Muisne Estuary, Ecuador Photograph by Dr. Michael Mccolm   Northern South America: Coastal Ecuador Mangroves   400 square miles (1,100 square kilometers) -- about half the size of Rhode Island Critical/Endangered

· Multitude of Mangroves
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Multitude of Mangroves

Coastal mangroves include red, black, white, buttonwood, and cypress nut species. Occurring along the coastal dry forests of Ecuador, these mangroves get most of their nutrients from the few rivers that are able to traverse the dry landscape to reach the Pacific, and from the ocean itself.

Special Features

Mangroves in this ecoregion are found in several estuaries, especially in the vicinity of the Cojimíes, Chone, and Muisne Rivers. The Cojimíes and Muisne estuaries include several small rivers that originate in the coastal mountains and receive 78 to 118 inches (2000 to 3000 mm) of rain a year. Annual rainfall in the Chone estuary ranges from 20 to 27 inches (500 to 700 mm). Red mangroves here contain a high number of epiphytes that have spread to the area from adjacent rainforests.

	With a length of about 45 inches (115 cm) from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail, the magnificent frigate bird is the largest of the five species of frigate birds. These birds are excellent flyers and can be seen swooping low over the water to dive in and catch fish.

Wild Side

In the Chone River sanctuary alone, 42 species of birds have been reported. Brown pelicans, ruddy-ground doves, and magnificent frigate birds are all permanent residents, while migratory visitors include the black-bellied plover, whimbrel, willet, and greater yellowlegs. The waterways of the ecoregion also attract white ibises, wood storks, great egrets, black-crowned night herons, olivaceous cormorants, and ospreys. Jaguars and iguanas also live here year round.

Cause for Concern

Large areas of this ecoregion have been converted to agricultural use, salt ponds, shrimp ponds, and cattle grazing. Mangroves are also cut down for timber and charcoal production.

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