Transcript Belize
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.) • Ovenbirds Tinamous • Woodcreepers Sungrebe • Antbirds Jacana* • Antthrushes Potoos • Cotingas Motmots • Manakins Puffbirds • Bananaquit* Jacamars * a single species of this family has occurred as an accidental in U.S.A. Toucans 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 Rufoustailed 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 White-necked jacobin Purple-crowned fairy 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.