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birding...
Honduras
Honduras, may be Central Americas best kept natural secret. A mid 1990s estimate put Honduras at having the largest percentage of forest covered land in all of Central America, more even than our famous neighbours Costa Rica and Belize. The Honduras geography means that these forest areas cover a wide range of eco systems. Over 30 cloud-forest areas can be found in Honduras, more than in any other Central American country. Honduras is also home to many areas of tropical rainforest, pine forest, savannas, mangroves and coastal lagoons. A lot of the larger forested areas of Honduras have been made into National Parks or Protected Areas over the last 10 years. Honduras is home to 725 bird species that cover 58 families, and we are still counting. The wide range of forested areas in Honduras offer something for the novice, experienced birders or even the most adventurers. There are though, a few hot spots that should not be missed and these are set out below. Not only is the birding good, but tourist facilities and services in Honduras provide something for everyone. Honduras is also home to some top rate birding guides. For more information on birding, birding tours and accommodation in Honduras visit the Mesoamerica Travel website http://www.mesoamerica-travel.com or email - info@mesoamerica-travel.com They are a Honduran based company, that can help you with all your travel and birding needs. |
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La Tigra National Park
La Tigra National Park is one of the most popular cloud-forests in Honduras. The park is home to 171 species, 42 of which only live in cloud-forests and 27 migratory species. Some of these species are endangered or threatened, as is the case with the great curassow and numerous species of the trogon family, which includes the Resplendent Quetzal. Visitors interested in viewing the Quetzal will have better luck in the breeding season between March and May. They are normally completely hidden in the dense vegetation of the cloud forest, but, during this time both the males and females are very active.Pico Bonito National Park
Pico Bonito National Park is one of the most visually spectacular places in Honduras, in recent years tourist developments, which haven`t affected the surrounding environment, have made this area one of the most comfortable and enjoyable places to visit in Honduras. A large variety of species are found in and around Pico Bonito including hawks, eagles, kites, doves, parrots, motmots, hummingbirds, wood-creepers, swallows and loons, which all inhabit the park and surrounding area. Also you will find Keel Billed Tucans, Highland Guan, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Blue-crowned Motmot, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, White-collared Manakin, Slaty-tailed trogon, and many others.Rio Platano Biosphere
On a more adventurous note the Rio Platano Biosphere offers what may be one of the best nature experiences in all Central America. The Biosphere makes up, with neighbouring national parks and forested areas, one of the largest areas of unfragmented tropical forest north of the Amazon. The Rio Platano is home to over 375 bird species. Many migratory birds are found in the area as are many rare species which are hard, if not impossible, to find in any other area of Honduras, Harpy Eagles, Aplomado Falcon, Great Green and Scarlet Macaws, Green and Rufous Kingfisher, Chestnut-mandible Toucan, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Jabiru and the Black and White Hawk Eagle are just a few of the special species found in the Biosphere.Tela Bay
Tela Bay and the nearby Lancetilla Botanical Gardens are a must for all birders. Punta Sal and Los Micos Lagoon which are located on Tela Bay, offer excellent birding for lagoon, mangrove and coastal species. These wetlands are a haven for large numbers of Ibis, Herons, Gulls, Egrets, Terns, Sandpipers and the impressive Roseate Spoonbills. The Lancetilla Botancial Gardens are one of the largest tropical gardens in the world, and are home to a wide variety of trees from all over the world and a protected nature reserve. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the gardens and surroundings, toucans, tanagers, orioles, trogons, motmots, antbirds, ovenbirds and a variety of colourful parrots are but a sample of the rich bird diversity.Yojoa Lake
The habitat of Yojoa Lake, it`s surrounding tropical forest and the forested mountains of Santa Barbara and Cerro Azul Meambar are home to over 373 species of birds. The area offers some of the best accessible birding in Honduras. Once an avid bird watcher reportedly was shocked when over the time span of a few hours he was able to sight as many as 37 species in one tree, all from the comfort of his deck chair on his hotel room lake-front terrace!contributor |
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Dean Milverton
Travel-to-Honduras.com
(Honduras)
dean@travel-to-honduras.com
http://www.travel-to-honduras.com/
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National Bird: Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot Ochrocephala auropalliata
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Honduran Emerald Amazilia luciae
useful reading |
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Field Checklist of the Birds of Honduras
Dennis Beall 27 pages, tabs. American Birding Association 1997ISBN: 81403
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Guide to the Birds of Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras
RA Ridgely and JA Gwynne 608 pages, 48 col plates, 53 line illus. Princeton University Press 1992ISBN: 0691025126
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Seven Names for the Bellbird
Mark Bonta, Texas A&M UP 2003ISBN: 1585442496
Buy this book from NHBS.com
useful information |
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Proact
Coordinator Honduras and Central America: Dean Milverton
Members: 4
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team
Contact your coordinator via mailto:info@proact-campaigns.net
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Birdlife Honduras
R Sherry Thorne, c/o Cooperacion Tdcnica, Apdo 30289 Toncontin, Tegucigalpa Honduras. + 504 341869; pili@ns.unah.hondunet.net
Friends of Celaque National Park
http://www.garrobo.org/celaque/celaque.htmlWe hope to attract ecologists, biologists, and other scientists interested in studying the park`s ecosystems, restoring degraded surrounding areas, and linking it to nearby natural areas through green corridors.
