birding...

Burrowing Owl Athene cuniculatia http://www.birdway.com.au © Ian Montgomery

Michoacán is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. It borders the states of Colima and Jalisco to the west, Guanajuato and Querétaro to the north, México to the east, Guerrero to the south-east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. It has an area of 59,864 km² (23,113.6 sq mi). It is the sixteenth largest state in Mexico, taking up 3% of the national territory.

Dominated by the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur and "Eje Neovolcanico", Michoacán extends from the Pacific Ocean northeastward into the central plateau. The climate and soil variations caused by this topography make Michoacán a diverse agricultural state that produces both temperate and tropical cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

The area around Angangueo and Ocampo in northeast Michoacán is famous for the monarch butterflies that spend 6 months in the surrounding forests of Oyamel.

Some of the birds of the state are chachalaca, roadrunner, caracara, groove-billed ani locally known as "chicuaro", and the great horned owl. There are many endangered unique species in Michoacán, including the jaguar, jaguarundi, cougar, onza, ocelot, margay, coyote, and boa constrictor.