List of birds of Belize
Encyclopedia
This is a list of the bird species recorded in Belize which consists of the mainland of Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
and around 450 smaller cays and islands
Geography of Belize
Belize is a small Central American nation, located at 17°15' north of the equator and 88°45' west of the Prime Meridian on the Yucatán Peninsula. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, with 386 km of coastline. It has a total of 516 km of land borders—Mexico to the north-northwest and...
lying in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. The avifauna of Belize includes a total of 618 species, of which 4 are globally threatened and 3 have been introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
by humans.
This list's taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families, and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of Clements
James Clements
Dr. James Franklin Clements was an ornithologist, author and very successful businessman. He was born in New York....
's 5th edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflects this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total species counts for Belize.
The following tags have been used to highlight certain relevant categories. The commonly occurring, native, species do not fall into any of these categories.
- (A) Accidental A species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Belize.
- (I) Introduced A species introduced to Belize as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions.
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Non-passerines: Tinamous • Grebes • Shearwaters • Tropicbirds • Pelicans • Boobies • Cormorants • Darters • Frigatebirds • Bitterns, Herons, and Egrets • Storks • Ibises and Spoonbills • Flamingos • Ducks and Geese • New World vultures • Osprey • Hawks, Kites and Eagles • Caracaras and Falcons • Chachalacas, Guans and Curassows • Turkeys • New World quails • Limpkins • Rails, Crakes, Gallinules, and Coots • Sungrebe • Sunbittern • Jacanas • Oystercatchers • Stilts and Avocets • Thick-knees • Plovers • Sandpipers, Curlews, Stints, Godwits, Snipes, and Phalaropes • Skuas and Jaegers • Gulls • Terns • Skimmers • Pigeons and Doves • Parakeets and Parrots • Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Anis • Barn owls • Typical owls • Potoos • Nightjars • Swifts • Hummingbirds • Trogons and Quetzals • Water Kingfishers • Motmots • Jacamars • Puffbirds • Toucans • Woodpeckers and Sapsuckers |
Passerines: Ovenbirds • Woodcreepers • Antbirds • Antthrushes and Antpittas • Cotingas and Pihas • Manakins • Tyrant flycatchers • Swallows and Martins • Waxwings • Wrens • Mockingbirds • Thrushes, Solitaires and Bluebirds • Gnatcatchers • Jays and Ravens • Vireos • New World warblers • Bananaquit • Tanagers • American sparrows, Yellow-finches and Honeycreepers • Cardinals, Saltators, Grosbeaks and North American Buntings • Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, Cowbirds, Grackles, Orioles, Caciques and Oropendolas • Fringilline finches, Cardueline finches and allies • Sparrows |
See also References |
Tinamous
Order: Tinamiformes. Family: Tinamidae
Rhea (bird)
The rheas are ratites in the genus Rhea, native to South America. There are two existing species: the Greater or American Rhea and the Lesser or Darwin's Rhea. The genus name was given in 1752 by Paul Möhring and adopted as the English common name. Möhring's reason for choosing this name, from the...
s, emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
, and kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
. There are 47 species worldwide and 4 which occur in Belize.
- Great TinamouGreat TinamouThe Great Tinamou Tinamus major, also called Mountain hen is a species of tinamou ground bird native to Central and South America. There are several subspecies, mostly differentiated by their coloration:-Description:...
Tinamus major - Little TinamouLittle TinamouThe Little Tinamou, Crypturellus soui, is found in Central America and South America.-Etymology:Crypturellus is formed from three Latin or Greek words. kruptos meaning covered or hidden, oura meaning tail, and ellus meaning diminutive...
Crypturellus soui - Slaty-breasted TinamouSlaty-breasted TinamouThe Slaty-breasted Tinamou or Boucard's Tinamou, Crypturellus boucardi, is a type of Tinamou commonly found in lowland moist forests of Central America...
Crypturellus boucardi - Thicket TinamouThicket TinamouThe Thicket Tinamou or Rufescent Tinamou, Crypturellus cinnamomeus, is a type of Tinamou commonly found in moist forests in subtropical and tropical Central Mexico...
Crypturellus cinnamomeus
Grebes
Order: Podicipediformes. Family: PodicipedidaeGrebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
s are small to medium-large sized freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes, and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. There are 20 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Belize.
- Least GrebeLeast GrebeThe Least Grebe , an aquatic bird, is the smallest member of the grebe family. It occurs in the New World from the southwestern United States and Mexico to Chile and Argentina, and also on Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles.-Description:The Least Grebe ranges in length from...
Tachybaptus dominicus - Pied-billed GrebePied-billed GrebeThe Pied-billed Grebe is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Since the Atitlán Grebe, Podilymbus gigas, has become extinct, it is the sole extant member of the genus Podilymbus.-Description:...
Podilymbus podiceps
Shearwaters
Order: ProcellariiformesProcellariiformes
Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...
. Family: Procellariidae
Procellariidae
The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
- Sooty ShearwaterSooty ShearwaterThe Sooty Shearwater is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name tītī and as "muttonbird", like its relatives the Wedge-tailed Shearwater and the Australian Short-tailed Shearwater The Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) is...
Puffinus griseus (A) Near-threatened - Manx ShearwaterManx ShearwaterThe Manx Shearwater is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. The scientific name of this species records a name shift: Manx Shearwaters were called Manks Puffins in the 17th century. Puffin is an Anglo-Norman word for the cured carcasses of nestling shearwaters...
Puffinus puffinus (A) - Audubon's ShearwaterAudubon's ShearwaterAudubon's Shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri, is a common tropical seabird from the family Procellariidae. Sometimes called Dusky-backed Shearwater, the scientific name of this species commemorates the French naturalist Félix Louis L'Herminier....
Puffinus lherminieri (A)
Tropicbirds
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Phaethontidae
Tropicbird
Tropicbird
Tropicbirds are a family, Phaethontidae, of tropical pelagic seabirds now classified in their own order Phaethontiformes. Their relationship to other living birds is unclear, and they appear to have no close relatives. There are three species in one genus, Phaethon...
s are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings. There are 3 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- White-tailed TropicbirdWhite-tailed TropicbirdThe White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus, is a tropicbird, smallest of three closely related seabirds of the tropical oceans and smallest member of the order Phaethontiformes. It occurs in the tropical Atlantic, western Pacific and Indian Oceans...
Phaethon lepturus (A)
Pelicans
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Pelecanidae
Pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
s are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under the beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes. There are 8 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Belize.
- American White PelicanAmerican White PelicanThe American White Pelican is a large aquatic bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America, in winter....
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos - Brown PelicanBrown PelicanThe Brown Pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard. It is in length, weighs from and has a wingspan from .-Range and habits:...
Pelecanus occidentalis
Boobies
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Sulidae
Sulidae
The bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulidas, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The ten species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus Sula...
Gannet
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to the boobies.The gannets are large black and white birds with yellow heads. They have long pointed wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up...
s and boobies
Booby
A booby is a seabird in the genus Sula, part of the Sulidae family. Boobies are closely related to the gannets , which were formerly included in Sula.-Description:...
. Both groups comprise medium-to-large coastal sea-birds that plunge-dive for fish. There are 9 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Belize.
- Masked BoobyMasked BoobyThe Masked Booby, Sula dactylatra, is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. This species breeds on islands in tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic; in the eastern Pacific it is replaced by the Nazca Booby, Sula granti, which was formerly regarded as a subspecies of Masked Booby...
Sula dactylatra (A) - Red-footed BoobyRed-footed BoobyThe Red-footed Booby, Sula sula, is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. As suggested by the name, adults always have red feet, but the colour of the plumage varies. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings...
Sula sula - Brown BoobyBrown BoobyThe Brown Booby is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. The adult brown booby reaches about in length. Its head and upper body are covered in dark brown, with the remainder being a contrasting white. The juvenile form is gray-brown with darkening on the head, wings and tail...
Sula leucogaster
Cormorants
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Phalacrocoracidae
The Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium-to-large coastal, fish-eating sea-birds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black and white, and a few being colourful. There are 38 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Belize.
- Double-crested CormorantDouble-crested CormorantThe Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico...
Phalacrocorax auritus - Neotropic CormorantNeotropic CormorantThe Neotropic Cormorant or Olivaceous Cormorant is a medium-sized cormorant found throughout the American tropics and subtropics, from the middle Rio Grande and the Gulf and Californian coasts of the USA south through Mexico and Central America to southern South America. It also breeds on the...
Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Darters
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Anhingidae
Darters are frequently referred to as "snake-birds" because of their long thin neck, which gives a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged.
The males have black and dark brown plumage, an erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have a much paler plumage especially on the neck and underparts. The darters have completely webbed feet, and their legs are short and set far back on the body. Their plumage is somewhat permeable, like that of cormorants, and they spread their wings to dry after diving. There are 4 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- AnhingaAnhingaThe Anhinga , sometimes called Snakebird, Darter, American Darter, or Water Turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word "anhinga" comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird.It is a cormorant-like bird with an average body length of , a...
Anhinga anhinga
Frigatebirds
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Fregatidae
Frigatebird
The frigatebirds are a family, Fregatidae, of seabirds. There are five species in the single genus Fregata. They are also sometimes called Man of War birds or Pirate birds. Since they are related to the pelicans, the term "frigate pelican" is also a name applied to them...
s are large sea-birds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black and white or completely black, with long wings and deeply-forked tails. The males have inflatable coloured throat pouches. They are usually red. They do not swim or walk, and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan to body weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week. There are 5 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- Magnificent FrigatebirdMagnificent FrigatebirdThe Magnificent Frigatebird was sometimes previously known as Man O'War, reflecting its rakish lines, speed, and aerial piracy of other birds....
Fregata magnificens
Bitterns, herons and egrets
Order: CiconiiformesCiconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
. Family: Ardeidae
Bittern
Bitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family...
s, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s and egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s. Herons and egrets are medium to large sized wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Unlike other long-necked birds suck as storks, ibises and spoonbills, members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted. There are 61 species worldwide and 18 species which occur in Belize.
- Great Blue HeronGreat Blue HeronThe Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
Ardea herodias - Great EgretGreat EgretThe Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
Ardea alba - Reddish EgretReddish EgretThe Reddish Egret is a small heron. It is a resident breeder in Central America, The Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Gulf Coast of the United States, and Mexico. There is post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range...
Egretta rufescens - Tricolored HeronTricolored HeronThe Tricolored Heron formerly known in North America as the Louisiana Heron, is a small heron. It is a resident breeder from the Gulf states of the USA and northern Mexico south through Central America and the Caribbean to central Brazil and Peru...
Egretta tricolor - Little Blue HeronLittle Blue HeronThe Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, is a small heron. It breeds from the Gulf states of the USA through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay. It is a resident breeder in most of its range, but some northern breeders migrate to the southeastern USA or beyond in winter...
Egretta caerulea - Snowy EgretSnowy EgretThe Snowy Egret is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas....
Egretta thula - Cattle EgretCattle EgretThe Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
Bubulcus ibis - Striated HeronStriated HeronThe Striated Heron, Butorides striata, also known as Mangrove Heron, Little Heron or Green-backed Heron, is a small heron. Striated Herons are mostly non-migratory and noted for some interesting behavioral traits. Their breeding habitat is small wetlands in the Old World tropics from west Africa to...
Butorides striata - Green HeronGreen HeronThe Green Heron is a small heron of North and Central America. It was long considered conspecific with its sister species the Striated Heron , and together they were called "Green-backed Heron"...
Butorides virescens - Agami HeronAgami HeronThe Agami Heron is a medium-sized heron. It is a resident breeding bird from Central America south to Peru and Brazil.It is sometimes known as the Chestnut-bellied Heron, and is the only member of the genus Agamia .The Agami Heron's habitat is forest swamps and similar wooded wetlands...
Agamia agami - Black-crowned Night HeronBlack-crowned Night HeronThe Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
Nycticorax nycticorax - Yellow-crowned Night HeronYellow-crowned Night HeronThe Yellow-crowned Night Heron , also called the American Night Heron or squawk, is a fairly small heron, similar in appearance to the Black-crowned Night Heron...
Nyctanassa violacea - Boat-billed HeronBoat-billed HeronThe Boat-billed Heron - colloquially known as the Boatbill - is an atypical member of the heron family, and was formerly thought to be in a monotypic family, Cochlearidae....
Cochlearius cochlearius - Bare-throated Tiger HeronBare-throated Tiger HeronThe Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Tigrisoma mexicanum, is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, found from Mexico to northwestern Colombia, with one recorded sighting from the United States in Hidalgo County, Texas...
Tigrisoma mexicanum - Rufescent Tiger Heron Tigrisoma lineatum
- Least BitternLeast BitternThe Least Bittern is a small wading bird, the smallest heron found in the Americas.This bird's underparts and throat are white with light brown streaks. Their face and the sides of the neck are light brown; they have yellow eyes and a yellow bill. The adult male is glossy greenish black on the...
Ixobrychus exilis - Pinnated Bittern Botaurus pinnatus
- American BitternAmerican BitternThe American Bittern is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. New evidence has led the American Ornithologists' Union to move the heron family into the order Pelecaniformes .-Description:...
Botaurus lentiginosus
Storks
Order: CiconiiformesCiconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
. Family: Ciconiidae
- Wood StorkWood StorkThe Wood Stork is a large American wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was formerly called the "Wood Ibis", though it is not really an ibis.-Appearance:...
Mycteria americana - JabiruJabiruThe Jabiru is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It is most common in the Pantanal region of Brazil and the Eastern Chaco region of Paraguay. It is the only member of the genus Jabiru...
Jabiru mycteria
Ibises and spoonbills
Order: CiconiiformesCiconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
. Family: Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae
The family Threskiornithidae includes 34 species of large terrestrial and wading birds, falling into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills. It was formerly known as Plataleidae. The spoonbills and ibises were once thought to be related to other groups of long-legged wading birds in the...
The Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
es and spoonbill
Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
s. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers. There are 36 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Belize.
- White IbisAmerican White IbisThe American White Ibis is a species of wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It occurs from the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coast of the United States south through most of the New World tropics...
Eudocimus albus - Scarlet IbisScarlet IbisThe Scarlet Ibis is a species of ibis that inhabits tropical South America and also Trinidad and Tobago. It is the national bird of Trinidad and is featured on the Trinidad and Tobago coat of arms along with Tobago's national bird, the Rufous-vented Chachalaca.-Taxonomy:This species is very...
Eudocimus ruber (A) - Glossy IbisGlossy IbisThe Glossy Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas...
Plegadis falcinellus - White-faced IbisWhite-faced IbisThe White-faced Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This species breeds colonially in marshes, usually nesting in bushes or low trees. Its breeding range extends from the western USA south through Mexico, as well as from southeastern Brazil and southeastern Bolivia south to...
Plegadis chihi (A) - Roseate SpoonbillRoseate SpoonbillThe Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae...
Platalea ajaja
Flamingos
Order: Phoenicopteriformes. Family: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet high, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. They are more numerous in the latter. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly-shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume, and are uniquely used upside-down. There are 6 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- Caribbean FlamingoCaribbean FlamingoThe American Flamingo is a large species of flamingo closely related to the Greater Flamingo and Chilean Flamingo. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Greater Flamingo, but that treatment is now widely viewed as incorrect due to a lack of evidence...
Phoenicopterus ruber (A)
Ducks and Geese
Order: AnseriformesAnseriformes
The order Anseriformes contains about 150 living species of birds in three extant families: the Anhimidae , Anseranatidae , and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans.All species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at...
. Family: Anatidae
Anatidae
Anatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
and swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s. These are birds that are modified for an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 131 species worldwide and 17 species which occur in Belize.
- Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor (A)
- Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
- Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons (A)
- Snow GooseSnow GooseThe Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...
Chen caerulescens (A) - Muscovy DuckMuscovy DuckThe Muscovy Duck is a large duck which is native to Mexico and Central and South America. A small wild population reaches into the United States in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas...
Cairina moschata - American WigeonAmerican WigeonThe American Wigeon, also American Widgeon or Baldpate, is a species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Anas. If this is split up, all wigeons will go into their old genus Mareca again...
Anas americana - Green-winged TealGreen-winged TealThe Green-winged Teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in the northern areas of North America except on the Aleutian Islands. It was considered conspecific with the Common Teal The Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis) is a common and widespread duck that breeds in the northern areas of...
Anas carolinensis - MallardMallardThe Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
Anas platyrhynchos (A) - Northern PintailNorthern PintailThe Pintail or Northern Pintail is a widely occurring duck which breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator...
Anas acuta - Blue-winged TealBlue-winged TealThe Blue-winged Teal is a small dabbling duck from North America.-Description:The Blue-winged Teal is long, with a wingspan of , and a weight of . The adult male has a greyish blue head with a white facial crescent, a light brown body with a white patch near the rear and a black tail. The adult...
Anas discors - Cinnamon TealCinnamon TealThe Cinnamon Teal is a small, reddish dabbling duck found in marshes and ponds of western North and South America.thumb|left|Female Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium...
Anas cyanoptera - Northern ShovelerNorthern ShovelerThe Northern Shoveler , Northern Shoveller in British English, sometimes known simply as the Shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, and is a rare vagrant to Australia...
Anas clypeata - Ring-necked DuckRing-necked DuckThe Ring-necked Duck is a smaller diving duck from North America.The adult male is similar in color pattern to the Eurasian Tufted Duck, its relative. It has a grey bill with a white band, a shiny purple head, a white breast, yellow eyes and a dark grey back...
Aythya collaris (A) - Lesser ScaupLesser ScaupThe Lesser Scaup is a small North American diving duck that migrates south as far as Central America in winter. It is colloquially known as the Little Bluebill or Broadbill because of its distinctive blue bill...
Aythya affinis - Hooded MerganserHooded MerganserThe Hooded Merganser is a small duck and is the only member of the genus Lophodytes.Hooded Mergansers have a crest at the back of the head which can be expanded or contracted. In adult males, this crest has a large white patch, the head is black and the sides of the duck are reddish-brown...
Lophodytes cucullatus (A) - Red-breasted MerganserRed-breasted MerganserThe Red-breasted Merganser is a diving duck.-Taxonomy:The Red-breasted Merganser was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work, Systema Naturae.-Description:...
Mergus serrator (A) - Masked DuckMasked DuckThe Masked Duck is a tiny stiff-tailed duck ranging through the tropical Americas. They are found from Mexico to South America and also in the Caribbean...
Nomonyx dominica
New World vultures
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
. Family: Cathartidae
The New World vultures are not closely related to Old World vultures, but superficially resemble them because of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
. Like the Old World vultures, they are scavengers. However, unlike Old World vultures, which find carcasses by sight, New World vultures have a good sense of smell with which they locate carrion
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
. There are 7 species worldwide, all of which are found only in the Americas, and 4 species which occur in Belize.
- Black VultureAmerican Black VultureThe Black Vulture also known as the American Black Vulture, is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the southeastern United States to Central Chile and Uruguay in South America...
Coragyps atratus - Turkey VultureTurkey VultureThe Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
Cathartes aura - Lesser Yellow-headed VultureLesser Yellow-headed VultureThe Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Cathartes burrovianus, also known as the Savannah Vulture, is a species of bird in the New World Vulture family Cathartidae. It was considered to be the same species as the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture until they were split in 1964...