Patuca Foundation
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/7525/The Patuca Foundation`s mission is the conservation and sustainable development of the remaining tropical forests in Honduras, cooperating with local non-profit organization Grupo Ecológico Olancho (GEO).
Prolansate
http://web.tiscali.it/prolansate/Mejorar la calidad de vida de los pobladores de las cuencas hidrográficas de la Bahía de Tela, a través de la conservación de los recursos naturales, agroforestales, el desarrollo comunitario, el ecoturismo, la concientización ambiental y el cambio de políticas en manejo sostenible de las áreas protegidas, utilizandos metodologías participativas.
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Celaque National Park
http://www.garrobo.org/celaque/CelaqueE-S.htmlMany bird species, particularly migratory ones, reside in the pine-oak forest between September and May. These include several species of warbler, woodpeckers, vultures, vireos, the American swallow-tailed kite...
Honduras` Parks and Protected Areas
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/center/honduras/honparks.htmlThis is a preliminary index of protected areas in Honduras.
Jeanette Kawas National Park
http://www.okstate.edu/OSU_Ag/honduras/You step off the boat over the seaweed-filled water and onto the sandy beach of Punta Sal. With every step you take, crabs scatter away, trying to avoid being stepped on...
La Muralla National Park
http://www.planeta.com/planeta/97/0597muralla.htmlNature abounds and if you`re lucky you`ll see a great diversity of wildlife. The most common bird life are the local Central American species, but the area also attracts North American migrants. The resplendent quetzal is a year-round resident. Some people say quetzals are more abundant and more easily observed here than in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve in Costa Rica. Quetzals are most observable February-April when they are breeding and raising their chicks...
La Tigra National Park
http://www.nps.gov/centralamerica/honduras/The magic of the cloud forest, combining the complexity of a mixed pine, oak and liquidambar forest, is the main attraction in this unique protected area. The park has a wide variety of flora and fauna and plays a major role in water production for the capital city and surrounding communities...
Macaw Mountain
http://www.macawmountain.comAt Macaw Mountain, visitors are immersed in the natural beauty of Honduras as they walk on trails and wooden pathways through the lush, stream-cut valley. In addition to interacting with parrots and toucans, Macaw Mountain has excellent wild bird watching and a wealth of native butterflies, beetles, orchids and mature, native trees. Well-informed bilingual guides enforce the park`s strong ecological focus by providing visitors with in-depth information about birds, vital links between coffee farming and bird populations, and the importance of certain species within the cosmology of the ancient Maya of Copán.
National Parks
http://www.honduras.com/parks/Information About the Principal Protected Areas of Honduras
National Parks of Trujillo
http://www.goodfelloweb.com/honduras/fucagua/index.htmlThis wildlife refuge is home to many species of waterbirds, as well as crocidiles, turtles, white faced monkeys, iguanas, and hundreds of species of fish.
