Lago de Cuitzeo
Location
Michoacán, Mexico
Category
Regional
Basis for Designation
More than 20,000 shorebirds annually and 1.5% of the total population of Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus).
Size
44,000 hectares (108,726 acres)
Date Designated
February 2010
Site Owner
Ejidos Epifanio C. Pérez of Cuitzeo and Las Trojes del Municipio of Álvaro Obregón, both in the state of Michoacán
Overview
The 44,000-hectare (109,000-acre) Lago de Cuitzeo is located in central Mexico, mostly in the State of Michoacán but also in the adjacent State of Guanajuato. The Mexican Network of Rural Forestry Organizations (Red MOCAF in Spanish) nominated the site with the support of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP, by its Spanish acronym), which owns and manages this federally protected lake. Lago de Cuitzeo supports 21,500 shorebirds representing 20 species, including 1.5% of the world population of Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), qualifying it as a Site of Regional Importance. Other species recorded in high numbers at the lake include American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana), Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor), and Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus).
