Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas (Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve) is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in Barrio

Canas Canas or Cañas may refer to: Places * Canas (Lycia), a town of ancient Lycia, now in Turkey * Amatlán de Cañas, a municipality in Nayarit, Mexico * Cañas Canton, in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica * Cañas, Costa Rica, capital of the Cañas ca ...

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 16 ...

. It consists of both a land area component as well as an offshore marine area. The land component has an area of while the marine component has an expanse of , for a total area of . The Reserve consists of mangrove

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

s, coastal

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s, a saline

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons' ...

known as Laguna Las Salinas, open water, and a century-old local community. The lagoon occupies and area of Ecological protection is managed and enforced by the

Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER) is the executive department of the government of Puerto Rico tasked with protecting, conserving, developing, and managing the natural and environmental resources in Puer ...

. Eight activities are allowed at the Reserve: scuba diving, boating, fishing, hiking, sun bathing, photography, bird watching and canoeing. Activities prohibited are: Camping, crabbing/trapping, horseback riding, water crafting, and hunting. Pets,

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television stations and companies * Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourne * ATV (Austria) * AT ...

s, and fireplaces are also prohibited.

History

In 2001, the Puerto Rico Ornithology Society started promoting the conservation of the Las Cucharas area and proposed it as an Important Area for the Conservation of Birds. Then, during 2003–2004, the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

, with the support of the Ponce Municipal Government, conducted a

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

study of Laguna Las Salinas. In June 2004, the Integrated Planning Area of the Natural Patrimony Division of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico ( DRNA) issued a report on the natural value of the Punta Cucharas area. In 2008, Amigos de La Laguna (Friends of the Lagoon), a local concerned citizens group, issued a

press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also consider ...

showing the impact that construction of the Gasoducto del Norte was to have on the

. In August 2008, the Legislature of Puerto Rico passed Law 227 designating the Punta Cucharas natural area as a nature reserve and creating the Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve using, among others, the June 2004 DRNA report. On 9 August 2008, Punta Cucharas became a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

under the law.

Location and size

The area is located in the coastal and the subcoastal zones of the southern end of Barrio

. The area is bounded in the west by a tourist development, including a hotel, in the north by modern residential compounds, and in the south by the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. It includes all the land southeast of Road PR-2 in Barrio Canas and the marine component of Isla de Ratones and

Isla Cardona Isla Cardona, also known as Sor Isolina Ferré Island, is a small, uninhabited island located 1.30 nautical miles south of the mainland Puerto Rican shore across from Barrio Playa, on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponce, Puert ...

. The Caribbean Sea Marine Extent component includes the waters south of points from Punta Cucharas in the west and Rio Matilde in the east, both in the Ponce mainland, and north of points from Isla de Ratones in the west and Isla Cardona in the east, both islands south of Ponce. Isla de Ratones and Isla Cardona are both included in the Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve. It consists of a salt water

known as Laguna Salinas (Salinas Lagoon) that measures 347,898 square meters, as well as forestland systems of mangroves and other coastal forests, and different types of estuary and marshy wetlands. It also includes extensive areas of

s covered by

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

vegetation, part of which are gramineous plants. The Reserve's total area is 698

cuerda The term "cuerda" (Spanish for ''rope'') refers to a unit of measurement in some Spanish-speaking regions, including Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Cuba, Spain, and Paraguay. In Puerto Rico, the term cuerda (and "Spanish acre"Ponce en Marcha Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 16 ...

was a $615,000 yet-to-be-built project in the Hacienda La Matilde area programmed to be finished during the 1996-97 of the Government of Puerto Rico fiscal year. However, "recognizing the great ecological value of the Punta Cucharas ecosystem, the Territorial Ordinance Plan of the Municipality of Ponce sought to protect the Punta Cucharas area, identifying it as a "high interest" ecotourism area.

Shoreline geology and habitats

The shoreline habitat consists of exposed

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...

s, mixed sand and gravel beaches, and fine grained sandy beaches. The Reserve wildlife consists of

wading bird 245px, A flock of Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflats in order to foraging, ...

s and shore birds.

Flora and fauna

The Reserve has 148 flora species, 56 bird species (including both resident or migratory species), five mammal species, nine reptile species, five amphibians, and six fish species.

Flora

Critically endangered plant species include Cordia rupicola and

Leptocereus quadricostatus ''Leptocereus quadricostatus'' (also called sebucan) is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is found in Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropica ...

(sebucan); Endangered is

Guaiacum officinale ''Guaiacum officinale'', commonly known as roughbark lignum-vitae, guaiacwood or gaïacwood, is a species of tree in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae, that is native to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America. Description This s ...

(guaiac tree) and vulnerable is the Maytenus ponceana. Some of the 147 plant species found at the Punta Cucharas Reserve are listed below.

Fauna

Birds

Fifty-six bird species have been identified in the Reserve. Five of them are

endemic species Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

. A partial catalog of the bird species found in the Reserve includes Charrancito (

Sternula antillarum The least tern (''Sternula antillarum'') is a species of tern that breeds in North America and locally in northern South America. It is closely related to, and was formerly often considered conspecific with, the little tern of the Old World. ...

), a key IBA water foul species that breeds in the area. Endemic species are: Zumbador Verde ( Anthracothorax viridis), (

Chlorostilbon maugaeus The Puerto Rican emerald (''Riccordia maugaeus''), or zumbadorcito de Puerto Rico in Spanish, is species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico.Bündgen, R. and P. F. D. Boes ...

), San Pedrito ( Todus mexicanus), Carpintero ( Melanerpes portoricensis), Juí (

Myiarchus antillarum The Puerto Rican flycatcher (''Myiarchus antillarum'') is a tyrant flycatcher endemic to the Puerto Rican archipelago and one of the 22 species belonging to the genus ''Myiarchus'' of the family Tyrannidae. See also * Fauna of Puerto Rico ...