Cathartes burrovianus - King VultureKing VultureThe King Vulture is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, though some believe that William Bartram's Painted...
Sarcoramphus papa
Osprey
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
. Family: Pandionidae
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.
- OspreyOspreyThe Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
Pandion haliaetus
Hawks, kites and eagles
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
. Family: Accipitridae
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s, eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s, kites
Kite (bird)
Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey.They are birds of prey which, along with hawks and eagles, are from the family Accipitridae....
, harriers
Harrier (bird)
A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds....
and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. There are 233 species worldwide and 33 species which occur in Belize.
- Gray-headed KiteGray-headed KiteThe Gray-headed Kite, Leptodon cayanensis, is a raptor found in open woodland and swamp forests. It shares the genus Leptodon with the extremely rare White-collared Kite. It breeds from eastern Mexico and Trinidad south to Peru, Bolivia,Brazil and northern Argentina.The nest is made of sticks lined...
Leptodon cayanensis - Hook-billed KiteHook-billed KiteThe Hook-billed Kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles, and harriers...
Chondrohierax uncinatus - Swallow-tailed KiteSwallow-tailed KiteThe Swallow-tailed Kite is an elanid kite which breeds from the southeastern United States to eastern Peru and northern Argentina. Most North and Central American breeders winter in South America where the species is resident year round...
Elanoides forficatus - White-tailed KiteWhite-tailed KiteThe White-tailed Kite is an elanid kite of genus Elanus found in western North America and parts of South America.Their coloration is gull-like, but their shape and flight falcon-like, with a rounded tail...
Elanus leucurus - Snail KiteSnail KiteThe Snail Kite is a bird of prey within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Its relative, the Slender-billed Kite, is now again placed in Helicolestes, making the genus Rostrhamus monotypic...
Rostrhamus sociabilis - Double-toothed KiteDouble-toothed KiteThe Double-toothed Kite is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.This fairly...
Harpagus bidentatus - Mississippi KiteMississippi KiteThe Mississippi Kite is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is 12 to 15 inches beak to tail and has a wingspan averaging 3 feet . Weight is from 214 to 388 grams . Adults are gray with darker gray on their tail feathers and outer wings and lighter gray on their heads...
Ictinia mississippiensis - Plumbeous KitePlumbeous KiteThe Plumbeous Kite is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks and Old World vultures....
Ictinia plumbea - Bald EagleBald EagleThe Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
Haliaeetus leucocephalus - Northern HarrierHen HarrierThe Hen Harrier or Northern Harrier is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a historical name for the American form.It migrates...
Circus cyaneus - Sharp-shinned HawkSharp-shinned HawkThe Sharp-shinned Hawk is a small hawk. In fact, "sharp-shins" or "sharpies" are the smallest to reside in USA and Canada, though some Neotropical species are smaller...
Accipiter striatus - Cooper's HawkCooper's HawkCooper's Hawk is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from Canada to Mexico. As in many birds of prey, the male is smaller than the female...
Accipiter cooperii - Bicolored Hawk Accipiter bicolor
- Crane HawkCrane HawkThe Crane Hawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is monotypic within the genus Geranospiza....
Geranospiza caerulescens - White HawkWhite HawkThe White Hawk , a bird of prey breeding in the tropical New World, belongs to the family Accipitridae of the Falconiformes; it is sometimes separated in the Accipitriformes with the other hawks and their relatives...
Leucopternis albicollis - Common Black HawkCommon Black HawkThe Common Black Hawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks and Old World vultures. It formerly included the Cuban Black Hawk as a subspecies...
Buteogallus anthracinus - Great Black HawkGreat Black HawkThe Great Black Hawk, Buteogallus urubitinga, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks and Old World vultures....
Buteogallus urubitinga - Harris's HawkHarris's HawkThe Harris's Hawk or Harris Hawk formerly known as the Bay-winged Hawk or Dusky Hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey which breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile and central Argentina...
Parabuteo unicinctus - Black-collared HawkBlack-collared HawkThe Black-collared Hawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is monotypic within the genus Busarellus....
Busarellus nigricollis - Solitary EagleSolitary EagleThe Montane Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, is a large Neotropical eagle.- Range and habitat :The Montane Solitary Eagle is native to Mexico and Central and South America. It is found in mountainous or hilly forests, at elevations between 600 m & 2,200 m...
Harpyhaliaetus solitarius Near-threatened - Gray HawkGray HawkThe Grey Hawk or Grey-lined Hawk is a smallish raptor found in open country and forest edges. It is sometimes placed in the genus Asturina as Asturina nitida....
Asturina nitida - Roadside HawkRoadside HawkThe Roadside Hawk is a relatively small bird of prey found in Latin America. This vocal species is often the most common raptor in its range. It has many subspecies and is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Rupornis instead of Buteo.-Description:The Roadside Hawk is long and weighs...
Buteo magnirostris - Broad-winged HawkBroad-winged HawkThe Broad-winged Hawk is a small hawk of the genus Buteo. During the summer some subspecies are distributed over eastern North America, as far west as British Columbia and Texas; they then migrate south to winter in the neotropics from Mexico down to southern Brazil. Other subspecies are all-year...
Buteo platypterus - Short-tailed HawkShort-tailed HawkThe Short-tailed Hawk is an American bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles and Old World vultures. As a member of the genus Buteo, it is not a true hawk and thus also referred to as a "buteo" or "buzzard". The White-throated Hawk The Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo...
Buteo brachyurus - Swainson's HawkSwainson's HawkThe Swainson's Hawk , is a large buteo hawk of the Falconiformes, sometimes separated in the Accipitriformes like its relatives. This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist...
Buteo swainsoni - White-tailed HawkWhite-tailed HawkThe White-tailed Hawk is a large bird of prey species found in tropical or subtropical environments across the Americas.-Description:...
Buteo albicaudatus - Zone-tailed HawkZone-tailed HawkThe Zone-tailed Hawk is a medium-sized hawk of warm, dry parts of the Americas. It feeds on small vertebrates of all kinds , including birds up to the size of quail....
Buteo albonotatus - Red-tailed HawkRed-tailed HawkThe Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...
Buteo jamaicensis - Crested EagleCrested EagleThe Crested Eagle is a large Neotropical eagle. It is the only member of the genus Morphnus. It is 71–89 cm long and has a wingspan of 138–176 cm...
Morphnus guianensis Near-threatened - Harpy EagleAmerican Harpy EagleThe Harpy Eagle , sometimes known as the American Harpy Eagle, is a Neotropical species of eagle. It is the largest and most powerful raptor found in the Americas, and among the largest extant species of eagles in the world. It usually inhabits tropical lowland rainforests in the upper canopy layer...
Harpia harpyja Near-threatened - Black-and-white Hawk-EagleBlack-and-white Hawk-eagleThe Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle is a bird of prey species in the eagle and hawk family...
Spizastur melanoleucus - Black Hawk-EagleBlack Hawk-EagleThe Black Hawk-Eagle , also known as theTyrant Hawk-Eagle, is a species of eagle found from central Mexico to eastern Peru, the south of Brazil, and far northern Argentina. Its preferred habitats include humid and moist forests close to rivers, and several types of woodland. It is uncommon to...
Spizaetus tyrannus - Ornate Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus ornatus
Caracaras and falcons
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
. Family: Falconidae
Falconidae
The falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family is divided into two subfamiles, Polyborinae, which includes the caracaras and forest falcons, and Falconinae, the falcons, kestrels and falconets.-Description:Falcons and...
- Red-throated CaracaraRed-throated CaracaraThe Red-throated Caracara is a social species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family. It is placed in the monotypic genus Ibycter, or sometimes united in Daptrius with the Black Caracara...
Ibycter americanus - Northern Caracara Caracara cheriway
- Laughing FalconLaughing FalconThe Laughing Falcon , also called the Snake Hawk , is a medium-sized bird of prey in the falcon family , the only member of the genus Herpetotheres. This Neotropical species is a specialist snake-eater...
Herpetotheres cachinnans - Barred Forest-FalconBarred Forest-falconThe Barred Forest Falcon is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family which includes the falcons, caracaras, and their relatives...
Micrastur ruficollis - Collared Forest-FalconCollared Forest-falconThe Collared Forest Falcon is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.Its natural...
Micrastur semitorquatus - American KestrelAmerican KestrelThe American Kestrel , sometimes colloquially known as the Sparrow Hawk, is a small falcon, and the only kestrel found in the Americas. It is the most common falcon in North America, and is found in a wide variety of habitats. At long, it is also the smallest falcon in North America...
Falco sparverius - Aplomado FalconAplomado FalconThe Aplomado Falcon, Falco femoralis, is a medium-sized falcon of the Americas. The species' largest contiguous range is in South America, but not in the deep interior Amazon Basin. It was long known as Falco fusco-coerulescens or Falco fuscocaerulescens, but these names are now believed to refer...
Falco femoralis - MerlinMerlin (bird)The Merlin is a small species of falcon from the Northern Hemisphere. A bird of prey once known colloquially as a pigeon hawk in North America, the Merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter.-European and North American...
Falco columbarius - Bat FalconBat FalconThe Bat Falcon is a falcon that is a resident breeder in tropical Mexico, Central and South America and Trinidad. It was long known as Falco albigularis; the name Falco fusco-coerulescens or Falco fuscocaerulescens, long used for the Aplomado Falcon, are now believed to refer to the present...
Falco rufigularis - Orange-breasted FalconOrange-breasted FalconThe Orange-breasted Falcon is a bird of the falcon family. It is probably closely related to and looks like a larger version of the Bat Falcon. These two, in turn, are probably closest to the Aplomado Falcon and constitute a rather old American lineage of Falcos.It is found from southern Mexico to...
Falco deiroleucus - GyrfalconGyrfalconThe Gyrfalcon — Falco rusticolus — is the largest of the falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and the islands of North America, Europe, and Asia. It is mainly resident there also, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter.Individual vagrancy...
Falco rusticolus (A) - Peregrine FalconPeregrine FalconThe Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
Falco peregrinus
Chachalacas, Guans and Curassows
Order: GalliformesGalliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
. Family: Cracidae
Cracidae
The chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae.These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. One species, the Plain Chachalaca, just reaches southernmost Texas in the USA...
The Cracidae are large birds, similar in general appearance to turkeys. The guans and curassows live in trees, but the smaller chachalacas are found in more open scrubby habitats. They are generally dull-plumaged, but the curassows and some guans have colourful facial ornaments. There are 50 species worldwide and 3 which occur in Belize.
- Plain ChachalacaPlain ChachalacaThe Plain Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula, is a large bird in the Cracidae family. It breeds in tropical and subtropical environments from mezquital thickets in the Rio Grande Valley in southernmost Texas, United States to northernmost Costa Rica....
Ortalis vetula - Crested GuanCrested GuanThe Crested Guan, Penelope purpurascens, is a member of an ancient group of birds of the Cracidae family, which are related to the Australasian mound builders. It breeds in lowlands from south Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula to western Ecuador and southern Venezuela at up to 1850 m altitude.The...
Penelope purpurascens - Great CurassowGreat CurassowThe Great Curassow is a large, pheasant-like bird from the Neotropics. At in length and in weight, this is a very large cracid. No other cracid match its maximum weight, but its length is matched by a few other cracids....
Crax rubra Near-threatened
Turkeys
Order: GalliformesGalliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
. Family: Meleagrididae
- Ocellated TurkeyOcellated TurkeyThe Ocellated Turkey is a species of turkey residing primarily in the Yucatán Peninsula. A relative of the more common Wild Turkey , it was sometimes previously treated in a genus of its own but the differences between this species and Meleagris gallopavo are too small to justify generic...
Meleagris ocellata Near-threatened
New World quails
Order: GalliformesGalliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
. Family: Odontophoridae
The New World quail
New World quail
The New World quails or Odontophorids are small birds only distantly related to the Old World Quails, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family Odontophoridae, whereas Old World Quail are in the pheasant family Phasianidae...
s are small, plump terrestrial birds only distantly related to the quails of the Old World, but named for their similar appearance and habits. There are 32 species worldwide, all found only in the Americas, and 3 species which occur in Belize.
- Black-throated BobwhiteBlack-throated BobwhiteThe Yucatan Bobwhite or Black-throated Bobwhite is a species of bird in the Odontophoridae family.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Colinus nigrogularis - Spotted Wood-QuailSpotted Wood-QuailThe Spotted Wood Quail, Odontophorus guttatus, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It is a resident breeder in the mountains of Central America from southern Mexico to western Panama....
Odontophorus guttatus - Singing QuailSinging QuailThe Singing Quail is a species of bird in the Odontophoridae family.It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico....
Dactylortyx thoracicus (A)
Limpkins
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
. Family: Aramidae
The Limpkin resembles a large rail. It has drab brown plumage and a greyer head and neck.
- LimpkinLimpkinThe Limpkin , Aramus guarauna, is a bird that looks like a large rail but is skeletally closer to cranes. It is the only extant species in the genus Aramus and the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the Americas, from Florida to northern Argentina...
Aramus guarauna
Rails, crakes, gallinules, and coots
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
. Family: Rallidae
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
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Coot
Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica. Coots have predominantly black plumage, and, unlike many of the rails, they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water...
s, and gallinule
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
s. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs, and have long toes which are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers. There are 143 species worldwide and 13 species which occur in Belize.
- Ruddy CrakeRuddy CrakeThe Ruddy Crake is a bird in the rail family, Rallidae. It is a small crake, 14-16.5 cm in length. It is mostly bright chestnut in colour with a paler chin and belly, blackish crown and dark grey ear-coverts. The bill is black, the iris is red and the legs and feet are olive-green.The bird...
Laterallus ruber - Gray-breasted Crake Laterallus exilis
- Black RailBlack RailThe Black Rail is a mouse-sized member of the Rallidae family of birds. It is found in scattered parts of North America and the Pacific region of South America, usually in coastal salt marshes but also in some freshwater marshes. It is extinct or threatened in many locations due to habitat loss...
Laterallus jamaicensis (A) - Clapper RailClapper RailThe Clapper Rail is a member of the rail family, Rallidae. Some researchers believe that this bird and the similar King Rail are a single species; the two birds are known to interbreed.-Distribution and habitat:...
Rallus longirostris - Rufous-necked Wood-RailRufous-necked Wood-railThe Rufous-necked Wood Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical...
Aramides axillaris - Gray-necked Wood-Rail Aramides cajanea
- Uniform CrakeUniform CrakeThe Uniform Crake is a species of bird in the Rallidae family, the only member of the genus Amaurolimnas. It is found widely, but locally, in swampy forests and wetlands of southern Mexico, and Central and South America...
Amaurolimnas concolor - SoraSora (crake)The Sora is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae, sometimes also referred to as the Sora Rail or Sora Crake.Adults Soras are long, with dark-marked brown upperparts, a blue-grey face and underparts, and black and white barring on the flanks. They have a short thick yellow bill, with black...
Porzana carolina - Yellow-breasted CrakeYellow-breasted CrakeThe Yellow-breasted Crake is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto...
Porzana flaviventer - Spotted RailSpotted RailThe Spotted Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad...
Pardirallus maculatus - Purple GallinuleAmerican Purple GallinuleThe American Purple Gallinule is a "swamp hen" in the rail family Rallidae.A medium-sized rail with big yellow feet, purple-blue plumage with a green back, and red and yellow bill. It has a pale blue forehead shield and white undertail.Juveniles are brown overall with a brownish olive back...
Porphyrio martinica - Common Gsllinule Gallinula galeata
- American CootAmerican CootThe American Coot is a bird of the family Rallidae, inhabiting wetlands and open water bodies. Measuring in length and across the wings, adults have a short thick white bill and white frontal shield, which usually has a reddish-brown spot near the top of the bill between the eyes...
Fulica americana
Sungrebe
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
. Family: Heliornithidae
Heliornithidae
The Heliornithidae are a small family of tropical birds with webbed lobes on their feet like those of grebes and coots. The family overall are known as finfoots, although one species is known as a Sungrebe. The family is composed of three species in three genera.-Description:Finfoots resemble...
The Heliornithidae are small family of tropical birds with webbed lobes on their feet similar to those of grebes and coots. There are 3 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- SungrebeSungrebeThe Sungrebe or American Finfoot is a bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America from southern Mexico to northeast Argentina and southern Brazil....
Heliornis fulica
Sunbittern
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
. Family: Eurypygidae
Bittern
Bitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family...
-like bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
of tropical regions of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, and the sole member of the family Eurypygidae (sometimes spelled Eurypigidae) and genus Eurypyga.
- SunbitternSunbitternThe Sunbittern, Eurypyga helias is a bittern-like bird of tropical regions of the Americas, and the sole member of the family Eurypygidae and genus Eurypyga.-Description and reproduction:...
Eurypyga helias
Jacanas
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Jacanidae
The jacana
Jacana
The jaçanas are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone. See Etymology below for pronunciation....
s are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found worldwide in the Tropics. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. There 8 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- Northern JacanaNorthern JacanaThe Northern Jacana or Northern Jaçana is a wader which is a resident breeder from coastal Mexico to western Panama, and on Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. It sometimes breeds in Texas, USA, and has also been recorded on several occasions as a vagrant in Arizona...
Jacana spinosa
Oystercatchers
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Haematopodidae
The oystercatcher
Oystercatcher
The oystercatchers are a group of waders; they form the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia...
s are large and noisy plover
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. There are 11 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- American OystercatcherAmerican OystercatcherThe American Oystercatcher , occasionally called the American Pied Oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. The bird is marked by its black and white body and a long, thick orange beak...
Haematopus palliatus
Avocets and stilts
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadrii. It contains two distinct groups of birds, the avocets and the stilts .-Description and diet:...
Avocet
The four species of Avocets are a genus, Recurvirostra, of waders in the same avian family as the stilts.Avocets have long legs and long, thin, upcurved bills which they sweep from side to side when feeding in the brackish or saline wetlands they prefer...
s and the stilt
Stilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
s. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. There are 9 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Belize.
- Black-necked StiltBlack-necked StiltThe Black-necked Stilt is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexico as far east as Florida, then south through Central America and the Caribbean...
Himantopus mexicanus - American AvocetAmerican AvocetThe American Avocet is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae.This avocet has long, thin, gray legs, giving it its colloquial name, "blue shanks". The plumage is black and white on the back with white on the underbelly. The neck and head are cinnamon colored in the summer...
Recurvirostra americana (A)
Thick-knees
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Burhinidae
The thick-knees are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats. There are 9 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- Double-striped Thick-kneeDouble-striped Thick-kneeThe Double-striped Thick-knee, Burhinus bistriatus, is a Stone-curlew, a group of waders in the family Burhinidae.It is a resident breeder in Central and South America from southern Mexico south to Colombia, Venezuela and northern Brazil...
Burhinus bistriatus
Plovers
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Charadriidae
Charadriidae
The bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.- Morphology :They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings, but most species of lapwing may have more rounded wings...
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
s, dotterels, and lapwing
Lapwing
Vanellinae are any of various crested plovers, family Charadriidae, noted for its slow, irregular wingbeat in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. Its length is 10-16 inches. They are a subfamily of medium-sized wading birds which also includes the plovers and dotterels. The Vanellinae are...
s. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water, although there are some exceptions. There are 66 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in Belize.
