Lebrija River


Lebrija River is a river of northern Colombia. It originates in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes in Piedecuesta and flows through the northern part of the department of Santander into the Magdalena River in Puerto Wilches.

Etymology

The Lebrija River is named after Antonio de Lebrija, the conquistador who discovered the river in 1529.

Description

The Lebrija River originates at an altitude of in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes to the northeast of Piedecuesta, Santander. The Lebrija River, a confluence of the Suratá River and the Río de Oro, flows northward through the municipalities Girón, capital of Santander Bucaramanga, Lebrija and Sabana de Torres to flow into the Magdalena River near the Loma de Corredor, Puerto Wilches, Santander at an altitude of. In the lower course of the river, it forms the natural boundary between Santander and Cesar, close to the border with Bolívar. About of the river, with a total basin size of, is navegable.

Geology

The type locality of the Girón Formation was identified along the Lebrija River in 1954. At this type section, a total thickness of of the formation was registered in 1968. The type locality of the thick La Paz Formation is also located near the river.

Climate

The heavy rains over the capital district of Santander, the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga, have caused mortality of fish in the Lebrija River. The Lebrija River transports an average of of water per year. The maximum discharge at the San Rafael station has been registered in December with and the minimum in January with. The higher basin of Lebrija Alto has between of precipitation per year in a bimodal pattern. The rainy seasons are March to May and September to November with drier periods from December to February and June to August. The temperature ranges from, the relative humidity reached 81% and the hours of sunshine vary between 1472 and 1913.

Flora and fauna

Many species of flora and fauna have been registered in the Lebrija River basin. A total number of 761 species of which 172 birds, 77 insects, 124 mammals, 104 fish and 284 plant species have been noted at Rionegro, Santander. The Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve is close to the Lebrija River in Bucaramanga.

Flora

The following species and genera are noted in the upper part of the Lebrija River: Ocotea sp., Miconia sp., Guarea grandifolia, Hedyosmum bomplandianum, Guateria sp., Protium sp., Ochroma sp., Piper sp., Trema micrantha, Vismia baccifera, Urera caracasana, Cecropia sp. and Croton leptostachis.

