The Mystery Of Caye Caulker's Dark-Plumed Visitors

Caye Caulker, Belize, is a haven for birdwatchers. The island is home to hundreds of bird species, many of which are not found on the mainland. One of these species is the black catbird, which is listed as a Near-Threatened species. On any given day, birdwatchers on Caye Caulker might also spot cinnamon hummingbirds, green Aztec parakeets, rufous-necked woodrails, ringed kingfishers, or tropical mockingbirds. The island's littoral forests and mangrove lagoons also attract many other exotic sea and shorebirds, including cormorants, sandwich terns, solitary sandpipers, and magnificent frigate birds.

The Black Catbird is a near-threatened species

The Black Catbird is one of over 570 bird species in Belize, making it a paradise for birdwatchers. The country's protected areas, which make up almost half of its land, are home to many beautiful birds. The Black Catbird is one of the hundreds of bird species found on Caye Caulker that are not seen on the mainland. The island's relaxing atmosphere, white sand streets, and slow-moving golf carts used for transportation invite little of the activity known as "work". The pleasant weather also does not fuel a work ethic.

The Black Catbird is a delightful surprise for visitors interested in birdwatching on Caye Caulker. The island's shallow lagoon, which varies in depth from 6 inches to 14 feet, extends out to the great coral barrier reef, located about a mile to the east. The reef is known as a "dry reef" because it extends above the surface. The Black Catbird can be spotted along with other exotic sea and shorebirds that abound along Caye Caulker's shorelines and in the littoral forests and mangrove lagoons.

The Black Catbird is included in the 12-day North, Central, South & Caye Caulker Belize Birding Tour. The tour promises to spot between 225 to 250 species of birds. On Day 11, the tour includes a pre-breakfast bird walk on the reserve in search of the Cinnamon Hummingbird, Whimbrels, Black Catbird, Bananaquit, Yucatan Vireos, Rufous-necked Woodrail, and more. Magnificent Frigate-birds and Brown Pelicans are commonly seen flying over the sea.

Caye Caulker is a bird-watcher's paradise

The south of the island is the only area with settlements, with a town of around 800 residents from different ethnic backgrounds. This part of the island is also home to a dense mangrove forest, which, along with the littoral forests, attracts a variety of birds. Here, birdwatchers can spot warblers, waders, shorebirds, and many other species.

One of the highlights of birdwatching in Caye Caulker is the opportunity to see the Black Catbird, a species listed as Near-Threatened. These birds are often spotted in the littoral forests and mangrove lagoons of the island. The White-Crowned Pigeon, another Near-Threatened species, can also be found in these habitats.

For those looking to explore the north of the island, the Caye Caulker Forest Reserve offers a different set of birdwatching opportunities. This reserve is home to three types of mangroves—white, black, and red—which provide natural habitats for water birds such as herons, pelicans, ospreys, hawks, falcons, and frigates.

The relaxed atmosphere of Caye Caulker, with its white sand streets and slow-moving golf carts, makes it an ideal destination for those looking to combine birdwatching with a tranquil tropical vacation. The island's shallow lagoon, extending out to the great coral barrier reef, also offers excellent snorkelling opportunities to observe marine life.

With its variety of habitats, including mangroves, littoral forests, and coral reefs, Caye Caulker provides a unique and captivating experience for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts alike.

The island's history and geography

Caye Caulker is a small limestone coral island off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea. It is located approximately 20 miles north-northeast of Belize City and is accessible by high-speed water taxi or small plane. The island is about 5 miles long and less than 1 mile wide, with a population of approximately 2,000 people. The town on the island is known as Caye Caulker Village.

The history of Caye Caulker can be traced back to the 19th century when it became a refuge for a small number of refugees fleeing the Caste War of Yucatan in Mexico. These early settlers, mostly mestizos of mixed Maya and Spanish descent, planted coconuts and developed a profitable fishing industry based on cooperatives. The fishing industry has long been a source of income for the island, along with lobster fishing.

In the 1960s, Caye Caulker began to see an increase in tourism, with early tourists mostly comprising people working with the Belize Government. The Auxillou family is credited with pioneering the tourism industry on the island, offering the first scuba diving lessons and trips during this time. The construction of an airstrip in 1992 further boosted tourism, and today, the island's economy is largely based on tourism, with over 50 hotels and a variety of restaurants and shops catering to visitors.

The island's geography is characterised by its limestone composition, with a sand bar over a limestone shelf. An underwater cave, known as Giant Cave, can be found below the Caye in the limestone. A shallow lagoon sits in front of the village, meeting the Belize Barrier Reef to the east. This reef is known as a dry reef, with the coral exposed at the surface. The area is popular for windsurfing, and the island also features a narrow waterway called the Split, which divides the island into two parts. The Split is believed to have been created by a combination of natural and human factors, including the widening of a channel by Hurricane Hattie in 1961.

