Bird References for Belize

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Bird References for Belize
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Birds in Belize

• An introduction

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Birds in Belize

• Neotropics
• Diversity
• Endemics
• Conservation
• Ecological Roles
• Possible Projects

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Neotropics

• What is tropical?
• What is Neotropical?
• Why do birders love to visit the Neotropics?

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Belize as Neotropical

• Location
• Diversity in many organisms
• How do we measure diversity?
• Diversity in birds

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Bird Diversity in Belize

• 540 species in 8866 square miles
• Belize is the size of Massachusetts
• What families are found in Belize but not the
  United States?

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Some bird diversity statistics

• 9748 species in the world in 204 families
• 94 families/1350 species in Mexico/Central
  America (14 of bird species in 1.5 of the
  worlds land area)
• 75 bird families in Belize

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Neotropical Bird Families in Belize(families in
Belize but not in U.S.A.)

• Tinamous
• Sungrebe
• Jacana
• Potoos
• Motmots
• Puffbirds
• Jacamars
• Toucans

• Ovenbirds
• Woodcreepers
• Antbirds
• Antthrushes
• Cotingas
• Manakins
• Bananaquit
• a single species of this family has occurred
  as an accidental in U.S.A.

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Tinamous family Tinamidae
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Sungrebe family Heliornithidae

• Monotypic family Heliornis fulica is only species

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Northern Jacana

• Shorebird with very long toes often placed in its
  own family, Jacanidae

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Potoos Nyctibiidae

• Related to Whip-poor-will, nighthawks, et al. in
  order Caprimulgiformes
• One species in Belize, the Northern Potoo

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Motmots Momotidae

• Three species in Belize, one common
• Blue-crowned Motmot
• Less common
• Tody Motmot
• Rare
• Keel-billed Motmot

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Puffbirds Bucconidae

• Two species in Belize, White-whiskered Puffbird
  and White-necked Puffbird
• Both are illustrated on Plate 44 in Beletsky

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Jacamars Galbulidae

• One species in Belize, the Rufous-tailed Jacamar,
  Galbula ruficauda

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Toucans Ramphastidae

• Three species in Belize we are most likely to
  see the Keel-billed Toucan
• Also there are Collared Aracari and Emerald
  Toucanet

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Ovenbirds Furnariidae

• Not the same as the American warbler
• large diverse tropical family
• Two species that are not in Beletsky but should
  be common at Hill Bank Rufous-breasted Spinetail
  and Plain Xenops

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Woodcreepers Dendrocolaptidae

• Superficially similar to woodpeckers and Brown
  Creeper of North America
• Several species, all adapted for gleaning insects
  from bark

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Antbirds Thamnophilidae

• They dont eat ants, they follow them
• Barred Antshrike and Dot-winged Antwren should be
  common at Hill Bank

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Antthrushes Formicariidae

• One species, Black-faced Antthrush
• hard to see, a S. Mexico-Yucatan-Honduras area
  endemic

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Cotingas Cotingidae

• What is a cotinga?
• One (?) species in Belize, the Lovely Cotinga,
  Cotinga amabilis

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Manakins

• Two species in Belize
• Known for spectacular lekking displays

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Bananaquit

• A monotypic family Coereba flaveola
• Sometimes lumped with tanagers or warblers

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Endemics

• Yucatan endemics about 12 species shared with
  Mexico, Guatemala

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a few Yucatan endemics
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So many birds

• Lots of herons
• Lots of hawks
• Lots of pigeons and doves
• Hummingbirds! 22 species
• Trogons!
• Lots of flycatchers
• Vireos, warblers, wrens, tanagers.

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so little time!
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Conservation

• Habitat preservation
• NGO roles Belize Audubon Society, Programme for
  Belize, others
• Ecotourism and education

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Ecological Roles some are unique to the
Neotropics, some are similar to those seen in
temperate areas

• Army ant followers
• Fruit eaters and dispersers
• Nectarivory and pollination
• Niche partitioning hummingbirds, flycatchers, et
  al.

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Possible Projects

• Foraging specialization (niche partitioning) in
  flycatchers species, perch (substrate),
  frequency, tree species, et al.
• Use of fresh water sources on South Water Caye
  species, frequency, time at resource
• Ideas?

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