Xunantunich - Belize

On March 18, 2026 we visited the Mayan archaeological site of Xunantunich in western Belize, about 70 miles west of Belize City and very near the border with Guatemala. It is on a ridge above the Mopan River near the town of San Jose Succotz and relatively near the larger town of San Ignacio. We started the day in Caye Caulker, an island off of Belize City, took a water taxi to Belize City and then drove to San Jose Succotz. Our guide stopped along the way to show me a jabiru stork, a beautiful bird that was a lifer for me. It was standing quite a distance from the road and took flight, providing me some fun photos.

Jabiru

We got to the Mopan River and had to cross it on a small barge. We had swallows flying about and landing on the barge, above us and below us. I thought they were tree swallows, but it turned out they were another lifer for me, mangrove swallows. 

Mangrove swallow

On the way back across the Mopan River on the barge I encountered more mangrove swallows, but also a beautiful green heron, not a lifer, but I bird I don't see often. 

After the barge on the way in, we parked the car and started an uphill walk to the archaeological site. There was some loud squawking and our guide told me they were brown jays, another lifer for me. I immediately focused on trying to see these loud and elusive birds and over the course of our time there I saw quite a few of them. 

Brown jay

Up among the Mayan ruins the most predominant animal was the black spiny-tailed iguana. We saw quite a few of them. They loved the perches provided by all of the stone. We'd seen them previously on a visit to the Mayan ruins in Comalcalco, State of Tabasco, Mexico, about nine years ago. 

Black spiny-tailed iguana

Inside a recess in the largest monument, El Castillo, our guide pointed out some bats hanging on the walls. I believe they were greater sac-winged bats. 

Greater sac-winged bat

We also saw a familiar turkey vulture and some less familiar golden-fronted woodpeckers. I first saw the golden-fronted woodpecker in Caprock Canyons State Park in the panhandle of Texas, but had just seen them again, for the second time, the day before on Caye Caulker in Belize. 

Turkey vulture

Golden-fronted woodpecker

I was hoping to see more wildlife at Xunantunich, but was thrilled to get two lifers there and one on the road to get there. 

Jabiru

On our flight to Belize on March 15, 2026 I had my "Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America," by Jesse Fagan & Oliver Komar and I went through it, page by page, reviewing the birds and occasionally reading what it said about some of them. I was intrigued by the jabiru, a large white stork with a black head, a long black bill, and a red neck. I'd never heard of it before. A range map showed it was resident year round in portions of Belize and the text indicated it was "rare to uncommon on [the] Caribbean slope". I thought I would really like to see that bird. 

On Wednesday, March 18, we left Caye Caulker by water taxi to Belize City on the coast, and were picked up by Rene, our guide for the day, who was going to take us to Xunantunich, a Mayan ruin in western Belize near the border with Guatemala. I told him I was interested in birds and asked if we might see some at Xunantunich. He said yes, then said, if you are interested, we might be able to see a jabiru on the drive there. I immediately knew what he was talking about and said, "yes, I would love to see one." He said there were some swampy areas along the road and that he often sees jabirus driving through there. 

Some time later he stopped on the side of the road and pointed to a large bird far out to our left. He opened the door of the van we were in and we stepped to the back of the vehicle, on the side of the road. I took a couple of quick pictures, in case the bird flew when we crossed the road. 

As a large truck passed, we stepped across the road and the jabiru started to fly. I started to take photos of it as it did so. 

What an amazing bird. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of it flying from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. Note that where we were in Belize is about the furthest north the jabiru is found. It is found just a bit further north in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. 

Mangrove Swallow

The mangrove swallow looks quite a bit like the tree swallow which I've posted on twice before (Salton Sea - May 1, 2021) and (Bear River MBR - August 14, 2021). We recently visited the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich in Belize and had to cross a ferry over the Mopan River to reach it. Mangrove swallows were flying all around the ferry and landing on it in various place. 

It has a white rump, which you can't see in my photo, a thin white line over the eye and white edging on the tertials which you really can't see either. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World.

Index - Nature Destinations

Azerbaijan:    

     Shirvan National Park 

Belize:

     Caye Caulker

     Xunantunich

 

Botswana:   

     Kadizora Camp, Okavanga Delta  

Brazil: 

     Iguazu Falls - By Foot, Boat and Helicopter

 

Canada:  

     New Brunswick   

          Maliseet Trail to Hays Falls  

          St. Andrews - Passamaquoddy Bay and Bay of Fundy

     Nova Scotia:  

          Bird Islands of Cape Breton  

     Yukon:   

          Yukon Wildlife Preserve   

 

Colombia:    

     Montezuma Hill (Tatama NNP)   

     Tinamu Researve - near Manizales, Caldas  

Ecuador:    

     Bachas Beach, Santa Cruz Island - Galapagos Islands    

     Churute Mangroves Ecological Reserve  

     Elizabeth Bay, Isabela Island - Galapagos Islands   

     Espinoza Point, Fernandina Island - Galapagos Islands   

     James Bay, Santiago Island - Galapagos Islands  

     Las Terrazas de Dana - Mindo  

     Mashpi Amagusa Reserve    

     Milpe Bird Sanctuary  

     Moreno Point, Isabela Island - Galapagos Islands  

     Santa Cruz Highlands - Galapagos Islands   

     Tagus Cove, Isabela Island - Galapagos Islands    

     Urbina Bay, Isabela Island - Galapagos Islands 

     Vicente Roca Point - Isabela Island - Galapagos Islands  

Greenland: 

     Greenland Ice Sheet 

     Jakobshavn Glacier and Ilulissat Icefiord

Guatemala:

     Finca El Pilar  

     Tikal National Park

Iceland:  