Birdwatching tours and lodges

Belize is a paradise for birdwatchers, with over 590 species of birds. The island of Caye Caulker, in particular, is a haven for black catbirds, a near-threatened species. The island also has a small reserve dedicated to these birds.

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary

Located in Crooked Tree Village, this sanctuary is one of the best bird-watching spots in Belize. It is home to many species, including the snowy egret, great egret, snail kite, black-bellied whistling, Muscovy duck, kingfisher, osprey, black-collared hawk, white ibis, American coot, northern jacana, green-backed heron, green-winged teal, roseate spoonbills, olivaceous cormorants, and Yucatan jay. The sanctuary is also a nesting site for the rare Jabiru stork.

Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve

This reserve in the Cayo District is a popular spot for birdwatching. Species to be found here include the rufous-capped warbler, crossbill, pine siskin, stygian owl, and eastern bluebird. The rare orange-breasted falcon can also be spotted here.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

While this sanctuary is most famous as a jaguar preserve, it is also home to a rich variety of bird species, including forest species, pine woodland, and savanna species.

Caracol Archaeological Reserve

Located in Mountain Pine Ridge, this Mayan ruin site is one of the last places where the keel-billed motmot, a globally vulnerable species, can be spotted. Other birds found here include the ocellated turkey, crested guan, great curassow, toucans, and trogons.

Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary

This sanctuary in the Toledo District is a breeding ground for many birds, including cormorants, wood storks, great blue herons, little blue herons, tricolored herons, great egrets, whistling ducks, sandpipers, stilts, swallows, and flycatchers.

Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker

The littoral forests on these cayes are endangered due to tourism development but are home to the black catbird and white-crowned pigeon, both near-threatened species. The mangrove habitat also attracts a variety of other birds.

Lodges

For accommodations that cater specifically to birdwatchers, consider the following:

• High-end resorts: The Lodge at Chaa Creek, a 400-acre nature reserve, and the Chan Chich Lodge, a secluded destination deep in the Belizean jungle.
• Budget-friendly resorts: Birds Eye View Lodge in Crooked Tree Village, and Programme for Belize, which offers a "rugged" experience in the northwestern jungles of Belize.

The Black-headed Trogon, a colourful bird

The Black-headed Trogon (Trogon melanocephalus) is a colourful bird native to the tropical lowlands of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. This medium-sized bird is around 27 to 28 cm (11 to 11 inches) long and weighs about 74 to 95 grams (2.6 to 3.4 ounces). The Black-headed Trogon is a member of the Trogoniformes family, specifically the Trogonidae species.

The adult Black-headed Trogon has a distinctive appearance, with a slate-black to black head, neck, and chest. Surrounding its dark eye is a sky-blue ring of bare skin, and a thin white line separates the chest from the rest of its underparts, which are a bright yellow colour that lightens towards the vent area. The wings of the Black-headed Trogon are slate black with some white, and the tail feathers are a mix of metallic bronze green to bluish green, black, and white. The adult male's upperparts are particularly striking, with bright metallic bluish green to golden green feathers, and a metallic blue to bluish violet rump. In contrast, adult females have dark slate upperparts.

The Black-headed Trogon is non-migratory and can be found in a variety of forest habitats, including wet and moist tropical forests, pinelands, gallery forests, secondary forests, and dry forests. It tends to favour forest edges and semi-open to open landscapes, such as banana and cacao plantations, gardens, and suburban areas. The species is often spotted in hedgerows and mangroves, perching at mid-upper levels, sometimes with several birds in a small area. They are vocal birds, often detected by their calls, the most common of which is a loud series of 15-20 accelerating "cluck" or "cuck" notes, sometimes sung as a duet by a pair or small groups.

The Black-headed Trogon typically forages from the mid-story to the canopy, often along forest edges and in gaps. Its diet consists of fruit and arthropods, which it collects while hovering after short flights from its perch. The Black-headed Trogon is a social bird, often gathering in mixed-sex groups of up to 12 individuals, with more males than females. The breeding season for this species falls within the March to July period, and nests are typically found in the active termitaria of Nasutitermes termites. Both male and female birds excavate the nest cavity, and both sexes also incubate the eggs for about 17 to 19 days. Fledging occurs about 16 to 17 days after hatching.

While the population size of the Black-headed Trogon is not known and believed to be decreasing, the IUCN has assessed the species as being of Least Concern. This assessment takes into account the bird's large range and its ability to adapt to degraded forests and human-managed landscapes.

Frequently asked questions