The Birds of Belize

The bird population in Belize is incredible varied and diverse. This, plus the fact that birds are active during the day, makes Belize the perfect vacation destination for bird lovers. There are about 550 species of birds in Belize, and when you compare this to the 700 species found in all of North America, you can begin to see why bird-watchers love Belize! One of the main differences between the tropical birds found in Belize and birds from the northern temperate zone of North America and Europe, is that tropical birds eat fruit in addition to insects. The interaction between frugivory birds and the plnats that produce the fruit they eat is a major determining component of the ecology of Belize.

Spotting Birds in Belize

Just like birds from anywhere else on earth, birds are most active and vocal in the morning. If you want to see lots and lots of birds, wake up early. Or, if this doesn't suit your vacation plans, and you are on vacation after all, late afternoon is a good time to look for birds, since they are active at this time of day as well. Pick a trail and walk quietly down the path, making as little noise as possible. Stop in your tracks every few minutes and look around you slowly. Sometimes you'll look straight up and see a silent but briliantly colored tropical bird in the canopy above. Look carefully, since they can be hard to see, especially if they are green-colored, like the Trogons, who have green gacks and red or yellow gellies. They are truly difficult to spot, so count it as a victory is you are able to catch a glimpse of one during your stroll.

One good thing to bring on your bird-watching trek, besides water of course, is a set of binoculars. Binoculars practically guarantee you'll see more birds. If you start your trek and don't hear or see any birds at first, don't despair. It's common that newcomers might think there are no birds around, but just keep quietly walking and stopping, walking and stopping and soon you'll begin to pick out birds up in the forest canopy. You also might experience a sudden swoosh of many birds, varied species, who fly in near you to land in the trees and on the ground to feed for a few minutes. They will then swoosh away as fast and suddenly as they arrived, moving on to the next feeding spot. This can be very exciting!

Coastal areas, where many visitors to Belize spend at least part of their vacation, are also good places to spot birds. Look for seabirds here, as well as on the cayes if you happen to visit. However, although the seabirds of Belize are spectacular and just as beautiful as any tropical forest birds, the species you'll see are quite similar to the species you might find back home, if you're from a temperate zone like North America or Europe. Some good ones to spot, which you might not have seen before if you're from temperate zone, are:

• Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster
• Magnificent Frigatebird, Fregata magnificens
• Brown Pelican, Larus atricilla
• Lauighing Gull, Sterna maxima
• Royal Tern, Pelecanus occidentalis

Species of Birds in Belize

Aside from the sea birds mentioned above, and water birds found in many parts of the world in addition to Belize such as ducks, cormorants, herons, egrets, vultures, raptors, pigeons, sandpipers, and even Ocellated Turkeys, Belize is more interesting to bird-lovers for tropical birds such as these listed below.

Included on the must-see list of many bird-watching vacationers are parrots. Most of us have known parrots only as pets in cages, so it's wonderful for the first time to see one flying around in the wild. There are about 90 species of parrots that are considered vulnerable, threatened or endangered around the world. Of the nine species found in Belize, only two are endangered. These are the Scarlet Macaw and the Yellow-headed Parrot. Macaws are a type of parrot, by the way. The Scarlet Macaw is hunted still today, for pets and for sports. One other problem of parrots in general is that they are forest birds, and forests are diminishing each year. They also like to eat farmers' crops, so farmers frequently kill large numbers of them. Also, believe it or not, capturing parrots for the pet trade cuts a huge dent in their population. Often, people will raid the nests of parrots for the pet trade. Parrots are that popular as caged birds! Here are the species found in Belize:

• Olive-throated Parakeet, Aratinga nana
• Scarlet Macaw, Acamacao
• Yellow-lored Parrot, Amazona xantholora
• Mealy Parrot, Amazona farinosa
• Brown-hooded Parrot, pionopsitta haematotis