), Bienteveo (

Vireo latimeri The Puerto Rican vireo (''Vireo latimeri'') is a small bird endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico and one of the 31 species belonging to the genus '' Vireo'' of the family Vireonidae. Its local name is ''bien-te-veo'' ("see-you-well", after ...

), Reinita Mariposera (

Dendroica adelaidae Adelaide's warbler (''Setophaga adelaidae'') is a bird endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico belonging to the genus ''Setophaga'' of the family Parulidae. The species is named after Adelaide Swift, daughter of Robert Swift, the person who ...

), Comeñame (

Loxigilla portoricensis The Puerto Rican bullfinch (''Melopyrrha portoricensis'') is a small bullfinch tanager endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico. The species can be commonly found in heavy forests throughout Puerto Rico, except on the easternmost tip of the ...

), and Reina Mora ( Spindalis portoricensis). Mariquita ("

Agelaius xanthomus The yellow-shouldered blackbird (''Agelaius xanthomus''), known in Puerto Rican Spanish as ''mariquita de Puerto Rico'' or ''capitán'', is a species of blackbird endemic to Puerto Rico. It has black plumage with a prominent yellow patch on th ...

") flies into the area but does not reside there. Other bird species are: Zumbador Dorado ( Anthracothorax dominicus), Zumbador Pechiazul (

Eulampis holosericeus The green-throated carib (''Eulampis holosericeus'') is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is found in Puerto Rico and most of the Lesser Antilles.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the Wor ...

), Zorzal Pardo (

Margarops fuscatus The pearly-eyed thrasher (''Margarops fuscatus'') is a bird in the thrasher family Mimidae. It is found on many Caribbean islands, from the Bahamas in the north to the Grenadines in the south, with an isolated subspecies on Bonaire. Descripti ...

) and Jilguero ( Euphonia musica). There are 56 species identified of which six are endemic, 44 are resident, five are migratory and one is introduced. The following table lists a sampling of them.

Mammals

The following five species of mammals were found in Punta Cuchara.

Reptiles

Punta Cucharas biodiversity includes reptiles such as

Hemidactylus brookii ''Hemidactylus brookii'', also known commonly as Brooke's house gecko and the spotted house gecko, is a widespread species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. Etymology The specific name, ''brookii'', is in honor of British adventurer James Br ...

Sphaerodactylus macrolepis ''Sphaerodactylus macrolepis'', also known as the big-scaled dwarf gecko or the big-scaled least gecko, is a lizard of the ''Sphaerodactylus'' genus. It was first documented in 1859 in the US Virgin Islands, specifically, St. Croix. This diurnal sp ...

Sphaerodactylus roosevelti ''Sphaerodactylus roosevelti'', also known commonly as Roosevelt's beige sphaero or Roosevelt's least gecko, is a small species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Etymology The specific name, ''ro ...

, Anolis cristatellus, Anolis pulchellus,

Ameiva exsul The common Puerto Rican ameiva or Puerto Rican ground lizard (''Pholidoscelis exsul'') is a species of lizard in the whiptail family.

,and

Anolis poncensis ''Anolis poncensis'' (commonly known as Ponce small-fanned anole, Ponce anole and dryland grass anole;) is a species of lizard of the family of Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. It was first identified in Ponce, in the hill ...

, and the amphibians

Bufo marinus The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Ocea ...

Eleutherodactylus coqui ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...

and

Leptodactylus albilabris ''Leptodactylus albilabris'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. Common names Its local name is ranita de labio blanco or sapito de labio blanco ("white-lipped froglet") and English name either Gunther's white-lipped frog or Hisp ...

. Of the reptile species, the ''lagartijo jardinero del sur'' (

) is protected under the "

vulnerable Vulnerable may refer to: General * Vulnerability * Vulnerability (computing) * Vulnerable adult * Vulnerable species Music Albums * ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997 * ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003 * ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...

" classification by Rule 6766 of the "Regulations to Govern Vulnerable and Endangered Species in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" pursuant to Puerto Rico Law 241, commonly known as "The Puerto Rico Wildlife Law." Following is a listing of reptiles found at the Reserve.

Amphibians

Environmental challenges

Clean up

The June 2004 DRNA study warned that due to the lack of surveillance and the easy access that several roads provide to the area, it had become a common practice to use the area as a clandestine junk yard for motor vehicles and other refuse. The report suggested strategies for the management, cleaning, reforestation and conservation of the area. Several groups, including civic, environmental, and church groups, interested in the conservation of the Salinas Lagoon as part of the Punta Cucharas natural area have participated in cleaning campaigns for the removal of junk with the collaboration of the Municipality of Ponce. The DRNA also took steps to reforest the area. In 2013, some vandals used the area for dumping construction refuse, a practice that carries a fine of $5,000.

Legal efforts

As an additional vehicle to preserve the area, the government of Puerto Rico included Punta Cucharas as a natural reserve under the Natural Patrimony Program created by Act No. 150 of August 4, 1988, known as the "Puerto Rico Natural Patrimony Program Act."

Facilities improvements

In October 2012, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources published a 54-page environmental impact evaluation with numerous appendixes. In it, the DRNA proposed relocating the existing main vehicular entrance and building the necessary entryway and signing, making improvements to the existing road, building

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries is "Mid 18th ce ...

s for group picnics and relaxation plus a gazebo for nature talks, construction a

floating dock Floating may refer to: * a type of dental work performed on horse teeth * use of an isolation tank * the guitar-playing technique where chords are sustained rather than scratched * ''Floating'' (play), by Hugh Hughes * Floating (psychological phe ...

for

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each ...

s, creation of an additional

dock A dock (from Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The exact meaning va ...

for ondock-fishing, erecting an

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and ...

and building a restaurant, a

boat ramp A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...

