Description

Every year during the first months of the austral spring, thousands of migratory shorebirds, of Patagonian as well as Nearctic origins, gather in the extensive intertidal mudflats and salt marshes of the Río Gallegos Estuary. These wetlands provide optimal conditions for feeding and resting, two activities crucial for the survival of these migrants who must replenish the energy consumed during their important and demanding journey. It is estimated that the Estuary gives shelter to more than 20,000 Nearctic and Patagonian shorebirds every year.

This biological richness makes the Estuary a site of great international importance, on a par with other areas along the migration route critical for shorebird conservation. The Estuary gives shelter and sustenance to a significant proportion of the world’s population of species such as the Magellanic Plover (Pluvianellus socialis) and the Magellanic Oystercatcher (Haematopus leucopodus), both endemic to southern Patagonia. In addition, it is a site used by large numbers of three other shorebird species: the White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), the Red Knot (Calidris canutus), and the Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica). These three arrive from the northern hemisphere and use the Estuary as a migration stopover during the non-breeding season.

It is also the habitat of other equally important species such as the Hooded Grebe (Podiceps gallardoi), a vulnerable endemic found almost exclusively in Santa Cruz, and the Austral Canastero (Asthenes anthoides), an insufficiently known endemic living in the neighboring brush land. The breeding colonies of more than 20,000 pairs of seabirds that nest there further enhance the conservation value of the Estuary. Worth noting are the Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus), the Blue-eyed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax atriceps), the Chilean Skua (Catharacta chilensis), the Dolphin Gull (Leucophaeus scoresbii), and the Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus). In September, 2005 Birdlife International designated the Río Gallegos Estuary an Important Bird Area (IBA).

Location