Brown Booby Bird
Brown Booby Bird - Found in and around the ocean areas of Belize, the Brown Booby is a dashing seabird—both in plumage, a natty brown-and-white (with bright yellow feet) and in flight style, which involves swift aerial maneuvers and deft dives. Like most seabirds that nest on islands, Brown Boobies are very vulnerable to introduced predators such as rats, mice, and cats.
BELIZE HABITAT - Nests on ground on offshore islands; forages at sea both outside and inside the reef; roosts in mangroves on small cayes. Where can I find this bird in Belize? Fairly common year round visitor offshore and among smaller cayes; sick or injured birds occasionally seen along mainland coast. No credible evidence of nesting. INTERESTING BIRD FACTS
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Masked Booby Bird
Masked Booby Bird - A large seabird of tropical oceans, common to the ocean areas of Belize. It is mostly encountered at sea in the Gulf of Mexico & southern Atlantic states.
BELIZE HABITAT - Open ocean; healthy birds rarely found near shore. Where can I find this bird in Belize? Regular visitor; recorded February, May, August, and December, twice off Ambergris Caye, once off Belize City, and once near Glovers Reef. Interesting Facts
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American White Pelican
American White Pelican - One of the largest birds in Belize, the American White Pelican is majestic in the air. The birds soar with incredible steadiness on broad, white-and-black wings. Their large heads and huge, heavy bills give them a prehistoric look. On the water they dip their pouched bills to scoop up fish, or tip-up like an oversized dabbling duck. Sometimes, groups of pelicans work together to herd fish into the shallows for easy feeding. Look for them on inland lakes in summer and near coastlines in winter.
BELIZE HABITAT - Estuaries, lagoons, shrimp farms; occasionally reservoirs, ocean. Where can I find this bird in Belize? Other than a sight record in 1902, not recorded until 1981. Numbers have increased steadily in past 20 years; now uncommon to locally common winter visitor in October to May, primarily north of Belize City (i.e. Crooked Tree and Nova Shrimp Farm in Belize), occasionally south along coast to north Toledo;once inland at Blue Creek Orange Walk, and once on Ambergris Caye. Interesting Facts
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Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican - The Brown Pelican is a comically elegant bird with an oversized bill, sinuous neck, and big, dark body. Squadrons glide above the surf along southern and western coasts, rising and falling in a graceful echo of the waves. They feed by plunge-diving from high up, using the force of impact to stun small fish before scooping them up. They are fairly common today—an excellent example of a species’ recovery from pesticide pollution that once placed them at the brink of extinction.
BELIZE HABITAT - Coastlines, inshore and offshore waters, offshore islands; less common in estuaries and shrimp farms, rarely inshore lagoons and ponds. Nests in colonies in mangroves. Where can I find this bird in Belize? Nests on several cayes. Common year round visitor on cayes and along mainland coast; occasionally inland, at Crooked Tree in Belize. Interesting Facts
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Neotropic Cormorant
Neotropic Cormorant - A bird of the tropical waterways of Central and South America, the Neotropic Cormorant reaches the upper limits of its range in Texas and occasionally, the Great Plains. Although it superficially resembles North America's other freshwater cormorant, the Double-crested Cormorant, the Neotropic Cormorant stands apart in various aspects of behavior, as well as range.
BELIZE HABITAT - Lagoons, estuaries, shrimp farms, rice fields, coastline and inner cayes (especially in south). Nests in colonies in trees. Where can I find this bird in Belize? Common resident on mainland and lagoon side of Ambergris Caye; occasionally on other inner cayes; unrecorded from outer cayes. Large numbers congregate at Crooked Tree Belize. INTERESTING BIRD FACTS
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Double-Crested Cormorant
Double Crested Cormorant - The gangly Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking, matte-black fishing bird with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America—perhaps attracting the most attention when they stand on docks, rocky islands, and channel markers, their wings spread out to dry. These solid, heavy-boned birds are experts at diving to catch small fish.
BELIZE HABITAT - Mangroves, coastline and nearshore waters of cayes, harbors and coastal beaches along north mainland coast; occasionally shrimp farms. Nests in small colonies in mangroves and littoral forests. Where can I find this bird in Belize? Resident on small cayes west of Ambergris Caye and off Belize City; fairly common to common year round visitor on cayes south to Sapodillas and along mainland coast south to north of Toledo. Occasionally inland at Crooked Tree Belize and New River in Orange Walk. Numbers have increased significantly in past 20 years (noted as unusual as recently as 1982). INTERESTING BIRD FACTS
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