Pico Bonito National Park
http://www.travel-to-honduras.com/travel/honduras-pico-bonito.phpPico Bonito National Park is a bird watcher`s paradise. Nearly 200 species of birds have been identified. Who can ever forget the hanging nests of the Montezuma Oropendola. Giant black cowbirds are often seen around oropendola colonies. The bright red and black of the Scarlet-Rumped Tanager is a sight never to be forgotten. When you hear a loud wing-snapping noise strain your eyes to see the White-Collared Manakin.
Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve
http://whc.unesco.org/sites/196.htmLocated on the watershed of the Río Plátano, the reserve is one of the few remains of a tropical rainforest in Central America and has an abundant and varied plant and wildlife...
Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve
http://www.planeta.com/planeta/97/0597mosquitia.htmlThirty-nine species of mammals, 377 species of birds and 126 of reptiles and amphibians have been recorded. Threatened species include giant anteater...
Visiting the National Parks of Honduras
http://www.nvmundo.com/travelinfo/honduras/honeco.htmHonduras has more than 700 species of birds including the Harpy eagle, and populations of rare mammals such as jaguars, pumas, ocelots, giant anteaters, tapir and mantled howler monkeys. Honduras has the region`s most extensive tracts of cloud forest and the largest remaining area of primary forest. Infact the Miskitia region is one of the world`s few remaining undisturbed true wildernesses, and visiting it is an unforgettable experience for even seasoned ecotourists.
Wetlands of International Importance
http://www.ramsar.orgHonduras presently has 4 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 241,997 hectares...
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Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!
1996 [September] - Mark Oberle
http://maybank.tripod.com/CentralAmerica/Honduras-09-96.htmThis report covers the highlights of birding locations that I visited in between some work I did in Tegucigalpa. My wife, Mardie, and my 5-year old son, William, came so they could get a sense of life in a developing country as we considered a career change for 1997. So the birding was less intense than if I had been on my own.
1998 [March] - Howard Youth
http://maybank.tripod.com/CentralAmerica/Honduras-02-98.htmBelize and Costa Rica have received the lion`s share of U.S. press, but Honduras has wonderful potential. For one thing, the country, though growing rapidly, still has many wild places.
1999 [June] - Pamela Conley - Birding the Highlands of Honduras
http://www.planeta.com/planeta/99/0699honduras2.htmlThe day was bright and sunny and after the long confinement and exhaustion of jet travel, we found it exhilarating to be on a boat floating gently through a marshy area. We drifted lazily past great blue, tricolored, little blue, and green-backed herons that took off in flight as we passed. Snowy, great and cattle egrets were numerous white reflections on the water. We also saw belted and ringed kingfishers fly ahead of the boat, and we watched jacana tip-toe across giant lily pads...
2001 [February] - Richard Stern - La Ceiba
http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/Trip%20Reports/Honduras.htmlThe purpose of this report is therefore more of an introduction to the area than a major birding trip report.
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Birding Pal
http://www.birdingpal.org/Honduras.htmLocal birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...
Caligo Ventures
http://www.caligo.com/honduras/honduitin.htmlWe will bird the Copán Valley and nearby haciendas for birds such as White-throated Magpie Jay, Green Jay, Green and Olive-throated Parakeets, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Rose-throated Becard, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Grace`s Warbler, Painted Redstart, Altimira Oriole, Yellow-billed Cacique, and Yellow-winged Tanager...
Coco Tours
http://www.hondurascoco.comTour operator in Honduras. Birding, trekking and rainforest packages...
Focus on Nature
http://www.focusonnature.com/CentralAmDestinationPage.htmHonduras, the second-largest country in Central America, is a land of mountains and forests, of beaches and coral, of mangroves and wilderness...
Honduras Travel & Vacation Guide
http://sidewalkmystic.com/You have come to the right place if you are: planning travel to Honduras on vacation; thinking of a scuba diving Honduras vacation in Roatan, a Bay Island off Honduras north coast, or simply need more Honduras travel information to decide if a Honduras vacation is right for you. I am glad you are here. Welcome...
