Sierra Fría
The Sierra Fría is a mountain range in central Mexico. It forms the northwestern border of Aguascalientes state and extends into adjacent Zacatecas, west of the city of Aguascalientes.
Geography
The Sierra Fría is the southeasternmost range of the Sierra Madre Occidental. The highest peak is Cerro de la Ardilla. The Sierra extends north and south, and divides the upper basins of the Juchipila River to the west from the Río Verde to the east.The municipalities of San José de Gracia, Calvillo, Rincón de Romos, Jesús María and Pabellón de Arteaga extend across the range.
Climate
Much of the surrounding area is a subtropical highland climate with heavy thunderstorms and rainfall common during the summer months and snowfall is rare, occurring once per year.Flora and fauna
Higher elevations of the range are covered in pine–oak woodland, with pines and/or oaks as the dominant trees, with manzanillo and juniper. Areas that have been logged are covered in thickets of manzanillo, and montane grasslands occur on canyon slopes. Matorral surrounds the Sierra at lower elevations.The area is rich in wildlife. Native mammals include white-tailed deer, puma, collared peccary, ringtail, and gray fox.
109 species of birds have been recorded in the range, of which 67% are year-round residents and 33% are winter visitors. These include the golden eagle, peregrine falcon, Harris's hawk, Mexican spotted owl, great horned owl, eared quetzal, Montezuma quail, lesser scaup, and northern pintail. The Sierra is designated and Important Bird Area.