, and bathroom facilities (

compost toilet A composting toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting. This process leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human waste into compost-like material. Composting is carried out ...

s). The development area would cover . As a low environmental impact construction project, the plans include no new water, sewer, or electrical lines being brought into the area. The cost was estimated at $1.2 million.''Construcción de Infraestructuras Mínimas Recreativas y Educativas en la Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas: Evaluación Ambiental: Punta Cucharas.''
Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico. Pages 32-34. October 2012. Accessed 9 June 2016
Archived.
/ref>

Gallery of flora and fauna

Flora at Punta Cucharas

File:Aloe vera flower inset.png, Sábila
(''

Aloe vera ''Aloe vera'' () is a succulent plant species of the genus ''Aloe''. It is widely distributed, and is considered an invasive species in many world regions. An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but grows wild in tro ...

'') File:Acaciafarnesiana1web.jpg, Aroma
(''

Vachellia farnesiana ''Vachellia farnesiana'', also known as ''Acacia farnesiana'', and previously ''Mimosa farnesiana'', commonly known as sweet acacia, huisache, or needle bush, is a species of shrub or small tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. Its flowers are us ...

'') File:Achyranthes aspera at Kadavoor.jpg, Rabo de gato
(''

Achyranthes aspera ''Achyranthes aspera'' (common names: chaff-flower, prickly chaff flower, devil's horsewhip, Sanskrit: अपामार्ग ''apāmārga'') is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropical world. I ...

'') File:PondappleFL.jpg, Cayur
(''

Annona glabra ''Annona glabra'' is a tropical fruit tree in the family Annonaceae, in the same genus as the soursop and cherimoya. Common names include pond apple, alligator apple (so called because American alligators often eat the fruit), swamp apple, corkwo ...

'') File:Coral Vine.jpg, Bellísima
(''

Antigonon leptopus ''Antigonon leptopus'' is a species of perennial vine in the buckwheat family commonly known as coral vine or queen's wreath. This clambering vine is characterized by showy, usually pink flowers that can bloom throughout the year and large, heart ...

'') File:Arundo donax 3.jpg, Caña de castilla
(''

Arundo donax ''Arundo donax'' is a tall perennial cane. It is one of several so-called reed species. It has several common names including giant cane, elephant grass, carrizo, arundo, Spanish cane, Colorado river reed, wild cane, and giant reed. ''Arundo'' ...

'') File:Black mangrove-everglades natl park.jpg, Mangle negro
(''

Avicennia germinans ''Avicennia germinans'', the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters (39 feet) in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coast ...

'') File:Batis maritima male.jpg, Yerba de sal
(''

Batis maritima ''Batis maritima'', the saltwort or beachwort (also known as ''turtleweed'', ''pickleweed'', ''barilla'', ''planta de sal'', ''camphire'', ''herbe-à-crâbes'', and ''akulikuli-kai''), is a halophyte. It is a C3-plant, long-lived perennial, di ...

'') File:Boerhaavia diffusa.jpg, Mata pavo
(''

Boerhavia diffusa ''Boerhaavia diffusa'' is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family which is commonly known as punarnava (meaning that which rejuvenates or renews the body in Ayurveda), red spiderling, spreading hogweed, or tarvine. It is taken in ...

'') File:Starr 080530-4638 Bucida buceras.jpg, Ucar
(''

Bucida buceras ''Terminalia buceras'' is a tree in the Combretaceae family. It is known by a variety of names in English, including bullet tree, black olive tree, gregorywood (or gregory wood), Antigua whitewood, and oxhorn bucida. It is native to Mexico, Cent ...

'') File:Sonnenbrandbaum1.jpg, Almácigo
(''

Bursera simaruba ''Bursera simaruba'', commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florida to Mexico and the Caribb ...

'') File:Caesalpinia bonduc inflo.jpg, Mato de playa
(''

Caesalpinia bonduc ''Guilandina bonduc'', commonly known as grey nicker, nicker bean,Calotropis procera ''Calotropis procera'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to North Africa, Pakistan,tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia, and Indochina. The green fruits contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely bi ...

'') File:Canella winterana Guadeloupe.JPG, Barbasco
(''

Canella winterana ''Canella'' is a monospecific genus containing the species ''Canella winterana'', a tree native to the Caribbean from the Florida Keys to Barbados. Its bark is used as a spice similar to cinnamon, giving rise to the common names cinnamon bark, ...

'') File:Canavalia rosea flower.JPG, Haba de playa
(''

Canavalia rosea ''Canavalia rosea'' is a species of flowering plant of the genus '' Canavalia'' in the pea family, Fabaceae, that has a pantropical distribution. Common names include beach bean, bay bean, seaside jack-bean, coastal jack-bean, and MacKenzie be ...

'') File:Limber Caper (1056623816).jpg, Palinguan
(''

Capparis flexuosa ''Capparis'' is a flowering plant genus, comprising around 250 species in the family Capparaceae which is included in the Brassicaceae in the unrevised APG II system. These plants are shrubs or lianas and are collectively known as caper sh ...

'') File:Capraria biflora (Scott Zona) 001.jpg, Té del país
('' Capraria biflora'') File:Starr 010520-0082 Cassytha filiformis.jpg, Fideillo
(''

Cassytha filiformis ''Cassytha filiformis'' or love-vine is an orangish, wiry, parasitic vine in the laurel family (Lauraceae), found in warm tropical regions worldwide in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. It is an obligate parasite, meaning i ...

'') File:Flore médicale des Antilles, ou, Traité des plantes usuelles (Pl. 348) (7795720252).jpg, Bejuco de caro
(''

Cissus trifoliata ''Cissus trifoliata'', known variously as possum-grape, sorrelvine, vine-sorrel, or hierba del buey is a New World plant species in the grape family. It is native to the southern United States, Mexico ( Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Michoacán, Oaxa ...

