Birds in Belize Bird Diversity in Belize 540
Birds in Belize
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?
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 world’s land area) 75 bird families in Belize
Neotropics What is a neotropical migrant?
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.
Potoos: Nyctibiidae • Related to Whip-poorwill, nighthawks, et al. - Caprimulgiformes • One species in Belize, the Northern Potoo
Motmots: Momotidae • Three species in Belize • Blue-crowned Motmot (common) • Tody Motmot (Less common) • Keel-billed Motmot (rare)
Jacamars: Galbulidae • One species in Belize, the Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Galbula ruficauda
Toucans: Ramphastidae • Three species in Belize: we are most likely to see the Keelbilled Toucan • Also there are Collared Aracari and Emerald Toucanet
Woodcreepers: Dendrocolaptidae • similar to woodpeckers and Brown Creeper of North America • Several species, all adapted for gleaning insects from bark
Antbirds • they don’t eat ants, they follow them Ant wren • Ant shrike •
Black-faced Antthrush
So many birds… • Vireos, warblers, wrens, tanagers….
. . . Hummingbirds- 22 species Long-tailed hermit Green-breasted mango
Purple-crowned fairy White-necked jacobin
Lots of hawks Northern Jacana Common black-hawk Bat falcon
Trogons Slaty tailed trogon Violaceous trogon
…Lots of flycatchers Tropical flycatcher
Parrots and allies Red-lored mealy
Birds of the Islands
Laughing gull Royal tern
Brown Pelican
Magnificent Frigate Bird
Brown booby
Brown jay
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.
- Slides: 26