Transcript Birds in Belize

Bird References for Belize
Birds in
Belize
An introduction
Birds in Belize
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Neotropics
Diversity
Endemics
Conservation
Ecological Roles
Possible Projects
Neotropics
• What is “tropical?”
• What is Neotropical?
• Why do birders love
to visit the
Neotropics?
Belize as Neotropical
• Location
• Diversity in many organisms
• How do we measure diversity?
• Diversity in birds
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
Neotropical Bird Families in
Belize
(families in Belize but not in U.S.A.)
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Tinamous
Sungrebe
Jacana*
Potoos
Motmots
Puffbirds
Jacamars
Toucans
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Ovenbirds
Woodcreepers
Antbirds
Antthrushes
Cotingas
Manakins
Bananaquit*
* a single species of this family has
occurred as an accidental in U.S.A.
Tinamous: family Tinamidae
Sungrebe: family Heliornithidae
• Monotypic family: Heliornis fulica is only
species
Northern Jacana
• Shorebird with
very long toes
often placed in
its own family,
Jacanidae
Potoos: Nyctibiidae
• Related to Whip-poorwill, nighthawks, et al.
in order
Caprimulgiformes
• One species in Belize,
the Northern Potoo
Motmots: Momotidae
• Three species in
Belize, one common:
• Blue-crowned Motmot
• Less common:
• Tody Motmot
• Rare:
• Keel-billed Motmot
Puffbirds: Bucconidae
• Two species in Belize, White-whiskered
Puffbird and White-necked Puffbird
• Both are illustrated on Plate 44 in Beletsky
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
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: Rufousbreasted Spinetail and Plain Xenops
Woodcreepers: Dendrocolaptidae
• Superficially similar to
woodpeckers and
Brown Creeper of
North America
• Several species, all
adapted for gleaning
insects from bark
Antbirds: Thamnophilidae
• They don’t eat ants, they follow them
• Barred Antshrike and Dot-winged Antwren should
be common at Hill Bank
Antthrushes: Formicariidae
• One species, Blackfaced Antthrush
• hard to see, a S.
Mexico-YucatanHonduras area
endemic
Cotingas: Cotingidae
• What is a cotinga?
• One (?) species in
Belize, the Lovely
Cotinga, Cotinga
amabilis
Manakins
• Two species in Belize
• Known for spectacular lekking displays
Bananaquit
• A monotypic family: Coereba flaveola
• Sometimes lumped with tanagers or warblers
Endemics
• Yucatan endemics: about 12 species shared
with Mexico, Guatemala
a few Yucatan endemics
So many
birds…
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Lots of herons
Lots of hawks
Lots of pigeons and doves
Hummingbirds! 22 species
Trogons!
Lots of flycatchers
Vireos, warblers, wrens,
tanagers….
…so little time!
Conservation
• Habitat preservation
• NGO roles: Belize
Audubon Society,
Programme for Belize,
others
• Ecotourism and
education
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.
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?