Current view: Text account
Site description (2007 baseline):
Site location and context
This site includes the estuaries of the Ríos Congo and Cucunatí on the northern side of the Golfo de San Miguel, and the Islas Josefa, Estero Pavón, and El Cedro adjacent to them.
Islas Josefa, Estero Pavón, and El Cedro are important nesting sites for White Ibis. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron also breed (Angehr and Kushlan MS). A single-day count of 2,303 was recorded in October 1991 (Morrison et al. 1998), and additional surveys are likely to show that higher numbers sometimes occur.
Non-bird biodiversity: Neotropical River Otter and American Crocodile probably occur.
The estuaries of the Congo and Cucunatí Rivers contain tidal mudflats and mangroves. Islas Josefa, Estero Pavón, and El Cedro have small amounts of forest and scrub. Most of the area inland from the mangroves has been deforested for cattle and subsistence agriculture.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The area inland from the mangroves has been mainly deforested for cattle and subsistence agriculture. Mangroves elsewhere in Panama are threatened by extraction for tannin, firewood, and wood for construction, but it is unknown how severe these problems may be in this area.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
None known.
Unprotected.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Congo and Cucunatí Estuaries (Panama). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/congo-and-cucunatí-estuaries-iba-panama on 23/11/2024.
