20 February - 2 March 1998
by Howard Youth
I just returned from a 10-day trip to Honduras. While it was not a full-time birding trek, I was able to visit a good number of natural areas and squeeze in a good bit of birding. I found seeing Neotropical migrants in subtropical and tropical settings as much a highlight as spotting many interesting resident species. Honduras is a sleeper when it comes to ecotourism. Belize and Costa Rica have received the lion's share of U.S. press, but Honduras has wonderful potential. For one thing, the country, though growing rapidly, still has many wild places. It has a wonderful park system--at least on paper--but the core areas of most parks remain intact. The problem for the eco-traveler is that most parks lack infrastructure (that includes trails). Getting to many parks requires some work before hand. For example, to get to the mangroves at Cuero y Salado, you need to arrange to get a railroad car ride to the dropoff point for boat rides (which also have to be arranged). Nonetheless, Honduras promises many thrills for the birder.
Outside Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, the largest cities (where normal urban caution is required), and eastern frontier areas (where some carjacking has taken place), the country seems to be as safe as anywhere in Central America (including Belize and Costa Rica). Belated thanks to Mark Oberle for his fine Birdchat trip report from his September 1996 journey to Honduras.
Below is a list of birds sighted between Feb. 20 and March 2.
Areas visited:
Tegucigalpa
T (outskirts)
La Tigra National
Park
LT
Cuero y
Salado
CS
Pico Bonito NP
foothills
PB
Lancetilla Botanical Garden L
Punta
Sal
PS
Punta
Isopo
PI
La
Ceiba
LC
Lake
Yajoa
LY
SPECIES LIST:
1. Little
Tinamou
heard L
2. Brown
Pelican
PS
3. Neotropical
Cormorant PS, Tela
4.
Anhinga
CS
5. Magnificent
Frigatebird PS
6. Bare-throated
Tiger-heron L
7. Great Blue
Heron
CS, PS, LY
8. Little Blue
Heron
common
in all wetlands
9. Great
Egret
CS, PS, LY
10. Snowy
Egret
PS
11. Cattle
Egret
most common heron; common roadside, etc.
12. Tricolored
Heron
CS, PS
13. Green
Heron
CS, PS
14. Black-crowned
Night-Heron
PS
15. Yellow-crowned
Nigh-Heron
PS, PI
16. Boat-billed
Heron
CS
17. Wood
Stork
CS
18. Fulvous
Whistling-Duck
LY
19. Black-bellied
Whistling-DuckLY
20. Blue-winged
Teal
LY
21. Masked
Duck
LY
22. Black
Vulture
omnipresent, one of the commonest birds
23. Turkey
Vulture
common to fairly common most places
24.
Osprey
CS
25. Swallow-tailed
Kite
LT
26. White-tailed
Kite
T, LY
27. Snail
Kite
LY
28. Common Black
Hawk
PS
29. Gray
Hawk
road between Tela and La Ceiba
30. Roadside
Hawk
CS
31. Zone-tailed
Hawk
T
32. Laughing
Falcon
L
33. American
Kestrel
road between T and LT
34. Plain
Chachalaca
heard L
35. Purple
Gallinule
LY
36. Common
Gallinule
LY
37. American
Coot
LY
38.
Limpkin
LY
39. Black-bellied
Plover
PS
40. Semipalmated
Plover
PS
41. Northern
Jacana
LY, CS, PI
42. Spotted
Sandpiper
PS
43.
Whimbrel
PS
44.
