Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
Cerro Batipa, 25 km east of the city of David and 6 km south of the Pan-American highway, is located on a peninsula, almost completely surrounded by mangroves, west of the Horconcitos estuary of the Bahía de Muertos. It contains the largest patch of lowland forest in Chiriquí Province east of El Chorogo. Cerro Batipa itself (325 m) is an oval flat-topped hill almost divided by a central ravine, and there are two much smaller hills to the south, Cerros Punta Piedra and Los Pajaritos.
Cerro Batipa is the only site in Panama where the globally threatened Yellow-billed Cotinga is seen regularly. This species is a mangrove specialist and undoubtedly relies mainly on the surrounding David Mangroves for habitat. Cotingas have frequently been seen feeding on the fruits ofpava (Schefflera morototoni) and other trees in pastures and at the edge of the mangroves, but so far not in the older growth forest on Cerro Batipa. Several of the more resilient species of the South Central American Pacific Slope EBA occur, including Fiery-billed Aracari, Black-hooded Antshrike, Orange-collared Manakin, and Cherrie's Tanager. The site was surveyed by the Panama Audubon Society in 1996, and has been visited regularly since.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals recorded or probable include Central American Woolly Opossum, Silky Anteater, Panamanian Spiny Pocket-Mouse, Neotropical River Otter, Ocelot, and Jaguarundi (R. Samudio unpublished data). The reptile and amphibian fauna has not been surveyed in detail.
The outer slopes support of Cerro Batipa support older semideciduous lowland forest, while the ravine contains evergreen lowland forest. Cerros Punta Piedra and Los Pajaritos also have older forest, totalling about 330 ha for the site. The flatter land between the hills and the mangroves formerly supported second growth (1,100 ha), but has been converted to a teak plantation. The land between Cerro Batipa and the highway is devoted to cattle pasture. The surrounding area is inhabited primarily by latinos and devoted to cattle and subsistence agriculture.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The old forest on the site is protected by the owner, but some selective logging is planned. The value of the site for conservation could be enhanced by using native species instead of teak for the timber plantation.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
None currently. A study of the seasonality of Yellow-billed Cotinga at the site has been proposed but not funded.
The site is private property. The owner has designated the old growth forest (500 ha) as a private nature reserve, although some selective logging is planned.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Cerro Batipa (Panama). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/cerro-batipa-iba-panama on 23/11/2024.