     Iceland: Natural Landmarks   

     Reykjavik Harbor and Faxafloi Bay     

India:

     Kaziranga National Park    

     Keoladeo National Park   

     Ranthambore National Park  

Indonesia:   

     Sumatra Island (Genung Leuser NP, Bukit Lawang)  

     Komodo Island (Komodo NP)  

     Rinca Island (Komodo NP)   

     Borneo Island (Tanjung Puting NP)    

     Sumatra Island (Genung Leuser NP, Tangkahan)  

Jamaica:

     Hotel Mockingbird Hill - Drapers   

     Rocklands Bird Sanctuary - Montego Bay  

   

Kenya:   

     Buffalo Springs National Reserve   

     Lake Nakuru National Park  

     Masai Mara National Reserve  

     Mount Kenya National Park   

     Nairobi National Park   

     Shaba National Reserve  

Morocco:  

     Erg Chebbi Dunes  

Namibia:

     Etosha National Park  

Peru:  

     Tambopata National Reserve 

Portugal:  

     Sado Estuary  

     Tagus Estuary  

South Africa:  

     Boulders Bay   

     Cape of Good Hope   

     Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens  

Sri Lanka:  

     Anuradhapura  

     Bundala National Park  

     Kandy Lake   

     Minneriya National Park   

     Polonnaruwa   

     Royal Botanical Gardens - Peradeniya  

     Udawalawe National Park   

     Yala National Park   

Tanzania:

     Ngorongoro Crater   

     Serengeti National Park   

Uganda:

     Kidepo Valley National Park   

     Mabamba Swamp

     Murchison Falls National Park   

     Nkima Forest Lodge    

 

U.S.A.: 

 

     Alaska:   

          Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center 

          Denali National Park and Preserve   

          Gull Island - Kachemak Bay  

          Kenai Fjords National Park  

 

     Arizona:

          Organ Pipe Cactus NM  

     California: 

          Alondra Park Lake   

          Back Yard Birdfeeder - Redlands  

          Batiquitos Lagoon  

          Big Morongo Canyon Preserve  

          Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve   

          Corn Springs  

          False Klamath Cove    

          Ford Park - Redlands   

          Gold Bluffs Beach and Fern Canyon   

          Hayfield Rd./SE Joshua Tree NP

          Hayfield Rd./South of I-10 Freeway   

          Humboldt Bay NWR  

          IRWD San Joaquin Mash and Wildlife Sanctuary  

          Irvine Regional Park    

          Lake Hodges - near Escondido   

          Lake San Marcos  

          Lake Tamarisk - Desert Center   

          Live Oak Canyon Herngt 'Aki' Reserve  

          Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

          Los Angeles County Arboretum  

          Lower Klamath and Tule Lake NWRs  

          Mojave Narrows Regional Park   

          Redwoods and Sequoia National Parks  

          San Elijo Lagoon - Cardiff State Beach    

          Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area  

          Silverwood Lake 

          Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR   

         Stout Grove: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park  

          Varner Harbor at Salton Sea SRA  

          Wetlands between McDonald and Hazard Roads near Niland  

          Whittier Narrows Recreation Area   

 

     Colorado:

          Mount Evans

          Pawnee National Grassland  

     Florida:
          Circle B Bar Reserve
          Merritt Island NWR
          Orlando Wetlands Park
          Viera Wetlands Storage Ponds

     Georgia:
          Okefenokee NWR

     Kansas:   

          Cimarron National Grassland   

 

     Louisiana:   

          Cameron Prairie NWR  

          Sabine NWR  

 

     Minnesota:    

          Eagle Mountain and Northeastern Minnesota Waterfalls  

     New Mexico:    

          Bitter Lake NWR  

          Dripping Springs, Organ Mountains   

          Rio Grande Nature Center State Park  

          Valles Caldera National Preserve 

          White Sands National Park  

 

     New York:   

          Central Park - New York City      

          Kaaterskill Falls 

          Letchworth State Park   

          Montezuma NWR  

          Sapsucker Woods 

          Watkins Glen State Park 

     Oregon:   

          Wildlife Safari - Winston  

     Texas:   

          Aransas NWR  

          Balcones Canyonlands NWR  

          Brazoria NWR 

          Buffalo Lake NWR  

          Caprock Canyons State Park   

          Concho River Walk - San Angelo   

          Fossil Rim Wildlife Center - Glen Rose    

          Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center - Port Aransas   

          Padre Island National Seashore 

          McKinney Falls State Park    

          Palo Duro Canyon State Park        

          San Angelo State Park   

     Utah:
          Antelope Island
          Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge  

          Fish Springs NWR  

          Hardware Ranch

Zimbabwe:
     The Hide, Hwange National Park   

     Zambezi River and Victoria Falls
     

Brown Jay

We visited Xunantunich, a Mayan ruin in Belize, with our guide, Rene, on March 18, 2026. We had just started walking uphill toward the ruin when we heard the first brown jays making a racket in the tall trees behind us. Rene identified them and I got completely distracted, wanting to see them and get a good photo as the brown jay was a lifer for me. They were very active and vocal and I struggled to get photos. We continued uphill, entered into the ruins and eventually climbed up the tallest, El Castillo. From the top of El Castillo a whole flock of brown jays flew back and forth, from tree to tree and I took lots of photos, hoping some would turn out. Toward the end of our visit, a single brown jay landed in a tree above me and I was able to get some decent photos while it was quite close to me. 

I've loaded all of my photos. It is chocolate brown above with a dark hood, whitish underparts and white tips to the tail feathers. Immature birds have yellow eye-rings and varying amounts of yellow on the bill and legs, all of which become dark in an adult. It is common on the Caribbean slope and rare and local on the Pacific slope. "Very loud and raucous." 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World.