- American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
- Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
- Semipalmated PloverSemipalmated PloverThe Semipalmated Plover is a small plover.This species weighs and measures in length and across the wings. Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband...
Charadrius semipalmatus - Wilson's PloverWilson's PloverThe Wilson's Plover is a small plover.Wilson's Plover is a coastal wader which breeds on both coasts of the Americas from the equator northwards. Its range extends north to include much of the U.S. eastern seaboard, and the Pacific coast of Mexico on the west.It is a partial migrant. Birds leave...
Charadrius wilsonia - KilldeerKilldeerThe Killdeer is a medium-sized plover.Adults have a brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with two black bands. The rump is tawny orange. The face and cap are brown with a white forehead. They have an orange-red eyering...
Charadrius vociferus - Piping PloverPiping PloverThe Piping Plover is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck...
Charadrius melodus Near-threatened - Snowy PloverSnowy PloverThe Snowy Plover is a small wader in the plover bird family. It breeds in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, the southern and western USA and the Caribbean...
Charadrius nivosus - Collared PloverCollared PloverThe Collared Plover, Charadrius collaris, is a small shorebird in the plover family, Charadriidae. It lives along coasts and riverbanks of the tropical to temperate Americas, from central Mexico south to Chile and Argentina....
Charadrius collaris (A)
Sandpipers, Curlews, Stints, Godwits, Snipes, and Phalaropes
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Scolopacidae
Scolopacidae
The sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
Curlew
The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
s, godwit
Godwit
The godwits are a group of large, long-billed, long-legged and strongly migratory wading birds of the genus Limosa. They form large flocks on coasts and estuaries in winter....
s, shanks
Tringa
Tringa is a genus of waders, containing the shanks and tattlers. They are mainly freshwater birds, often with brightly coloured legs as reflected in the English names of six species, as well as the specific names of two of these and the Green Sandpiper. They are typically associated with northern...
, tattler
Tattler (bird)
The tattlers are the two very similar bird species in the shorebird genus Tringa. They formerly had their own genus, Heteroscelus. The old genus name means "different leg" in Greek, referring to the leg scales that differentiate the tattlers from their close relatives, the shanks.The species are:*...
s, woodcock
Woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into Wallacea...
s, snipe
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
s, dowitcher
Dowitcher
The three dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds. They resemble godwits in body and bill shape, and the reddish underparts in summer, but are much shorter legged, more like snipe to which they are also somewhat closer related...
s and phalarope
Phalarope
A phalarope or wadepiper is any of three living species of slender-necked shorebirds in the genus Phalaropus of the bird family Scolopacidae. They are close relatives of the shanks and tattlers, the Actitis and Terek Sandpipers, and also of the turnstones and calidrids...
s. The majority of species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. There are 86 species worldwide and 27 species which occur in Belize.
- Wilson's SnipeWilson's SnipeWilson's Snipe is a small, stocky shorebird. This species was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Common Snipe, G. gallinago. Wilson's Snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of seven.Adults are...
Gallinago delicata - Short-billed DowitcherShort-billed DowitcherThe Short-billed Dowitcher like its congener the Long-billed Dowitcher, is a medium-sized, stocky, long-billed shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It is an inhabitant of North America, Middle America, and northern South America. It is strongly migratory; it completely vacates in breeding areas...
Limnodromus griseus - Long-billed DowitcherLong-billed DowitcherThe Long-billed Dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus, is a medium-sized shorebird.Adults have yellowish legs and a long straight dark bill. The body is dark brown on top and reddish underneath with spotted throat and breast, bars on flanks. The tail has a black and white barred pattern...
Limnodromus scolopaceus - Hudsonian GodwitHudsonian GodwitThe Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa haemastica, is a large shorebird.-Identification:Adults have long dark legs and a long pink bill with a slight upward curve and dark at the tip. The upper parts are mottled brown and the underparts are chestnut. The tail is black and the rump is white...
Limosa haemastica - Marbled GodwitMarbled GodwitThe Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, is a large shorebird. On average, it is the largest of the 4 species of godwit. The total length is , including a large bill of , and wingspan is . Body mass can vary from ....
Limosa fedoa (A) - WhimbrelWhimbrelThe Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the mostwidespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland....
Numenius phaeopus - Long-billed CurlewLong-billed CurlewThe Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus, is a large North American shorebird of the family Scolopacidae. This species was also called "sicklebird" and the "candlestick bird". The species is native to central and western North America...
Numenius americanus Near-threatened - Upland SandpiperUpland SandpiperThe Upland Sandpiper is a large shorebird, closely related to the curlews . Older names are the Upland Plover and Bartram's Sandpiper. It is the only member of the genus Bartramia. The genus name and the old common name Bartram's Sandpiper commemorate the American naturalist William Bartram...
Bartramia longicauda - Greater YellowlegsGreater YellowlegsThe Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca, is a large North American shorebird, similar in appearance to the smaller Lesser Yellowlegs. Its closest relative, however, is the Greenshank, which together with the Spotted Redshank form a close-knit group...
Tringa melanoleuca - Lesser YellowlegsLesser YellowlegsThe Lesser Yellowlegs is a medium-sized shorebird similar in appearance to the larger Greater Yellowlegs. It is not closely related to this bird, however, but instead to the much larger and quite dissimilar Willet; merely the fine, clear and dense pattern of the neck shown in breeding plumage...
Tringa flavipes - Solitary SandpiperSolitary SandpiperThe Solitary Sandpiper is a small wader .-Description:This species measures long, with a wingspan up to and a body mass of . It is a dumpy wader with a dark green back, greyish head and breast and otherwise white underparts. It is obvious in flight, with wings dark above and below, and a dark...
Tringa solitaria - Spotted SandpiperSpotted SandpiperThe Spotted Sandpiper is a small shorebird, 18–20 cm long. Together with its sister species, the Common Sandpiper they make up the genus Actitis...
Actitis macularia - WilletWilletThe Willet, Tringa semipalmata , is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family. It is a good-sized and stout scolopacid, the largest of the shanks...
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus - Ruddy TurnstoneRuddy TurnstoneThe Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae...
Arenaria interpres - Red KnotRed KnotThe Red Knot, Calidris canutus , is a medium sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the Great Knot...
Calidris canutus - SanderlingSanderlingThe Sanderling is a small wader. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, South Europe, Africa, and Australia...
Calidris alba - Semipalmated SandpiperSemipalmated SandpiperThe Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla, is a very small shorebird. It is sometimes separated with other "stints" in Erolia but although these apparently form a monophyletic group, the present species' old genus Ereunetes had been proposed before Erolia.Adults have black legs and a short stout...
Calidris pusilla - Western SandpiperWestern SandpiperThe Western Sandpiper, Calidris or Erolia mauri, is a small shorebird.Adults have dark legs and a short thin dark bill, thinner at the tip. The body is brown on top and white underneath. They are reddish-brown on the crown. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny...
Calidris mauri - Least SandpiperLeast SandpiperThe Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird.This species has greenish legs and a short thin dark bill. Breeding adults are brown with dark brown streaks on top and white underneath. They have a light line above the eye and a dark crown. In winter, Least Sandpipers are grey above...
Calidris minutilla - White-rumped SandpiperWhite-rumped SandpiperThe White-rumped Sandpiper is a small shorebird.Adults have black legs and a small thin dark bill. The body is dark brown on top and mainly white underneath, with brown streaks on the breast and a white rump. They have a white stripe over their eyes. This bird shows long wings in flight. In winter...
Calidris fuscicollis - Baird's SandpiperBaird's SandpiperThe Baird's Sandpiper is a small shorebird. It is among those calidrids sometimes separated in Erolia.Adults have black legs and a short thin dark bill. They are dark brown on top and mainly white underneath with a black patch on the rump. The head and breast are light brown with dark streaks. In...
Calidris bairdii - Pectoral SandpiperPectoral SandpiperThe Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos, is a small wader. It is sometimes separated with the "stint" sandpipers in Erolia. This may or may not represent a good monophyletic group, depending on the placement of the phylogenetically enigmatic Curlew Sandpiper , the type species of Erolia...
Calidris melanotos - DunlinDunlinThe Dunlin, Calidris alpina, is a small wader, sometimes separated with the other "stints" in Erolia. It is a circumpolar breeder in Arctic or subarctic regions. Birds that breed in northern Europe and Asia are long-distance migrants, wintering south to Africa, southeast Asia and the Middle East...
Calidris alpina - Stilt SandpiperStilt SandpiperThe Stilt Sandpiper, Calidris himantopus or Micropalama himantopus, is a small shorebird; it bears some resemblance to the smaller calidrid sandpipers or "stints". DNA sequence information is incapable of determining whether it should be placed in Calidris or in the monotypic genus Micropalama...
Calidris himantopus - Buff-breasted SandpiperBuff-breasted SandpiperThe Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tryngites subruficollis, is a small shorebird. It is a calidrid sandpipers and currently considered to be the only member of the genus Tryngites. Indeed, it probably belongs in the genus Calidris itself, or more precisely with the small species thereof which should be...
Tryngites subruficollis Near-threatened - Wilson's PhalaropeWilson's PhalaropeThe Wilson's Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor, is a small wader. This bird, the largest of the phalaropes, breeds in the prairies of North America in western Canada and the western United States. It is migratory, wintering around the central Andes in South America. They are passage migrants through...
Phalaropus tricolor - Red-necked PhalaropeRed-necked PhalaropeThe Red-necked Phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus, is a small wader. This phalarope breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. It is migratory, and, unusually for a wader, winters at sea on tropical oceans....
Phalaropus lobatus (A)
Skuas and jaegers
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Stercorariidae
The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants. There are 7 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in Belize.
- Great SkuaGreat SkuaThe Great Skua, Stercorarius skua, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. In Britain, it is sometimes known by the name Bonxie, a Shetland name of unknown origin.-Description:...
Stercorarius skua (A) - Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
- Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus (A)
- Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
Gulls
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Laridae
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s and kittiwake
Kittiwake
The kittiwakes are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the Black-legged Kittiwake and the Red-legged Kittiwake . The epithets "Black-legged" and "Red-legged" are used to distinguish the two species in North America, but in Europe, where R...
s. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. There are 55 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in Belize.
- Black-tailed GullBlack-tailed GullThe Black-tailed Gull is a medium-sized gull, with a wingspan of 126-128 cm. The bird is resident in East Asia, including China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. It is a vagrant to Alaska and northeastern North America....
Larus crassirostris (A) - Ring-billed GullRing-billed GullThe Ring-billed Gull is a medium-sized gull.Adults are length and with a wingspan. The head, neck and underparts are white; the relatively short bill is yellow with a dark ring; the back and wings are silver gray; and the legs are yellow. The eyes are yellow with red rims...
Larus delawarensis - Great Black-backed GullGreat Black-backed GullThe Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull in the world, which breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic...
Larus marinus (A) - American Herring GullAmerican Herring GullThe American Herring Gull or Smithsonian Gull is a large gull which breeds in North America. It is often treated as a subspecies of the European Herring Gull but is now regarded as a separate species by some authorities.Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots,...
Larus smithsonianus - Bonaparte's GullBonaparte's GullThe Bonaparte's Gull is a small gull.The Bonaparte's Gull is a small species, larger only than the Little Gull and the Saunders's Gull among all gull species. Adults are long with a wingspan and a body mass of . They have a black hood and a short thin dark bill. The body is mainly white with...
Larus philadelphia (A) - Laughing GullLaughing GullThe Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. It breeds on the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Northernmost populations migrate further south in winter, and this species occurs as a rare vagrant to western...
Larus atricilla - Franklin's GullFranklin's GullThe Franklin's Gull is a small gull.-Description:It breeds in central provinces of Canada and adjacent states of the northern United States...
Larus pipixcan (A) - Black-legged KittiwakeBlack-legged KittiwakeThe Black-legged Kittiwake is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae.This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Larus tridactylus....
Rissa tridactyla (A)
Terns
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Sternidae
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s are a group of generally general medium to large sea-birds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species now known to live in excess of 25 to 30 years. There are 44 species worldwide and 13 species which occur in Belize.
- Gull-billed TernGull-billed TernThe Gull-billed Tern formerly Sterna nilotica , is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae...
Sterna nilotica - Caspian TernCaspian TernThe Caspian Tern is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no subspecies accepted either...
Sterna caspia - Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis
- Royal TernRoyal TernThe Royal Tern is a seabird in the tern family Sternidae. This bird has two distinctive subspecies. T. m. maximus breeds on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the southern USA and Mexico into the Caribbean. The slightly smaller T. m. albididorsalis breeds in coastal west Africa...
Sterna maxima - Roseate TernRoseate TernThe Roseate Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in bill colour and minor plumage details....
Sterna dougallii - Common TernCommon TernThe Common Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, breeding in temperate and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. It is sometimes...
Sterna hirundo - Forster's TernForster's TernThe Forster's Tern, Sterna forsteri, is a member of the tern family Sternidae. It breeds inland in North America and winters south to the Caribbean and northern South America....
Sterna forsteri - Least Tern Sterna antillarum
- Bridled TernBridled TernThe Bridled Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans.-Description:...
Sterna anaethetus - Sooty TernSooty TernThe Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscatus , is a seabird of the tern family . It is a bird of the tropical oceans, breeding on islands throughout the equatorial zone. Colloquially, it is known as the Wideawake Tern or just wideawake...
Sterna fuscata - Black TernBlack TernThe Black Tern, Chlidonias niger, is a small tern generally found in or near inland water in Europe and North America. As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage.- Description :...
Chlidonias niger - Black NoddyBlack NoddyThe Black Noddy or White-capped Noddy is a seabird from the tern family. It resembles the closely related Brown or Common Noddy , but is smaller with darker plumage, a whiter cap, a longer, straighter beak and shorter tail...
Anous minutus (A) - Brown NoddyBrown NoddyThe Brown Noddy or Common Noddy is a seabird from the tern family. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related Black Noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black...
Anous stolidus
Skimmers
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Rynchopidae
Skimmer
Skimmer
The Skimmers, Rynchopidae, are a small family of tern-like birds in the order Charadriiformes, which also includes the waders, gulls and auks. The family comprises three species found in South Asia, Africa, and the Americas....
s are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish. There are 3 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- Black SkimmerBlack SkimmerThe Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger, is a tern-like seabird, one of three very similar birds species in the skimmer family. It breeds in North and South America...
Rynchops niger
Pigeons and doves
Order: ColumbiformesColumbiformes
Columbiformes are an avian order that includes the very widespread and successful doves and pigeons, classified in the family Columbidae, and the extinct Dodo and the Rodrigues Solitaire, long classified as a second family Raphidae. 313 species, found worldwide, comprise the Columbiformes order....
. Family: Columbidae
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere
Cère
The Cère is a long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Dordogne River. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, near the mountain Plomb du Cantal...
. There are 308 species worldwide and 20 species which occur in Belize.
- Rock Pigeon Columba livia (I)
- White-crowned PigeonWhite-crowned PigeonThe White-crowned Pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae . It inhabits the northern and central Caribbean islands and some places on the North and Central American mainland...
Patagioenas leucocephala Near-threatened - Scaled PigeonScaled PigeonThe Scaled Pigeon, Patagioenas speciosa , is a large New World tropical dove. It is a resident breeder from southern Mexico south to western Ecuador, southern Brazil, northern Argentina, and Trinidad....
Patagioenas speciosa - Pale-vented PigeonPale-vented PigeonThe Pale-vented Pigeon, Patagioenas cayennensis, is a large pigeon found in the tropical American. Formerly often placed in Columba, it actually belongs to a clade of the older New World genus Patagioenas. With its relatives it represents an evolutionary radiation extending through most of the...
Patagioenas cayennensis - Red-billed PigeonRed-billed PigeonThe Red-billed Pigeon, Patagioenas flavirostris , is a relatively large pigeon which breeds from southern Texas, United States, and northwestern Mexico south to Costa Rica...
Patagioenas flavirostris - Short-billed PigeonShort-billed PigeonThe Short-billed Pigeon, Patagioenas nigrirostris , is a largish pigeon which breeds from southern Mexico south to northwestern Colombia...
Patagioenas nigrirostris - Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto (I)
- Mourning DoveMourning DoveThe Mourning Dove is a member of the dove family . The bird is also called the Turtle Dove or the American Mourning Dove or Rain Dove, and formerly was known as the Carolina Pigeon or Carolina Turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds...
Zenaida macroura - Zenaida DoveZenaida DoveThe Zenaida Dove is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes doves and pigeons. It is the national bird of Anguilla, where it is commonly referred to as a Turtle Dove. It lays two white eggs on a flimsy platform built on a tree or shrub. It also nests in rock crevices and on grassy...
Zenaida aurita - White-winged DoveWhite-winged DoveThe White-winged Dove is a dove whose native range extends from the south-western USA through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. In recent years with increasing urbanization and backyard feeding, it has expanded throughout Texas and into Louisiana...
Zenaida asiatica - Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina
- Plain-breasted Ground-DovePlain-breasted Ground-doveThe Plain-breasted Ground Dove is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. They lack the scaled appearance to the feathers of the similar and typically more abundant Common Ground Dove...
Columbina minuta - Ruddy Ground-Dove Columbina talpacoti
- Inca DoveInca DoveThe Inca Dove is a small New World dove; it might belong to the genus. It ranges from the southwestern United States and Mexico through Central America to Costa Rica; the Inca Dove only lives on the Pacific side of Central America. Despite being named after the Inca Empire, this species does not...
Columbina inca (A) - Blue Ground-Dove Claravis pretiosa
- White-tipped DoveWhite-tipped DoveThe White-tipped Dove is a large New World tropical dove. It is a resident breeder from the southernmost Texas in the USA through Mexico and Central America south to western Peru and central Argentina. It also breeds on the offshore islands of northern South America, including Trinidad and Tobago...
Leptotila verreauxi - Gray-headed Dove Leptotila plumbeiceps
- Caribbean DoveCaribbean DoveThe Caribbean Dove is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It is found in the Cayman Islands, Colombia , Honduras , Jamaica and Mexico . It has been introduced to New Providence in the Bahamas...
Leptotila jamaicensis - Gray-chested Dove Leptotila cassini
- Ruddy Quail-DoveRuddy Quail-DoveThe Ruddy Quail-Dove is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes doves and pigeons.It breeds throughout the West Indies, Central America, and tropical South America. It has appeared as a vagrant in Florida and southern Texas. It lays two buff colored eggs on a flimsy platform...
Geotrygon montana
Parakeets and Parrots
Order: Psittaciformes. Family: Psittacidae
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak shape. Their upper mandibles have slight mobility in the joint with the skull and the have a generally erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two back. There are 335 species worldwide and 12 species which occur in Belize.
- Scarlet MacawScarlet MacawThe Scarlet Macaw is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in lowlands up to up to...
Ara macao - Olive-throated ParakeetOlive-throated ParakeetThe Olive-throated Parakeet , also known as the Olive-throated Conure in aviculture, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family...
Aratinga nana - Orange-chinned ParakeetOrange-chinned ParakeetThe Orange-chinned Parakeet , also known as the Tovi Parakeet, is a small mainly green parrot of the Brotogeris genus. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela...
