Oaxaca, Mexico Photograph by WWF/ Richard Hutto   Neotropical Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   2,900 square miles (7,600 square kilometers) -- about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined Critical/Endangered

· Orchids and Hummingbirds
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Orchids and Hummingbirds

These forests grow on the northern slope of the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca in the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca. Composed of tall trees between 65 and 130 feet (20 and 40 m) in height, the ecoregion lies at altitudes from 4,500 to 7,400 feet (1,400 to 2,250 m) above sea level. The annual precipitation rate is high, around 118 inches (300 cm), and the climate is temperate humid. A few sections of the forests receive up to 200 or 240 inches (500 or 600 cm) of rain and represent some of the wettest zones in Mexico. The dominant tree species are Engelhardtia mexicana, olmo, loro, sweetgum, Mexican hand plant, blackgum and Mexican white pine. At lower altitudes, Engelhardtia mixes with tropical evergreen forests and above 2000 meters the species grows with pine-oak forests. Palm trees, ferns, epiphytes, herbaceous plants, pteridophytes, and fungi fill the layers below the tree canopy. Colorful orchids and bromeliads are common; plant lovers would recognize Epidendrum spp., Encyclia spp., Laelia, Pleurothallis spp., Tillandsia prodigiosa, T. violaceae, Aechmea mexicana and Vriesia spp. Hummingbirds dart among many of these plants seeking nectar and insects.

Special Features

This is the largest intact montane forest in southern Mexico and houses the greatest diversity of reptiles and amphibians in the country. Several species of anoles, or tree-dwelling lizards, can be found here. The cloud forests within this ecoregion are an important center for the Papilionidae family of butterflies and contain a large number of endemic insects, in general. With regard to plant diversity, nearly 630 species of pteridophytes grow here. Of the 500 plant species registered in the northern Sierra de Oaxaca, the most diverse families include Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Melastomataceae, Piperaceae, and Rubiaceae.

	Whiptail lizards, as the name might imply, actively pursue their prey of insects. Anoles and spiny lizards, on the other hand, are sit-and-wait predators preferring to let their meals come to them.

Wild Side

In addition to anoles, these forests are home to the paintbelly spiny lizard and the Mexican whiptail lizard. Brilliant iridescent hummingbirds, such as the amethyst-throated hummingbird and stripe-tailed hummingbird, dine on flower nectar and small insects. The azure-hooded jay and long-tailed wood partridge are also commonly seen in the Oaxacan Montane Forests.

Cause for Concern

While some larger forest blocks still remain, the Oaxacan Montane Forests ecoregion nevertheless suffers from human disturbance. Agriculture, cattle grazing, logging and the exploitation of other forest resources take a toll. Large fields of beans and corn have irreparably replaced forest cover. Many plant and animal species may have already gone extinct, and no protected areas yet exist.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.