The takeaway: The health of songbird populations in Canada and the United States is closely tied to the health of just five key forests in Central America–making their preservation all the more important.

The sounds of spring and summer are closely tied to songbirds, whose melodies bring forests, pastures, and urban yards to life. While these birds are common visitors in the warmer months here, come fall, they head south–and once out of sight, for many, they are out of mind.
However, new research shows more clearly exactly where these birds head in the colder months, and why preservation of those areas is so important.

The Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica

Recent research has highlighted the importance of the so-called “Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica.”

These forests are:

  • Selva Maya: Covering the region encompassing the three-way border with Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala
  • La Moskitia: Runs along the Honduras and Nicaragua border
  • Indio-Maiz/Tortuguero: Spans northeastern Costa Rica and southeastern Nicaragua
  • La Amistad: Runs along the mountains of Panama and Costa Rica
  • Darien: Covers the tail end of North America, from southern Panama to extreme northern Colombia

While this area covers land in seven countries, it’s relatively small–cumulatively, about the size of Virginia. Largely roadless or otherwise sparsely developed, these forests, which range from chilly cloud forests to steamy jungles, form a nearly continuous ecological corridor crucial for both biodiversity and as an important stopover and wintering ground for migratory birds.

This new study used more than 2 billion observations from birders around the world and paired them with the Cornell Lab’s eBird program to create a precise model of where individual birds congregate on a weekly basis and in land areas just over a square mile. This precision means that specific conservation efforts can focus on tiny areas–individual valleys, ridges, and groves. As Central America quickly develops and modernizes, these forests are under increasing threat–and so are the birds that winter there. Threats range from suburbanization to road-building to illegal deforestation to impacts from migration and drug running–not to mention rising temperatures, flooding forests, severe storms, and unusual droughts.

Importance of the Five Great Forests

These forests in Central America and the tip of South America are unlike any other. The Five Great Forests, according to the report, collectively support up to one-half of the global populations of 40 migratory species. In all, they are home to billions of migratory birds, including many who probably visit your smart bird feeder:

  • Baltimore Oriole: Selva Maya
  • Scarlet Tanager: Widespread in tropical forests
  • Summer Tanager: Common in all five forests
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler: Common in Selva Maya and La Moskitia
  • Indigo Bunting: Seen frequently in all five forests

Other birds that winter in the region and are easily seen in Canada and the U.S.–though not always at smart feeders–include the Kentucky Warbler, Wood Thrush, and Cerulean Warbler.

Threats to Central American Forests–and What You Can Do to Help

Though widely seen as important habitat, the Five Great Forests are under constant threat. Poverty, food insecurity, climate change, and drug trafficking have worked with other factors to whittle these areas down.

The good news, however, is that advanced habitat mapping means conservation efforts can be strategic and specific–meaning every dollar counts more.

Organizations like the Cornell Lab, a leader in avian research and conservation, are partnering with the Wildlife Conservation Society to turn on-the-ground data into conservation efforts. The two are seeking to permanently protect millions of acres in the region and restore hundreds of thousands of acres of degraded lands.

There are specific things that you can do, too, to help protect these areas:

  • Support indigenous and local community leadership by donating to or partnering with organizations led by indigenous groups in these areas
  • Reduce demand for products linked to deforestation, such as avoiding beef linked to deforestation hotspots, choosing certified sustainable wood products, avoiding palm oils, and choosing brands with transparent supply chains
  • Support conservation organizations active in the region, such as the Wildlife Conservation Society, Rainforest Alliance, Re:wild, and the World Wildlife Fund
  • Choosing products that support native forests, such as shade-grown coffee and cocoa, sustainably sourced furniture, and sustainably grown vanilla and bananas.

You can also personally sustain and protect many of these birds at your smart bird feeder. You can do this by:

  • Making your windows bird safe to avoid collisions–place feeders either very close to or quite far from windows, and use bird-friendly tape to make the windows more visible to birds
  • Keep cats indoors, or supervise their outdoor time
  • Keep your feeder clean–feeders like the FeatherSnap are easy and quick to clean
  • Plant native plants, including native trees, native flowers, and native fruiting shrubs
  • Reducing nighttime lights during migration season
  • Providing clean water
  • Skipping pesticides
  • Filling your feeder with healthy foods