'') File:Yellow Spider Flower Cleome viscosa.jpg, Volantín
('' Cleome viscosa'') File:Coccoloba diversifolia - Jacquin.jpg, Uvilla
(''

Coccoloba diversifolia ''Coccoloba diversifolia'', known as pigeonplum or tietongue, is a species of the genus ''Coccoloba'' native to coastal areas of the Caribbean, Central America (Belize, Guatemala), southern Mexico, southern Florida (coastal regions from Cape ...

'') File:Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) shrub at Playa Lucia, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.jpg, Uva de playa
(''

Coccoloba uvifera ''Coccoloba uvifera'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae, that is native to coastal beaches throughout tropical America and the Caribbean, including southern Florida, the Bahamas, the Greater and Lesser Ant ...

'') File:Conocarpus erectus erectus.jpg, Mangle blanco
(''

Conocarpus erectus ''Conocarpus erectus'', commonly called buttonwood or button mangrove, is a mangrove shrub in the family Combretaceae. This species grows on shorelines in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Range Locations it is known from in ...

'') File:Crescentia cujete (fruit and foilage).jpg, Higüera
(''

Crescentia cujete ''Crescentia cujete'', commonly known as the calabash tree, is a species of flowering plant native to the Americas, that is grown in Africa, Central America, South America, the West Indies and extreme southern Florida. It is the national tree ...

'') File:Cynodon dactylon.jpg, Yerba Bermuda
(''

Cynodon dactylon ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasi ...

'') File:Dactyloctenium aegyptium 0001.jpg, Yerba egipcia
(''

Dactyloctenium aegyptium ''Dactyloctenium aegyptium'', or Egyptian crowfoot grass is a member of the family Poaceae native in Africa. The plant mostly grows in heavy soils at damp sites. Description This grass creeps and has a straight shoot which are usually about ...

'') File:Royal Ponciana.jpg, Flamboyán
('' Delonix regia'') File:Digitaria eriantha, Krantzkloof Natuurreservaat.jpg, Pangola
(''

Digitaria decumbens ''Digitaria eriantha'', commonly known as digitgrass or Pangola-grass, is a grass grown in tropical and subtropical climates. It grows relatively well in various soils, but grows especially well in moist soils. It is tolerant to droughts, water l ...

'') File:Eleusine indica, closeup.jpg, Yerba dulce
(''

Eleusine indica ''Eleusine indica'', the Indian goosegrass, yard-grass, goosegrass, wiregrass, or crowfootgrass, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is a small annual grass distributed throughout the warmer areas of the world to about 50 degrees lati ...

'') File:Chromolaena odorata by Ashasathees.jpg, Cariaquillo santa maría
(''

Eupatorium odoratum ''Chromolaena odorata'' is a tropical and subtropical species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Americas, from Florida and Texas in the United States south through Mexico and the Caribbean to South America. ...

'') File:Euphorbia tirucalli in the wild by tonrulkens.jpg, Esqueleto
(''

'') File:Ficus citrifolia.jpg, Jagüey
(''

Ficus citrifolia ''Ficus citrifolia'', also known as the shortleaf fig, giant bearded fig, Jagüey, wild banyantree and Wimba tree, is a species of banyan native to southern Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America south to Pa ...

'') File:F. dichotoma.jpg, Junquito
(''

Fimbristylis dichotoma ''Fimbristylis dichotoma'', commonly known as forked fimbry or eight day grass, is a sedge of the family Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is l ...

'') File:Forestiera segregata 003 by Scott Zona.jpg, Privet (ink-bush)
(''

Forestiera segregata ''Forestiera segregata'' is a species of flowering plant in the olive family known by the common names Florida privet, Florida swampprivet, and southern privet. It is native to the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, including Puerto Rico and the C ...

'') File:Guaiacum officinale - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-069.jpg, Guayacan
(''

'') File:Guazuma ulmifolia 2.jpg, Guácima
(''

Guazuma ulmifolia ''Guazuma ulmifolia'', commonly known as West Indian elm or bay cedar, is a medium-sized tree normally found in pastures and disturbed forests. This flowering plant from the family Malvaceae grows up to 30m in height and 30–40cm in diameter. I ...

'') File:Gymnanthes lucida.gif, Yaití
(''

Gymnanthes lucida ''Gymnanthes lucida'', commonly known as shiny oysterwood or crabwood, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is native to southern Florida in the United States, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Centr ...

'') File:Heliotropium curassavicum Cambria CA (cropped).jpg, Cotorrera de playa
(''

Heliotropium curassavicum ''Heliotropium curassavicum'', commonly called salt heliotrope (among other names), a species of flowering plant in the borage family (Boraginaceae). It is native to much of the Americas, from Canada to Argentina, including the West Indies and H ...

'') File:Heteropogon contortus.jpg, Yerba torcida
(''

Heteropogon contortus ''Heteropogon contortus'' is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia, Oceania, and southwestern North America. The species has also become a naturalised weed ...

'') File:Hippomane mancinella (fruit).jpg, Manzanillo
(''

Hippomane mancinella The manchineel tree (''Hippomane mancinella'') is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Its native range stretches from tropical southern North America to northern South America. The name "manchineel" (sometimes spe ...

'') File:Ipomoea pes-caprae 3.JPG, Bejuco de playa
(''

Ipomoea pes-caprae ''Ipomoea pes-caprae'', also known as bayhops, bay-hops, beach morning glory or goat's foot, is a common pantropical creeping vine belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. It grows on the upper parts of beaches and endures salted air. It is o ...

'') File:Bellyache Bush (Jatropha gossipifolia) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9473.jpg, Túa-túa
('' Jatropha gossypiifolia'') File:Krugiodendron ferreum - McKee Botanical Garden - Vero Beach, Florida - DSC03107.jpg, Bariaco
(''

Krugiodendron ferreum ''Krugiodendron ferreum'', commonly known as the black ironwood or leadwood, is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae. It is found in southern Florida, throughout the Caribbean and from southern Mexico to Honduras. Originally described b ...

