¡Bienvenidos!
Welcome!

WELCOME TO “BIRDING HONDURAS”
CENTRAL AMERICA BIRDING RESOURCE

Birding Honduras offers a wealth of resources for birders interested in Honduras and Central America. Follow the links to take a tour of the Honduran countryside and Honduran birding, obtain information on birding throughout Central America, see photos of Central American birds, and view and submit trip lists for anywhere in Central America.

WHY HONDURAS?

	Honduras is a land of unique beauty containing a wealth of pristine habitats, over 500 miles of coastline, and Mayan ruins. It is home to Central America’s largest wilderness – the Moskitia or famed “Mosquito Coast” – with vast rain forests, lagoons, and pine savannas.
Honduran Emerald Amazilia luciae

Visiting Honduras's many cloud forests, tropical rivers, coastal lagoons, and other spots is easier than you might think. For the eco-traveler Honduras is still uncrowded and mostly overlooked.

Wildlife viewing and birding are unparalleled. Endangered wildlife species are more abundant and easier to find in Honduras than any other Central American country. Giant anteater, Harpy Eagle, Resplendent Quetzal, Jabiru, West Indian Manatee, Scarlet and Great Green Macaws are only a few. The Honduran Emerald is Honduras’s only endemic bird, and it is easily sighted in a few thorn scrub forests, despite its critically endangered status. And for the die-hard birder, Honduras has more species of motmots than any other country in the world.

 

FIELD GUIDES FOR BIRDING CENTRAL AMERICA.

There are a number of bird field guides available for the region. Some guides are specific to country (Birds of Panama, Birds of Costa Rica), but most countries do not have their own specific guides. This can make choosing a guide for your own birding trip difficult. Visit the Bird Guides link for a discussion of the various field guides for Central America.

Birding Honduras: A Checklist and Guide.

Honduras still does not have its own country-specific bird guide. However, Birding Honduras: A Checklist and Guide was published in 2002 to fill the needs of birders in Honduras until a comprehensive guide is published. This is the only reference that treats all birds known in the country. It has sections on birding routes, culture and conservation, species to watch for, the only annotated checklist to Honduran birds, and much more. To learn more about “Birding Honduras” click here. For information on ordering click here.

CURRENT COUNT OF HONDURAN BIRDS AS OF 1 August 2007 = 717.

We have received SIXTEEN verifiable reports for new species in Honduras since writing “Birding Honduras” and the inception of this web site (both in 2002). We have also received or discovered THREE reports for new species for which we are awaiting substantiating documentation, photos, or tape recordings. We report two new breeding records, and need your help documenting three species whose status in Honduras is uncertain.View the Species Updates page for complete information.

CHECKLIST OF HONDURAN BIRDS

We have received numerous requests for a checklist of the birds of Honduras. The advantage of having a list in hand is being able to know immediately which birds you are likely to see in the field and which are not yet known for the country. Click here for a printable PDF version. This list contains all 717 species that have been documented with substantiating information, and follows the taxomony of the American Ornithologists' Union checklist for North America, up to the forty-eighth supplement (July 2007).

Enjoy!

last updated 15 December 2007
all photos © Vince Murphy and Birding Honduras