Brotogeris jugularis - Brown-hooded ParrotBrown-hooded ParrotThe Brown-hooded Parrot is a small parrot which is a resident breeding species from southeastern Mexico to north-western Colombia. Until recently, it was placed in the genus Pionopsitta, which now is restricted to the type species, the Pileated Parrot. It is sometimes considered conspecific with...
Pionopsitta haematotis - White-crowned ParrotWhite-crowned ParrotThe White-crowned Parrot , also known as the White-crowned Pionus in aviculture, is a small parrot which is a resident breeding species from eastern Mexico to western Panama....
Pionus senilis - Yellow-lored AmazonYellow-lored AmazonThe Yucatan Amazon , also known as the Yellow-lored Amazon, Yucatan Parrot or Yellow-lored Parrot is a species of Amazon parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is found in Belize, Honduras, and Mexico...
Amazona xantholora - White-fronted Amazon Amazona albifrons
- Red-lored Amazon Amazona autumnalis
- Yellow-headed Amazon Amazona oratrix Endangered
- Yellow-crowned AmazonYellow-crowned AmazonThe Yellow-crowned Amazon or Yellow-crowned Parrot , is a species of parrot, native to the tropical South America and Panama. The taxonomy is highly complex, and the Yellow-headed and Yellow-naped Amazon are sometimes considered subspecies of the Yellow-crowned Amazon...
Amazona ochrocephala - Yellow-naped Amazon Amazona auropalliata (A)
- Mealy Amazon Amazona farinosa
Cuckoos and anis
Order: CuculiformesCuculiformes
The near passerine bird order Cuculiformes traditionally included three families as below:* Musophagidae - turacos and allies* Cuculidae - cuckoos, coucals, roadrunners and anis* Opisthocomidae - Hoatzin...
. Family: Cuculidae
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
s, roadrunner
Geococcyx
The roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America...
s and anis
Ani (bird)
The anis are the three species of near-passerine birds in the genus Crotophaga of the cuckoo family. They are essentially tropical New world birds, although the range of two species just reaches the United States...
. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Unlike the cuckoo species of the Old World, North American cuckoos are not brood parasites. There are 138 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in Belize.
- Black-billed CuckooBlack-billed CuckooThe Black-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus, is a cuckoo.Adults have a long brown tail and a black bill. The head and upper parts are brown and the underparts are white. There is a red ring around the eye. Juveniles are drabber, and the eye ring is greenish.Their breeding habitat is edges of...
Coccyzus erythropthalmus - Yellow-billed CuckooYellow-billed CuckooThe Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus, is a cuckoo. Common folk-names for this bird in the southern United States are Rain Crow and Storm Crow...
Coccyzus americanus - Mangrove CuckooMangrove CuckooThe Mangrove Cuckoo, Coccyzus minor, is a species of cuckoo that is native to the Neotropics.Adults have a long tail, brown above and black-and-white below, and a black curved bill with yellow on the lower mandible. The head and upper parts are brown. There is a yellow ring around the eye...
Coccyzus minor - Squirrel CuckooSquirrel CuckooThe Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya cayana, is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad.-Description:...
Piaya cayana - Smooth-billed AniSmooth-billed AniThe Smooth-billed Ani is a large near passerine bird in the cuckoo family. It is a resident breeding species from southern Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, parts of Central America, south to western Ecuador, Brazil, and northern Argentina.This ani is found in open and semi-open country and...
Crotophaga ani - Groove-billed AniGroove-billed AniThe Groove-billed Ani, Crotophaga sulcirostris, is an odd-looking tropical bird in the cuckoo family with a long tail and a large, curved beak. It is a resident species throughout most of its range, from southern Texas and central Mexico through Central America, to northern Colombia and Venezuela,...
Crotophaga sulcirostris - Striped CuckooStriped CuckooThe Striped Cuckoo is a near-passerine bird, the only member of the genus Tapera. This resident cuckoo is found from Mexico and Trinidad south to Bolivia and Argentina....
Tapera naevia - Pheasant CuckooPheasant CuckooThe Pheasant Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.Its natural habitats are...
Dromococcyx phasianellus
Barn owls
Order: Strigiformes. Family: TytonidaeTytonidae
Barn-owls are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons...
Barn owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
s are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons. There are 16 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- Barn OwlBarn OwlThe Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
Tyto alba
Typical owls
Order: Strigiformes. Family: Strigidae
Typical owl
True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...
s are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk. There are 195 species worldwide and 12 species which occur in Belize.
- Guatemalan Screech-OwlGuatemalan Screech-owlThe Middle American Screech Owl , also known as the Guatemalan Screech Owl, is a species of owl in the Strigidae family. It is found in forests and dense second growth from Mexico to Costa Rica. Some authorities include Chocó Screech Owl and Roraiman Screech Owl in M. guatemalae, but under the...
Megascops guatemalae - Great Horned OwlGreat Horned OwlThe Great Horned Owl, , also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.-Description:...
Bubo virginianus - Mottled OwlMottled OwlThe Mottled Owl is a medium-sized owl found from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. The body has vertical bars on the chest and throat and white markings in the back. The eyes are dark and the head is round and they do not have ear tufts.It is thirteen to fifteen inches in length...
Ciccaba virgata - Black-and-white OwlBlack-and-white OwlThe Black-and-white Owl is a species of owl in the Strigidae family.Compare with ITIS: It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela....
Ciccaba nigrolineata - Crested OwlCrested OwlThe Crested Owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is the only species , in the genus Lophostrix....
Lophostrix cristata - Spectacled OwlSpectacled OwlThe Spectacled Owl, Pulsatrix perspicillata, is a large tropical owl. It is a resident breeder from southern Mexico and Trinidad, through Central America, south to southern Brazil, Paraguay and northwestern Argentina...
Pulsatrix perspicillata - Central American Pygmy-OwlCentral American Pygmy-owlThe Central American Pygmy Owl is a species of owl in the Strigidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Glaucidium griseiceps - Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium brasilianum
- Burrowing OwlBurrowing OwlThe Burrowing Owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated...
Athene cunicularia - Striped OwlStriped OwlThe Striped Owl is a medium-sized owl with large ear tufts and a brownish-white facial disk rimmed with black. Its beak is black, and it has cinnamon-colored eyes. It has shorter, rounder wings than most of its close relatives. The upperparts are cinnamon with fine black vermiculation and heavy...
Pseudoscops clamator - Stygian OwlStygian OwlThe Stygian Owl, Asio stygius is a medium-sized dusky colored owl. It has yellow eyes, a black beak, a dark blackish facial disk, and white eyebrows. Its underparts are a dingy buff color with dark brown barring and streaks...
Asio stygius - Short-eared OwlShort-eared OwlThe Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . In Scotland this species of owl is often referred to as a cataface, grass owl or short-horned hootlet. Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may...
Asio flammeus (A)
Potoos
Order: CaprimulgiformesCaprimulgiformes
The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution . They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal...
. Family: Nyctibiidae
The potoos (sometimes called Poor-Me-Ones) are large near passerine
Near passerine
Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are nocturnal insectivores which lack the bristles around the mouth found in the true nightjars. There are 5 species, all of which are from the South American tropical region, and 2 species which occur in Belize.
- Great PotooGreat PotooThe Great Potoo is a bird, both the largest potoo species and the largest member of the order Caprimulgiformes . It occurs in tropical America.-Description:...
Nyctibius grandis - Northern PotooNorthern PotooThe Northern Potoo is a nocturnal bird belonging to the potoo family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico south to Costa Rica and on the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola...
Nyctibius jamaicensis
Nightjars
Order: CaprimulgiformesCaprimulgiformes
The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution . They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal...
. Family: Caprimulgidae
Nightjar
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats . Some New World species are named as nighthawks...
s are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills that usually nest on the ground. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves. There are 86 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in Belize.
- Short-tailed NighthawkShort-tailed NighthawkThe Short-tailed Nighthawk is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family.-Distribution and habitat:...
Lurocalis semitorquatus (A) - Lesser NighthawkLesser NighthawkThe Lesser Nighthawk, Chordeiles acutipennis, is a nightjar found throughout a large part of the Americas.The adults are dark with brown, grey and white patterning on the upperparts and breast; the long upperwings are black and show a white bar in flight. The tail is dark with white barring; the...
Chordeiles acutipennis - Common NighthawkCommon NighthawkThe Common Nighthawk is a medium-sized crepuscular or nocturnal bird, whose presence and identity are best revealed by its vocalization. Typically dark , displaying cryptic colouration and intricate patterns, this bird becomes invisible by day. Once aerial, with its buoyant but erratic flight,...
Chordeiles minor - PauraquePauraqueThe Pauraque – also called the Common Pauraque to distinguish it from similar species – is a nightjar species, the only bird in the genus Nyctidromus...
Nyctidromus albicollis - Yucatan PoorwillYucatan PoorwillThe Yucatan Poorwill is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family.It is found in the entire Yucatán Peninsula region except on the north coast, in a 50 km wide coastal strip that extends 700 km; the species ranges to south-central Belize, northeasternmost Guatemala, and southern...
Nyctiphrynus yucatanicus - Chuck-will's-widowChuck-will's-widowThe Chuck-will's-widow, Caprimulgus carolinensis is a nocturnal bird of the nightjar family Caprimulgidae. It is found in the southeastern United States near swamps, rocky uplands, and pine woods...
Caprimulgus carolinensis - Yucatan NightjarYucatan NightjarThe Yucatan Nightjar is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and possibly Honduras.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
Caprimulgus badius - Whip-poor-willWhip-poor-willThe Eastern Whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus, is a medium-sized nightjar from North and Central America. The whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen because of its superior camouflage...
Caprimulgus vociferus
Swifts
Order: ApodiformesApodiformes
Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts , the tree swifts , and the hummingbirds . In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodimorphae in which hummingbirds are separated as a new order, Trochiliformes...
. Family: Apodidae
Swift
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
s are small aerial birds, spending the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. There are 98 species world wide and 7 species which occur in Belizea.
- White-chinned SwiftWhite-chinned SwiftThe White-chinned Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela....
Cypseloides cryptus - Chestnut-collared SwiftChestnut-collared SwiftThe Chestnut-collared Swift, Streptoprocne rutila, is a resident breeding bird from Mexico and Trinidad south to Peru and Bolivia. It was one of the species of Cypseloides controversially moved to Streptoprocne by the AOU ....
Streptoprocne rutila - White-collared SwiftWhite-collared SwiftThe White-collared Swift, Streptoprocne zonaris, is a resident breeding bird from central Mexico, the Greater Antilles and Trinidad south to Peru, northern Argentina and southeastern Brazil....
Streptoprocne zonaris - Chimney SwiftChimney SwiftThe Chimney Swift is a small bird .-Physical description:In flight, this bird looks like a flying cigar with long slender curved wings. The plumage is a sooty grey-brown; the throat, breast, underwings and rump are paler. They have short tails.-Reproduction:The breeding season of Chimney Swifts is...
Chaetura pelagica - Vaux's SwiftVaux's SwiftVaux's Swift is a small swift native to North America and northern South America. It was named for the American scientist William Sansom Vaux.-Description:...
Chaetura vauxi - White-throated SwiftWhite-throated SwiftThe White-throated Swift is a swift of the family Apodidae native to western North America, south to cordilleran western Honduras...
Aeronautes saxatalis - Lesser Swallow-tailed SwiftLesser Swallow-tailed SwiftThe Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift or Cayenne Swift, Panyptila cayennensis, is a resident breeding bird from southern Mexico and Tobago south to Ecuador, eastern Peru and Brazil....
Panyptila cayennensis
Hummingbirds
Order: Trochiliformes. Family: Trochilidae
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards. There are 337 species worldwide and 26 species which occur in Belize.
- Band-tailed BarbthroatBand-tailed BarbthroatThe Band-tailed Barbthroat is a medium-sized hummingbird which is a resident breeder from southeastern Guatemala and Belize to western Ecuador and western Venezuela....
Threnetes ruckeri - Western Long-tailed Hermit Phaethornis longirostris
- Stripe-throated HermitStripe-throated HermitThe Stripe-throated Hermit is a species of hummingbird from Central America and north-western South America. It is generally fairly common and considered Least Concern by BirdLife International....
Phaethornis striigularis - Scaly-breasted HummingbirdScaly-breasted HummingbirdThe Scaly-breasted Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is monotypic for its genus.-Distribution and habitat:...
Phaeochroa cuvierii - Wedge-tailed SabrewingWedge-tailed SabrewingThe Wedge-tailed Sabrewing is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico....
Campylopterus curvipennis - Violet SabrewingViolet SabrewingThe Violet Sabrewing, Campylopterus hemileucurus,is a very large hummingbird native to southern Mexico and Central America as far south as Costa Rica and western Panama....
Campylopterus hemileucurus - White-necked JacobinWhite-necked JacobinThe White-necked Jacobin is a large and attractive hummingbird that ranges from Mexico south to Peru, Bolivia and south Brazil...
Florisuga mellivora - Brown Violet-earBrown Violet-earThe Brown Violetear is a large hummingbird that breeds at middle elevations in the mountains in Central America, and western and northern South America with isolated populations on Trinidad and in the Brazilian state Bahia.The breeding habitat is forest at altitudes between 400-1600 m, but the...
Colibri delphinae - Green-breasted MangoGreen-breasted MangoThe Green-breasted Mango is a hummingbird from tropical America. The scientific name of this bird commemorates the French naturalist Florent Prévost.- Description :...
Anthracothorax prevostii - Emerald-chinned HummingbirdEmerald-chinned HummingbirdThe Emerald-chinned Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and heavily degraded former forest....
Abeillia abeillei - Black-crested CoquetteBlack-crested CoquetteThe Black-Crested Coquette is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Lophornis helenae - Canivet's Emerald Chlorostilbon canivetii
- Stripe-tailed HummingbirdStripe-tailed HummingbirdThe Stripe-tailed Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird endemic to subtropical moist forests and adjacent clearings of Middle America, from the Gulf slope of southeastern Mexico to Panama....
Eupherusa eximia - Violet-crowned WoodnymphViolet-crowned WoodnymphThe Violet-crowned Woodnymph , also known as the Purple-crowned Woodnymph, is a medium-sized hummingbird found from Guatemala and Belize to northern Colombia and western Venezuela. It formerly included the Mexican and Green-crowned Woodnymphs as subspecies...
Thalurania colombica - Blue-throated GoldentailBlue-throated GoldentailThe Blue-throated Sapphire , also known as the Blue-Throated Goldentail, is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama...
Hylocharis eliciae - Rufous-tailed HummingbirdRufous-tailed HummingbirdThe Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird that breeds from east-central Mexico, through Central America and Colombia, east to western Venezuela and south through western Ecuador to near the border with Peru...
Amazilia tzacatl - Buff-bellied HummingbirdBuff-bellied HummingbirdThe Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Amazilia yucatanensis, is a medium-sized hummingbird. It is long and has a mass of .Adults are a metallic olive green above and buffy in the lower breast. The tail and primary wings are rufous in color and slightly forked. The underwing is white. The bill of the male...
Amazilia yucatanensis - Cinnamon HummingbirdCinnamon HummingbirdThe Cinnamon Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found from northwestern Mexico to Costa Rica....
Amazilia rutila - White-bellied EmeraldWhite-bellied EmeraldThe White-Bellied Emerald is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Agyrtria candida - Azure-crowned HummingbirdAzure-crowned HummingbirdThe Azure-Crowned Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Agyrtria cyanocephala - Green-fronted HummingbirdGreen-fronted HummingbirdThe Green-fronted Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.-Taxonomy:It includes the subspecies wagneri, which sometimes is considered a separate species, the Cinnamon-sided Hummingbird .-Distribution and habitat:It is found in Belize and Mexico...
Agyrtria viridifrons - Purple-crowned FairyPurple-crowned FairyThe Purple-crowned Fairy is a large hummingbird that breeds in the lowlands and hills from southeastern Mexico south to southwestern Ecuador....
Heliothryx barroti - Plain-capped StarthroatPlain-capped StarthroatThe Plain-capped Starthroat, Heliomaster constantii, is a large-sized hummingbird. It is 11-12 cm long, and weighs approximately 7-8 g.Adults are colored predominantly metallic bronze on their upper-parts, tail, back and crown. The bird has a dark eye-stripe with a white stripe above and below. ...
Heliomaster constantii - Long-billed StarthroatLong-billed StarthroatThe Long-billed Starthroat, Heliomaster longirostris, is a hummingbird that breeds from southern Mexico to Panama, from Colombia south and east to Bolivia and Brazil, and on Trinidad...
Heliomaster longirostris - Sparkling-tailed HummingbirdSparkling-tailed HummingbirdThe Sparkling-tailed Woodstar , also known as the Sparkling-Tailed Hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua...
Tilmatura dupontii - Ruby-throated HummingbirdRuby-throated HummingbirdThe Ruby-throated Hummingbird , is a small hummingbird. It is the only species of hummingbird that regularly nests east of the Mississippi River in North America.- Description :...
Archilochus colubris
Trogons and Quetzals
Order: Trogoniformes. Family: Trogonidae
- Black-headed TrogonBlack-headed TrogonThe Black-headed Trogon is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Trogon melanocephalus - Violaceous TrogonViolaceous TrogonThe Violaceous Trogon , also known as the Guianan Trogon, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. It is found in humid forests in the Amazon Basin of South America and on the island of Trinidad, although some authorities have argued for treating the west Amazonian population as...
Trogon violaceus - Collared TrogonCollared TrogonThe Collared Trogon, Trogon collaris, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. It is found in the warmer parts of the Neotropics, and includes numerous subspecies, including T. c...
Trogon collaris - Slaty-tailed TrogonSlaty-tailed TrogonThe Slaty-tailed Trogon, Trogon massena, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. It breeds in lowlands from southeastern Mexico south through Central America, to Colombia, and a small region of northwestern Ecuador....
Trogon massena - Resplendent QuetzalResplendent QuetzalThe Resplendent Quetzal, Pharomachrus mocinno, is a bird in the trogon family. It is found from southern Mexico to western Panama . It is well known for its colorful plumage. There are two subspecies, P. m. mocinno and P. m...
Pharomachrus mocinno Near-threatened
Water Kingfishers
Order: CoraciiformesCoraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
. Family: Alcedinidae
Water kingfisher
Water Kingfisher
The water kingfishers or Cerylidae are one of the three families of kingfishers, and are also known as the cerylid kingfishers. All six American species are in this family....
s are medium sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. There are 94 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Belize.
- Belted KingfisherBelted KingfisherThe Belted Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, the only member of that group commonly found in the northern United States and Canada. It is depicted on the 1986 series Canadian $5 note. All kingfishers were formerly placed in one family, Alcedinidae, but recent research suggests...
Ceryle alcyon - Ringed KingfisherRinged KingfisherThe Ringed Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous and noisy kingfisher, commonly found along the lower Rio Grande River valley in southeasternmost Texas in the United States through Central America to Tierra del Fuego in South America....
Ceryle torquatus - Amazon KingfisherAmazon KingfisherThe Amazon Kingfisher, Chloroceryle amazona, is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to northern Argentina, with at least one bird having strayed north to Texas. Records from Trinidad are thought to be erroneous.This...