'') File:Laguncularia racemosa.jpg, Mangle blanco
(''

Laguncularia racemosa ''Laguncularia racemosa'', the white mangrove, is a species of flowering plant in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae. It is native to the coasts of western Africa from Senegal to Cameroon, the Atlantic Coast of the Americas from Bermuda an ...

'') File:Lantana involucrata.jpg, Cariaquillo
(''

Lantana involucrata ''Lantana involucrata'', commonly known as buttonsage, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family. It is native to the American tropics, where it is widespread in well-drained areas. It is also found on the Galapagos Islands and Ber ...

'') File:Leucaena leucocephala NP.JPG, Zarzilla
(''

Leucaena leucocephala ''Leucaena leucocephala'' is a small fast-growing mimosoid tree native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala) and is now naturalized throughout the tropics including parts of Asia. Common names include jumbay, ...

'') File:Dolichandra unguis-cati00.jpg, Uña de gato
(''

Macfadyena unguis-cati ''Dolichandra unguis-cati'', commonly known as cat's claw creeper, funnel creeper, or cat's claw trumpet, is a rapidly growing climbing vine belonging to the family Bignoniaceae. It affects all plant layers of the forest ecosystem spreading rapid ...

'') File:Melicoccus bijugatus.jpg, Quenepa
(''

Melicoccus bijugatus ''Melicoccus bijugatus'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native or naturalized across the New World tropics including South and Central America, and parts of the Caribbean. Its stone-bearing fruits are edible. It is ...

'') File:Metopium toxiferum.jpg, Papayo
(''

Metopium toxiferum ''Metopium toxiferum'', the poisonwood, Florida poisontree, or hog gum, is a species of flowering tree in the cashew or sumac family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to the American Neotropics. It produces the irritant urushiol much like its clos ...

'') File:ParkinsoniaAculeata.jpg, Palo de rayo
(''

Parkinsonia aculeata ''Parkinsonia aculeata'' is a species of perennial flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Common names include palo verde, Mexican palo verde, Parkinsonia, Jerusalem thorn, jelly bean tree, palo de rayo, and retama. Etymology The genus nam ...

'') File:Passiflora suberosa flower.jpg, Flor de pasión
(''

Passiflora suberosa ''Passiflora suberosa'' is a species of passionflower ''Passiflora'', known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family (biology), family Passifloraceae. Th ...

'') File:Starr 040217-0077 Pennisetum setaceum.jpg, Yerba
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Pennisetum setaceum ''Cenchrus setaceus'', commonly known as crimson fountaingrass, is a C4 perennial bunch grass that is native to open, scrubby habitats in East Africa, tropical Africa, the Middle East and south-western Asia. It has been introduced to many pa ...

'') File:Dates on date palm.jpg, Palma de datil
(''

Phoenix dactylifera ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Ea ...

'') File:Pilosocereus royenii 1.JPG, Sebucan
(''

Pilosocereus royenii ''Pilosocereus royenii'' is a species of cactus found throughout the West Indies and the states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo in Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion ...

'') File:Pithecellobium dulce beans.JPG, Guamá americano
(''

Pithecellobium dulce ''Pithecellobium dulce'', commonly known as Manila tamarind, Madras thorn, monkeypod tree or camachile, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Pacific Coast and adjacent highlands of Mexico, Central A ...

'') File:Portulaca oleracea.JPG, Verdolaga
(''

Portulaca oleracea ''Portulaca oleracea'' (common purslane, also known as little hogweed, or pursley) is an annual (actually tropical perennial in USDA growing zones 10–11) succulent in the family Portulacaceae. Description The plant may reach in height. ...

'') File:Vilaiti Keekar (Prosopis juliflora) W IMG 6935.jpg, Bayahonda
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Prosopis juliflora ''Prosopis juliflora'' ( es, bayahonda blanca, Cuji Venezuela, Trupillo Colombia, Aippia Wayuunaiki and long-thorn kiawe in Hawaii) is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae, a kind of mesquite. It is native to Mexico, South America ...

'') File:Randia aculeata2924971286.gif, Tintillo
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Randia aculeata ''Randia aculeata'', commonly known as white indigoberry or white indigo berry, is a species in the Rubiaceae. It is a shrub or small tree that grows from 2 to 6 m tall. ''R. aculeata'' is native to Florida, Bermuda, the Bahamas, elsewhe ...

'') File:Plody mangrovnika (Rhizophora mangle).jpg, Mangle rojo
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Rhizophora mangle ''Rhizophora mangle'', the red mangrove, is distributed in estuarine ecosystems throughout the tropics. Its viviparous "seeds", in actuality called propagules, become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree. These are dispersed b ...

'') File:Rivina humilis plant.jpg, Carmín
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Rivina humilis ''Rivina humilis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Petiveriaceae. It was formerly placed in the pokeweed family, Phytolaccaceae. It can be found in the southern United States, the Caribbean, Central America, and tropical South Ame ...

'') File:(Roystonea borinquena) palmeiras imperiais, sao paulo botanical garden Arboretum J Botanico Sao Paulo Brazil.jpg, Palma real
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Roystonea borinquena ''Roystonea borinquena'', commonly called the Puerto Rico royal palm, ( Spanish: ''palma real puertorriqueña'') is a species of palm which is native to Hispaniola (in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island ...

'') File:Ruppia maritima South Chungcheong, South Korea 27 Jun 2006.jpg, Yerba de zanja
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Ruppia maritima ''Ruppia maritima'' is an aquatic plant species commonly known as beaked tasselweed, ditch grass, tassel pondweed and widgeon grass. Despite its scientific name, it is not a marine plant; is perhaps best described as a salt-tolerant freshwat ...

