Birdwatching in Nicaragua-Video of El Porvenir Trip 2013

Blue-crowned Motmot - known in Nicaragua as the Guardabarranco. Click on picture to see video! Photo by Max Schellekens.

More than 700 bird species have been documented in Nicaragua to date. Our staff member Jeffrey McCrary, a scientist research birds in Laguna de Apoyo and other parts of Nicaragua, accompanied a group of birdwatchers organized by El Porvenir in a trip earlier this year, where they saw about half of them in just over a week of birdwatching. Click on the Blue-crowned Motmot to see a half-hour video about the trip.

Among the more common hummingbirds in the western region of Nicaragua is Salvin's Emerald, Chlorostilbon canivetii. Photo Max Schellekens.

A Salvin's Emerald doing what hummingbirds do best. Photo Max Schellekens.

Contact us if you would like a birdwatching guide. We can arrange a birdwatching tour of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve or other locations in Nicaragua.

Click on the "escudo" to contact us.

The birds of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve I: Resident birds

In this photography by our bird monitoring volunteer Joe Taylor, we see that the birds of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve are truly esthetic beings. These photos were taken on mist netted birds while they were being processed by FUNDECI/GAIA staff, prior to returning to the wild. They show some of the wonderful details that we may never appreciate even as birdwatchers. Our technicians gather data on the bird populations by mist netting which is very important for conservation efforts, but we also enjoy the esthetic experience of admiring the birds from near. The birds were photographed in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, where all of them reproduce. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Lesser Ground-Cuckoo (Morococcyx erythropygus) in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo by Joe Taylor.

Several cuckoo species are found in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, and they are not, at first sight, very similar birds. The Lesser Ground-Cuckoo (Morococcyx erythropygus) occupies degraded areas, and spends most of its time walking through low brush, on the ground. It is heard much more often than seen, giving a sound much like an insistent police whistle repeating. Folks here call it the "pajaro reloj" or the clock bird, because its call is reputed to be given on the hour, every hour. It nests on the ground, and its existence is threatened by domestic cats. Please don't bring cats into natural areas like this one! The Lesser Ground-Cuckoo is nothing short of spectacular when viewed up close.

Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus) in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo by Joe Taylor.

Dry tropical forest habitats usually have some grasses and other small-seeded annual plants in the many forest breaks, even when the forest is not heavily degraded by human use. Among the seed-eating birds in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is the Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus). The population here is not well-documented, its only reports to date being ours. We have recently spotted a nest with eggs, and two chicks hatched. This is another ground-nesting species, vulnerable to our beloved pet cats. Please keep your cats out of natural areas!


Female Long-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia linearis). Photo by Joe Taylor.

Immature male Long-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia linearis). Photo by Joe Taylor.

The Long-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia linearis) is the most commonly caught of all the bird species in our monitoring program. This is because we are located in prime habitat for them, in a sheltered area with lots of vegetation and food sources (they mostly eat fruit). The location is used for breeding, where males perform, quite literally, a song and dance to attract the females. Males perform the ritual in pairs, and the senior male gets the lady when she chooses the most attractive contestant. Males take up to four years to complete sexual maturity which is reflected in their plumage. We may catch as many as forty of this species in a single three-day period of mist netting.

Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa) and Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota) in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo by Joe Taylor.

Among the emblematic birds of Nicaragua is the Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa), which is quite common throughout the Pacific region of the country. The Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota) is considerably less common in most of the range. The subspecies found in Nicaragua has a black cap over the blue crown. Both motmot species nest in horizontal holes in dirt banks, and they catch flying insects on the wing as a principal component of their diet. They are both known as Guardabarrancos in Nicaragua, and the former is the national bird.

Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Myiarchus tuberculifer) in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo by Joe Taylor.

Lots of species of flycatchers are resident to Mesoamerica, and others migrate here from south or north. The flycatchers have bristly whiskers to help to guide their prey into the mouth. Shades of your aunt with the bristles on her chin, wanting to give you a kiss. It is not easy to distinguish them while birdwatching. Among the most common of flycatchers in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is the Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Myiarchus tuberculifer). This individual demands the last word, it appears.

Click on the "escudo" to contact us.

Bird population monitoring in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

This week, our team of Marlene Kroner, Lucas Betthausen, Soren Kraack, and Lorenzo Lopez conducted bird population monitoring by mist netting in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Every month, we use mist netting to capture birds for a population monitoring longitudinal study. Here is a selection of the birds they caught in photos, followed by a list of all species captured during this period.

Grey-headed Tanager (Eucometes penicillata). Photo by Soren Kraack.

This gorgeous bird escaped our view for years in the reserve, particularly because it is only found in the southwestern section of the crater. We have never documented the Grey-headed Tanager on the northern side of the crater, where Estacion Biologica is situated. In spite of its bright yellow plumage, it is not easily seen, either! It is a resident species, present year-round.


Male Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) having its plumage reviewed and noted in our data bank. Photo by Soren Kraack.

The Painted Bunting is among the most colorful birds in Nicaragua and also in North America, where it nests. The males are exuberantly colored, whereas the females are drab yellow. Our population will be heading northward before the next time we monitor birds by mist netting, next month. This species is of particular concern because of diminishing populations and is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss by the intensification of agriculture in the southern and midwestern US is thought to be the principal cause of its recent population drop, but we know little of birds like this one in their southern habitat. Our captures may contribute to better conservation of this species. We have made another blog entry on this gorgeous bird, where you can read more about it.

Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis). Photo by Soren Kraack.

There are at least ten species of hummingbirds found in the Tropical Dry Forest habitat of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. The Stripe-throated Hermit prefers more dense forest cover than others such as the Cinnamon Hummingbird which is more common at Estacion Biologica. This little bird may have co-evolved with specific flowers from which it feeds, hence the decurved bill. This species has recently been named as distinct from the Little Hermit (Phaethornis longuemareus) which now is limited to South America.

Lesser Greenlet (Hylophylus decurtatus). Photo by Soren Kraack.

The Tropical Dry Forest habitat abounds in flycatchers (Tyrannidae). Among the less flycatcher-like in behavior of this family is the smallish and retiring Yellow-olive Flycatcher (Tolmomyias sulphurescens). It makes a small pyriform nest with an entrance near the bottom. We often have nests in the yard at Estacion Biologica. The feathers at the top of this bird's head have been wettened by the handler to examine ossification of the cranium-a test for the bird's age.

Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus). Photo by Soren Kraack.

The Red-eyed Vireo migrates long distances between its nesting areas in the US and wintering ranges in Central and South America. Migratory birds are especially vulnerable to the many dangers of a long trip and need to re-establish territories in potentially crowded and hostile areas twice each year. This species is common in season throughout the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve forests.

Here is a list of the birds captured during the April mist netting. Notice how different this list is from the birdwatching list of the same date. It gives you an idea, too, of what you can see when birdwatching in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve.

Catharus ustulatus
Thryothorus rufalbus
Hylocharis eliciae
Chiroxiphia linearis
Eucometis penicillata
Passerina ciris
Xiphorhynchus flavigaster
Turdus grayi
Vireo olivaceus
Chlorostilbon canivetii
Seiurus noveboracensis
Arremonops rufivirgatus
Vermivora peregrina
Basileuterus rufifrons
Myiarchus crinitus
Seiurus aurocapillus
Tolmomyias sulphurescens
Hylocichla mustelina
Thryothorus pleurostictus
Hylophilus decurtatus
Phaethornis striigularis
Dendroica pennsylvanica
Amazilia cyanura

Click on the "escudo" to contact us.