Chloroceryle amazona - Green KingfisherGreen KingfisherThe Green Kingfisher, Chloroceryle americana, is a resident breeding bird which occurs from southern Texas in the USA south through Central and South Americal to central Argentina....
Chloroceryle americana - American Pygmy KingfisherAmerican Pygmy KingfisherThe American Pygmy Kingfisher, Chloroceryle aenea, is a resident breeding bird which occurs in the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to western Ecuador, and then around the northern Andes cordillera in the east to central Bolivia and central Brazil...
Chloroceryle aenea
Motmots
Order: CoraciiformesCoraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
. Family: Momotidae
- Tody MotmotTody MotmotThe Tody Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Hylomanes.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Hylomanes momotula - Blue-crowned MotmotBlue-crowned MotmotThe Blue-crowned Motmot, Momotus momota, is a colourful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands of eastern Mexico, Central America, northern and central South America, and Trinidad and Tobago...
Momotus momota - Keel-billed MotmotKeel-billed MotmotThe Keel-billed Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Electron carinatum Vulnerable
Jacamars
Order: PiciformesPiciformes
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives...
. Family: Galbulidae
The jacamars are near passerine birds from tropical South America, with a range that extends up to Mexico. They are glossy elegant birds with long bills and tails, which feed on insects caught on the wing. In appearance and behaviour they show resemblances to the Old World bee-eaters, although they are more closely related to woodpeckers. There are 18 species and 1 species that occurs in Belize.
- Rufous-tailed JacamarRufous-tailed JacamarThe Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Galbula ruficauda, is a near-passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World in southern Mexico, Central America and South America as far south as southern Brazil and Ecuador....
Galbula ruficauda
Puffbirds
Order: PiciformesPiciformes
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives...
. Family: Bucconidae
The puffbirds are related to the jacamars, and have the same range, but lack the iridescent colours of that family. They are mainly brown, rufous or grey, with large heads and flattened bills with a hooked tip. The loose abundant plumage and short tails makes them look stout and puffy, giving rise to the English common name of the family. There are 34 species and 2 species which occur in Belize.
- White-necked PuffbirdWhite-necked PuffbirdThe White-necked Puffbird is a species of puffbird in the Bucconidae family.It is found in forest and woodland from southern Mexico, through Central America, to the Chocó, northern Colombia , northern Venezuela, and the western and southern Amazon Basin.It was formerly considered a subspecies of N...
Notharchus macrorhynchos - White-whiskered PuffbirdWhite-whiskered PuffbirdThe White-whiskered Puffbird is a bird which is a resident breeding species from southeastern Mexico to central Ecuador. It is sometimes known as White-whiskered Softwing....
Malacoptila panamensis
Toucans
Order: PiciformesPiciformes
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives...
. Family: Ramphastidae
Toucans are near passerine birds from the neotropics. They are brightly marked and have enormous, colourful bills which in some species may amount to half their body length. There are 40 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Belize, one of which, the Keel-Billed Toucan, is the National Bird.
- Collared AracariCollared AracariThe Collared Aracari, Pteroglossus torquatus, is a toucan, a near-passerine bird which breeds from southern Mexico to Panama; also Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.-Description:...
Pteroglossus torquatus - Keel-billed ToucanKeel-billed ToucanThe Keel-billed Toucan , also known as Sulfur-breasted Toucan or Rainbow-billed Toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of Belize.- Description :...
Ramphastos sulfuratus - Emerald ToucanetEmerald ToucanetThe Emerald Toucanet, Aulacorhynchus prasinus, is a near-passerine bird occurring in mountainous regions from Mexico, through Central America, to northern Venezuela and along the Andes as far south as central Bolivia...
Aulacorhynchus prasinus
Woodpeckers and Sapsuckers
Order: PiciformesPiciformes
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives...
. Family: Picidae
Picidae
The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions...
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s are small to medium sized birds with chisel like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward, and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks. There are 218 species worldwide and 11 species which occur in Belize.
- Acorn WoodpeckerAcorn WoodpeckerThe Acorn woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, 21 cm long with an average weight of 85 g.-Description:...
Melanerpes formicivorus - Black-cheeked WoodpeckerBlack-cheeked WoodpeckerThe Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Melanerpes pucherani, is a resident breeding bird from southeastern Mexico south to western Ecuador.This woodpecker occurs in the higher levels of wet forests, semi-open woodland and old second growth. It nests in an unlined hole 6–30 m high in a dead tree. The clutch...
Melanerpes pucherani - Yucatan WoodpeckerYucatan WoodpeckerThe Yucatan Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Belize, Honduras, and Mexico, and ranges over the entire Yucatán Peninsula....
Melanerpes pygmaeus - Golden-fronted WoodpeckerGolden-fronted WoodpeckerThe Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Melanerpes aurifrons, is a North American woodpecker. Its preferred habitat is mesquite and riparian woodlands. It is distributed from Texas and Oklahoma in the United States through Mexico to Honduras and northern Nicaragua...
Melanerpes aurifrons - Yellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerThe Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a medium-sized woodpecker found in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.-Taxonomy:...
Sphyrapicus varius - Ladder-backed WoodpeckerLadder-backed WoodpeckerThe Ladder-backed Woodpecker is a North American woodpecker.-Range and habitat:The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is fairly common in dry brushy areas and thickets and has a rather large range...
Picoides scalaris - Smoky-brown WoodpeckerSmoky-brown WoodpeckerThe Smoky-brown Woodpecker or Brown Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.-Habitat:Its natural habitats are subtropical or...
Veniliornis fumigatus - Golden-olive WoodpeckerGolden-olive WoodpeckerThe Golden-olive Woodpecker, Colaptes rubiginosus, is a resident breeding bird from Mexico south and east to Guyana, northwest Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago. It was formerly placed in the genus Piculus...
Piculus rubiginosus - Chestnut-colored Woodpecker Celeus castaneus
- Lineated WoodpeckerLineated WoodpeckerThe Lineated Woodpecker is a very large woodpecker which is a resident breeding bird from Mexico south to northern Argentina and on Trinidad.-Description:The Lineated Woodpecker is long...
Dryocopus lineatus - Pale-billed WoodpeckerPale-billed WoodpeckerThe Pale-billed Woodpecker is a very large woodpecker that is a resident breeding bird from northern Mexico to western Panama.-Habitat:...
Campephilus guatemalensis
Ovenbirds
Order: Passeriformes. Family: FurnariidaeOvenbirds comprise a large family of small sub-oscine passerine bird species found in Central and South America. They are a diverse group of insectivores which gets its name from the elaborate "oven-like" clay nests built by some species, although others build stick nests or nest in tunnels or clefts in rock. There are 243 species worldwide and 7 species which are found in Belize.
- Rufous-breasted SpinetailRufous-breasted SpinetailThe Rufous-breasted Spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico....
Synallaxis erythrothorax - Plain XenopsPlain XenopsThe Plain Xenops, Xenops minutus, is a passerine bird which breeds in moist lowland forests in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to western Ecuador, northeastern Argentina and central Brazil....
Xenops minutus - Scaly-throated Foliage-gleanerScaly-throated Foliage-gleanerThe Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama....
Anabacerthia variegaticeps - Buff-fronted Foliage-gleanerBuff-fronted Foliage-gleanerThe Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family, the ovenbirds. It is found in southeastern regions of South America in the cerrado and pantanal of Brazil and Paraguay as well as areas of southeast coastal Brazil; also extreme northeast Argentina...
Philydor rufus - Buff-throated Foliage-gleanerBuff-throated Foliage-gleanerThe Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela...
Automolus ochrolaemus - Tawny-throated LeaftosserTawny-throated LeaftosserThe Tawny-throated Leaftosser is a tropical American bird species in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is also known as the Tawny-throated Leafscraper, Mexican Leaftosser or Mexican Leafscraper...
Sclerurus mexicanus - Scaly-throated LeaftosserScaly-throated LeaftosserThe Scaly-throated Leaftosser is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane...
Sclerurus guatemalensis
Woodcreepers
Order: Passeriformes. Family: DendrocolaptidaeThe Dendrocolaptidae are brownish birds and maintain an upright vertical posture, supported by their stiff tail vanes. They feed mainly on insects taken from tree trunks. There are 57 species worldwide and 10 species found in Belize.
- Tawny-winged WoodcreeperTawny-winged WoodcreeperThe Tawny-winged Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, New World woodcreepers.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Dendrocincla anabatina - Ruddy WoodcreeperRuddy WoodcreeperThe Ruddy Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from southern Mexico to northern Colombia and extreme northern Venezuela....
Dendrocincla homochroa - Olivaceous WoodcreeperOlivaceous WoodcreeperThe Olivaceous Woodcreeper is a passerine bird of the tropical Americas. It belongs to the true woodcreepers of the ovenbird family ....
Sittasomus griseicapillus - Wedge-billed WoodcreeperWedge-billed WoodcreeperThe Wedge-billed Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from southern Mexico to northern Bolivia, central Brazil and the Guianas; it is absent from the Pacific coastal areas except between Costa Rica and Ecuador...
Glyphorynchus spirurus - Strong-billed WoodcreeperStrong-billed WoodcreeperThe Strong-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is one of the largest woodcreepers and the largest furnariids, though the slender Long-billed Woodcreeper is longer and the Great Rufous Woodcreeper is larger overall...
Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus - Northern Barred-WoodcreeperNorthern Barred-woodcreeperThe Northern Barred-woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It was formerly included as a subspecies of the Amazonian Barred-woodcreeper ....
Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae - Ivory-billed WoodcreeperIvory-billed WoodcreeperThe Ivory-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Xiphorhynchus flavigaster - Spotted WoodcreeperSpotted WoodcreeperThe Spotted Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Xiphorhynchus erythropygius - Streak-headed WoodcreeperStreak-headed WoodcreeperThe Streak-headed Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from southern Mexico to northwestern Peru, northern Brazil and Guyana, and on Trinidad....
Lepidocolaptes souleyetii - Spot-crowned WoodcreeperSpot-crowned WoodcreeperThe Spot-crowned Woodcreeper , is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from central Mexico in the east, the Sierra Madre Orientals, to northern Panama....
Lepidocolaptes affinis
Antbirds
Order: Passeriformes. Family: ThamnophilidaeThe antbirds are a large family of small passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. They are forest birds, and tend to feed on insects at or near the ground. A sizable minority of them specialize in following columns of army ants to eat the small invertebrates that leave hiding to flee the ants.Many species lack bright colour; brown, black and white being the dominant tones. There are about 212 species worldwide and 9 species which occur in Belize.
- Great AntshrikeGreat AntshrikeThe Great Antshrike, Taraba major, is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is the only member of the genus Taraba-....
Taraba major - Barred AntshrikeBarred AntshrikeThe Barred Antshrike, Thamnophilus doliatus, is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is found in the Neotropics from Tamaulipas, Mexico, through Central America, Trinidad and Tobago, and a large part of South America east of the Andes as far south as northern Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay....
Thamnophilus doliatus - Western Slaty-AntshrikeWestern Slaty-AntshrikeThe Western Slaty-Antshrike is a species of bird in the Thamnophilidae family.It is found in from western Ecuador, western Colombia, western Venezuela, and Central America as far north as Belize....
Thamnophilus atrinucha - Russet AntshrikeRusset AntshrikeThe Russet Antshrike, Thamnistes anabatinus, is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is the only member of the genus Thamnistes.It is a resident breeder in the tropical New World from southern Mexico to northern Bolivia....
Thamnistes anabatinus - Plain AntvireoPlain AntvireoThe Plain Antvireo, Dysithamnus mentalis, is a passerine bird species in the antbird family , wherein it belongs to the antshrike subfamily . It is a resident breeder in tropical Central and South America....
Dysithamnus mentalis - Slaty AntwrenSlaty AntwrenThe Slaty Antwren, Myrmotherula schisticolor, is a small passerine bird in the antbird family. It is a resident breeder in tropical Central and South America from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and eastern Peru....
Myrmotherula schisticolor - Dot-winged AntwrenDot-winged AntwrenThe Dot-winged Antwren is a passerine bird in the antbird family. In the past it was sometimes known as the Velvety Antwren, and some of its more distinctive subspecies have their own infrequently used English names...
Microrhopias quixensis - Dusky AntbirdDusky AntbirdThe Dusky Antbird or Tyrannine Antbird, Cercomacra tyrannina, is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is a resident breeder in tropical Central and South America from southeastern Mexico southwards to western Ecuador, and Amazonian Brazil....
Cercomacra tyrannina - Bare-crowned AntbirdBare-crowned AntbirdThe Bare-crowned Antbird is a species of bird in the Thamnophilidae family in the monotypic genus Gymnocichla.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Gymnocichla nudiceps
Antthrushes and Antpittas
Order: Passeriformes. Family: FormicariidaeFormicariidae
The Formicariidae, formicariids, or ground antbirds are a family of smallish passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. They are between 10 and 20 cm in length, and are related to the antbirds, Thamnophilidae, and gnateaters, Conopophagidae...
The ground antbirds are a family comprising the antthrushes and antpittas. Antthrushes resemble small rails while antpittas resemble the true pitta
Pitta
Pitta may stand for:*Pittas, a family of tropical birds*Pitta bread *Pitta , an island in the Dodecanese archipelago, in the Aegean Sea...
s with longish strong legs, very short tails and stout bills. There are about 63 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Belize.
- Mexican Antthrush Formicarius moniliger
- Scaled AntpittaScaled AntpittaThe Scaled Antpitta is a species of bird tentatively placed in the family Formicariidae; it might belong to a more distinct lineage though....
Grallaria guatimalensis
Cotingas and Pihas
Order: Passeriformes. Family: CotingidaeThe cotingas are birds of forests or forest edges of tropical South America. Comparatively little is known about this diverse group, although all have broad bills with hooked tips, rounded wings, and strong legs. The males of many of the species are brightly coloured, or decorated with plumes or wattles. There are 71 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Belize
- Rufous PihaRufous PihaThe Rufous Piha is a species of bird in the Cotingidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Lipaugus unirufus - Lovely CotingaLovely CotingaThe Lovely Cotinga is a species of bird in the Cotingidae family. It is found in Central America from southern Mexico through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua to Costa Rica with reports from western Panama...
Cotinga amabilis
Manakins
Order: Passeriformes. Family: PipridaeThe manakins are a family bird species of subtropical and tropical mainland Central and South America, and Trinidad and Tobago. They are compact forest birds, the males typically being brightly coloured, although the females of most species are duller and usually green-plumaged. Manakins feed on small fruits, berries and insects. There are 57 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in Belize.
- White-collared ManakinWhite-collared ManakinThe White-collared Manakin, Manacus candei, is a passerine bird in the manakin family. It is a resident breeder in the tropical New World from southeastern Mexico to Costa Rica and the extreme west of Panama....
Manacus candei - Long-tailed ManakinLong-tailed ManakinThe Long-tailed Manakin is a species of bird in the Pipridae family. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Chiroxiphia linearis - Red-capped ManakinRed-capped ManakinThe Red-capped Manakin is a species of bird in the Pipridae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Panama....
Pipra mentalis - Thrush-like SchiffornisThrush-like SchiffornisThe Thrush-like Schiffornis , also called Thrush-like Mourner or Thrush-like Manakin, is a species of Neotropical bird.-Distribution and habitat:...
Schiffornis turdinus
Tyrant flycatchers
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Tyrannidae
Tyrant flycatcher
The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and...
s are passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
birds which occur throughout North and South America. They superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, but are more robust with stronger bills. They do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of the songbirds. Most, but not all, have plain colouring. As the name implies, most are insectivorous. There are 429 species worldwide, all found only in the Americas and 60 species which occur in Belize.
- Yellow-bellied TyrannuletYellow-bellied TyrannuletThe Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Ornithion semiflavum - Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet Camptostoma imberbe
- Greenish ElaeniaGreenish ElaeniaThe Greenish Elaenia is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States, and Venezuela.Its...
Myiopagis viridicata - Caribbean ElaeniaCaribbean ElaeniaThe Caribbean Elaenia is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, Colombia , Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico , Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint...
Elaenia martinica (A) - Yellow-bellied ElaeniaYellow-bellied ElaeniaThe Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Elaenia flavogaster, is a small bird of the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula through Central and South America as far as northern Argentina, and on Trinidad and Tobago....
Elaenia flavogaster - Ochre-bellied FlycatcherOchre-bellied FlycatcherThe Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Mionectes oleagineus, is a small bird of the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from southern Mexico through Central America, and South America east of the Andes as far as southern Brazil, and on Trinidad and Tobago....
Mionectes oleagineus - Sepia-capped FlycatcherSepia-capped FlycatcherThe Sepia-capped Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela...
Leptopogon amaurocephalus - Paltry Tyrannulet Zimmerius vilissimus
- Northern BentbillNorthern BentbillThe Northern Bentbill is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Oncostoma cinereigulare - Slate-headed Tody-Tyrant Poecilotriccus sylvia
- Common Tody-FlycatcherCommon Tody-FlycatcherThe Common Tody-Flycatcher or Black-fronted Tody-Flycatcher, Todirostrum cinereum, is a very small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from southern Mexico to northwestern Peru, eastern Bolivia and southern Brazil....
Todirostrum cinereum - Eye-ringed FlatbillEye-ringed FlatbillThe Eye-ringed Flatbill is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Rhynchocyclus brevirostris - Yellow-olive FlycatcherYellow-olive FlycatcherThe Yellow-olive Flatbill or Yellow-olive Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family. It is found in tropical and subtopical forest and woodland in Central and South America, but over its range there are significant variations in plumage, iris-colour and voice, leading to...
Tolmomyias sulphurescens - Stub-tailed SpadebillStub-tailed SpadebillThe Stub-tailed Spadebill is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Platyrinchus cancrominus - White-throated SpadebillWhite-throated SpadebillThe White-throated Spadebill, Platyrinchus mystaceus, is a tiny passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It lives in the tropical Americas.-Description:...
Platyrinchus mystaceus - Northern Royal-Flycatcher Onychorhynchus mexicanus
- Ruddy-tailed FlycatcherRuddy-tailed FlycatcherThe Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Terenotriccus erythrurus, is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in lowlands from southeastern Mexico to northern Bolivia, north-central Brazil and the Guianas...
Terenotriccus erythrurus - Sulphur-rumped FlycatcherSulphur-rumped FlycatcherThe Sulphur-rumped Myiobius or Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Myiobius sulphureipygius - Olive-sided FlycatcherOlive-sided FlycatcherThe Olive-sided Flycatcher, Contopus cooperi, is a passerine bird. It is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher.- Description :Adults are dark olive on the face, upperparts and flanks. They have light underparts, a large dark bill and a short tail....
Contopus cooperi Near-threatened - Greater PeweeGreater PeweeThe Greater Pewee, Contopus pertinax, is a passerine bird. It is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher.Adults are dark olive on the face, upperparts and flanks. They have dull gray underparts, a large dark bill and a short tail...
Contopus pertinax - Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus (A)
- Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
- Tropical PeweeTropical PeweeThe Tropical Pewee, Contopus cinereus, is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from southern Mexico and Trinidad south to Bolivia and Argentina...