'') File:Rhyncosia minima.jpg, Frijolillo
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Rhynchosia minima ''Rhynchosia minima'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names least snout-bean, burn-mouth-vine, and jumby-bean. It can be found on every continent.Morris, J. B. (2008)''Rhynchosia minima'' (L.) DC. - regene ...

'') File:Starr 080602-5547 Sesuvium portulacastrum.jpg, verdolaga rosada
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Sesuvium portulacastrum ''Sesuvium portulacastrum'' is a sprawling perennial herb that grows in coastal areas throughout much of the world. It is commonly known as shoreline purslane or (ambiguously) "sea purslane," in English, ''dampalit'' in Tagalog and 海马齿sl i ...

'') File:Solanum elaeagnifolium2.jpg, Trompillo
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Solanum elaeagnifolium ''Solanum elaeagnifolium'', the silverleaf nightshade or silver-leaved nightshade, is a common native plant to parts of the southwestern USA, and sometimes weed of western North America and also found in South America. Other common names includ ...

'') File:Starr 010202-0207 Sporobolus virginicus.jpg, Matojo de burro
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Sporobolus virginicus ''Sporobolus virginicus'', known by numerous common names including seashore dropseed, marine couch, sand couch, salt couch grass, saltwater couch, coastal rat-tail grass, and nioaka, is a species of grass with a wide distribution. Description ...

'') File:Starr 080531-4765 Tabebuia heterophylla.jpg, Roble blanco
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Tabebuia heterophylla ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' is a species of tree native to the Caribbean, and is also cultivated. It is also known as Roble blanco, pink manjack, pink trumpet tree, white cedar, and whitewood. Description ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' grows up to 20 ...

'') File:Starr 070906-8348 Talinum paniculatum.jpg, Lengua de vaca
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Talinum paniculatum ''Talinum paniculatum'' is a succulent subshrub in the family Talinaceae that is native to much of North and South America, and the Caribbean countries.Under its current treatment as ''Talinum paniculatum'' (from its basionym ''Portulaca panic ...

'') File:Tamarindus indica pods.JPG, Tamarindo
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Tamarindus indica Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae. ...

'') File:Starr 070124-3910 Thespesia populnea.jpg, Emajagüilla
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Thespesia populnea ''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...

'') File:Tillandsia recurvata.jpg, Pirigallo
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Tillandsia recurvata ''Tillandsia recurvata'', commonly known as small ballmoss or ball moss, is a flowering plant (not a true moss) in the family Bromeliaceae that grows upon larger host plants. It grows well in areas with low light, little airflow, and high humidit ...

'') File:Megathyrsus maximus whole4 (7370586296).jpg, Yerba de guinea
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Urochloa maxima ''Megathyrsus maximus'', known as Guinea grass and green panic grass, is a large perennial bunch grass that is native to Africa and Yemen. It has been introduced in the tropics around the world. It has previously been called ''Urochloa maxima' ...

'') File:Cyanthillium cinereum in Kadavoor.jpg, Yerba socialista
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Vernonia cinerea ''Cyanthillium cinereum'' (also known as little ironweed and poovamkurunnal or poovamkurunnila in Malayalam, and monara kudumbiya in Sinhalese) is a species of perennial plants in the sunflower family. The species is native to tropical Africa a ...

'')

Fauna at Punta Cucharas

Birds

File:Belted Kingfisher.jpg, Martín pescador
(''

Ceryle alcyon The belted kingfisher (''Megaceryle alcyon'') is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, native to North America. All kingfishers were formerly placed in one family, Alcedinidae, but recent research suggests that this should be divided into three ...

'') File:Duck pato 005eue.jpg, Pato quijada colorada
('' Anas bahamensis'') File:Blue-winged Teal.jpg, Pato zarcel
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Anas discors The blue-winged teal (''Spatula discors'') is a species of bird in the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. One of the smaller members of the dabbling duck group, it occurs in North America, where it breeds from southern Alaska to Nova Scotia, ...

'') File:Great egret (Ardea alba) Tobago.jpg, Garza real
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Ardea alba The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and ...

'') File:Great blue heron (Ardea herodias occidentalis) white form.JPG, Garzón cenizo
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Ardea herodias The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos I ...

'') File:Cattle Egret.jpg, Garza ganadera
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Bubulcus ibis The western cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Most taxonomic authorities lump this species and the eastern cattle egret together (called the cattle ...

'') File:Egretta caerulea -Cananeia, Sao Paulo, Brasil-8.jpg, Garza azul
('' Egretta caerulea'') File:Egretta thula at Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds.jpg, Garza blanca
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Egretta thula The snowy egret (''Egretta thula'') is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, , which is a diminutive of , 'heron'. The species name ''thula'' is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, app ...

'') File:Tricolored Heron by Dan Pancamo.jpg, Garza pechiblanca
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Egretta tricolor The tricolored heron (''Egretta tricolor''), formerly known as the Louisiana heron, is a small species of heron native to coastal parts of the Americas; in the Atlantic region, it ranges from the northeastern United States, south along the coast ...

'') File:Nycticorax violaceus (at beach).jpg, Yaboa común
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Nyctanassa violacea The yellow-crowned night heron (''Nyctanassa violacea''), is one of two species of night herons found in the Americas, the other one being the black-crowned night heron. It is known as the ''bihoreau violacé'' in French and the ''pedrete coron ...

'') File:Cathartes aura -Florida -USA -flying-8-4c.jpg, Aura tiñosa
('' Cathartes aura'') File:Semipalmatedplover-santafeisland.jpg, Playero acollarado
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Charadrius semipalmatus The semipalmated plover (''Charadrius semipalmatus'') is a small plover. ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek ''kharadrios'' a bird found in ravines and ri ...

