Migratory birds are some of the hardest working creatures on Earth. Take Swainson’s hawk, which travels each year from North America to southern Brazil – one of the longest migrations of any raptor. With climate change and habitat loss on the rise, however, many of these incredible birds face daunting challenges to their long term survival. Take a look at some of these tiny beauties and learn about what the Rainforest Alliance is doing to protect them.
As its forest habitat is lost to agricultural and urban expansion, cerulean warbler populations have continued to decline. This small songbird winters on the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Colombia, where the Rainforest Alliance is training farmers in sustainable coffee production. Farmers working with the Rainforest Alliance plant tall shade trees on their coffee estates, which have become a favorite habitat of cerulean warblers, often known as the signature bird of the shade coffee movement.
The golden-winged warbler spends the summer breeding season in the open woodlands of the northeastern US and journeys south to pass the winter in the tropical forest canopies of Central America and northern South America. In Nicaragua, George and Lili Duriaux-Chavarría created El Jaguar Private Wildlife Reserve, a bird sanctuary that protects 260 acres of warbler habitat and includes an organic, Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee farm.
The ruby-throated hummingbird is among the smallest of the North American hummingbirds, weighing only 0.1 ounces. These tiny birds fly south to pass the winter on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico – the same region where millions of tourists visit the sandy beaches of the Riviera Maya every year. Travelers can help protect this and other important species by choosing Rainforest Alliance-certified hotels and tour operators.
The medium-sized Swainson’s hawk gathers in large flocks of hundreds for its yearly migration from western North America to southern Brazil, eastern Argentina and Paraguay – one of the longest migrations of any raptor. During the journey, hawks pass through the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, where 79,000 acres of cattle ranch land have become the first in the world to earn Rainforest Alliance certification.
The golden-cheeked warbler is a small, endangered songbird named for its distinctive yellow face, which is outlined in black with a thin black stripe through both eyes. Each winter, the warbler migrates south to the pine oak forests of Mexico and Guatemala. The Rainforest Alliance is working with communities in the region to develop sustainable non-timber forest enterprises, training them to use sustainable methods that keep their ecosystems intact while improving local livelihoods.
Rufous-tailed hummingbirds are medium-sized migratory birds who feed on nectar and small insects. Among their favorite winter habitats are the cocoa and coffee farms of South America, where the Rainforest Alliance is helping farming communities earn a decent living while preserving biodiversity. Rufous-tailed hummingbirds have been spotted in Ecuador’s moist, dense Chocó forests, where the Rainforest Alliance is working with the Chachi indigenous group to protect their remaining coastal forests.
Learn more about the Rainforest Alliance’s work to protect lives, lands and livelihoods around the world.
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