Cerro de Amotape N.P., Peru Photograph by WWF/ Craig Meforland   Southwestern Ecuador and Northwestern Peru Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   15,900 square miles (41,300 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Massachusetts Critical/Endangered

· From Dry to Drier
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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From Dry to Drier

Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and Sechura Desert to the west and the Andes Mountains to the east, the Tumbes-Piura Dry Forests of southwest Ecuador and northwest Peru are home to many species, including the El Oro parakeet and the white-edged oriole. This isolated ecoregion of coastal lowlands, rolling hills, and Andean foothills contains an amazing array of tropical habitats. From sparse desert-like areas filled with shrubs and cactuses to dense tropical thorn forests, the mosaic of habitats here ranges from dry to drier.

Special Features

This ecoregion’s isolation and its unusual range of dry tropical habitats have favored the evolution of many endemic species of cactuses, hummingbirds, finches, flycatchers, and parakeets. Throughout this ecoregion, variations in altitude, geography, and proximity to water have created a mosaic of dry forest habitats such as tropical desert matorral, tropical thorn forest, tropical dry forest, and cactus scrub. Along the river systems there are evergreen gallery forests with unique associations of species. The matorral habitat is dominated by shrubs, spiny deciduous trees, columnar cactuses, and grasses.

	Tent-making bats are amazing in that they can make their own protected perch. They land on the underside of a wide leaf such as a palm or heliconia and chew away the structural fibers so that the leaf folds around them, protecting them from sun, storms, and predators.

Wild Side

The forests of this ecoregion are filled year-round with a chorus of sounds from some 40 endemic bird species. The raucous calls of red-masked parakeets fill the skies, while tiny Tumbes hummingbirds flit from flower to flower in the crown of yellow blooming Bursera trees. Neotropical red squirrels jump from branch to branch as they make their daily rounds, looking for seeds and nuts. Nearby, endemic Pacific royal flycatchers proudly display their colorful crests, while fly-catching birds called Tumbes tyrants sit on branches and snatch insects that pass by. In the driest areas of this ecoregion, Tumbes sparrows hop among cactuses and mesquite bushes in search of seeds, and large rufous-headed chacalacas chase after spiders. At night, black-eared opossums go on the prowl for bird eggs and other small prey.

Cause for Concern

Severe habitat loss has been caused by agriculture, grazing of domestic animals, and logging. Other threats include hunting, invasive species (including grasses), and increasing human settlement.

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