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Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans)

Editor — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:50:35 +0000

The Elegant Trogon or the Trogon elegans is very similar to the rarer Eared Trogon, the difference being the barred undersurface of the tail and the white breast band. This stunning bird is related to the Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), the bird of the Maya emperor-gods. The Trogon has a small habitat range, which barely reaches the United States and so is a birder‘s treasure when they find it. Trogons are insectivorous but they often include small fruits in their diet. Their legs are weak and their bills broad, a clear indication of their diet and arboreal habits. They are fast flyers but don’t enjoy long distances hence the small habitat that they are confined to.

The Trogon is 10 inches or 28 to 30 cm long and has a short, stout hooked yellow bill, weighing 65-67 grams. It has an upright posture and the tail is long and square-cut at the tip. The male is beautiful and has a lovely dark, glossy, emerald green upper body as well as the head and upper breast. The breast also has a white band with the belly and tail coverts being crimson in color with a black band. The underpart of the tail is gray with white bars going across it, the head is black with a pale color around the eye.

The female is duller in color and is plain brown where the male is green, pink and crimson, with a white breast and light coffee-colored bands across the chest. The Trogon will nest 2 to 6 meters high in a shallow cavity like an old woodpeckers hole and has 2 to 3 eggs in every clutch.

The Elegant Trogon is restricted to the southeastern part of Arizona in the United States to northwestern Costa Rica, and at times in the southeastern and western part of Texas. The Elegant Trogon is considered a near passerine bird or a higher land-bird assemblage, a name given to those believed to be related to the true passerines because of their ecological similarities. The Trogon’s normal call is a croaking “co-ah co-ah co-ah” sound and sometimes it includes a chattering noise.

The Elegant Crane

First Bird Route Opened in Central America

Editor — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:31:41 +0000

With more and more people trying their hands at bird-watching, there is a greater need to develop sustainable bird-watching opportunities around the world. Some places have a particularly high concentration of birds and this makes them ideal bird-watching destinations. But without some sort of supportive infrastructure in place, it can be difficult, daunting or nearly impossible for the average bird watcher to visit such locations. The first protected zone in Central America is providing bird lovers with the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of color and beauty.

Costa Rica is not a big country – in fact it is about the same size as West Virginia. Yet despite this it is home to more bird species than the entire North American continent! The country is home to some 850 different bird species just waiting to be discovered by amateur and professional ornithologists. Now, thanks to the efforts of the Rainforest Biodiversity Group and the help provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Costa Rican Bird Route provides bird watchers with the opportunity to scour the SarapiquÃ region of the country and search out the more than 400 bird species that can be found in this wonderfully rich part of the country. Bird lover’s will find themselves dazzled by the bright colors of green and blue Macaws, multi-colored Toucans and orange and green Motmots, among others.

The Costa Rica Bird Route has seen the teaming up of a number of new and established biological reserves to make twelve different birding sites available to bird lovers. The route takes advantages of the San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor and makes a number of bird watching opportunities and programs available. The route not only gives visitors easy access to beautiful, primary rainforest, but also works towards a more environmentally sustainable economy since it gives land owners and their employees access to the benefits of tourism. This limits the need for activities that are potentially harmful to the environment and so benefits everyone in the long term. It is hoped that by providing landowners with a chance to get involved in eco-tourism, there will be more of a focus on protecting habitats and this will greatly assist with the protection of the rainforest. With some 51.3 million Americans currently reporting a fondness for bird watching, it would seem that this bird route is definitely a viable option. However, the jungle corridor is home to more than just birds, and animal lovers will find 139 species of mammals, 135 species of reptiles and 80 species of amphibians in the area, while botanists will simply be delighted at the abundance of amazing and aged plant life.

Bird lovers wishing to enjoy the Costa Rica birding experience will find that established sites such as Selva Verde are a great place to start. Here you will find comfortable, affordable accommodation and a wide selection of enjoyable activities. However, newer sites offer the more adventurous a chance to get off the beaten path and explore new areas. Whatever you prefer, make sure that you consider Costa Rica for your next bird watching holiday.

