Today January 5th is National Bird Day, which gives us pause to praise our avian friends. In Belize we are blessed with more than 590 species of resident and migratory birds, and although we are hardly birding experts we never hesitate to stop and admire these winged wonders while on our travels throughout the county, or even in our own backyard!
Photographing them is a whole new challenge but every once in a while we do manage to capture one poising for the camera. Here is a fraction of the photos we have collected over the years, and while enjoying them please keep in mind the amazing and very important facts listed below.
- The beauty, songs, and flight of birds have long been sources of human inspiration.
- Today, nearly 12 percent of the world’s 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century, including nearly one-third of the world’s 330 parrot species.
- Birds are sentinel species whose plight serves as barometer of ecosystem health and alert system for detecting global environmental ills.
- Many of the world’s parrots and songbirds are threatened with extinction due to pressures from the illegal pet trade, disease, and habitat loss.
- Public awareness and education about the physical and behavioral needs of birds can go far in improving the welfare of the millions of birds kept in captivity.
- The survival and well-being of the world’s birds depends upon public education and support for conservation
-
- warbler
-
- slaty-tailed trogan
-
- roadside hawk
-
- orchard oriole
-
- red-morphed female summer tanager
-
- altamira oriole
-
- great blue heron
-
- mangrove warbler
-
- mourning dove
-
- female golden-fronted woodpecker
-
- melodious blackbird
-
- baltimore oriole
-
- double-crested cormorant
-
- cinnamon hummingbird
-
- black catbird
-
- northern jacana
-
