2. Bird References for Belize

3. Birds in Belize An introduction

4. Birds in Belize Neotropics Diversity Endemics Conservation Ecological Roles Possible Projects

5. Neotropics What is “tropical?” What is Neotropical? Why do birders love to visit the Neotropics?

6. Belize as Neotropical Location Diversity in many organisms How do we measure diversity? Diversity in birds

7. 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?

8. 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

9. 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.

10. Tinamous: family Tinamidae

11. Sungrebe: family Heliornithidae Monotypic family: Heliornis fulica is only species

12. Northern Jacana Shorebird with very long toes often placed in its own family, Jacanidae

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

14. Motmots: Momotidae Three species in Belize, one common: Blue-crowned Motmot Less common: Tody Motmot Rare: Keel-billed Motmot

15. Puffbirds: Bucconidae Two species in Belize, White-whiskered Puffbird and White-necked Puffbird Both are illustrated on Plate 44 in Beletsky

16. Jacamars: Galbulidae One species in Belize, the Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Galbula ruficauda

17. Toucans: Ramphastidae Three species in Belize: we are most likely to see the Keel- billed Toucan Also there are Collared Aracari and Emerald Toucanet

18. 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

20. Woodcreepers: Dendrocolaptidae Superficially similar to woodpeckers and Brown Creeper of North America Several species, all adapted for gleaning insects from bark

21. Antbirds: Thamnophilidae They don’t eat ants, they follow them Barred Antshrike and Dot-winged Antwren should be common at Hill Bank

22. Antthrushes: Formicariidae One species, Black- faced Antthrush hard to see, a S. Mexico-Yucatan- Honduras area endemic

23. Cotingas: Cotingidae What is a cotinga? One (?) species in Belize, the Lovely Cotinga, Cotinga amabilis

24. Manakins Two species in Belize Known for spectacular lekking displays

25. Bananaquit A monotypic family: Coereba flaveola Sometimes lumped with tanagers or warblers

26. Endemics Yucatan endemics: about 12 species shared with Mexico, Guatemala

27. a few Yucatan endemics

28. 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….

29. …so little time!

30. Conservation Habitat preservation NGO roles: Belize Audubon Society, Programme for Belize, others Ecotourism and education

31. 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.

32. 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?