Contopus cinereus - Yellow-bellied FlycatcherYellow-bellied FlycatcherThe Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is a small insect-eating bird of the tyrant flycatcher family.Adults have brownish-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with yellowish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars, a small bill and a short tail...
Empidonax flaviventris - Acadian FlycatcherAcadian FlycatcherThe Acadian Flycatcher is a small insect-eating bird of the tyrant flycatcher family.- Description :Adults have olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars and a wide bill. The breast is washed with olive. The upper part of...
Empidonax virescens - Alder FlycatcherAlder FlycatcherThe Alder Flycatcher, Empidonax alnorum, is a small insect-eating bird of the tyrant flycatcher family.Adults have olive-brown upperparts, browner on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars, a small bill and a short tail. The breast is washed with...
Empidonax alnorum - Willow FlycatcherWillow FlycatcherThe Willow Flycatcher is a small insect-eating bird of the tyrant flycatcher family.Adults have brown-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have an indistinct white eye ring, white wing bars and a small bill. The breast is washed with olive-grey. The upper...
Empidonax traillii - White-throated FlycatcherWhite-throated FlycatcherThe White-throated Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Empidonax albigularis - Least FlycatcherLeast FlycatcherThe Least Flycatcher , , is a small insect-eating bird...
Empidonax minimus - Eastern PhoebeEastern PhoebeThe Eastern Phoebe is a small passerine bird. This tyrant flycatcher breeds in eastern North America, although its normal range does not include the southeastern coastal USA....
Sayornis phoebe (A) - Black PhoebeBlack PhoebeThe Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans, is a passerine bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family. It breeds from southwest Oregon and California south through Central and South America. It occurs year-round throughout most of its range and migrates less than the other birds in its genus, though its...
Sayornis nigricans - Vermilion FlycatcherVermilion FlycatcherThe Vermilion Flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the Tyrannidae, or tyrant flycatcher family. Most flycatchers are rather drab, but the Vermilion Flycatcher is a striking exception...
Pyrocephalus rubinus - Bright-rumped AttilaBright-rumped AttilaThe Bright-rumped Attila or Polymorphic Attila, Attila spadiceus, is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family...
Attila spadiceus - Speckled MournerSpeckled MournerThe Speckled Mourner is a species of bird in the Tityridae family. It has traditionally been placed in the cotinga family, but evidence strongly suggest it is better placed in Tityridae, where now placed by SACC....
Laniocera rufescens - Rufous MournerRufous MournerThe Rufous Mourner, Rhytipterna holerythra, is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from southwestern Mexico to northwestern Ecuador...
Rhytipterna holerythra - Yucatan FlycatcherYucatan FlycatcherThe Yucatan Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and heavily degraded former forest....
Myiarchus yucatanensis - Dusky-capped FlycatcherDusky-capped FlycatcherThe Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Myiarchus tuberculifer, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in forest and other woodland from southern Arizona, as well as the Chisos Mountains, Texas, south to northern Argentina and on Trinidad...
Myiarchus tuberculifer - Nutting's FlycatcherNutting's FlycatcherNutting's Flycatcher, Myiarchus nuttingi, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in semi-arid desert scrub and tropical deciduous forest from western Mexico to northwest Costa Rica...
Myiarchus nuttingi - Great Crested FlycatcherGreat Crested FlycatcherThe Great Crested Flycatcher is a large insect-eating bird of the tyrant flycatcher family. It is the most widespread member of the genus, Myiarchus, in North America and is found over most of the eastern and mid-western portions of the continent...
Myiarchus crinitus - Brown-crested FlycatcherBrown-crested FlycatcherThe Brown-crested Flycatcher is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in open woodland from southern California, southern Nevada, central Arizona, and southern Texas southward to Argentina and Bolivia, and on Trinidad and Tobago...
Myiarchus tyrannulus - Great KiskadeeGreat KiskadeeThe Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus, is a passerine bird. It is a large tyrant flycatcher; sometimes its genus Pitangus is considered monotypic, with the Lesser Kiskadee The Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus, is a passerine bird. It is a large tyrant flycatcher; sometimes its genus Pitangus...
Pitangus sulphuratus - Boat-billed FlycatcherBoat-billed FlycatcherThe Boat-billed Flycatcher is a passerine bird. It is a large tyrant flycatcher, the only member, monotypic, of the genus Megarynchus....
Megarynchus pitangua - Social FlycatcherSocial FlycatcherThe Social Flycatcher and Vermilion-crowned Flycatcher are passerine birds from the Americas, a member of the large tyrant flycatcher family ....
Myiozetetes similis - Streaked FlycatcherStreaked FlycatcherThe Streaked Flycatcher, Myiodynastes maculatus, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from eastern Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago south to Bolivia and Argentina. The southern subspecies M. m...
Myiodynastes maculatus - Sulphur-bellied FlycatcherSulphur-bellied FlycatcherThe Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Myiodynastes luteiventris, is a large Tyrant flycatcher. This bird breeds from southeasternmost Arizona of the United States-, to Costa Rica...
Myiodynastes luteiventris - Piratic FlycatcherPiratic FlycatcherThe Piratic Flycatcher, Legatus leucophaius, is a passerine bird, the only member of the genus Legatus. It is a resident breeder from southern Mexico and Trinidad south to Bolivia and Argentina...
Legatus leucophaius - Tropical KingbirdTropical KingbirdThe Tropical Kingbird is a large tyrant flycatcher. This bird breeds from southern Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the USA through Central America, South America as far as south as central Argentina and western Peru, and on Trinidad and Tobago...
Tyrannus melancholicus - Couch's KingbirdCouch's KingbirdThe Couch's Kingbird, Tyrannus couchii, is a passerine tyrant flycatcher of the kingbird genus. It is found from southern Texas along the Gulf Coast to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Belize and northern Guatemala...
Tyrannus couchii - Cassin's KingbirdCassin's KingbirdThe Cassin's Kingbird, Tyrannus vociferans, is a large Tyrant flycatcher.Adults have a gray head with slightly darker cheeks; a dark unforked tail with a buffy fringe and gray-olive underparts.They have a pale throat and deep yellow lower breast....
Tyrannus vociferans (A) - Western KingbirdWestern KingbirdThe Western Kingbird is a large tyrant flycatcher.Adults are grey-olive on the upperparts with a grey head and a dark line through the eyes; the underparts are light becoming light orange-yellow on the lower breast and belly. They have a long black tail with white outer feathers...
Tyrannus verticalis - Eastern KingbirdEastern KingbirdThe Eastern Kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, is a large Tyrant flycatcher.Adults are grey-black on the upperparts with light underparts; they have a long black tail with a white end and long pointed wings. They have a red patch on their crown, seldom seen...
Tyrannus tyrannus - Gray KingbirdGray KingbirdThe Gray Kingbird, also known as Pitirre, Tyrannus dominicensis, is a passerine bird. It breeds from the extreme southeast of the USA through Central America, from Cuba to Puerto Rico as well as eastward towards all across the Lesser West Indies, south to Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago the Guiana and...
Tyrannus dominicensis - Scissor-tailed FlycatcherScissor-tailed FlycatcherThe Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is a long-tailed insectivorous bird of the genus, whose members are collectively referred to as kingbirds. The kingbirds are a group of large insectivorous birds in the tyrant flycatcher family...
Tyrannus forficatus - Fork-tailed FlycatcherFork-tailed FlycatcherThe Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Tyrannus savana, is a passerine bird of the tyrant flycatcher family, and is the member of a genus typically referred to as kingbirds.-Description and ecology:...
Tyrannus savana - Cinnamon BecardCinnamon BecardThe Cinnamon Becard, Pachyramphus cinnamomeus, is a passerine bird which is a resident breeding species from southeastern Mexico south to northwestern Ecuador and northwestern Venezuela. It was recently found to be far more common on the Amazonian slope of the Colombian Cordillera Oriental than...
Pachyramphus cinnamomeus - White-winged BecardWhite-winged BecardThe White-winged Becard is a species of bird in the Tityridae family. It has traditionally been placed in Cotingidae or Tyrannidae, but evidence strongly suggest it is better placed in Tityridae. where now placed by SACC...
Pachyramphus polychopterus - Gray-collared Becard Pachyramphus major
- Rose-throated BecardRose-throated BecardThe Rose-throated Becard is a medium-sized member of the Tityridae family. Its genus, Pachyramphus, has traditionally been placed in Cotingidae or Tyrannidae, but evidence strongly suggest it is better placed in Tityridae....
Pachyramphus aglaiae - Masked TityraMasked TityraThe Masked Tityra is a medium-sized passerine bird. It has traditionally been placed in the cotinga or the tyrant flycatcher family, but evidence strongly suggest it is better placed in Tityridae, where now placed by SACC...
Tityra semifasciata - Black-crowned TityraBlack-crowned TityraThe Black-crowned Tityra is a medium-sized passerine bird. It has traditionally been placed in the cotinga or the tyrant flycatcher family, but evidence strongly suggest it is better placed in Tityridae, where now placed by SACC....
Tityra inquisitor
Swallows and martins
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Hirundinidae
- Purple MartinPurple MartinThe Purple Martin is the largest North American swallow. These aerial acrobats have speed and agility in flight, and when approaching their housing, will dive from the sky at great speeds with their wings tucked.-Description and taxonomy:...
Progne subis - Sinaloa MartinSinaloa MartinThe Sinaloa Martin is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family.It breeds semicolonially in sheer cliff faces within pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental of western Mexico. Presumed migrant records also come from Belize and Guatemala. It is assumed to winter in South America....
Progne sinaloae Data deficient - Gray-breasted MartinGray-breasted MartinThe Gray-breasted Martin, Progne chalybea, is a large swallow.The nominate race P. c. chalybea breeds from Mexico through Central America south to central Brazil, and on Trinidad. P. c. macrorhamphus breeds further south in South America to central Argentina...
Progne chalybea - Tree SwallowTree SwallowThe Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, is a migratory passerine bird that breeds in North America and winters in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe....
Tachycineta bicolor - Mangrove SwallowMangrove SwallowThe Mangrove Swallow, Tachycineta albilinea, is a passerine bird that breeds in coastal regions from Mexico through Central America to Panama. It is non-migratory, but may make seasonal movements....
Tachycineta albilinea - Northern Rough-winged SwallowNorthern Rough-winged SwallowThe Northern Rough-winged Swallow is a small swallow.Adults are 13–15 cm in length, brown on top with light underparts and a forked tail. They are similar in appearance to the Bank Swallow but have a dusky throat and breast...
Stelgidopteryx serripennis - Southern Rough-winged SwallowSouthern Rough-winged SwallowThe Southern Rough-winged Swallow , Stelgidopteryx ruficollis, is a small swallow. It was first formally described as Hirundo ruficollis by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot in 1817 in his Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle....
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis - Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
- Cliff SwallowCliff SwallowThe Cliff Swallow is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae — the swallows and martins.It breeds in North America, and is migratory, wintering in western South America from Venezuela southwards to northeast Argentina...
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota - Cave SwallowCave SwallowThe Cave Swallow, Petrochelidon fulva, is a medium-sized, squarish tailed swallow belonging to the same genus as the more familiar and widespread Cliff Swallow of North America...
Petrochelidon fulva - Barn SwallowBarn SwallowThe Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas...
Hirundo rustica
Waxwings
Order: Passeriformes. Family: BombycillidaeThe waxwing
Waxwing
The waxwings form the genus Bombycilla of passerine birds. According to most authorities, this is the only genus placed in the family Bombycillidae.-Description:Waxwings are characterised by soft silky plumage...
s are a group of passerine birds characterized by soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax, and give the group its name. These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter. There are 3 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Belize.
- Cedar WaxwingCedar WaxwingThe Cedar Waxwing is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It breeds in open wooded areas in North America, principally southern Canada and the northern United States.-Description:...
Bombycilla cedrorum
Wrens
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Troglodytidae
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
s are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud songs. These birds have short wings and a thin down-turned bill. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous. There are 80 species worldwide (of which all but 1 are New World species) and 10 species which occur in Belize.
- Band-backed WrenBand-backed WrenThe Band-backed Wren, Campylorhynchus zonatus, is a small songbird of the wren family.The Band-backed Wren is a resident breeding species from south-central Gulf Coast Mexico to northwestern Ecuador. It occurs in five disjunct areas, the central region being in southern Central America, in Costa...
Campylorhynchus zonatus - Spot-breasted WrenSpot-breasted WrenThe Spot-breasted Wren is a species of bird in the Troglodytidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Thryothorus maculipectus - Carolina WrenCarolina WrenThe Carolina Wren is a common species of wren, resident in the eastern half of the USA, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico...
Thryothorus ludovicianus - Rufous-and-white WrenRufous-and-white WrenThe Rufous-and-white Wren, Thryophilus rufalbus, is a small songbird of the wren family. It is a resident breeding species from southwesternmost Mexico to northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela...
Thryothorus rufalbus - Plain WrenPlain WrenThe Plain Wren is a species of bird in the Troglodytidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Thryothorus modestus - House WrenHouse WrenThe House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, is a very small songbird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren...
Troglodytes aedon - Sedge WrenSedge WrenThe Sedge Wren, Cistothorus platensis, is a small songbird of the Wren family. It was formerly known as the Short-billed Marsh Wren, and in South America is known as the Grass Wren. There are about 20 different subspecies which are found across most of the Americas...
Cistothorus platensis - White-bellied WrenWhite-bellied WrenThe White-bellied Wren is a species of bird in the Troglodytidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Uropsila.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico....
Uropsila leucogastra - White-breasted Wood-WrenWhite-breasted Wood-WrenThe White-breasted Wood-Wren, Henicorhina leucosticta, is a small songbird of the wren family. It is a resident breeding species from central Mexico to northeastern Peru and Surinam.-Description:...
Henicorhina leucosticta - Nightingale Wren Microcerculus philomela
Mockingbirds
Order: Passeriformes. Family: MimidaeThe mimids are a family of passerine birds that includes thrasher
Thrasher
Thrashers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the Mimidae family. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genera.These do not form a clade but are a phenetic assemblage...
s, mockingbird
Mockingbird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera...
s, trembler
Trembler
Tremblers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the Mimidae family. There are 2-4 species in one genus, Cinclocerthia:...
s, and the New World catbirds. These birds are notable for their vocalizations, especially their ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. Their colouring tends towards dull greys and browns . There are 35 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Belize.
- Gray CatbirdGray CatbirdThe Gray Catbird , also spelled Grey Catbird, is a medium-sized northern American perching bird of the mimid family. It is the only member of the "catbird" genus Dumetella...
Dumetella carolinensis - Black CatbirdBlack CatbirdThe Black Catbird is a songbird species in the monotypic genus Melanoptila of the family Mimidae. At 24 grams and 20 cm, it is the smallest mimid.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico...
Melanoptila glabrirostris Near-threatened - Tropical MockingbirdTropical MockingbirdThe Tropical Mockingbird, Mimus gilvus, is a resident breeding bird from southern Mexico south to northern Brazil, and in the Lesser Antilles and other Caribbean islands. The birds in Panama and Trinidad may have been introduced. The Northern Mockingbird is its closest living relative, but the...
Mimus gilvus
Thrushes, Solitaires and Bluebirds
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Turdidae
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs. There are 335 species worldwide and 12 species which occur in Belize.
- Eastern BluebirdEastern BluebirdThe Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a small thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards, and most recently can be spotted in suburban areas. It is the state bird of Missouri and New York....
Sialia sialis - Brown-backed SolitaireBrown-backed SolitaireThe Brown-backed Solitaire is considered a thrush and is placed in the family Turdidae. It is a medium-sized bird about 21 centimeters long...
Myadestes occidentalis (A) - Slate-colored Solitaire Myadestes unicolor
- Orange-billed Nightingale-ThrushOrange-billed Nightingale-thrushThe Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family.It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela....
Catharus aurantiirostris - Ruddy-capped Nightingale-ThrushRuddy-capped Nightingale-thrushThe Ruddy-capped Nightingale-thrush is a small thrush which is a resident breeder in mountain forests from central Mexico to western Panama. A predominantly brown-plumaged bird, it has a rich song.-Taxonomy and naming:...
Catharus frantzii - VeeryVeeryThe Veery, Catharus fuscescens, is a small thrush species. It is occasionally called Willow Thrush or Wilson's Thrush. It is a member of a close-knit group of migrant Catharus species, which also includes the cryptotaxa Grey-cheeked Thrush and Bicknell's Thrush The Veery, Catharus fuscescens, is a...
Catharus fuscescens - Gray-cheeked ThrushGray-cheeked ThrushThe Grey-cheeked Thrush, Catharus minimus, is a medium-sized thrush. This species is 15–17 cm in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing pattern characteristic of Catharus thrushes. It is a member of a close-knit group of migrant species together with the Veery and Bicknell's Thrush ;...
Catharus minimus - Swainson's ThrushSwainson's ThrushSwainson's Thrush , also called Olive-backed Thrush, is a medium-sized thrush. This species is 16–18 cm in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing pattern characteristic of Catharus thrushes...
Catharus ustulatus - Wood ThrushWood ThrushThe Wood Thrush, Hylocichla mustelina, is a North American passerine bird. It is closely related to other thrushes such as the American Robin and is widely distributed across North America, wintering in Central America and southern Mexico...
Hylocichla mustelina - Clay-colored Robin Turdus grayi
- White-throated ThrushWhite-throated ThrushThe White-throated Thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and the United States....
Turdus assimilis - American RobinAmerican RobinThe American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family...
Turdus migratorius (A)
Gnatcatchers
Order: Passeriformes. Family: PolioptilidaeThese dainty birds resemble Old World warblers in their build and habits, moving restlessly through the foliage seeking insects. The gnatcatchers and gnatwrens are mainly soft bluish grey in colour, and have the typical insectivore's long sharp bill. They are birds of fairly open woodland or scrub, and nest in bushes or trees. There are 15 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in Belize.
- Long-billed GnatwrenLong-billed GnatwrenThe Long-billed Gnatwren is a very small bird in the gnatcatcher family. It is the only member of the genus Ramphocaenus ....
Ramphocaenus melanurus - Blue-gray GnatcatcherBlue-gray GnatcatcherThe Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea, is a very small songbird.Adult males are blue-grey on the upperparts with white underparts and have a long slender bill, long black tail and an angry black unibrow. Females are less blue without the unibrow...
Polioptila caerulea - White-lored GnatcatcherWhite-lored GnatcatcherThe White-lored Gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the Polioptilidae family.It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Polioptila albiloris - Tropical GnatcatcherTropical GnatcatcherThe Tropical Gnatcatcher is a small active insectivorous songbird, which is a resident species throughout a large part of the Neotropics...
Polioptila plumbea
Jays and Ravens
Order: Passeriformes. Family: CorvidaeCorvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s, raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
s, jay
Jay
The jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex...
s, chough
Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
s, magpie
Magpie
Magpies are passerine birds of the crow family, Corvidae.In Europe, "magpie" is often used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie, as there are no other magpies in Europe outside Iberia...
s, treepie
Treepie
The treepies comprise four closely related genera of long-tailed passerine birds in the family Corvidae...
s, nutcracker
Nutcracker (bird)
The nutcrackers are a genus of two species of passerine bird, in the family Corvidae, related to the jays and crows. One, the Spotted Nutcracker , occurs in Europe and Asia, the other, Clark's Nutcracker , in western North America.The most important food resources for both these species are the...
s, and ground jay
Ground jay
The ground jays or ground choughs belong to a distinct group of the passerine order of birds in the genus Podoces of the crow family Corvidae...
s. Corvids are above average in size for the bird order Passeriformes. Some of the larger species show high levels of learning behavior. There are 120 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Belize.
