Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and is defined by a striking combination of volcanoes, great lakes and extensive Caribbean lowlands. The Pacific side is relatively dry, with fertile plains, tropical dry forest and a chain of young volcanoes running from the Gulf of Fonseca towards Lake Nicaragua. Lake Nicaragua (Cocibolca) is the largest lake in Central America, with volcanic Ometepe Island rising from its waters. The central highlands are cooler and more rugged, with pine and oak forests, coffee-growing areas and cloud forest. East of the mountains, the landscape changes dramatically into hot, humid Caribbean lowlands containing rainforest, wetlands, rivers and coastal lagoons. The Caribbean side receives considerably more rainfall than the Pacific, while a pronounced dry season characterises much of the west.
Overview
Nicaragua is particularly interesting for its position between North and South American bird communities, with several species reaching important range limits here. The country supports a mixture of tropical dry-forest, cloud-forest, rainforest and wetland birds, while migration adds many North American species. The northern mountains are notable for Green-breasted Mountain-gem, which reaches its southern range limit in Nicaragua, while Purple-throated Mountain-gem reaches its northern limit. Indio Maíz Biological Reserve and the remote Bosawás Biosphere Reserve offer extensive rainforest birding, while Mombacho Volcano and the central highlands provide cloud-forest habitats. Around Managua, Chocoyero–El Brujo is a more accessible site and is known for its Pacific parrot colonies. Nicaragua has a growing birding-tourism network, although some of its most rewarding forests require considerably more travel and logistical planning than the country's accessible Pacific sites.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay-colored Thrush Turdus grayi | 51.1% | 42.9% | 45.5% | 48.4% | 57.5% | 65.0% | 71.2% | 63.9% | 56.0% | 41.0% | 40.9% | 41.4% | 39.5% |
| Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus | 50.1% | 53.6% | 51.4% | 47.4% | 49.9% | 54.7% | 52.9% | 54.6% | 50.0% | 47.3% | 43.3% | 48.5% | 47.6% |
| White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica | 46.7% | 50.2% | 47.8% | 43.0% | 47.5% | 51.8% | 53.4% | 50.4% | 44.2% | 42.5% | 42.6% | 44.4% | 42.4% |
| Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus | 44.5% | 45.8% | 43.4% | 39.8% | 40.1% | 41.9% | 47.9% | 47.3% | 49.7% | 44.3% | 45.8% | 45.6% | 42.6% |
| Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus | 43.2% | 43.2% | 41.7% | 39.9% | 42.2% | 46.3% | 47.3% | 45.5% | 46.6% | 44.8% | 43.0% | 39.5% | 38.6% |
| Black Vulture Coragyps atratus | 42.2% | 49.8% | 49.7% | 45.7% | 42.5% | 40.0% | 33.6% | 38.4% | 40.2% | 43.0% | 39.4% | 39.4% | 44.3% |
| Hoffmann's Woodpecker Melanerpes hoffmannii | 36.4% | 35.4% | 36.4% | 33.4% | 35.3% | 41.8% | 44.1% | 37.6% | 38.7% | 35.5% | 37.4% | 31.0% | 30.2% |
| Rufous-backed Wren Campylorhynchus capistratus | 33.0% | 31.0% | 29.9% | 29.2% | 32.4% | 37.4% | 39.5% | 35.2% | 38.4% | 33.6% | 32.8% | 28.7% | 27.2% |
| Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis | 32.7% | 31.2% | 32.0% | 32.5% | 33.2% | 34.6% | 35.9% | 34.9% | 33.6% | 31.0% | 32.8% | 30.6% | 30.6% |
| Blue-gray Tanager Thraupis episcopus | 32.7% | 25.1% | 28.3% | 31.5% | 36.2% | 37.2% | 39.4% | 38.7% | 36.6% | 34.2% | 32.2% | 27.9% | 24.8% |