptional guide. His birding skills are extraordinary, but on top of this, his people skills, kindness and quiet humor were quite impressive, and much appreciated. He was incredibly fun to bird with." J.H., 2025 tour participant