- Steller's JaySteller's JayThe Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay...
Cyanocitta stelleri - Green JayGreen JayThe Green Jay is a bird species of the New World jays, which exhibits distinct regional variations within its large but discontinuous range...
Cyanocorax yncas - Brown JayBrown JayThe Brown Jay is a large American Jay which has the habitus of a magpie, but is slightly smaller and with a shorter tail, though the bill is larger.It occurs from Mexico south into Central America on the Gulf slope...
Cyanocorax morio - Yucatan JayYucatan JayThe Yucatán Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family, the crows and their allies.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, and southern Mexico....
Cyanocorax yucatanicus - Common RavenCommon RavenThe Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids...
Corvus corax
Vireos
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Vireonidae
Vireo
The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are typically dull-plumaged and greenish in color, the smaller species resembling wood warblers apart from their heavier bills...
s are a group of small to medium sized passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are typically greenish in colour and resemble wood warbler
Wood Warbler
The Wood Warbler is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe, and just into the extreme west of Asia in the southern Ural Mountains...
s apart from their heavier bills. There are 52 species worldwide and 17 species which occur in Belize.
- White-eyed VireoWhite-eyed VireoThe White-eyed Vireo, Vireo griseus, is a small songbird. It breeds in the southeastern USA from New Jersey west to northern Missouri and south to Texas and Florida, and also in eastern Mexico, northern Central America, Cuba and the Bahamas....
Vireo griseus - Mangrove VireoMangrove VireoThe Mangrove Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Vireo pallens - Bell's VireoBell's VireoThe Bell's Vireo is a small North American songbird. It is 4-3/4 to 5 inches in length, dull olive-gray above and whitish below...
Vireo bellii Near-threatened - Yellow-throated VireoYellow-throated VireoThe Yellow-throated Vireo, Vireo flavifrons, is a small American songbird.Adults are mainly olive on the head and upperparts with a yellow throat and white belly; they have dark eyes with yellow "spectacles". The tail and wings are dark with white wing bars...
Vireo flavifrons - Plumbeous VireoPlumbeous VireoThe Plumbeous Vireo is a small North American songbird, ranging from far southeastern Montana and western South Dakota south to the Pacific coast of Mexico, including the extreme southern regions of Baja California Sur...
Vireo plumbeus - Blue-headed VireoBlue-headed VireoThe Blue-headed Vireo is a Neotropical migrating song bird found in North and Central America. There are currently two recognized sub-species that belong to the Blue-headed Vireo. It has a range that extends across Canada and the eastern coast of the United-States, Mexico and some of Central America...
Vireo solitarius - Hutton's VireoHutton's VireoHutton's Vireo is a small songbird. It is approximately 5 inches in length, dull olive-gray above and below. It has a faint white eye ring and faint white wing bars. It closely resembles a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but has a thicker bill and is slightly larger in size. Its most common song is a...
Vireo huttoni (A) - Warbling VireoWarbling VireoThe Warbling Vireo, Vireo gilvus, is a small North American songbird.Its breeding habitat is open deciduous and mixed woods from Alaska to Mexico and the Florida Panhandle. It often nests along streams. It migrates to Mexico and Central America....
Vireo gilvus - Philadelphia VireoPhiladelphia VireoThe Philadelphia Vireo, Vireo philadelphicus, is a small songbird.Adults are mainly olive-brown on the upperparts with yellow underparts; they have dark eyes and a grey crown. There is a dark line through the eyes and a white stripe just over them. They have thick blue-grey legs and a stout...
Vireo philadelphicus - Red-eyed VireoRed-eyed VireoThe Red-eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus, is a small American songbird, 13–14 cm in length. It is somewhat warbler-like but not closely related to the New World warblers...
Vireo olivaceus - Yellow-green VireoYellow-green VireoThe Yellow-green Vireo, Vireo flavoviridis, is a small passerine bird. It breeds from southern Texas in the United States and the western and eastern mountain ranges of northern Mexico south to central Panama...
Vireo flavoviridis - Black-whiskered VireoBlack-whiskered VireoThe Black-whiskered Vireo, Vireo altiloquus, is a small passerine bird, which breeds in southern Florida, USA, and the West Indies as far south as the offshore islands of Venezuela. It is a partial migrant, with northern birds wintering from the Greater Antilles to northern South America...
Vireo altiloquus (A) - Yucatan VireoYucatan VireoThe Yucatan Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is found in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. There is a well-documented record from High Island, Texas, in 1984, but this is the only record for the United States....
Vireo magister - Tawny-crowned GreenletTawny-crowned GreenletThe Tawny-crowned Greenlet is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist...
Hylophilus ochraceiceps - Lesser GreenletLesser GreenletThe Lesser Greenlet, Hylophilus decurtatus, is a small passerine bird in the vireo family. It breeds from northeastern Mexico south to western Ecuador....
Hylophilus decurtatus - Green Shrike-VireoGreen Shrike-vireoThe Green Shrike-vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Vireolanius pulchellus - Rufous-browed PeppershrikeRufous-browed PeppershrikeThe Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Cyclarhis gujanensis, is a passerine bird in the vireo family. It is widespread and often common in woodland, forest edge, and cultivation with some tall trees from Mexico and Trinidad south to Argentina and Uruguay....
Cyclarhis gujanensis
New World warblers
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Parulidae
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
s are a group of small, often colourful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal, but some are terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores. There are 119 species worldwide and 47 species which occur in Belize.
- Blue-winged WarblerBlue-winged WarblerThe Blue-winged Warbler, Vermivora cyanoptera, is a fairly common New World warbler, 11.5 cm long and weighing 8.5 g. It breeds in eastern North America in southern Ontario and the eastern USA. Its range is extending northwards, where it is replacing the very closely related...
Vermivora pinus - Golden-winged WarblerGolden-winged WarblerThe Golden-winged Warbler, Vermivora chrysoptera, is a New World warbler, 11.6 cm long and weighing 8.5 g. It breeds in eastern North America, southeastern Canada and the eastern USA...
Vermivora chrysoptera Near-threatened - Tennessee WarblerTennessee WarblerThe Tennessee Warbler, Oreothlypis peregrina, is a New World warbler. It breeds in northern North America across Canada and the northern USA. It is migratory, wintering in southern Central America and northern Colombia and Venezuela, with a few stragglers going as far south as Ecuador. It is a...
Vermivora peregrina - Orange-crowned WarblerOrange-crowned WarblerThe Orange-crowned Warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.These birds are distinguished by their lack of wing bars, streaking on the underparts, strong face marking or bright colouring, resembling a fall Tennessee Warbler. The orange patch on the crown is usually not visible...
Vermivora celata - Nashville WarblerNashville WarblerThe Nashville Warbler, Vermivora ruficapilla, is a small songbird in the New World warbler family.They have olive-brown upperparts, a white belly and a yellow throat and breast; they have a white eye ring, no wing bars and a thin pointed bill. Adult males have a grey head with a rusty crown patch ;...
Vermivora ruficapilla - Virginia's WarblerVirginia's WarblerVirginia's Warbler is a species of New World warbler.Despite what its name may suggest, Virginia's warbler is not actually named after the American State of Virginia, which makes sense as the birds range only reaches as far east as the state of Texas...
Vermivora virginiae - Northern ParulaNorthern ParulaThe Northern Parula, Parula americana, is a small New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida....
Parula americana - Tropical ParulaTropical ParulaThe Tropical Parula is a small New World warbler. It breeds from southernmost Texas and northwest Mexico south through Central America to northern Argentina, including Trinidad and Tobago. This widespread and common species is not considered threatened by the IUCN.This passerine is not migratory,...
Parula pitiayumi (A) - Yellow WarblerYellow WarblerDendroica petechia is a New World warbler species or superspecies; the subspecies group around D. aestiva is increasingly treated as good species Dendroica aestiva again. The name for the entire cryptic species complex is Mangrove Warbler, and another group of subspecies is known as Golden Warbler...
Dendroica petechia - Chestnut-sided WarblerChestnut-sided WarblerThe Chestnut-sided Warbler is a New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America and in southern Canada westwards to the Canadian Prairies...
Dendroica pensylvanica - Magnolia WarblerMagnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia, commonly known as the Magnolia warbler, is a member of the Parulidae family of wood warblers. [4] This warbler was first discovered in magnolia trees in the 19th century by famed ornithologist Alexander Wilson while in Mississippi. [7]-Description:The magnolia warbler can be...
Dendroica magnolia - Cape May WarblerCape May WarblerThe Cape May Warbler, Dendroica tigrina, is a small New World warbler. It breeds in northern North America. Its breeding habitat spans across all but the westernmost parts of southern Canada, and into the Great Lakes region and New England. It is migratory, wintering in the West Indies...
Dendroica tigrina - Black-throated Blue WarblerBlack-throated Blue WarblerThe Black-throated Blue Warbler, Setophaga caerulescens, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.Adult males have white underparts with black throat, face and flanks; the upperparts are deep blue; immature males are similar with upperparts more greenish...
Dendroica caerulescens - Yellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerFour closely related North American bird forms—the eastern Myrtle Warbler , its western counterpart, Audubon's Warbler , the northwest Mexican Black-fronted Warbler , and the Guatemalan Goldman's Warbler —are periodically lumped as the Yellow-rumped Warbler .-Classification:Since...
Dendroica coronata - Black-throated Gray WarblerBlack-throated Gray WarblerThe Black-throated Gray Warbler is a songbird of the New World warbler family. It is 13 cm long and has black, grey, and white plumage. It breeds in western North America from British Columbia to New Mexico, and winters in Mexico and the southwestern United States...
Dendroica nigrescens (A) - Golden-cheeked WarblerGolden-cheeked WarblerThe Golden-cheeked Warbler Dendroica chrysoparia is an endangered species of bird that breeds in Central Texas, from Palo Pinto County southwestward along the eastern and southern edge of the Edwards Plateau to Kinney County...
Dendroica chrysoparia (A) Endangered - Black-throated Green WarblerBlack-throated Green WarblerThe Black-throated Green Warbler, Setophaga virens, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.It is 12 cm long and weighs 9 g, and has an olive-green crown, a yellow face with olive markings, a thin pointed bill, white wing bars, an olive-green back and pale underparts with...
Dendroica virens - Hermit WarblerHermit WarblerThe Hermit Warbler, Dendroica occidentalis, is a small perching bird. It is a species of New World warbler.Mature Hermit Warblers normally grow to be 4½ to 5 inches long. Hermit Warblers are dark gray in coloration on top, and white below, and their flanks are streaked with black. The wings...
Dendroica occidentalis (A) - Blackburnian WarblerBlackburnian WarblerThe Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca , is a small New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America, from southern Canada, westwards to the southern Canadian Prairies, the Great Lakes region and New England, to North Carolina....
Dendroica fusca - Yellow-throated WarblerYellow-throated WarblerThe Yellow-throated Warbler, Dendroica dominica, is a small migratory songbird species breeding in temperate North America. It belongs to the New World warbler family .-Description:...
Dendroica dominica - Grace's WarblerGrace's WarblerGrace's Warbler, Dendroica graciae, is a small perching bird and a species of New World warbler.Grace's Warbler was discovered by Dr. Elliott Coues in the Rocky Mountains in 1864...
Dendroica graciae - Pine WarblerPine WarblerThe Pine Warbler, Dendroica pinus, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.These birds have white bellies, white wing bars, dark legs and thin, relatively long pointed bills; they have yellowish lines over their eyes. Adult males have olive upperparts and bright yellow throats and...
Dendroica pinus - Prairie WarblerPrairie WarblerThe Prairie Warbler, Dendroica discolor, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive upperparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot...
Dendroica discolor - Palm WarblerPalm WarblerThe Palm Warbler, Dendroica palmarum, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.The species comprises two distinct subspecies that may merit specific status....
Dendroica palmarum - Bay-breasted WarblerBay-breasted WarblerThe Bay-breasted Warbler, Dendroica castanea , is a New World warbler. They breed in northern North America, specifically in Canada, into the Great Lakes region, and into northern New England....
Dendroica castanea - Blackpoll WarblerBlackpoll WarblerThe Blackpoll Warbler, Dendroica striata , is a New World warbler. Breeding males are mostly black and white. They have a prominent black cap, white cheeks and white wing bars. The Blackpoll breeds in northern North America, from Alaska, through most of Canada, and into the Great Lakes region and...
Dendroica striata - Cerulean WarblerCerulean WarblerThe Cerulean Warbler, Dendroica cerulea, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.-Description:Adult males have pale cerulean blue upperparts and white underparts with a black necklace across the breast; they also have black streaks on the back and flanks...
Dendroica cerulea Vulnerable - Black-and-white WarblerBlack-and-white WarblerThe Black-and-white Warbler is a small New World warbler. It breeds in northern and eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida....
Mniotilta varia - American RedstartAmerican RedstartThe American Redstart is a New World warbler. It is the only member of its genus and is unrelated to the Old World redstarts. It derives its name from the male's red tail, start being an old word for tail.-Description:...
Setophaga ruticilla - Prothonotary WarblerProthonotary WarblerThe Prothonotary Warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. It is the only member of the genus Protonotaria....
Protonotaria citrea - Worm-eating WarblerWorm-eating WarblerThe Worm-eating Warbler is a small New World warbler. It is the only species classified in the genus Helmitheros....
Helmitheros vermivorus - Swainson's WarblerSwainson's WarblerSwainson's Warbler, Limnothlypis swainsonii, is a small species of New World warbler. It is monotypic, the only member of the genus Limnothlypis.-Description:...
Limnothlypis swainsonii - OvenbirdOvenbirdThe Ovenbird is a small songbird of the New World warbler family . This migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and moves south in winter.-Taxonomy:...
Seiurus aurocapilla - Northern WaterthrushNorthern WaterthrushThe Northern Waterthrush is one of the larger New World warblers. It breeds in the northern part of North America in Canada, and in the northern United States, . This bird is migratory, wintering in Central America, the West Indies, and Florida; also Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador...
Seiurus noveboracensis - Louisiana WaterthrushLouisiana WaterthrushThe Louisiana Waterthrush is a New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America from southernmost Canada and south through the eastern USA, excluding Florida and the coast....
Seiurus motacilla - Kentucky WarblerKentucky WarblerThe Kentucky Warbler, Oporornis formosus, is a small species of New World warbler. The Kentucky Warbler, like all members of the genus Oporornis, is a sluggish and heavy warbler with a short tail, preferring to spend most of its time on or near the ground, except when singing.Adult Kentucky...
Oporornis formosus - Connecticut WarblerConnecticut WarblerThe Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.These 15 cm long birds have light yellow underparts and olive upperparts; they have a light eye ring, pink legs, a long tail, pale wing bars and a thin pointed bill...
Oporornis agilis - Mourning WarblerMourning WarblerThe Mourning Warbler, Oporornis philadelphia, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.These 13 cm long birds have yellow underparts, olive-green upperparts and pink legs. Adult males have a grey hood and a black patch on the throat and breast...
Oporornis philadelphia - Common YellowthroatCommon YellowthroatThe Common Yellowthroat is a New World warbler. They are abundant breeders in North America, ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico....
Geothlypis trichas - Gray-crowned Yellowthroat Geothlypis poliocephala
- Hooded WarblerHooded WarblerThe Hooded Warbler, Wilsonia citrina, is a New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America and across the eastern USA and into southernmost Canada, . It is migratory, wintering in Central America and the West Indies...
Wilsonia citrina - Wilson's WarblerWilson's WarblerThe Wilson's Warbler, Wilsonia pusilla, is a small New World warbler. It is primarily greenish above and yellow below, with rounded wings and a long, slim tail. The male has a black crown patch which is greatly reduced or missing entirely in the female...
Wilsonia pusilla - Canada WarblerCanada WarblerThe Canada Warbler is a small 13 cm long songbird of the New World warbler family.These birds have yellow underparts, blue-grey upperparts and pink legs; they also have yellow eye-rings and thin, pointed bills. Adult males have black foreheads and black necklaces...
Wilsonia canadensis - Golden-crowned WarblerGolden-crowned WarblerThe Golden-crowned Warbler, Basileuterus culicivorus, is a small New World warbler.-Distribution and habitat:It breeds from Mexico and south through Central America to northeastern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. It is a species mainly of lowland forests.-Description:The Golden-crowned...
Basileuterus culicivorus - Rufous-capped WarblerRufous-capped WarblerThe Rufous-capped Warbler is a New World warbler native from Mexico south to much of Central America, rarely occurring as far north as southeastern Arizona and south Texas....
Basileuterus rufifrons - Yellow-breasted ChatYellow-breasted ChatThe Yellow-breasted Chat is a large songbird, formerly considered the most atypical member of the New World warbler family, though the long-standing suspicion is that it does not actually belong there. Its placement is not definitely resolved. It is the only member of the genus Icteria...
Icteria virens - Gray-throated Chat Granatellus sallaei
Bananaquit
Order: Passeriformes. Family: CoerebidaeThe Bananaquit is a small passerine bird. It has a slender, curved bill, adapted to taking nectar from flowers and is the only member of the genus Coereba (Vieillot, 1809) and is normally placed within the family Coerebidae, although there is uncertainty whether that placement is correct.
- BananaquitBananaquitThe Bananaquit is a species of passerine bird of uncertain relation. It is tentatively placed in the tanager family, but classified as incertae sedis by other authorities such as the American Ornithologists' Union. Its classification is debated, and it is often placed in its own family: Coerebidae...
Coereba flaveola
Tanagers
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Thraupidae
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Tanager
The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has an American distribution.There were traditionally about 240 species of tanagers, but the taxonomic treatment of this family's members is currently in a state of flux...
s are a large group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World, mainly in the tropics. Many species are brightly coloured. They are seed eaters, but their preference tends towards fruit and nectar. Most have short, rounded wings. There are 256 species worldwide and 27 species which occur in Belize.
- Common Bush-TanagerCommon Bush-TanagerThe Common Bush-tanager is a small passerine bird. It is a resident breeder in the highlands from central Mexico south to Bolivia and northwest Argentina. C. ophthalmicus in the loose sense is a notorious cryptic species complex, and several of the up to 25 subspecies recognized in recent times...
Chlorospingus ophthalmicus - Gray-headed Tanager Eucometis penicillata
- Black-throated Shrike-TanagerBlack-throated Shrike-tanagerThe Black-throated Shrike-tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
Lanio aurantius - Red-crowned Ant-TanagerRed-crowned Ant-TanagerThe Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Habia rubica, is a medium-sized passerine bird from tropical America. The genus Habia was long placed with the tanagers , but it is actually closer to the cardinals...
Habia rubica - Red-throated Ant-TanagerRed-throated Ant-TanagerThe Red-throated Ant-tanager, Habia fuscicauda, is a medium-sized passerine bird. This species is a resident breeder on the Caribbean slopes from southeastern Mexico to eastern Panama. It was usually considered an aberrant kind of tanager and placed in the Thraupidae, but is actually closer to the...