'') File:Wilson's Plover male RWD2.jpg, Playerito marítimo
('' Charadrius wilsonia'') File:Grey plover (2).jpg, Playero cabezón
(''

Pluvialis squatarola The grey plover or black-bellied plover (''Pluvialis squatarola'') is a large plover breeding in Arctic regions. It is a long-distance bird migration, migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding. Taxonomy The grey pl ...

'') File:Bananaquit 01-2010g PuertoRico.jpg, Reinita común
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Coereba flaveola The bananaquit (''Coereba flaveola'') is a species of passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. Before the development of molecular genetics in the 21st century, its relationship to other species was uncertain and it was either placed wi ...

'') File:Columbina passerina -near Salton Sea, California, USA-8.jpg, Rolita
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Columbina passerina The common ground dove (''Columbina passerina'') is a small bird that inhabits the southern United States, parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. It is considered to be the smallest dove that inhabits the United St ...

'') File:Couple of White-winged Dove.jpg, Tórtola aliblanca
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Zenaida asiatica The white-winged dove (''Zenaida asiatica'') is a dove whose native range extends from the Southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. They are large for doves, and can be distinguished from similar doves by the ...

'') File:Smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani).jpg, Judío
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Crotophaga ani The smooth-billed ani (''Crotophaga ani'') is a bird in the cuckoo family. It is a resident breeding species from southern Florida, the Caribbean, parts of Central America, south to western Ecuador, Brazil, northern Argentina and southern ...

'') File:Dendroica adelaidae.jpg, Reinita mariposera
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'') File:Dendroica petechia 2446949099.jpg, Canario de mangle
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Dendroica petechia The yellow warbler (''Setophaga petechia'') is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus '' Setophaga'', breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, and down to norther ...

'') File:Dendroica tigrina FWS.jpg, Reinita tigre
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Dendroica tigrina The Cape May warbler (''Setophaga tigrina'') is a species of New World warbler. It breeds in northern North America. Its breeding range spans all but the westernmost parts of southern Canada, the Great Lakes region, and New England. It is migrat ...

'') File:Comeñame.jpg, Comeñame
(''

'') File:Northern Waterthrush, Parkesia noveboracensis.jpg, Pizpita de mangle
('' Seiurus noveboracensis'') File:Black-faced grassquit (Tiaris bicolor) male.jpg, Gorrión negro
(''

Tiaris bicolor The black-faced grassquit (''Melanospiza bicolor'') is a small bird. It is recognized as a tanager closely related to Darwin's finches. It breeds in the West Indies except Cuba, on Tobago but not Trinidad, and along the northern coasts of Colomb ...

'') File:Buteo jamaicensis -John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Pennsylvania, USA-8.jpg, Guaraguao
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Buteo jamaicensis The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members ...

'') File:Falco peregrinus ernesti.JPG, Halcón peregrino
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Falco peregrinus The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey ( raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey ...

'') File:American kestrel (Falco sparverius sparveroides) female white morph.JPG, Falcón común
('' Falco sparverius'') File:Female magnificent frigatebird.JPG, Tijereta de mar
(''

Fregata magnificens The magnificent frigatebird (''Fregata magnificens'') is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of and wingspan of it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters off America, betw ...

'') File:Icterus dominicensis.jpg, Calandria
(''

Icterus dominicensis The Hispaniolan oriole (''Icterus dominicensis'') is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti). Taxonomy In 1760 the French zoologist Mathu ...

'') File:Curacao-Icterus-Icterus-2013.JPG, Turpial
(''

Icterus icterus The Venezuelan troupial (''Icterus icterus'') is the national bird of Venezuela. It is found in Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Trinidad, and Puerto Rico. Together with the orange-backed troupial and Cam ...

'') File:Shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) male.JPG, Tordo lustroso
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Molothrus bonariensis The shiny cowbird (''Molothrus bonariensis'') is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds in most of South America except for dense forests and areas of high altitude such as mountains. Since 1900 the shiny cowbird's ra ...

'') File:Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger) RWD.jpg, Chango
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Quiscalus niger The Greater Antillean grackle (''Quiscalus niger'') is a grackle found throughout the Greater Antilles as well as smaller, nearby islands. Like all ''Quiscalus'' grackles, it is a rather large, gregarious bird. It lives largely in heavily settl ...

'') File:Laughing-gull.jpg, Gaviota gallega
(''

Larus atricilla The laughing gull (''Leucophaeus atricilla'') is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. It breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North Am ...

'') File:Mockingbird in Bay Ridge (85082).jpg, Ruiseñor
(''

Mimus polyglottos The northern mockingbird (''Mimus polyglottos'') is a mockingbird commonly found in North America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather. This species has rarely been observed in Europe. ...

'') File:Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) RWD.jpg, Zorzal de patas coloradas
(''

Turdus plumbeus The red-legged thrush (''Turdus plumbeus'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. Native to the Caribbean, it is found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Puerto Rico. It f ...

'') File:2010-kabini-osprey.jpg, águila de mar
(''

Pandion haliaetus The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown ...

'') File:Waiting - Flickr - Andrea Westmoreland.jpg, Pelicano pardo
(''

Pelecanus occidentalis The brown pelican (''Pelecanus occidentalis'') is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mout ...

'') File:Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), Corte Madera.jpg, Viuda
('' Himantopus mexicanus'') File:Actitis-macularia-005.jpg, Playero coleador
(''

Actitis macularia The spotted sandpiper (''Actitis macularius'') is a small shorebird. Together with its sister species the common sandpiper (''A. hypoleucos''), it makes up the genus ''Actitis''. They replace each other geographically; stray birds may settle dow ...

'') File:Arenaria interpres 2 - Boat Harbour (cropped).jpg, Playero Turco
(''

Arenaria interpres The ruddy turnstone (''Arenaria interpres'') is a small cosmopolitan wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus ''Arenaria''. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plov ...