Striking Beauty of the Quetzal

Editor — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:41:09 +0000

The Central American country of Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua and Panama with the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east. With more than 870 registered species of birds, Costa Rica is a prime destination for birding enthusiasts. The Quetzal is one of the most unusual birds in Costa Rica and bird-watchers are thrilled when they manage to sight one of these rather elusive beauties.

The name of the Quetzal is taken from the Aztec word meaning “precious” or “beautiful”. When the Spanish conquistador HernÃ¡n CortÃ©s visited Mexico in the early 1500s, he was given a headdress of Quetzal feathers as a gift from the Aztecs. This was indeed an honor, as only Aztec royalty had the privilege of adorning themselves with the highly esteemed jade-green plumes of the Quetzal.

The Quetzal can be found from Mexico through to Panama. They reside in the cloud forests at altitudes of between 1,200 to 3,000 meters. As a result of rising warm air cooling quickly, cloud forests have year-round lush vegetation with massive trees that reach up into the semi-permanent mist, to a height of 30 meters or more. This densely forested habitat makes the Quetzal even more difficult to spot, as its stunning jade coloring blends into the forest’s verdant foliage.

The guides in the areas that the Quetzal calls home are generally expert at coaxing this beautiful bird out into the open by imitating its soft, mellow call which is remarkably similar to the whimpering of a puppy. Once the Quetzal is out in the open, birders come to appreciate just how spectacular this bird is. The breast of the male is a deep crimson-red which contrasts with the jade coloring of the rest of its body. Its long tail feathers – known as streamers – are white with two contrasting iridescent green ones. A Quetzal in flight is an unforgettable sight.

The Quetzal’s favorite food is the wild avocado, which it swallows whole, regurgitating the seed about 20 minutes later. In their search for wild avocados, Quetzals migrate to different slopes within the Continental Divide, following the fruit’s ripening cycle from the Pacific slope through to the Caribbean side. Another favorite meal is the wild blackberry that grows on thorny bushes. At times their long tail feathers hook on the thorns and are lost, but soon grow back.

Sadly, man has tried to cash in on the Quetzal’s beauty, and captured birds are either sold as pets or their feathers and skins are sold as souvenirs. Also, development has made inroads into their natural habitat. In an effort to prevent this plunder of its natural resources, Costa Rica has set aside 27 percent of its land as nature reserves and endangered species such as the Quetzal are considered to be protected. It is in these protected areas that bird-watchers can pursue their hobby and stand a good chance of seeing the Quetzal – one of the most beautiful birds in the world.

Costa Rica: A perfect bird-watching holiday

Editor — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 08:51:31 +0000

Many bird-watchers see their first tropical birds in Costa Rica. More than 850 species of birds inhabit Costa Rica’s rainforests, mountains, and tropical islands.

Costa Rica is famous for its park system. Tourists enjoy excellent national parks, hiking trails, organized tours, and lodging. The lodging ranges from very cheap hostels, to classy 4-star jungle resorts. Ecotourism is big business in Costa Rica, and tourist dollars help preserve the parks and all the birds living there.

The bird most Costa Rican bird-watchers hope to spot is the Resplendent Quetzal. This dramatic bird has jewel-green feathers and a spectacular long tail plume. It lives in misty, high-elevation tropical forests called “cloud forests”. Many tourists travel to Monteverde, a Costa Rican cloud forest preserve, to look for quetzals.

Bird-watchers also head for Manuel Antonio National Park. This park has lovely white-sand beaches, rainforests filled with birds, and islands where seabirds such as Blue-footed Boobies nest.

Even people unfamiliar with birds can’t help but notice Costa Rica’s colorful bird-life. Over 50 species of hummingbirds live here, and many lodges put up feeders so that visiting tourists can get a close look. Hire a guide for a day, and he or she can also point exciting forest birds like toucans or the colorful Scarlet Macaw.