8 birds to spot in Poptún, Guatemala

Resplendent quetzals, ocellated turkeys, scarlet macaws – Guatemala has no shortage of iconic birds that will feature highly on the wish lists of many birdwatchers and ornithologists. According to Bird Checklists of the World, Guatemala hosts no less than 762 species of birds.

You can spot plenty of those in El Petén, the northernmost department of the country. The tranquil environment of Finca Ixobel, just outside of Poptún, is home to more than a hundred birds, both migratory and permanent residents. Why not try to find one of these?

[Read more about our experience volunteering for Finca Ixobel.]

Berylline Hummingbird

Spanish name: Colibri de Berilo
Tip for birdwatchers. Hummingbirds are often seen feeding on nectar – not only from flowers and trees, but also from the feeders in the restaurant area of the Finca. They use their long, extendable tongues to reach nature’s candy.
Interesting fact. This bird isn’t only crazy about sweets. To get enough protein, it also eats tons of spiders and insects, up to 2000 a day. How about a big thank you?

Montezuma oropendola

Spanish name: Zacua mayor
Tip for birdwatchers. These birds likes hanging out high in the canopy of isolated trees in Poptún. That’s where they sing their unforgettable song, according to Wikipedia “consisting of a conversational bubbling followed by loud gurgles, tic-tic-glik-glak-GLUUuuuuu.” For the untrained ear, it sounds quite like the bleeps of a video game.
Interesting fact. The Montezuma oropendola raises its brood in long hanging nests, which females build from fibres and vines. These nests measure up to 180 centimetres (71 inches) long and hang in colonies of about 30 nests (although the record is 172).

Black vulture

Spanish name: Zopilote Negre
Tip for birdwatchers. Black vultures have greyish bare heads and black feathers. They are spotted soaring or perched on fence posts or dead trees. They fly with flattened wings just like eagles. You can easily spot one by noticing the patch of white feathers under its wings. Black vultures lack the vocal organ of most birds, so in Poptún keep your ears open for low grunts and hisses instead.
Interesting fact. For the Maya, the vulture was a symbol of cleansing and renewal. These birds could transform death into life. Black vultures appear in a variety of Maya hieroglyphics in Mayan codices (books), ceramics and myths. In one tale, vultures circle the Mayan fields like guardian angels of the crops.

Clay-coloured thrush

Spanish name: Zorzal Pardo
Tip for birdwatchers. Its tendency to live in lightly wooded areas near houses makes the clay-coloured thrush easy to spot. Some of these pot-bellied birds even trust their fellow human residents so much that they make their nests on windowsills, although we didn’t see any in Poptún. As the mating season lasts from April through June, the song of this bird often heralds the rainy season in Guatemala.
Interesting fact. This is the national bird of Costa Rica. Winning the competition over much more colourful birds, the clay-coloured thrush thanks his nomination to his strong and melodious song and to the general population’s familiarity with yigüirro, as he is locally known. The bird is the subject of many Costa Rican folk songs and poems.

Melodious blackbird

Spanish name. Tordo Cantor
Tip for birdwatchers. Black as the night, the melodious blackbirds are often observed in pairs. Together, they sing a duet to each other whilst bobbing up and down, a movement that is amply described as an avian push-up.
Interesting fact. The melodious blackbird is one of the few species that benefit from deforestation, as its habitat rapidly increases. The bird’s range is expanding southward and might soon reach all the way down to Panama.

Great-tailed grackle

Spanish name: Clarinero Grande
Tip for birdwatchers. Male birds have glossy black plumage with purple-blue sheen. Females are brown with darker wings and tail. Both have yellow eyes and black bill and legs. Bear in mind that they have long legs and massive tails- that’s what distinguishes them from blackbirds. “These birds can sound like everything from a squeaky door hinge to explosions of static from a radio left on at high volume to laughing whistles to monkey-like rattles,” John Nova Lomax describes their sound in Texas Monthly.
Interesting fact. This is the official bird of the Colombian city Cartagena. Many Colombian monuments and artistic works were created in honour of the great-tailed grackle’s intelligence, adaptability, cheerfulness and sociability.

Whip-poor-will

Spanish name: Tapacominos Cuerporruin
Tip for birdwatchers. Put your alarm clock early. The whip-poor-will is a notorious night owl (well, not really an owl, but you get the point). “It is a bird not only of the woods, but of the night side of the woods,” wrote American naturalist Henry David Thoreau.
Interesting fact. According to an American legend, the whip-poor-will can detect when a soul departs and catch it as it flees. The legend inspired horror author H.P. Lovecraft to write The Dunwich Horror. In that short story, the whip-poor-will ‘laughs’ all night every time it manages to catch a soul. If not, the bird flies away.

Aztec parakeet

Spanish name: Perico Azteco
Tip for birdwatchers. This bird, for obvious reasons also known as olive-throated parakeet, can often be spotted sitting on branches of high trees. It’s also possible to catch them in their flight, especially from the highest temples in Tikal. Note, however, that this parakeet’s colour can add to the challenge. This camouflage allows these birds to go largely unnoticed, but their screechy calls give them away nevertheless.
Interesting fact. The bill of the Aztec parakeet is so strong that it allows him to crack open seeds that are off-limits to many other animals. Being social animals, these birds share information about food with their flock mates. You can often hear them chatting away endlessly in the jungle.