Coastal Mexico is a major bird habitat, especially on the estuaries, lagoons, islands, mangroves and wetlands of Tamaulipas state, northern Veracruz state, the Yucatán Peninsula and the Pacific coast, and buzzards, and innumerable ducks and geese winter in the northern Sierra Madre Occidental.

Tropical species such as trogons, parrots, parakeets, tanagers and many others start to appear south of Tampico in the east of Mexico and from around Mazatlán in the west. The forests of the southeast are still home to colorful macaws, toucans, parrots and even a few quetzals. Yucatán has spectacular flamingo colonies at Celestún and Río Lagartos.