Site description (2008 baseline)
Humedal del Sur de Sancti Spiritus IBA is a wetland and coastal
area between Las Nuevas, Mapo and Tunas de Zaza, on the
south coast in Sancti Spiritus province. It comprises a group of
natural coastal wetlands, rice paddies, and pastures for livestock
farming. The rice paddies act as seasonal wetland ecosystems,
with El Jíbaro being the most important in the country and a
critical site for congregatory waterbirds. To the south the IBA
is bordered with a fringe of mangrove forests and coastal
wetlands including the El Basto and La Limeta lagoons. Access
to this area is facilitated by the rice paddy embankments,
although the lagoons can be reached by land. The rice paddies
are managed by the Sur del Jíbaro Agroindustrial Complex.
Key biodiversity
This IBA is notable for resident and migratory waterbirds,
with congregations of migratory shorebirds exceeding 10,000
individuals, and over 20,000 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
observed on occasions. The migratory Blue-winged Teal Anas
discors is particularly abundant (>100,000 individuals) in the
coastal lagoons. Up to 100 Vulnerable West Indian Whistling-duck
Dendrocygna arborea use the remote coastal wetlands
as diurnal resting areas and the rice paddies as nocturnal
feeding sites.
Non-bird biodiversity: The endemic hutia Capromys pilorides> is present in the mangrove area, as are various endemic reptiles belonging to the genera Anolis and Epicrates.
Acknowledgements
Authors: MARTÍN ACOSTA, LOURDES MUGICA, ARIAM JIMÉNEZ
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Humedal Sur de Sancti Spiritus (Cuba). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/humedal-sur-de-sancti-spiritus-iba-cuba on 22/12/2024.