Lebrija River facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lebrija River
Barranca de Lebrija corregimiento on the banks of the Lebrija river (Municipality of Aguachica).
Location of the Lebrija River in Colombia
Country	Colombia
Departments	Santander Cesar
Provinces	Metropolitana - Yariguies / South of Cesar
Municipalities	Piedecuesta Girón Bucaramanga Lebrija Sabana de Torres Puerto Wilches
Physical characteristics
Main source	Eastern Ranges Piedecuesta 2,532 m (8,307 ft) 7°05′59.1″N 73°00′55.1″W / 7.099750°N 73.015306°W / 7.099750; -73.015306
River mouth	Magdalena River Puerto Wilches / Loma de Corredor (Aguachica) 41.1 m (135 ft) 8°07′55.3″N 73°46′24.5″W / 8.132028°N 73.773472°W / 8.132028; -73.773472
Basin features
River system	Magdalena Basin  Caribbean Sea
Basin size	8,790 km2 (3,390 sq mi)

The Lebrija River is an important river in northern Colombia. It starts high up in the Eastern Andes Mountains in Piedecuesta. From there, it flows through the northern part of the Santander region. Finally, it joins the large Magdalena River near Puerto Wilches.

River's Name

The Lebrija River got its name from Antonio de Lebrija. He was a Spanish explorer who found the river in the year 1529.

River Journey

The Lebrija River begins very high up, at about 2,532 metres (8,307 ft) above sea level. Its starting point is in the Eastern Andes Mountains in the Santander region, northeast of Piedecuesta. The Lebrija River is actually formed by two other rivers joining together: the Suratá River and the Río de Oro.

As it flows north, the river passes through several towns. These include Girón, Bucaramanga (which is the capital of Santander), Lebrija, and Sabana de Torres. It eventually flows into the Magdalena River near Loma de Corredor in Puerto Wilches, Santander. At this point, the river is much lower, at about 41.1 metres (135 ft) above sea level.

Further down its path, the Lebrija River acts as a natural border. It separates the Santander region from the Cesar region. The river's entire basin, which is the area of land that drains into it, covers about 8,790 square kilometres (1.362×10¹³ sq in). About 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the river is wide and deep enough for boats to travel on.

Canyon near the El Ensueño waterfall, upper Lebrija river basin, in Piedecuesta

River Climate

The area around the Lebrija River, especially near Bucaramanga, gets a lot of rain. Sometimes, these heavy rains can cause problems, like harming fish in the river. The Lebrija River carries a huge amount of water each year, about 4.7 billion cubic meters!

The most water flows through the river in December. The least amount of water is in January. The upper part of the Lebrija River basin gets between 66 and 2065 millimeters of rain each year. There are two main rainy seasons: from March to May and from September to November. Drier times are from December to February and from June to August. Temperatures in the area can range from 0 to 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit).

Plants and Animals

The Lebrija River basin is home to many different kinds of plants and animals. Near Rionegro, people have found 761 different species. This includes 172 types of birds, 77 kinds of insects, 124 mammals, 104 fish, and 284 plant species. The Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve, a special place for birds, is also close to the Lebrija River in Bucaramanga.

River Plants

In the upper parts of the Lebrija River, you can find many interesting plants. Some of these include Ocotea sp., Miconia sp., Guarea grandifolia, Hedyosmum bomplandianum, Vismia baccifera, and Cecropia sp..

Vismia baccifera

River Animals

Mammals

Many mammals live in the upper and central parts of the Lebrija River basin. Here are some of them:

Name	Species	Image
Venezuelan red howler	Alouatta seniculus
gray-handed night monkey	Aotus griseimembra
white-fronted capuchin	Cebus albifrons
oncilla	Leopardus pardalis
southern tamandua	Tamandua tetradactyla
northern tamandua	Tamandua mexicana
silky anteater	Cyclopes didactylus
Brazilian porcupine	Coendou prehensilis
crab-eating fox	Cerdocyon thous
crab-eating raccoon	Procyon cancrivorus
collared peccary	Pecari tajacu
red brocket	Mazama americana
red-tailed squirrel	Sciurus granatensis
brown-throated sloth	Bradypus variegatus
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth	Choloepus didactylus
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth	Choloepus hoffmanni
tapeti	Sylvilagus brasiliensis
eastern cottontail	Sylvilagus floridanus
common opossum	Didelphis marsupialis
brown four-eyed opossum	Metachirus nudicaudatus
mountain paca	Agouti paca
lowland paca	Cuniculus paca
black agouti	Dasyprocta fuliginosa
Central American agouti	Dasyprocta punctata
kinkajou	Potos flavus
tayra	Eira barbara
long-tailed weasel	Mustela frenata
striped hog-nosed skunk	Conepatus semistriatus
neotropical otter	Lontra longicaudis
nine-banded armadillo	Dasypus novemcinctus
Jamaican fruit bat	Artibeus jamaicensis
pygmy fruit-eating bat	Artibeus phaeotis
silky short-tailed bat	Carollia brevicauda
Seba's short-tailed bat	Carollia perspicillata
common vampire bat	Desmodus rotundus
common big-eared bat	Micronycteris microtis
Heller's broad-nosed bat	Platyrrhinus helleri
greater sac-winged bat	Saccopteryx bilineata
little yellow-shouldered bat	Sturnira lilium

Amphibians and Reptiles

Here are some amphibians and reptiles found in the central Lebrija River basin:

Emerald-eyed tree frog (Hypsiboas crepitans)

Name	Species	Image
palm rocket frog	Rheobates palmatus
robber frog	Craugastor raniformis
emerald-eyed tree frog	Hypsiboas crepitans
yellow treefrog	Dendropsophus microcephalus
Fleischmann's glass frog	Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni
yellow-striped poison frog	Dendrobates truncatus
South American common toad	Rhinella margaritifera
fer-de-lance	Bothrops asper
blunthead tree snake	Imantodes cenchoa
red-nape snake	Ninia atrata
yellow-bellied snake	Coniophanes fissidens
turnip-tailed gecko	Thecadactylus rapicauda
	Polychrus marmoratus
	Anolis frenatus

Birds

Many bird species have been seen in the central Lebrija River basin. Here are some examples:

Name	Species	Image
rufous-tailed hummingbird	Amazilia tzacatl
orange-billed sparrow	Arremon aurantiirostris
bright-rumped attila	Attila spadiceus
rufous-capped warbler	Basileuterus rufifrons
orange-chinned parakeet	Brotogeris jugularis
cattle egret	Bubulcus ibis
great black hawk	Buteogallus urubitinga
Muscovy duck	Cairina moschata
bicolored wren	Campylorhynchus griseus
turkey vulture	Cathartes aura
grey-cheeked thrush	Catharus minimus
golden-headed manakin	Ceratopipra erythrocephala
dusky antbird	Cercomacra tyrannina
green kingfisher	Chloroceryle americana
green honeycreeper	Chlorophanes spiza
blue-tailed emerald	Chlorostilbon mellisugus
bananaquit	Coereba flaveola
spot-breasted woodpecker	Colaptes punctigula
crested bobwhite	Colinus cristatus
ruddy ground dove	Columbina talpacoti
black vulture	Coragyps atratus
white-bibbed manakin	Corapipo leucorrhoa
smooth-billed ani	Crotophaga ani
little tinamou	Crypturellus soui
green jay	Cyanocorax yncas
rufous-browed peppershrike	Cyclarhis gujanensis
black-faced dacnis	Dacnis lineata
violet-bellied hummingbird	Damophila julie
plain-brown woodcreeper	Dendrocincla fuliginosa
straight-billed woodcreeper	Dendroplex picus
yellow-bellied elaenia	Elaenia flavogaster
mountain elaenia	Elaenia frantzii
white-tailed kite	Elanus leucurus
checker-throated stipplethroat	Epinecrophylla fulviventris
thick-billed euphonia	Euphonia laniirostris
white-necked jacobin	Florisuga mellivora
spectacled parrotlet	Forpus conspicillatus
white-tailed hawk	Geranoaetus albicaudatus
wedge-billed woodcreeper	Glyphorynchus spirurus
white-breasted wood wren	Henicorhina leucosticta
scrub greenlet	Hylophilus flavipes
yellow-backed oriole	Icterus chrysater
Euler's flycatcher	Lathrotriccus euleri
white-tipped dove	Leptotila verreauxi
striped manakin	Machaeropterus regulus
white-bearded manakin	Manacus manacus
boat-billed flycatcher	Megarhynchus pitangua
tropical screech owl	Megascops choliba
red-crowned woodpecker	Melanerpes rubricapillus
southern nightingale-wren	Microcerculus marginatus
yellow-headed caracara	Milvago chimachima
tropical mockingbird	Mimus gilvus
ochre-bellied flycatcher	Mionectes oleagineus
buff-rumped warbler	Myiothlypis fulvicauda
rusty-margined flycatcher	Myiozetetes cayanensis
pauraque	Nyctidromus albicollis
Colombian chachalaca	Ortalis columbiana
chestnut-bellied seed finch	Oryzoborus angolensis
band-tailed pigeon	Patagioenas fasciata
pale-bellied hermit	Phaethornis anthophilus
green hermit	Phaethornis guy
stripe-throated hermit	Phaethornis striigularis
olivaceous piculet	Picumnus olivaceus
great kiskadee	Pitangus sulphuratus
slaty-headed tody-flycatcher	Poecilotriccus sylvia
spectacled owl	Pulsatrix perspicillata
blue-and-white swallow	Pygochelidon cyanoleuca
vermilion flycatcher	Pyrocephalus rubinus
flame-rumped tanager	Ramphocelus flammigerus
crimson-backed tanager	Ramphocelus dimidiatus
roadside hawk	Rupornis magnirostris
olive-grey saltator	Saltator olivascens
buff-throated saltator	Saltator maximus
streaked saltator	Saltator striatipectus
black phoebe	Sayornis nigricans
saffron finch	Sicalis flaveola
Lesson's seedeater	Sporophila bouvronides
plumbeous seedeater	Sporophila plumbea
ruddy-breasted seedeater	Sporophila minuta
yellow-bellied seedeater	Sporophila nigricollis
southern rough-winged swallow	Stelgidopteryx ruficollis
chestnut-collared swift	Streptoprocne rutila
white-winged swallow	Tachycineta albiventer
white-shouldered tanager	Tachyphonus luctuosus
blue-necked tanager	Tangara cyanicollis
bay-headed tanager	Tangara gyrola
black-capped tanager	Tangara heinei
scrub tanager	Tangara vitriolina
barred antshrike	Thamnophilus doliatus
blue-grey tanager	Thraupis episcopus
palm tanager	Thraupis palmarum
band-tailed barbthroat	Threnetes ruckeri
sooty grassquit	Tiaris fuliginosus
fasciated tiger heron	Tigrisoma fasciatum
common tody-flycatcher	Todirostrum cinereum
house wren	Troglodytes aedon
black-billed thrush	Turdus ignobilis
pale-breasted thrush	Turdus leucomelas
tropical kingbird	Tyrannus melancholicus
red-eyed vireo	Vireo olivaceus
blue-black grassquit	Volatinia jacarina
plain xenops	Xenops minutus
eared dove	Zenaida auriculata

Fish

Here are some fish species that have been found in the central Lebrija River basin:

Name	Species	Image
guppy	Poecilia reticulata
redhump eartheater	Geophagus steindachneri
wolf fish	Hoplias malabaricus
	Prochilodus magdalenae
	Sturisomatichthys leightoni

Fun Fact

• In 1898, a princess named Theresa of Bavaria found the first recorded egg of the Magdalena River turtle (Podocnemis lewyana) near the Lebrija River.

See also

In Spanish: Río Lebrija para niños

• List of rivers of Colombia
• Suárez River
• Chicamocha River, Sogamoso River