Fauna

Mammals
The following mammals have been registered in the upper and central Lebrija River basins:
NameSpeciesImage
Venezuelan red howlerAlouatta seniculus
gray-handed night monkeyAotus griseimembra
white-fronted capuchinCebus albifrons
oncillaLeopardus pardalis
southern tamanduaTamandua tetradactyla
northern tamanduaTamandua mexicana
silky anteaterCyclopes didactylus
Brazilian porcupineCoendou prehensilis
crab-eating foxCerdocyon thous
crab-eating raccoonProcyon cancrivorus
collared peccaryPecari tajacu
red brocketMazama americana
red-tailed squirrelSciurus granatensis
brown-throated slothBradypus variegatus
Linnaeus's two-toed slothCholoepus didactylus
Hoffmann's two-toed slothCholoepus hoffmanni
tapetiSylvilagus brasiliensis
eastern cottontailSylvilagus floridanus
common opossumDidelphis marsupialis
brown four-eyed opossumMetachirus nudicaudatus
sepia short-tailed opossumMonodelphis adusta
mountain pacaAgouti paca
lowland pacaCuniculus paca
black agoutiDasyprocta fuliginosa
Central American agoutiDasyprocta punctata
kinkajouPotos flavus
tayraEira barbara
long-tailed weaselMustela frenata
striped hog-nosed skunkConepatus semistriatus
neotropical otterLontra longicaudis
nine-banded armadilloDasypus novemcinctus
northern naked-tailed armadilloCabassous centralis
dusky rice ratMelanomys caliginosus
Jamaican fruit batArtibeus jamaicensis
pygmy fruit-eating batArtibeus phaeotis
silky short-tailed batCarollia brevicauda
Seba's short-tailed batCarollia perspicillata
common vampire batDesmodus rotundus
common big-eared batMicronycteris microtis
Heller's broad-nosed batPlatyrrhinus helleri
greater sac-winged batSaccopteryx bilineata
little yellow-shouldered batSturnira lilium
great fruit-eating batArtibeus lituratus
chestnut short-tailed batCarollia castanea
Thomas's shaggy batCentronycteris centralis
Godman's long-tailed batChoeroniscus godmani
northern ghost batDiclidurus albus
black myotisMyotis nigricans
Amphibians and reptiles
The following species have been registered in the central Lebrija River basin:
NameSpeciesImage
palm rocket frogRheobates palmatus
robber frogCraugastor raniformis
emerald-eyed tree frogHypsiboas crepitans
yellow treefrogDendropsophus microcephalus
Fleischmann's glass frogHyalinobatrachium fleischmanni
yellow-striped poison frogDendrobates truncatus
South American common toadRhinella margaritifera
Dendropsophus subocularis
Pristimantis miyatai
Rulyrana adiazeta
Allobates niputidea
fer-de-lanceBothrops asper
blunthead tree snakeImantodes cenchoa
red-nape snakeNinia atrata
yellow-bellied snakeConiophanes fissidens
Micrurus dumerilii
turnip-tailed geckoThecadactylus rapicauda
Polychrus marmoratus
Anolis frenatus
Anolis sulcifrons
Lepidoblepharis xanthostigma
Sphaerodactylus heliconiae
Birds
The following species have been registered in the central Lebrija River basin:
NameSpeciesImage
rufous-tailed hummingbirdAmazilia tzacatl
orange-billed sparrowArremon aurantiirostris
bright-rumped attilaAttila spadiceus
rufous-capped warblerBasileuterus rufifrons
orange-chinned parakeetBrotogeris jugularis
cattle egretBubulcus ibis
great black hawkButeogallus urubitinga
Muscovy duckCairina moschata
bicolored wrenCampylorhynchus griseus
turkey vultureCathartes aura
grey-cheeked thrushCatharus minimus
golden-headed manakinCeratopipra erythrocephala
dusky antbirdCercomacra tyrannina
green kingfisherChloroceryle americana
green honeycreeperChlorophanes spiza
blue-tailed emeraldChlorostilbon mellisugus
bananaquitCoereba flaveola
spot-breasted woodpeckerColaptes punctigula
crested bobwhiteColinus cristatus
ruddy ground doveColumbina talpacoti
black vultureCoragyps atratus
white-bibbed manakinCorapipo leucorrhoa
smooth-billed aniCrotophaga ani
little tinamouCrypturellus soui
green jayCyanocorax yncas
rufous-browed peppershrikeCyclarhis gujanensis
black-faced dacnisDacnis lineata
violet-bellied hummingbirdDamophila julie
plain-brown woodcreeperDendrocincla fuliginosa
straight-billed woodcreeperDendroplex picus
yellow-bellied elaeniaElaenia flavogaster
mountain elaeniaElaenia frantzii
white-tailed kiteElanus leucurus
checker-throated stipplethroatEpinecrophylla fulviventris
thick-billed euphoniaEuphonia laniirostris
white-necked jacobinFlorisuga mellivora
spectacled parrotletForpus conspicillatus
white-tailed hawkGeranoaetus albicaudatus
wedge-billed woodcreeperGlyphorynchus spirurus
white-breasted wood wrenHenicorhina leucosticta
scrub greenletHylophilus flavipes
yellow-backed orioleIcterus chrysater
Euler's flycatcherLathrotriccus euleri
white-tipped doveLeptotila verreauxi
striped manakinMachaeropterus regulus
white-bearded manakinManacus manacus
boat-billed flycatcherMegarhynchus pitangua
tropical screech owlMegascops choliba
red-crowned woodpeckerMelanerpes rubricapillus
southern nightingale-wrenMicrocerculus marginatus
yellow-headed caracaraMilvago chimachima
tropical mockingbirdMimus gilvus
ochre-bellied flycatcherMionectes oleagineus
buff-rumped warblerMyiothlypis fulvicauda
rusty-margined flycatcherMyiozetetes cayanensis
pauraqueNyctidromus albicollis
Colombian chachalacaOrtalis columbiana
chestnut-bellied seed finchOryzoborus angolensis
cinereous becardPachyramphus rufus
band-tailed pigeonPatagioenas fasciata
pale-bellied hermitPhaethornis anthophilus
green hermitPhaethornis guy
stripe-throated hermitPhaethornis striigularis
olivaceous piculetPicumnus olivaceus
great kiskadeePitangus sulphuratus
slaty-headed tody-flycatcherPoecilotriccus sylvia
spectacled owlPulsatrix perspicillata
blue-and-white swallowPygochelidon cyanoleuca
vermilion flycatcherPyrocephalus rubinus
flame-rumped tanagerRamphocelus flammigerus
crimson-backed tanagerRamphocelus dimidiatus
roadside hawkRupornis magnirostris
greyish saltatorSaltator coerulescens
buff-throated saltatorSaltator maximus
streaked saltatorSaltator striatipectus
black phoebeSayornis nigricans
saffron finchSicalis flaveola
Lesson's seedeaterSporophila bouvronides
plumbeous seedeaterSporophila plumbea
ruddy-breasted seedeaterSporophila minuta
yellow-bellied seedeaterSporophila nigricollis
southern rough-winged swallowStelgidopteryx ruficollis
chestnut-collared swiftStreptoprocne rutila
white-winged swallowTachycineta albiventer
white-shouldered tanagerTachyphonus luctuosus
blue-necked tanagerTangara cyanicollis
bay-headed tanagerTangara gyrola
black-capped tanagerTangara heinei
scrub tanagerTangara vitriolina
barred antshrikeThamnophilus doliatus
blue-grey tanagerThraupis episcopus
palm tanagerThraupis palmarum
band-tailed barbthroatThrenetes ruckeri
sooty grassquitTiaris fuliginosus
fasciated tiger heronTigrisoma fasciatum
common tody-flycatcherTodirostrum cinereum
house wrenTroglodytes aedon
black-billed thrushTurdus ignobilis
pale-breasted thrushTurdus leucomelas
tropical kingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
red-eyed vireoVireo olivaceus
blue-black grassquitVolatinia jacarina
plain xenopsXenops minutus
eared doveZenaida auriculata
jet antbirdCercomacra nigricans
sooty ant tanagerHabia gutturalis
sooty-headed wrenPheugopedius spadix
brown-winged schiffornisSchiffornis turdina
northern slaty antshrikeThamnophilus punctatus
Fish
The following species have been registered in the central Lebrija River basin:
NameSpeciesImage
guppyPoecilia reticulata
redhump eartheaterGeophagus steindachneri
wolf fishHoplias malabaricus
Prochilodus magdalenae
Sturisomatichthys leightoni
Cauca mollyPoecilia caucana
Astroblepus homodon
Leporinus muyscorum
Ancistrus caucanus
Astynax magdalenae
Brycon henni
Chaetostoma fischeri
Chaetostoma milesi
Gephyrocharax melanocheir
Hemibrycon dentatus
Hypostomus hondae
Ichthyoelephas longirostris
Parodon magdalenensis
Pimelodus blochii
Pimelodus grosskopfii
Rhamdia quelen
Roeboides dayii
Salminus affinis

Trivia