• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2008 baseline)
Guanahacabibes IBA is located in the municipality of Sandino, Pinar del Río province, in westernmost Cuba. It comprises the forested, flat limestone plain of the Guanahacabibes peninsula, itself formed by the peninsulas of Cabo de San Antonio and Corrientes. Cliffs rise to 19 m on the south coast from where the land slopes gently across the peninsula down to sea level on the north coast. A range of limestone formations, including caves, are found within the IBA. The Cueva la Barca, contains a rich, nationally important cave biota. The town of La Bajada (1,146 inhabitants) is located within the IBA.

Key biodiversity
This IBA supports 190 bird species (31 of which are biomerestricted species), including 11 Cuban endemics and nine globally threatened species of which the Blue-headed Quail Dove Starnoenas cyanocephala, Giant Kingbird Tyrannus cubensis and Gundlach’s Hawk Accipiter gundlachi are all Endangered. The Cuban EBA restricted-range Yellow-headed Warbler Teretistris fernandinae and Red-shouldered Blackbird Agelaius assimilis both occur. Guanahacabibes forms part of the migratory corridor of the Mississippi flyway, and is a bottleneck site during fall migration. Bird capture rates during migration mist-netting studies have been higher in this IBA than anywhere else in Cuba.

Non-bird biodiversity: The Endangered (and endemic) frog Eleutherodactylus guanahacabibes occurs, as do other endemic reptiles including Anolis quadriocellifer and Antillophis andreai peninsulae. A number of endemic rodents and bats occur, and 14 plant species are confined to the IBA.

Acknowledgements
Authors: HIRAM GONZÁLEZ, ALINA PÉREZ, ALEJANDRO LLANES, ENEIDER PÉREZ

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Guanahacabibes (Cuba). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/guanahacabibes-iba-cuba on 22/12/2024.