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Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
Water Wonderland
Belize Birding Destination

Exotic Birding tours that visit Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize
Hidden Valley, Cockscomb, & TikalJan 8-18, 2008
Location of Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize
Agami Heron as seen at Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize - © Richard Garrigues - Presented by Exotic Birding toursCrooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary is located about 30 minutes north of the Belize International Airport not far off the Northern Highway in the Orange Walk District. The small village of Crooked Tree is located on an island surrounded by several lagoons and rivers that comprise the sanctuary.
Description of Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary\

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary consists primarily of several lagoons and connecting rivers whose water levels fluctuate throughout the year. During the wet season, water levels are raised and many water birds such as Jabirus that depend on shallow water leave the area. Late in the dry season, water levels may become too low for boats to navigate through the channels. The largest section of the sanctuary consists of 6 inter-connected lagoons which are accessible by boat, and boat tours onto the lagoon and connecting waterways are the best way to see the birds in the sanctuary. Much of the lagoons are covered by floating vegetation, home to a myriad of aquatic birds and hawks.

In addition to the lagoon, a number of trails wend through secondary forest around the village of Crooked Tree. These trails offer opportunities for seeing a variety of land birds that inhabit the area.

 
Partial bird checklist of Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
Bold face indicates species that are localized in distribution within the country, endemic, near endemic, endangered, threatened, or vulnerable to extirpation.
1 Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
2 Neotropic CormorantPhalacrocorax brasilianus
3 AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
4 Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
5 Great EgretArdea alba
6 Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
7 Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
8 Snowy EgretEgretta thula
9 Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
10 Green HeronButorides virescens
11 Agami HeronAgamia agami
12 Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
13 Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
14 Boat-billed HeronCochlearius cochlearius
15 Bare-throated Tiger-HeronTigrisoma mexicanum
16 Wood StorkMycteria americana
17 JabiruJabiru mycteria
18 White IbisEudocimus albus
19 Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
20 Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
21 Black-bellied Whistling-DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
22 Muscovy DuckCairina moschata
23 Blue-winged TealAnas discors
24 Black VultureCoragyps atratus
25 Turkey VultureCathartes aura
26 Lesser Yellow-headed VultureCathartes burrovianus
27 OspreyPandion haliaetus
28 Snail KiteRostrhamus sociabilis
29 Great Black-HawkButeogallus urubitinga
30 Black-collared HawkBusarellus nigricollis
31 Roadside HawkButeo magnirostris
32 Laughing FalconHerpetotheres cachinnans
33 Collared Forest-FalconMicrastur semitorquatus
34 Plain ChachalacaOrtalis vetula
35 Black-throated (Yucatan) BobwhiteColinus nigrogularis
36 LimpkinAramus guarauna
37 Gray-necked Wood-RailAramides cajanea
38 Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
39 American CootFulica americana
40 SungrebeHeliornis fulica
41 Northern JacanaJacana spinosa
42 Southern LapwingVanellus chilensis
43 KilldeerCharadrius vociferus
44 Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
45 Spotted SandpiperActitis macularia
46 Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusilla
47 Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla
48 Gull-billed TernSterna nilotica
49 Caspian TernSterna caspia
50 Rock PigeonColumba livia
51 Pale-vented PigeonPatagioenas cayennensis
52 Red-billed PigeonPatagioenas flavirostris
53 Ruddy Ground-DoveColumbina talpacoti
54 Olive-throated (Aztec) ParakeetAratinga nana
55 White-fronted ParrotAmazona albifrons
56 Red-lored ParrotAmazona autumnalis
57 Yellow-headed ParrotAmazona oratrix
58 Squirrel CuckooPiaya cayana
59 Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
60 Striped CuckooTapera naevia
61 PauraqueNyctidromus albicollis
62 Rufous-tailed HummingbirdAmazilia tzacatl
63 Belted KingfisherCeryle alcyon
64 Ringed KingfisherCeryle torquata
65 Green KingfisherChloroceryle americana
66 American Pygmy KingfisherChloroceryle aenea
67 Acorn WoodpeckerMelanerpes formicivorus
68 Black-cheeked WoodpeckerMelanerpes pucherani
69 Yucatan WoodpeckerMelanerpes pygmaeus
70 Ladder-backed WoodpeckerPicoides scalaris
71 Golden-olive WoodpeckerPiculus rubiginosus
72 Rufous-breasted SpinetailSynallaxis erythrothorax
73 Ivory-billed WoodcreeperXiphorhynchus flavigaster
74 Streak-headed WoodcreeperLepidocolaptes souleyetii
75 Barred AntshrikeThamnophilus doliatus
76 Yellow-bellied ElaeniaElaenia flavogaster
77 Northern BentbillOncostoma cinereigulare
78 Vermillion FlycatcherPyrocephalus rubinus
79 Yucatan FlycatcherMyiarchus yucatanensis
80 Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculifer
81 Social FlycatcherMyiozetetes similis
82 Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
83 Couch's KingbirdTyrannus couchii
84 Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana
85 Masked TityraTityra semifasciata
86 Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybea
87 Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
88 Mangrove SwallowTachycineta albilinea
89 Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
90 Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
91 Spot-breasted WrenThryothorus maculipectus
92 Plain WrenThryothorus modestus
93 House WrenTroglodytes aedon
94 Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
95 Black CatbirdMelanoptila glabrirostris
96 Tropical MockingbirdMimus gilvus
97 Clay-colored RobinTurdus grayi
98 Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
99 Brown JayCyanocorax morio
100 Yucatan JayCyanocorax yucatanicus
101 Mangrove VireoVireo pallens
102 Rufous-browed PeppershrikeCyclarhis gujanensis
103 Yellow WarblerDendroica petechia
104 Magnolia WarblerDendroica magnolia
105 Black-throated Green WarblerDendroica virens
106 Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
107 American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
108 Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
109 Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
110 Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
111 Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
112 Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
113 Blue-gray TanagerThraupis episcopus
114 Scrub EuphoniaEuphonia affinis
115 White-collared SeedeaterSporophila torqueola
116 Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
117 Grayish SaltatorSaltator coerulescens
118 Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
119 Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
120 Melodious BlackbirdDives dives
121 Great-tailed GrackleQuiscalus mexicanus
122 Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
123 Yellow-tailed OrioleIcterus mesomelas
124 Altamira OrioleIcterus gularis
125 Hooded OrioleIcterus cucullatus
126 Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
127 Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius
128 Black-cowled OrioleIcterus prosthemelas
129 Yellow-billed CaciqueAmblycercus holosericeus
130 Montezuma OropendolaGymnostinops montezuma

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