Data Zone
Country/territory: Panama
IBA criteria met: A4i (2003)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 7,500 hectares (75.00 km2)
Site description (2007 baseline)
This site includes the Las Macanas Multiple-Use Area and surrounding agricultural areas. Las Macanas contains a small lake and associated marshes near the Santa María River between the towns of El Rincón and Paris.
Key biodiversity
The area contains the only known nesting site for Glossy Ibis in Panama. With at least 450 individuals in the area, the site exceeds 1% of the regional population. The nesting site, which is also used by herons and other aquatic birds, is at the Ciénaga del Rey, on private property near the town of Santa María. The area also contains several nationally threatened species, including various ducks, Aplomado Falcon, and the endemic Panama race of Common Ground-Dove. It is the only known breeding site in Panama for Fulvous Whistling-Duck and Killdeer (F. Delgado unpublished data).
Non-bird biodiversity: Neotropical River Otter and American Crocodile occur (Delgado 1985).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Santa María Wetlands (Panama). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/santa-maría-wetlands-iba-panama on 27/12/2024.