La Moskitia Ecoaventuras
http://www.honduras.com/moskitia/Birdwatching or birding has become one of the favorite activies for outdoor enthusiasts. The rainforest jungles, secondary forests, pine forests, beaches, marshes and mangroves of Honduras provide an opportunity to see many of the hundreds of bird species that inhabit these spectacular Central American ecosystems. La Moskitia Ecoaventuras - located in La Ceiba, Honduras - can take you to the areas with the best possibilities for seeing such birds as: parrots, toucans, macaws, quetzals, oropendulas, fly catchers, trogons, motmots, jacamars, pelicans, sandpipers, ibises, frigatebirds, roseate spoonbills, storks, etc. Join us on one of our specialized birding expeditions or ecotours in the Caribbean coast of Honduras...
Mesoamerica Travel
http://www.mesoamerica-travel.com/Mesoamérica Travel is an incoming Tour Operator with its head office in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. We organize and manage trips for individual travelers or small groups as well as incentive trips all tailored to service your needs. Our trips vary in length and focus, from one-day adventures and tours to longer, all-terrain and multihabitat itineraries. Our offer includes nature and adventure travel exploring one of the world`s most magnificent wildernesses: the jungles, mountains, forests, rivers, and coastlines...
Roatan Charters
http://www.roatan.com/catalog/honduras/hheart.htmTo be Honduran is to be a lot more than just another pretty beach. This itinerary originates in the capital city of Tegucigalpa where we tour the shops and boutiques and sample delightful tipico fare. Enroute to beautiful mountain rimmed Lago Yojoa, home to nearly 400 bird species, we visit colonial Comayagua...
Roatan Salt & Pepper Eco Tours
http://www.roatansaltnpepper.com/The best Cruise Ship Jungle Trips in Roatan and in La Ceiba`s Pico Bonito National Park...
Travel-to-Honduras
http://www.travel-to-honduras.com/Online Success with a Proven Team - As tourism develops in Honduras we need to take business and promotion to a new level and on to a global stage. This may sound difficult and expensive, but it can be done economically with the Internet. There are many companies that have tried to promote their business on the Internet with little success. They quickly found there is a lot more involved in getting people to your website than just putting it online...
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Birds and Beaches: Unique Lodgings in Honduras
http://www.gonomad.com/lodgings/0012/conley_lodgings_honduras.htmlTwo unusual eco-lodges; distinctly different from each other, offer visitors a true Honduran experience...
Eco-Hacienda San Lucas
http://www.geocities.com/sanlucascopan/...a natural mystical place...
End of the World Resort
http://www.guanaja.com/Have you always dreamed of exploring or rediscovering the ancient Mayan world firsthand? Or perhaps hiking silently through a lush, green jungle paradise, amidst a colorful array of tropical butterflies, birds and orchids?
Pico Bonito Lodge
http://www.picobonito.com/PB_files/act.htmlHonduras`s Pico Bonito National Park is home to raging whitewater, 8000 foot cloudforested peaks and one of the spiffiest ecolodges north of the equator. Heaven for birders, climbers and paddlers alike...
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Birding Honduras
http://www.birdinghonduras.comBirding Honduras offers resources for birders interested in Central America, and uses Honduras as a focal point...
Cloud Forest in Honduras
http://www.marrder.com/htw/special/environment/5.htmBecause of its mountainous topography, Honduras has more cloud forests than any other country in Central America, boasting nearly 40. The largest cloud forests have been made into national parks. Others are wildlife refuges, biological reserves or simply water protection areas. Of the 13 national parks located in Honduras, 12 are located in highland cloud forests.
Hondubirding
http://hondubirding.wordpress.com/Some sightings in Honduras...
Mayan Birding
http://www.mayanbirding.com/Mesoamerica is a big destination for foreign birdwatchers. It forms the bridge between the largely temperate species of North America and the tropical species of South America. It is home to a large number of endemics, many of which are much sought after by the bird watching connoisseur, such as the Resplendent Quetzal and the Horned Guan. However, the majority of birders visiting Mesoamerica confine their birding to Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica and Panama, leaving Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua as relative birding backwaters. This is a terrible shame as there is some fantastic birding to be had. Throughout the 1980s three of these countries suffered from civil wars which put off many visitors, but now the countries have stabilized it is time for birders to return and find out what they have been missing.
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