The photos on this page are all of birds who are resident breeders in Guatemala. The photo of the Double-toothed Kite was taken by me near Cobán; the remaining photos were all taken by me in and around San Pedro La Laguna on the shores of Lago Atitlán.
Cattle Egret — Garza Ganadera (Bubulcus ibis)
Green Heron — Garza Verde (Butorides virescens)
Black Vulture — Zopilote Negro (Coragyps atratus)
Double-toothed Kite — Milano Bidentado (Harpagus bidentatus)
Grey Hawk — Aguililla Gris (Buteo nitidus)
Juvenile
Common Moorhen — Gallineta Común (Gallinula chloropus cachinnans)
White-winged Dove — Paloma Aliblanca (Zenaida asiatica )
This beautiful dove is plentiful in Guatemala and is often seen in pairs
Inca Dove — Tórtola Colilargo (Columbina inca)
This beautiful dove has gorgeous rufous coloring under his wings, and watching them in flight is really something. They are relatively common in this area around Lago Atitlán, but when I read in Howell and Webb that a bird is “widespread,” I am beginning to have serious doubts about this word. I don’t think very many birds are widespread at all down here except the English Sparrow and the Great-tailed Grackle, and if we can’t entice more serious biologists and ornithologists to Guatemala in the near future, “widespread” is going to be a word of the past.
Groove-billed Ani — Garrapatero Pijuy (Crotophaga sulcirostris)
This forlorn-looking couple made me think of my friend and teacher, Todd Newberry, who, when leading a field trip, would always say, “Look at every bird.” To me, this was an insurmountable task when viewing huge flocks of sandpipers or gulls, and it always made me laugh to myself, but Todd was serious. Where I live now there are large numbers of loud and raucous Great-tailed Grackles and I had forgotten Todd’s admonition when I saw these two birds. At first blush I thought, “Oh gads, just Grackles.” And then I looked again and put my scope on them, and much to my delight, for the first time I saw a Groove-billed Ani. And I think their eyes have so much expression, and they look so sweet huddled together. So I wondered how many times I might have passed over a Groove-billed Ani thinking it was a Great-tailed Grackle. I can hear Todd’s voice saying, “Look at every bird.”
Great Horned Owl — Búho Cornudo (Bubo virginianus)
Very sleepy
Listen to his song:
Compliments of Martyn Stewart
Golden-fronted Woodpecker — Carpintero Frentidorado (Melanerpers aurifrons)
This is an active and ongoing nest for these beautiful Golden-fronted Woodpeckers. It is right in the middle of a very busy area and goes largely unnoticed. They have a loud, unmistakable call. I was trying to keep track of this nest to see if they had more than one clutch a year, but I moved to the other side of town; every time I’m over that way I can hear their racket from pretty far away, and one or the other or both are always in the vicinity.
Yellow-bellied Elaenia — Elenia Vientre-amarillo (Elaenia flavogaster)
If you are ever in doubt that you are looking at a Yellow-bellied Elaenia, this third view will absolutely confirm your ID.
Greater Pewee — Pibí Major (Contopus pertinax)
(juvenile)
Greater Pewee — Pibí Major (Contopus pertinax)
Listen to his song:
This bird is a resident here in Guatemala
and an occasional vagrant to California
Black Phoebe — Mosquero Negro (Sayornis nigricans)
Dusky-capped Flycatcher — Copetón Triste (Myiarchus tuberculifer)
Social Flycatcher — Mosquero Social (Myiozetes similis)
Listen to his song:
Tropical Kingbird — Tirano Tropical (Tyrannus melancholicus)
Rufous-browed Peppershrike — Vireón Cejirrufo (Cyclarhis gujanensis)
Listen to his song:
This bird is very shy, and I could not lure him out into the open;
he’s a beautiful bird with a striking rufous brow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow — Golondrina-aliserrada Norteña
(Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
Plain Wren — Saltapared Sencillo (Thryothorus modestus)
This little bird never holds still, but I had great fun trying to get a decent photo, which I obviously did not, and his song is outrageous, so please listen to it. Plain Wrens are regionally endemic and widespread throughout Central America.
Listen to his song:
Eastern Bluebird — Azulejo Gorjicanelo (Sialia sialis)
Eastern Bluebird — Azulejo Gorjicanelo (Sialia sialis)
(juvenile plumage)
Clay-colored Robin — Zorzal Pardo (Turdus grayi)
White-throated Thrush — Zorzal Gorjiblanco (Turdus assimilis)
Tropical Mockingbird — Cenzontle Sureño (Mimus gilvus)
I found a Tropical Mockingbird nest with two young who are not far from fledging
Blue-grey Tanager — Tángara Azuligris (Thraupis episcopus)
These two Blue-grey Tanagers are feasting on my neighbor’s banana tree, and he is so happy about it he plans to leave the bananas there for them. I shot forty-one pictures of these two birds, and it was hard to choose because, as you can see, the one eating had banana mush on its bill. I just love the remarkable turquoise color of this bird — it is truly one of Guatemala’s most spectacular birds.
Yellow-winged Tanager — Tángara Aliamarilla (Thraupis abbas)
Red-legged Honeycreeper — Mielero Patirrojo (Cyanerpes cyaneus)
This female Red-legged Honeycreeper crashed into a window and damaged her bill fairly badly. We made a nice box with a warm cotton scarf for her out on the ledge so she could fly away if she recovered, and she wasn’t there the following morning. She could easily have been prey to some other creature. Glass is the number three killer of all songbirds. Loss of habitat ranks first, feral cats rank second and glass is third. You can take a yellow marking pen and draw lines on your windows, and the birds’ ultraviolet vision will see the lines and they won’t fly into the windows; you can hardly see it at all after it dries. Think of all those glass highrises all over the world — thousands upon thousands of songbirds are lost to them every year. Please do your part and make your windows safe for songbirds.
White-collared Seedeater — Semillero Collarejo
(Sporophila torqueola)
Rufous-collared Sparrow — Gorrión Chingolo
(Zonotrichia capensis)
Greyish Saltator — Saltador Grisáceo
(Saltator coerulescens)
Listen to his song:
Black-vented Oriole — Bolsero de Wagler (Icterus wagleri)
This gorgeous oriole is endemic to the highlands that stretch from Mexico to well south of Guatemala. It was raining when I took these pictures and this bird was branch-hopping, so I hedged my bets on a spot, and when I got these pictures, my heart soared to the moon! You can see he is ruffling his feathers to stay dry while enjoying a bath.
Listen to his song:
Lesser Goldfinch — Dominico Dorsioscuro (Carduelis psaltria)
If you’ve seen this bird in the US, it’s a great example of just how much more colorful this bird is in Guatemala, and it retains its breeding plumage all year
