Thanksgiving is behind us, and Christmas is just 4 weeks away. Here in Belize, as Joe Awe says it, and Jonathan Cariddi proves it with the pictures, no lights are needed in the trees since the birds have fantastic colors.

There are over 500 species of birds found in Belize. Many come to visit us in the winter from the North and for a short while, make their home here. What this does is, it makes Belize a destination for bird watchers and on a steady pace is becoming a place where the novice birder and the hard core birder come to fill out their life lists. This my friends is serious stuff!

The following is a short collection of birds that definitely can make a tree blaze �with colour. Heads up, because you never know when you may see all 7 of these species in one cluster or maybe on the same tree!

Summer Tanager
The Summer Tanager. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cariddi

This beauty is found from the USA through South America. In Central America, it can be seen in El Salvador, Guatemala and certainly, Belize. They love humid forests, pine-oak woods, borders, gardens and orchards and when you start searching for them there, look toward the middle to upper branches of the trees.

Keel Billed Toucan
The Keel Billed Toucan. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cariddi�

This beauty is the national bird of the country of Belize! This awesome bird can be found from Mexico through South America. It prefers humid forests or partial clearings and also mixed farms and woods. It averages about 20 inches in size and one beautifully colourful bill. Don’t forget to notice its blue feet! Now you wort be able to get “blue suede shoes” from Elvis Presely from your heads!

Red-legged_Honeycreeper_RWD12b
Red-legged Honeycreeper. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cariddi

Oh my! What a marvellous mix of colour! The artist of the universe truly took its time to make this little fella VIOLET and BLUE with a dash of RED, don’t you say?!! Again, this piece of art of a bird can be found from Mexico to South America and it is a resident of Belize. You can normally find this little beauty in overgrown fields, in weedy hedge rows, cornfields and shrubby vacant lot borders. Try not to miss a chance to see this blast of flying paint!

GREEN JAY
Green Jay. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cariddi

This bird is found in Mexico, Honduras, Belize and some areas of South America. Its about 10 inches big and we keep wondering how the bird-naming gods came up with the name “Green Jay”�you know�what happens to the purple/blue we are seeing?! None-the-less, we can find this cheerful fellow in scrubby open woods, thickets, dense borders, cloud forests and other humid forests.

Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cariddi

We are sure its almost impossible to create this particular colour red (thats how red we think this bird is) but WOW, right?! The scarlet tanager is only 7 inches long. This birds range is from Mexico to South America but definitely in Central America is found in both Belize and Guatemala, but, its a very rare bird. It refers dense forest, scrubby woods and borders to show off its awesomeness! We think you will agree on how special this little critter is!

We should note that the word tanager comes from the language of the Topi Indians from Brazil, from a word tangara, which is also used as a genus for a group of tanagers.

American redstart
American Redstart. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cariddi

This little 5 inches of bird can be found from Alaska to SOuth America and in Belize we are happy to get the chance to see this little miracle. It prefers humid forests, Pine-oak woods, mangroves and borders. Don’t miss the chance to see this male bird after all, only in the bird species are males maybe just a tad�just a tad prettier than the females.

GOLDEN HOODED TANAGERS
Golden Hooded Tanager. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cariddi

Tangara Dorada�what a name, but then again, what a mesh of magnificent colours!!! GOLD! yes, golden the head of this feathery 5.5 inches of bird. They can be found in humid forests, borders, partial clearings and lush gardens and they are found anywhere between Mexico and SOuth America and we are absolutely happy to host them in Belize!

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