Toucan Ridge Bird Observatory

Red-legged honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) irridescence - Their striking iridescence is not from pigment alone but from microscopic feather structures that manipulate light: layered keratin and air pockets create thin-film interference and scatter specific wavelengths, producing angle-dependent, shimmering colour.

Pigments (like melanins and carotenoids) often work with these structures to deepen or modify the hue.

Resulting in a vibrant, changeable sheen that helps in signalling and mate attraction.

One of a BIC’s (Ba**er in Charge) favourite things is a tidy, well-organised banding table — usually set up by the Banding Assistants between net checks.

It means we’re ready for incoming birds, processing is more efficient, injury risk is lower, and it just feels good.

Notice: 10 extra points if the little pins on the banding pliers are facing up — those fragile, surprisingly expensive pins open the bands and can be hard to replace at remote stations like ours.

Great job, team!

At this time of year, birds are breeding and very active at the station. An adult (Definitive Cycle Basic, DCB) Black‑faced Grosbeak (Caryothraustes poliogaster) is a common breeding resident here.

An adult in DCB plumage is a stout, compact bird about 18–20 cm long with a large, conical pale bill adapted for cracking seeds and crushing fruit. The most striking feature is a broad, dark facial mask covering the lores, cheeks and throat, contrasting with a paler crown and nape. Upperparts are olive to yellow‑olive, often brighter on the rump; wings are dark with two pale wing bars or patches formed by paler feather edges, and the tail is relatively short and dark. Underparts range from yellow to buffy yellow, sometimes washed with olive on the flanks. Eyes are dark and set within the mask; legs are pinkish or greyish. In flight the bird appears heavy‑winged and direct. Note: DCB birds show no molt limits in the coverts or flight feathers.

Behaviourally, DCB adults actively forage in the midstory and canopy, often in pairs or small family groups, feeding on fruit, seeds and occasional arthropods. Their presence is an encouraging sign of healthy forest fruiting and habitat structure.

Excited to report our first Gray‑cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) caught at the banding station this season.

A sure sign they’re moving through — we’ll continue monitoring migration and sharing updates. They breed across northern North America, primarily in Alaska and northern Canada (boreal forest and tundra regions).

Birds passing through Belize are typically on the Caribbean/Atlantic flyway, heading south to wintering grounds in northern South America (parts of the Amazon Basin in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and northern Brazil).

Thank you to our great interns and our amazing banding team!

Golden‑hooded Tanager (Stilpnia larvata) — a stunning, colourful resident at the observatory.

First‑cycle formative (FCF).

We’re very excited to have caught two of these beauties recently — always a favourite to see around the station!

The bird‑banding internship at T.R.B.O is winding down. A huge thank‑you to all our interns for their hard work, enthusiasm and careful fieldwork this season — you helped us learn more about local bird populations and made the season a success.

We’ll share a longer post soon celebrating every intern and the amazing birds they caught. Until then, enjoy the last days of the season!

Banded last week at the station: an American pygmy kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea). Females show a green breast band; males have a uniform orange breast.

These tiny water kingfishers have very short legs, so we used a modified version of the banders’ grips for safe handling and photos.

It uses its long, pointed bill is perfectly adapted for spearing tiny fish, aquatic insects and crustaceans from low perches, often seen at the swimming holes and streams.

We seem to catch quite a few each banding season but always a treat!

Meet the Wedge‑billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorynchus spirurus) — a small, specialist climber of mature tropical evergreen forest, including rainforest and lower montane slopes.

Common around our station and observatory, it prefers interior forest and older secondary growth but will also use edges.

You’ll often see them in pairs or joined to mixed‑species feeding flocks (frequently following Thamnomanes antshrikes) which are also common in our area.

They forage mainly in the lower to mid levels of the canopy, gleaning tiny arthropods from bark crevices and moss, flaking bark and even tapping wood while hitching up trunks and branches.

Notice their stiff tail feathers — a clever evolutionary prop for vertical climbing.

T.R.E.E.S.

Photo credit: Reneisha Hamilton

We are excited to share that we’ve caught the elusive Ruddy Quail-Dove (Geotrygon montana) ! While this beautiful bird is common in lowland broadleaf forests, it’s a rare treat to see them up close due to their shy nature.

Males sport rust-coloured feathers on their bodies, with darker shades on their heads and wings, while their undersides are lighter. Females have a similar pattern but are more olive-gray instead of reddish-brown, making each bird unique! Both have pink legs and beaks, complemented by a light-brown stripe across their face just under their eyes.

Ruddy Quail-Doves forage stealthily on the forest floor, searching for fruit, seeds, and insects. We hear their soft cooing more often than we see them, adding to the tranquil ambiance of the Maya Mountains. Each sighting reminds us of the incredible biodiversity that thrives in this region.

Stay tuned for more updates from our bird monitoring adventures!

Deep in our spring banding internships…not only an amazing time to learn about our local birds but neotropical migrants and jungle life. Also an important time to conmect with other like-minded people that share similar passions.