Bird Paradise

Las Salinas, a particularly beautiful area of some 2,000 square kilometres to the south of Matanzas Province, is considered by specialists a haven for Cuban birds.

The area's wetlands make the region an excellent refuge for more than 65 migrating species gathering during the winter season (October through March), when birds come to Las Salinas from North America looking for food and stay for their mating period.

Ornithologists report the presence of such birds as the white pigeon (Columba Inornata), the small colourful Cuban Tody (Todus Multicolor), Cuba's national bird the tocororo or Cuban Trogon (Priotelus Temnurus), the mottled duck, the grey pelican and the kingfisher.

There are also types of herons, and some, difficult to see in other places, like the Gundlachs Hawk and the stork.

Flocks of cranes inhabit the grasslands, but the celebrity of the region is the pink Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), with the greatest bird population in the territory.

Las Salinas is not known only for endemic or migratory birds. Its waters harbour fish like the bonefish (macabí) and the palometa, and the region is synonymous with stories and legends.

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