Gulf Coast Bird Observatory

Our Mission

Our mission is the study and conservation of birds and their habitats around the Gulf of Mexico. With its central position between the Americas, the Gulf of Mexico is a natural obstacle faced by millions of migratory birds that must either cross or go around it each spring and fall as they travel between their breeding and wintering grounds. The habitats surrounding the Gulf are used by over 800 bird species. About 300 of those species are nearctic-neotropical migrants that rely on these habitats for their survival in order to rest and refuel enroute. The Gulf of Mexico region contains the Hemisphere's most important "stopover" habitat, but much of it is threatened by urbanization, destructive tourism development, and other land conversion activities. The Gulf region is shared among three countries-the United States, Mexico, and Cuba-and eleven U.S. and Mexican states. The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (GCBO) has established a Site Partner Network to assist the conservation work of organizations and sites throughout this region. This network of sites currently includes 67 partners throughout this area responsible for over 9 million acres of coastal habitat. Fifteen of these partner sites protect Gulf coastal habitat outside the United States-seven in the Yucatan Peninsula, seven in the Mexican provinces of Veracruz and Tamaulipas, and one in western Cuba. By being part of this Site Partner Network, the conservation partners around the Gulf of Mexico benefit from information exchange, fundraising assistance, publicity, etc