Habia fuscicauda - Rose-throated TanagerRose-throated TanagerThe Rose-throated Tanager is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family...
Piranga roseogularis - Hepatic TanagerHepatic TanagerThe Hepatic Tanager, Piranga flava, is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family...
Piranga flava - Scarlet TanagerScarlet TanagerThe Scarlet Tanager is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family . The species's plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family.-Description:Adults have pale...
Piranga olivacea - Summer TanagerSummer TanagerThe Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra, is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family...
Piranga rubra - Western TanagerWestern TanagerThe Western Tanager, Piranga ludoviciana, is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family...
Piranga ludoviciana - Flame-colored TanagerFlame-colored TanagerThe Flame-colored Tanager, Piranga bidentata, formerly known as the Stripe-backed Tanager, is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family...
Piranga bidentata (A) - White-winged TanagerWhite-winged TanagerThe White-winged Tanager is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family . The species's plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family...
Piranga leucoptera - Red-headed TanagerRed-headed TanagerThe Red-headed Tanager , is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family . The species's plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family...
Piranga erythrocephala (A) - Crimson-collared TanagerCrimson-collared TanagerThe Crimson-collared Tanager, Ramphocelus sanguinolentus, is a rather small Middle American songbird. It was first described by the French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson in 1831, its specific epithet from the Latin adjective sanguinolentus, "bloodied", referring to its red plumage.-Taxonomy:This...
Ramphocelus sanguinolentus - Passerini's TanagerPasserini's TanagerPasserini's Tanager, Ramphocelus passerinii, is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is a resident breeder in the Caribbean lowlands from southern Mexico to western Panama...
Ramphocelus passerinii - Blue-gray TanagerBlue-gray TanagerThe Blue-grey Tanager, Thraupis episcopus, is a medium-sized South American songbird of the Tanager family, Thraupidae. Its range is from Mexico south to northeast Bolivia and northern Brazil, all of the Amazon Basin, except the very south. It has been introduced to Lima...
Thraupis episcopus - Yellow-winged TanagerYellow-winged TanagerThe Yellow-winged Tanager, Thraupis abbas, is a neotropical member of the tanager family. It is of average size for a tanager, about 18 centimetres . It is distinguished by the yellow patches on its dusky green wings, marking an otherwise dark bluish and gray body. It has a pale lavender tone on...
Thraupis abbas - Scrub EuphoniaScrub EuphoniaThe Scrub Euphonia is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former...
Euphonia affinis - Yellow-throated EuphoniaYellow-throated EuphoniaThe Yellow-throated Euphonia is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Euphonia hirundinacea - Elegant Euphonia Euphonia elegantissima (A)
- Olive-backed EuphoniaOlive-backed EuphoniaThe Olive-backed Euphonia, Euphonia gouldi, is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in the Caribbean lowlands and foothills from southern Mexico to western Panama....
Euphonia gouldi - White-vented EuphoniaWhite-vented EuphoniaThe White-vented Euphonia is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family.It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist...
Euphonia minuta (A) - Rufous-winged TanagerRufous-winged TanagerThe Rufous-winged Tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Tangara lavinia - Golden-hooded TanagerGolden-hooded TanagerThe Golden-hooded Tanager, Tangara larvata, is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is a resident breeder from southern Mexico south to western Ecuador....
Tangara larvata - Green HoneycreeperGreen HoneycreeperThe Green Honeycreeper is a small bird in the tanager family. It is found in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to Brazil, and on Trinidad. It the only member of the genus Chlorophanes...
Chlorophanes spiza - Shining HoneycreeperShining HoneycreeperThe Shining Honeycreeper is a small bird in the tanager family. It is found in the tropical New World in Central America from southern Mexico to Panama and northwest Colombia. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the Purple Honeycreeper The Shining Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes lucidus) is...
Cyanerpes lucidus - Red-legged HoneycreeperRed-legged HoneycreeperThe Red-legged Honeycreeper is a small songbird species in the tanager family . It is found in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and on Cuba, where possibly introduced.-Description:The Red-legged Honeycreeper is on average...
Cyanerpes cyaneus
American sparrows, Yellow-finches and Honeycreepers
Order: Passeriformes. Family: EmberizidaeEmberizidae
The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill. In Europe, most species are named as buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as Sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns. There are species 275 worldwide and 24 species which occur in Belize.
- Blue-black GrassquitBlue-black GrassquitThe Blue-black Grassquit is a small bird in the tanager family, Thraupidae. It was previously classified in the bunting and American sparrow family, Emberizidae. It breeds from southern Mexico through Central America, and South America as far as northern Chile, Argentina and Paraguay, and on...
Volatinia jacarina - Slate-colored Seedeater Sporophila schistacea
- Variable SeedeaterVariable SeedeaterThe Variable Seedeater, Sporophila corvina, is a passerine bird which breeds from southern Mexico through Central America to the Chocó of north-western South America. The taxonomy is confusing, and it was formerly considered a subspecies of Sporophila americana...
Sporophila corvina - White-collared SeedeaterWhite-collared SeedeaterThe White-collared Seedeater is a passerine bird in the typical seedeater genus Sporophila.-Taxonomy:The subspecies S. t...
Sporophila torqueola - Nicaraguan Seed-FinchNicaraguan Seed-finchThe Nicaraguan Seed-finch is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family. It is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama....
Oryzoborus nuttingi - Thick-billed Seed-FinchThick-billed Seed-finchThe Thick-billed Seed-finch is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family, but was until recently placed in Emberizidae. It is found widely in shrubby and grassy areas from southern Mexico, through Central America, to the Chocó in Colombia and Ecuador...
Oryzoborus funereus - Blue SeedeaterBlue SeedeaterThe Blue Seedeater is a species of bird in the family Cardinalidae. It was formerly placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae. It is found in highland forest and woodland, mainly near bamboo, in southern Mexico and Central America with a disjunct population in south-western Colombia,...
Amaurospiza concolor - Yellow-faced GrassquitYellow-faced GrassquitThe Yellow-faced Grassquit is a passerine bird from the Central American tropics and surrounding regions. It was formerly alled with the American sparrows and placed in the Emberizidae; actually, however, it is one of the tholospizan "finches" which are specialized tanagers...
Tiaris olivacea (A) - Grassland Yellow-FinchGrassland Yellow-finchThe Grassland Yellow Finch, Sicalis luteola, is a small passerine bird. Despite its name, it is not a finch, but is a seedeater. These were formerly united with the buntings and American sparrows in the Emberizidae, but are now known to be tanagers....
Sicalis luteola - Orange-billed SparrowOrange-billed SparrowThe Orange-billed Sparrow is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family.In Central America it is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama...
Arremon aurantiirostris - Olive SparrowOlive SparrowThe Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus, is a species of American sparrow in the family Emberizidae. Its range includes Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and southern Texas .It is long, and is the only sparrow with an olive back...
Arremonops rufivirgatus - Green-backed SparrowGreen-backed SparrowThe Green-backed Sparrow is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico....
Arremonops chloronotus - Botteri's SparrowBotteri's SparrowThe Botteri's Sparrow, Aimophila botterii, is a medium-sized sparrow.This passerine bird is primarily found in Mexico, with a breeding range that extends into the southeastern tip of the U.S...
Aimophila botterii - Rusty SparrowRusty SparrowThe Rusty Sparrow is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Aimophila rufescens - Chipping SparrowChipping SparrowThe Chipping Sparrow is a species of American sparrow in the family Emberizidae. It is widespread, fairly tame, and common across most of its North American range.-Description:...
Spizella passerina - Clay-colored SparrowClay-colored SparrowThe Clay-colored Sparrow is a small sparrow of North America.-Overview:Adults have light brown upperparts and pale underparts, with darker streaks on the back. They have a pale crown stripe on a dark brown crown, a white line over the eyes, a dark line through the eyes, a light brown cheek patch...
Spizella pallida (A) - Vesper SparrowVesper SparrowThe Vesper Sparrow is a medium-sized American sparrow. It is the only member of the genus Pooecetes.Adults have light brown upperparts and light underparts, both with darker streaking. They have a white eye ring and a long dark brown tail which shows white outer feathers in flight.Their breeding...
Pooecetes gramineus (A) - Lark SparrowLark SparrowThe Lark Sparrow is a fairly large American sparrow. It is the only member of the genus Chondestes.This passerine bird breeds in southern Canada, much of the United States, and northern Mexico. It is much less common in the east, where its range is contracting...
Chondestes grammacus (A) - Lark BuntingLark BuntingThe Lark Bunting is a medium-sized sparrow. It is monotypic, the only member of the genus Calamospiza .-Overview:...
Calamospiza melanocorys (A) - Savannah SparrowSavannah SparrowThe Savannah Sparrow is a small American sparrow. It is the only widely accepted member of the genus Passerculus...
Passerculus sandwichensis - Grasshopper SparrowGrasshopper SparrowThe Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum, is a small sparrow. The Ammodramus genus of 11 species inhabit grasslands and marshes....
Ammodramus savannarum - Lincoln's SparrowLincoln's SparrowThe Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, is a medium-sized sparrow.Adults have dark-streaked olive-brown upperparts with a light brown breast with fine streaks, a white belly, and a white throat. They have a brown cap with a grey stripe in the middle, olive-brown wings, and a narrow tail. Their...
Melospiza lincolnii - White-crowned SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowThe White-crowned Sparrow is a medium-sized sparrow native to North America.- Description :Adults are long and have black and white stripes on their head, a grey face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are grey. Their bill is pink or yellow...
Zonotrichia leucophrys (A) - Rufous-collared SparrowRufous-collared SparrowThe Rufous-collared Sparrow, Zonotrichia capensis, is an American sparrow found in a wide range of habitats, often near humans, from the extreme southeast of Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, and on the island of Hispaniola. It is famous for its diverse vocalizations which have been intensely studied...
Zonotrichia capensis
Cardinals, Saltators, Grosbeaks and North American buntings
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Cardinalidae
- Grayish SaltatorGrayish SaltatorThe Greyish Saltator, Saltator coerulescens, is a seed-eating songbird that is widespread in the tropical Americas. Traditionally placed in the cardinal family , the saltators actually seem to be closer to the tanagers...
Saltator coerulescens - Buff-throated SaltatorBuff-throated SaltatorThe Buff-throated Saltator, Saltator maximus, is a seedeating bird. Traditionally placed in the cardinal family , it actually seems to be closer to the tanagers . It breeds from southeastern Mexico to western Ecuador and northeastern Brazil.This is the type species of Saltator...
Saltator maximus - Black-headed SaltatorBlack-headed SaltatorThe Black-headed Saltator, Saltator atriceps, is a seedeating bird. Traditionally placed in the cardinal family , it actually seems to be closer to the tanagers . It breeds from central Mexico to eastern Panama....
Saltator atriceps - Black-faced GrosbeakBlack-faced GrosbeakThe Black-faced Grosbeak, Caryothraustes poliogaster, is a large seed-eating bird in the cardinal family, which is a resident breeding species from southeastern Mexico to eastern Panama....
Caryothraustes poliogaster - Northern CardinalNorthern CardinalThe Northern Cardinal or Redbird or Common Cardinal is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis. It can be found in southern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico...
Cardinalis cardinalis - Rose-breasted GrosbeakRose-breasted GrosbeakThe Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus, is a large seed-eating songbird in the cardinal family . It breeds in cool-temperate North America, migrating to tropical America in winter.-Description:...
Pheucticus ludovicianus - Blue BuntingBlue BuntingThe Blue Bunting is a species of passerine bird found in northern Central America. Measuring in length with a wingspan of , it is one of the smaller members of its genus. Like most buntings, the Blue Bunting is sexually dimorphic...
Cyanocompsa parellina - Blue-black GrosbeakBlue-black GrosbeakThe Blue-black Grosbeak is a species of songbird in the Cardinalidae family.It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela...
Cyanocompsa cyanoides - Blue GrosbeakBlue GrosbeakBlue Grosbeak , is a medium-sized seed-eating bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, "tropical" or New World buntings, and "cardinal-grosbeaks" or New World grosbeaks....
Passerina caerulea - Indigo BuntingIndigo BuntingThe Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea, is a small seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season, and from southern Florida to northern South America during the winter. It often migrates by night, using the...
Passerina cyanea - Painted BuntingPainted BuntingThe Painted Bunting is a species of bird in the Cardinal family, Cardinalidae, that is native to North America.-Taxonomy:...
Passerina ciris Near-threatened - DickcisselDickcisselThe Dickcissel is a small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is the only member of the genus Spiza, though some sources list another supposedly extinct species...
Spiza americana
Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, Cowbirds, Grackles, Orioles, Caciques and Oropendolas
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Icteridae
Grackle
Grackle can refer to any of eleven black passerine birds native to North and South America. All are members of the Icterid family but belong to multiple genera.* Genus Quiscalus** Boat-tailed Grackle, Quiscalus major...
s, New World blackbird
New World blackbird
The New World blackbirds consist of 26 species of icterid birds that share the name blackbird but do not correspond with a formal taxon...
s, and New World oriole
New World oriole
New World orioles, comprising the genus Icterus, are a group of birds in the blackbird family. They are not related to Old World orioles which are in the family Oriolidae, but are strikingly similar in size, diet, behaviour and in their strongly contrasting plumage, and are a good example of...
s. Most species have black as the predominant plumage colour, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. There are 98 species worldwide and 19 species which occur in Belize.
- BobolinkBobolinkThe Bobolink is a small New World blackbird and the only member of genus Dolichonyx.-Description:Adults are 16–18 cm long with short finch-like bills. They weigh about . Adult males are mostly black, although they do display creamy napes, and white scapulars, lower backs and rumps...
Dolichonyx oryzivorus - Red-winged BlackbirdRed-winged BlackbirdThe Red-winged Blackbird is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and...
Agelaius phoeniceus - Eastern MeadowlarkEastern MeadowlarkThe Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna, is a medium-sized icterid bird, very similar in appearance to the Western Meadowlark. It occurs from eastern North America to South America, where it is also most widespread in the east.-Description:...
Sturnella magna - Melodious BlackbirdMelodious BlackbirdThe Melodious Blackbird, Dives dives, is a New World tropical icterid bird. It is a resident breeder from coastal eastern and southeastern Mexico to Costa Rica. Its range is expanding. El Salvador was colonised in the 1950s, and eastern Guatemala in the 1960s...
Dives dives - Great-tailed GrackleGreat-tailed GrackleThe Great-tailed Grackle is a medium-sized, gregarious passerine bird native to North and South America. A member of the Icteridae family, it is of the ten extant species of grackle and is closely related to the Red-bellied Grackle and the Velvet-fronted Grackle...
Quiscalus mexicanus - Bronzed CowbirdBronzed CowbirdThe Bronzed Cowbird , Molothrus aeneus, is a small icterid.It breeds from the southern U.S. states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana south through Central America to Panama. An isolated population on the Caribbean coast of Colombia is sometimes treated as a separate species,...
Molothrus aeneus - Brown-headed CowbirdBrown-headed CowbirdThe Brown-headed Cowbird is a small brood parasitic icterid of temperate to subtropical North America. They are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat around March or...
Molothrus ater (A) - Giant CowbirdGiant CowbirdThe Giant Cowbird, Molothrus oryzivorus, is a large passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina, and on Trinidad and Tobago. It may have relatively recently colonised the latter island....
Molothrus oryzivorus - Yellow-backed OrioleYellow-backed OrioleThe Yellow-backed Oriole is a species of bird in the Icteridae family.-Physical description:Yellow-backed orioles are a yellow-bodied, sexually monomorphic species. Howell and Webb note that this species tends to average 21.5 cm in length from beak to tail; making Icterus chrysater a...
Icterus chrysater - Orange OrioleOrange OrioleThe Orange Oriole is a species of bird in the Icteridae family. It is found in Belize and Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and heavily degraded former forest.-References:...
Icterus auratus - Yellow-tailed OrioleYellow-tailed OrioleThe Yellow-tailed Oriole, Icterus mesomelas, is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds from southern Mexico to western Peru and northwestern Venezuela; in Peru it also lives in a river valley corridor....
Icterus mesomelas - Altamira OrioleAltamira OrioleThe Altamira Oriole, Icterus gularis, is a New World oriole. The bird is widespread in subtropical lowlands of the Mexican Gulf Coast and northern Central America, the Pacific coast and inland. It also can be found in the extreme south of Texas, .At 25 cm and 56 grams, this is the...
Icterus gularis - Hooded OrioleHooded OrioleThe Hooded Oriole, Icterus cucullatus, is a medium-sized New World oriole.Adults have a pointed bill and white wing bars. The adult male has an orange head with black on the face and throat; they are black on the back, wings and tail, orange on the underparts...
Icterus cucullatus - Baltimore OrioleBaltimore OrioleThe Baltimore Oriole is a small icterid blackbird that averages 18 cm long and weighs 34 g. This bird received its name from the fact that the male's colors resemble those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore...
Icterus galbula - Orchard OrioleOrchard OrioleThe Orchard Oriole, Icterus spurius, is the smallest North American species of icterid blackbird. The subspecies of the Caribbean coast of Mexico, I. s. fuertesi, is sometimes considered a separate species, the Ochre Oriole....
Icterus spurius - Black-cowled OrioleBlack-cowled OrioleThe Black-cowled Oriole is a species of bird in the Icteridae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and possibly Honduras....
Icterus prosthemelas - Yellow-billed CaciqueYellow-billed CaciqueThe Yellow-billed Cacique is a species of bird in the Icteridae family. It is monotypic within the genus Amblycercus....
Amblycercus holosericeus - Chestnut-headed OropendolaChestnut-headed OropendolaThe Chestnut-headed Oropendola is a New World tropical icterid bird. The scientific name of the species commemorates Johann Georg Wagler, who established Psarocolius, the oropendola genus.-Description:...
Psarocolius wagleri - Montezuma OropendolaMontezuma OropendolaThe Montezuma Oropendola, Psarocolius montezuma, is a New World tropical icterid bird. It is a resident breeder in the Caribbean coastal lowlands from southeastern Mexico to central Panama, but is absent from El Salvador and southern Guatemala. It also occurs on the Pacific slope of Nicaragua and...
Gymnostinops montezuma
Fringilline finches, Cardueline finches and allies
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Fringillidae.jpg)
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. There are 137 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Belize.
- Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
- Black-headed SiskinBlack-headed SiskinThe Black-headed Siskin is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
Carduelis notata - Lesser GoldfinchLesser GoldfinchThe Lesser Goldfinch or Dark-backed Goldfinch is a very small songbird of the Americas. Together with its relatives the American Goldfinch and Lawrence's Goldfinch, it forms the American goldfinches clade in the genus Carduelis sensu stricto.The American goldfinches can be distinguished by the...
Carduelis psaltria
Sparrows
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Passeridae
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed-eaters, and they also consume small insects. There are 35 species worldwide and 1 species which was introduced to Belize.
- House SparrowHouse SparrowThe House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
Passer domesticus (I)
External links
- Birds of Belize Birdlist, multi-lingual website by country with standardized codes for abundance and seasonal presence.