'') File:Stilt Sandpiper by Dan Pancamo.jpg, Playero patilargo
(''

Calidris himantopus The stilt sandpiper (''Calidris himantopus'') is a small shorebird. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'' is a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific ''hima ...

'') File:Western Sandpiper.jpg, Playerito occidental
(''

Calidris mauri The western sandpiper (''Calidris mauri'') is a small shorebird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific ''mauri'' commemorates Italian bota ...

'') File:Pectoral Sandpiper3.jpg, Playero manchado
(''

Calidris melanotos The pectoral sandpiper (''Calidris melanotos'') is a small, Bird migration, migratory wader that breeds in North America and Palearctic, Asia, wintering in South America and Oceania. It eats small invertebrates. Its bird nest, nest, a hole scrape ...

'') File:Least Sandpiper Foraging.png, Playero menudo
('' Calidris minutilla'') File:SemiPalmHeislerville.png, Playerito gracioso
(''

Calidris pusilla The semipalmated sandpiper (''Calidris pusilla'') is a very small shorebird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific ''pusilla'' is Lati ...

'') File:Catoptrophorus semipalmatus edit.jpg, Playero aliblanco
(''

Catoptrophorus semipalmatus The willet (''Tringa semipalmata'') is a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It is a relatively large and robust sandpiper, and is the largest of the species called "shanks" in the genus '' Tringa''. Its closest relative is the less ...

'') File:Short-billed dowitcher in JBWR (40844).jpg, Chorlo pico corto
(''

Limnodromus griseus The short-billed dowitcher (''Limnodromus griseus''), like its congener the long-billed dowitcher, is a medium-sized, stocky, long-billed shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It is an inhabitant of North America, Central America, the Caribb ...

'') File:Lesser Yellowlegs.jpg, Playero guineilla menor
(''

Tringa flavipes The lesser yellowlegs (''Tringa flavipes'') is a medium-sized shorebird. It breeds in the boreal forest region of North America. Taxonomy The lesser yellowlegs was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in ...

'') File:Solitarysandpiper.jpg, Playero solitario
(''

Tringa solitaria The solitary sandpiper (''Tringa solitaria'') is a small shorebird. The genus name ''Tringa'' is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek ''trungas'', a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bo ...

'') File:Spindalis portoricensis by Mike's Birds.jpg, Reina mora
('' Spindalis portoricensis'') File:PuertoRicanTodyJG.jpg, San Pedrito
('' Todus mexicanus'') File:Puerto Rican Flycatcher.jpg, Juí de Puerto Rico
(''

'') File:Tyrannus dominicensis 103778882 (cropped).jpg, Pitirre
(''

Tyrannus dominicensis The gray kingbird or grey kingbird (''Tyrannus dominicensis''), also known as pitirre, petchary or white-breasted kingbird, is a passerine bird. The species was first described on the island of Hispaniola, then called Santo Domingo, thus the '' ...

'')

Non-birds

=Mammals

= File:Rattus rattus03.jpg, Rata negra
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Rattus rattus The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus '' Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is ...

'') File:Rattus norvegicus 1.jpg, Rata común
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Rattus norvegicus ''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'' ...

'') File:House mouse.jpg, Ratón
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Mus musculus Mus or MUS may refer to: Abbreviations * MUS, the NATO country code for Mauritius * MUS, the IATA airport code for Minami Torishima Airport * MUS, abbreviation for the Centre for Modern Urban Studies on Campus The Hague, Leiden University, Ne ...

'') File:Small asian mongoose.jpg, Mangosta
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Herpestes auropunctatus The small Indian mongoose (''Urva auropunctata'') is a mongoose species native to Iraq and northern South Asia; it has also been introduced to many regions of the world, such as several Caribbean and Pacific islands. Taxonomy ''Mangusta auropu ...

'') File:Stray dogs crosswalk.jpg, Perro sato
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Canis familiaris The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. ...

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=Reptiles

= File:Brook's House Gecko.png, Salamanquesa
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Hemidactylus brooki haitianus __NOTOC__ ''Hemidactylus'' is a genus of the common gecko family, Gekkonidae. It has 189 described species, newfound ones being described every few years. These geckos are found in all the tropical regions of the world, extending into the su ...

'') File:Sphaerodactylus macrolepis (cropped).jpg, Salamanquita de la Virgen
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'') File:Large anolis cristatellus.jpg, Lagartijo común
('' Anolis cristatellus'') File:Anolis pulchellus.JPG, Lagartijo jardinero
('' Anolis pulchellus'') File:Lagartijo jardinero del sur (Anolis poncensis), en Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC00434A).jpg, Lagartijo jardinero del sur
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'') File:Puerto rican ameiva.jpg, Siguana
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Ameiva exsul The common Puerto Rican ameiva or Puerto Rican ground lizard (''Pholidoscelis exsul'') is a species of lizard in the whiptail family.

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=Amphibians

= File:Young Bufo marinus.jpg, Sapo común
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'') File:Common Coquí.jpg, Coquí común
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'') File:Leptodactylus albilabris.jpg, Ranita de labio blanco
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Notes

References

External links

''Información básica sobre Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas.''
Reverdece Tu Comunidad. 1 page. Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. 15 July 2016. Accessed 123 February 2019.
''Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente.''
Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA). Los Reptiles de Puerto Rico. Publication P-025. February 2008. (In Spanish) {{Authority control Tourist attractions in Ponce, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico state forests Geography of Ponce, Puerto Rico 2008 establishments in Puerto Rico National Forests of Puerto Rico Environment of Puerto Rico

History

Location and size

Shoreline geology and habitats

Flora and fauna

Flora

Fauna

Birds

Mammals

Reptiles

Amphibians

Environmental challenges

Clean up

Legal efforts

Facilities improvements

Gallery of flora and fauna

Flora at Punta Cucharas

Fauna at Punta Cucharas

Birds

Non-birds

=Mammals

=Reptiles

=Amphibians

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links