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OFOGRAPHIC HTSTRIBUTION 
Belize is blessed with considerable variation in topography and 
habitats, from the mangrove-covered cays on the barrier reef to 
mountains 1100 metres high, surrounded by extensive tropical forests. 
Because many bird species are restricted to particular habitats we 
have divided Belize into six eco-geographic areas (see map). 
Clearly, this is an over-simplification and at least two major 
habitat types are not specifically addressed; (1) aquatic habitats 
and (2) forested areas that have been cleared for agriculture or 
grazing. Both of the latter are included as part of the forest 
habitats described below. Thus, aquatic birds, shorebirds, and 
species favoring clearings may be listed as occurring within the 
forest areas. Abundance of each species is listed for each of the 
following areas depicted on the map facing the title page; 
Area Description 
1. Northern Hardwood Forest; Broadleaf forests in the northern half 
of the country. Includes considerable aquatic habitat in 
the form of lagoons and rivers. Waterbird records from 
this area are largely from Crooked Tree Lagoon and Big 
Falls Farm. Gallery forests along the major rivers as 
they cross the savannas are included in this area. 
Broadleaf forests in the north receive less annual 
rainfall than their southern counterparts. 
2. Southern Hardv^ood Forest; Broadleaf forests in the southern half 
of the country. Includes all of the Maya Mountains 
except for the pine forests of the Mountain Pine Ridge. 
Much less aquatic habitat than in the Northern Hardwood 
Forest but does include many streams and rivers and 
several extensive swamps. Galler> forests along the 
major rivers as they cross the savannas are included in 
this area. 
3. Mountain Pine Ridge; Restricted to the areas of the Maya 
Mountains covered by pine forests (granitic rather than 
limestone soil base); birds found in or at the edge of 
the broadleaf forests in this region are covered under 
reg i on 2. 
4. Coastal Savannas; Includes those areas covered in pine forests 
except the Mountain Pine Ridge. Includes considerable 
aquatic habitat, much in the form of sedge marshes. Does 
not include the gallery forests along the major rivers 
(see areas 1 and 2). 
5. Mangroves and Beaches along the coast of the mainland. 
6. Cays; includes Ambergris Cay but birders should note that this 
cay is likely to have much more similarity to the 
mainland (areas 1 and 5) for some species than to the 
smaller cays. The information provided in the checklist 
is taken primarily from cays other than Ambergris. 
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For each species we have listed an estimate of relative 
abundance in each of the six eco-geographic areas listed above. 
Because the intended use of this list is field observation, relative 
abundance is defined largely in terms of detectability; i.e., how 
easy is it to detect (see or hear) a particular species given that 
the observer is familiar with the bird (especially with the call) and 
that the geographic location, habitat and time of year are 
appropriate. Relative abundance defined in this manner may not 
necessarily reflect the true population sizes for many species; showy 
species (e.g., hawks) are likely to be listed as common even when 
absolute population sizes may be quite low whereas species that are 
very cryptic may in actuality be quite numerous and yet be listed as 
uncommon. The codes used are as follows; 
C - Common; Present in considerable numbers and easily detectable; a 
competent observer should have little difficulty finding 
these birds in the appropriate habitat and geographic 
area during the proper time of year. 
U - Uncommon; Present in low numbers or sporadically in larger 
numbers. Species that may be difficult to detect are 
classified here. A competent observer might be expected 
to experience some difficulty in locating these species. 
R - Rare; More than 5 records but very infrequently encountered. 
X - Very Rare; 5 or fewer records. 
For a few species brief comments are listed immediately below 
the abundance information 
As an example of the use of the above symbols, the Anhinga is 
coded; 
__L2-3--4. 5 6 
PR C U . C C X 
This would be interpreted to mean that the Anhinga is a permanent 
resident in Belize and a competent observer should have no difficulty 
locating one in the Northern Hardwood Forest, the Coastal Savannas, 
or in the Mangrove areas along the coast (areas 1, 4, and 5). 
Anhingas would be occasionally encountered in the Southern Hardwood 
Forest (area 2) but could not be counted on. Furthermore, these 
birds have been recorded 5 or fewer times on the Cays and we have no 
evidence that they occur in the Mountain Pine Ridge (areas 6 and 3, 
respectively). Because Anhingas are aquatic birds, they would be 
expected to be found only near lagoons, rivers and marshes (although 
they might be seen flying over forest or savanna). 
Finally, three columns (labeled A, B, C) are provided for notes 
by the observer. 