Sanderling
PS
45. Laughing
Gull
PS
46. Royal
Tern
PS, Tela
47. Sandwich
Tern
PS
48. Black
Skimmer
PS
49. Rock
Dove
T, Tela, roadside towns
50. Red-billed
Pigeon
L, Tela
51. White-winged
Dove
T
52. Inca
Dove
La Ceiba, roadside
53. Ruddy
Ground-dove
T, roadside
54. White-crowned
Parrot
PB
55. White-fronted
Parrot
L
56. Red-lored
Parrot
L
57. Squirrel
Cuckoo
L
58. Groove-billed
Ani
CS, L, La Ceiba
59. Ferruginous
Pygmy-owl
L
60. Vaux's
Swift
LY
61. Lesser
Swallow-tailed
Swift CS
62. Long-tailed
Hermit
L
63. White-eared
Hummingbird
LT
64. Green-breasted
Mountain-gem
LT
65. Cinnamon
Hummingbird
T
66. Black-headed
Trogon
L
67. Mountain
Trogon
LT
68. Collared
Trogon
PB
69. Turquoise-browed
Motmot PB
70. Blue-crowned
Motmot
LY
71. Ringed
Kingfisher
CS, PB
72. Amazon
Kingfisher
PB (Rio Congrejal)
73. White-necked
Puffbird
CS
74. Rufous-tailed
Jacamar
L
75. Emerald
Toucanet
LT
76. Keel-billed
Toucan
CS, L
77. Golden-fronted
Woodpecker
T, L, La Ceiba, Valle de Angeles
78. Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker
L
79. Chestnut-colored
Woodpecker L
80. Pale-billed
Woodpecker
h. L
81. Spotted
Woodcreeper
LT
82. Black
Phoebe
PB (Rio Congrejal)
83. Great
Kiskadee
common throughout lowlands, North Coast
84. Social
Flycatcher
common La Ceiba, L
85. Tropical
Kingbird
fairly common roadside North Coast
86. Rose-throated
Becard
L
87. Masked
Tityra
common L
88. White-collared
Manakin
L
89. N. Rough-winged
Swallow near LT, PB (Rio Congrejal)
90. Brown
Jay
L, CS
91. Bushy-crested
Jay
near LT
92. Southern House
Wren
T, L
93. Rufous-naped
Wren
T
94. Blue-grey
Gnatcatcher
PS
95. Slate-colored
Solitaire
LT (beautiful song!)
96. Ruddy-capped
Nightingale-thrush
LT
97. Grey
Catbird
L
98. Tropical
Mockingbird
h. T
99. White-eyed
Vireo
h. CS 100. Blue-headed
Vireo
LT
101. Tennessee
Warbler
LT
102. Crescent-chested
Warbler LT (common)
103. Yellow
Warbler
T, LY
104. Magnolia
Warbler
T
105. Townsend's
Warbler
LT
106. Black-thr. Green
Warbler fairly common LT
107. Black-and-white
Warber LT
108. Prothonotary
Warbler
one each at CS, PS, PI--all in mangroves
109. American
Redstart
one male, mangroves PI; one female brush PB
110. Northern
Waterthrush
one PB
111. Common
Yellowthroat
LY
112. Wilson's
Warbler
very common LT, in cloud forest and brush
113. Slate-throated
Redstart LT
114. Blue-grey
Tanager
LC, LY
115. Yellow-winged
Tanager
LC
116. Hepatic
Tanager
LT
117. Crimson-collared
Tanager L
118. Scarlet-rumped
Tanager L
119. Common
Bush-tanager
indeed common at LT
120. Greyish
Saltator
LY
121. Blue-black
Grosbeak
L
122. White-collared
Seedeater LC, L, roadside North Coast
123. Melodious
Blackbird
L, PB, LC
124. Great-tailed
Grackle
most widespread bird of trip
125. Giant
Cowbird
sev. at oropendola nest tree L
126. Montezuma
Oropendola
L, CS, PS
127. Black-cowled
Oriole
PB
128. Orchard
Oriole
LY and LC, feeding on wisps of eucalyptus
129. Yellow-backed
Oriole
road out of LT (Rosario entrance)
130. Baltimore
Oriole
L (just one male)
131. Spot-breasted
Oriole
LC
132. House
Sparrow
T
133. Clay-colored
Robin
T, LT, Tela, etc.
------------------------------
Howard Youth
hmyouth@EROLS.COM