Alabama Audubon - Belize Birding

Belize, boasting over 590 bird species, offers an unparalleled paradise for birdwatchers. The majority are resident species, complemented by migrants escaping North America’s winter. Observe the abundant wildlife, explore verdant jungle and azure Caribbean landscapes, and bask in the sunset at Crooked Tree Lagoon - a premier birding site with 300+ bird species, crocodiles, iguanas, and turtles. Discover Mayan ingenuity at the ruins of Caracol and Lamanai, where we might see the Scarlet Macaw, while La Milpa’s forests host Orange-breasted Falcons and Keel-billed Toucans. Nighttime brings possibilities of Mottled and Spectacled Owls. Raptors such as the Common Black Hawk and Ornate Hawk-Eagle are present. The region’s hummingbirds include the Crowned Woodnymph and Azure-crowned Hummingbird, while woodpeckers - the Lineated Woodpecker and the vibrant Crimson-collared Tanager and Green Honeycreeper enrich the birding experience.

Highlights

• Featuring Expert Bird Guide Roni Martinez
• At La Milpa, situated in the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area, experience how conservation and sustainable management protects biodiversity and the complex web of life in the Tropical Rainforest
• Explore the Mayan ruins of Caracol and Lamanai
• Enjoy the diverse wildlife, stunning natural landscapes and mesmerizing sunsets of Crooked Tree Lagoon - the top neotropical birding site in Belize - renowned for more than 300 species of birds, and wildlife such as crocodiles, iguanas and turtles
• Two included lectures on Belize’s sustainability and conservation efforts
• 1 Naturalist Birding Guide per 8 birders; 2 guides for 8-12 birders

Roni Martinez is a Belizean birding guide who has explored every corner of his native country to observe each bird species in its natural habitat and understand its ecological role. Since becoming a certified tour guide in 2008, he has volunteered in research and conservation projects involving rare species: Orange-breasted Falcons with The Peregrine Fund, Scarlet Macaws with the Belize Bird Conservancy, and Solitary Eagles and Stygian Owls with the Belize Raptor Research Institute. Roni has trained bird guides at both basic and advanced levels throughout the country and has led birding expeditions to Belize's most remote locations—from the highest ridges in the Maya Mountains to the smallest islands on the barrier reef.