Every year, millions of birds fly between Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental mountains and the Gulf of Mexico from August to November to escape cold temperatures, giving rise to an event known as the "River of Raptors", which brings hundreds of foreign birdwatchers to the coastal area of Veracruz.

"Many of my customers have been at other famous bird migration (迁徙) sites but say they have never seen anything as grand as the ‘River of Raptors' in Veracruz," said Steven Koevoet, a birdwatching guide who has shown visitors places in Yucatan and Veracruz for over 25 years.

Yet the yearly event has not led to a large increase in ecotourism. Critics suggest the lack of increased ecotourism is mainly caused by Mexico's failure to encourage tourism away from its beach resorts (旅游胜地). Environmentalists believe high levels of violence and environmentally unfriendly practices are also problems for developing ecotourism in the states of Chiapas and Veracruz. Violence has stopped birdwatching for years in some places, where the activity was an important source of income for local communities.

But, environmental groups, universities and farmers in Veracruz are trying to change this. Angel Viveros, a rancher (大农场主), uses land owned by his family for activities including birdwatching, horse riding, skydiving and hiking. Supported by the non-profit group Pronatura Veracruz, which studies and counts the birds in the yearly migration, he is now receiving hundreds of visitors yearly. Local coffee producers organize coffee tastings and educational talks about the importance of birds in spreading seeds. A green, bird-friendly stamp for those producers could be the next step. One retiree who has been visiting Veracruz since 2002 had this to say, "Apart from feeling the physical relaxation, it is like something spiritual ... there are no words to describe what it feels like to see the river of birds."