Pomona Valley Audubon -
Chaparral Naturalist Archives

Nothing will ever replace birding in California. We are blessed with a wide variety of marvelous places to bird, from the grandeur of the rugged mountains to remote places in the deserts to the turbulent seacoasts of the north. And we have a most impressive bird list from pelagic species to summer and winter visitors to a wide array of residents, migrants and exciting vagrants.

But we don't have tinamous and toucans; antbirds, antpittas, anthrushes, antvireos, antwrens, antshrikes and anttanagers. Those can be found in the New World Tropics and sooner or later all of us, helped along by articles in the popular press, countless specials on television and the stories of friends who have been there, will hear the seductive siren song from thc south. And, for the fortunate of us, like Odysseus and his men, the wax in our ears will melt and the ropes that bind us to the mast will rot away and we will, as Oscar Wilde said, "...resist everything but temptation." We will arrange to make a trip to the land where species diversity for almost all taxa is the highest in the world (Salamanders and intertidal organisms are among the exceptions to the rule that diversity is inversely proportional to latitude.)

What is meant by high species diversity? How can that be put in perspective? Consider a hectare of forest here in one of our transverse ranges. It's hard to picture more than six to eight tree species. Yet, there can be 150 tree species in a tropical forest plot of the same size. One of the first differences one notices in a tropical forest is that you seldom see more than a few trees of the same species. A tropical paradigm that holds true for all taxa is: rare species are common and common species are rare. Contrast that with temperate regions where the opposite is true. Think of flocks of redwings, finches and white-crowns and a scarcity of black rails, California gnatcatchers and peregrine falcons. Consider boreal forests of 100% spruce.

Worldwide, the two largest plant families are composites and orchids. Composites outnumber orchids by orders of magnitude in the U. S., but that ratio is reversed in the tropics. Orchids abound and delight as terrestrial, epiphytic or saprophitic herbs with beautiful, complex monoecious or dioecious, usually zygomorphic floral structures that please our eye and that of the many pollinators. Vanilla is a familiar orchid The carpets of flowers that often blanket our deserts and mountain meadows are absent in the tropics (remember the paradigm). But there are varied and exotic flowers of unfamiliar families in bloom at all times of the year as herbs, shrubs or trees and, as a result, various fruits are ripe all year. This creates a constant source of nectar, fruit and insect pollinators -- all of which provides abundant food for many tropical vertebrates.

Snakes, lizards and amphibians (except salamanders) are relatively as diverse as the plants and just as rare. In several trips to tropical and subtropical areas, I have seen but a handful of snakes and amphibians. Lizards, particularly the large iguanas, are more conspicuous and thrive around farms and cities. It is said they taste like chicken, but I don' t know that (I hope). The tropical frogs are spectacular for their colors, poisons and the arboreal haunts of many of that species. For some examples, see the May/June Audubon magazine.

The mammals are also a diverse group comprised of many rare and unusual species. Giant anteaters are relatively easy to see in the proper habitat as are the sluggish sloths. But tapirs and the many species of cats are rarely seen and the person who has a jaguar on his list is one in a million. Perhaps most compelling are the monkeys, with their amazing prehensile tails, foraging through the trees with a grace that makes one doubt they could possibly be our distant ancestors. Brazenly audacious and clamorously rambunctious, the howler monkeys are the primate most remembered.

Rather than starting with tropical birding, start with sub-tropical birding. A good first choice is Belize in winter. The weather is pleasant English is the official language, the accommodations are first class and the birds are quite representative of tropical diversity. Fly TACA airlines (affectionately called "Take a Chance Airline" by its survivors) from LAX to Belize City. From here there are marvelous lodges in pristine jungles that abound with birds. Quite likely there will be some Mayan ruins nearby that can afford a cultural break for those with more eclectic interests.

Let's start with some of the familiar families. There are 30 species of flycatchers in the U. S. There are an additional 351 in the rest of the New World. In Belize, some are brightly colored and easily seen like the social flycatcher and the spectacular fork-tailed flycatcher. Others are dull and diffident like the Northern bentbill. We have 17 hummingbirds out of a total of 343 in North, Central and South America. We have four tanagers out of 215. Remember, the number of species increases the nearer you get to the equator. Belize is sub-tropical. Thus, you'll see an impressive list of new flycatchers, hummingbirds and tanagers, but you'll retain your composure.

Now for the new families, a sampling of the stuff of dreams. Belize has four of forty-seven tinamous. These are cryptically colored birds of the forest, rarely seen but often heard as their hollow, resonant voices penetrate the undergrowth. One parakeet and one parrot have become extinct in the US, but there are eight species in Belize including the dramatic scarlet macaw. Incidentally, parrots are cosmopolitan and there are nearly300 species. We have no motmots, but there are three species in Belize. Large-headed and long tailed, their low "mot-mot-mot" calls punctuate the predawn hours. There are two members or the Bucconidae and one member or the Galbulidae -- two puff-birds and one jacamar.

Three spectacular members of the Rhamphasidae occur in Belize and will almost certainly be seen. One will never forget a fruit-eating toucan, toucanet or aracari with their huge bills and low croaks and squeaks. Following in standard taxonomic order are eight woodcreepers, four ovenbirds, six antbirds and one antthrush -- all families absent in the States. The woodcreepers are easy to see as they glean for insects on the trunks of trees, but they are challenging to identify. Ovenbirds are difficult to see skulking near the forest floor. Antbirds and antthrushes are secretive, sexually dimorphic birds seldom seen, but their loud toots and whistles betray their presence. The cotingas (here including the becards) are a diverse group. Some are dull, others bright; some nearly mute, others with striking vocalizations. Two manakins are found in Belize. The males of these lek species are brightly colored but often overlooked due to their quiet habits. Finally, many new hawks, herons, falcons, pigeons and doves, trogons, woodpeckers, vireos, wrens, war-birds, orioles and allies are easy to find in Belize. And a winter trip has the added advantage of seeing dozens of North American migrants on their winter range.

An excellent book on the region is A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Central America, by Steve Howell and Sophie Webb; and an introduction to the sounds of Belize is "A Bird Walk at Chan Chich." a cassette by John Moore. So my advice is to succumb to the siren’s beckoning song and delve into tropical birding in a sub-tropical Belizean way.