The tropical regions of America are uniquely blessed with birds. 36 percent of the world’s 11,000 bird species live in the area south of the United States-Mexico border, more than in Asia or Africa.
This diversity is reflected in the national birds chosen to represent the countries of Latin America, from the lightweight southern fin – the avian symbol of Uruguay – to the 30-pound Andean condor, the national bird of four countries. Some birds have indigenous cultural studies. others were once ubiquitous in their countries or are endemic to their countries.
But an increasingly common feature is the decline in their numbers, sometimes even within the nations they represent.
Golden Eagle (Mexico)
Every child in Mexico learns the story: During nomadic times, the Aztecs had a prophecy that they should settle in a place where they saw an eagle eating a snake while perched on a cactus. This observation led to the founding of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, later Mexico City.
The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is found in Russia, Central Asia, Europe and America. Mexico is the eagle’s southernmost range, according to Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza, an ecologist at the University of Veracruz. Although the bird appears on items such as coins and soccer jerseys, it is endangered in Mexico and its population is probably shrinking.
Recent estimates suggest there may be only about 200 adult birds left in Mexico, Dr. Ruelas said, although more formal nationwide surveys need to be conducted.
“It’s a beautiful bird and it’s well rooted in our history,” Dr Ruelas said. “But we don’t see them very often.”
Resplendent quetzal (Guatemala)
Habitat loss is a major factor in declining bird populations across the region. About 13 percent of the forests in Latin America and the Caribbean have been lost in the past 30 years, mostly due to agriculture and ranching. Brazil accounted for most of this loss, but Guatemala alone lost more than 26 percent of its forests, 1.25 million hectares, about the size of California, Texas and Louisiana combined — from 1990 to in 2020.
This change has had a profound effect on Guatemala’s national bird, the resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), which breeds in high-altitude cloud forests and feeds in lower-elevation forests.
The quetzal’s iridescent green feathers adorned Quetzalcoatl, the serpent-headed god of the Aztecs and Mayans, and were once used as money. the currency of modern Guatemala is called the quetzal. But the quetzal’s habitat requirements and dependence on avocado varieties make it vulnerable to climate change and deforestation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the resplendent quetzal population as near threatened.
Andean Condor (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador)
Around the world, the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is recognized by a version of its Quechua name, kuntur. It is one of the largest flying birds, with a wingspan of 10 feet and weighing up to 33 pounds. Bolivia and Chile are strongholds for the species, but the population as a whole is vulnerable, and the condor barely has a presence in Colombia and Ecuador. A 2015 survey by the Andean Condor Foundation estimated that only about 100 adults remained in Ecuador.
Despite the bird’s importance to some indigenous cultures—condors were believed to carry souls to heaven—it is hunted and poisoned, usually by farmers worried about their livestock. Condors compete with wild dogs for carcasses, and have sometimes resorted to killing baby cows.
“This is a big problem with predators in places where local communities are close,” said Eliana Montenegro, an Ecuador-based conservation officer with BirdLife International.
The intimidating characteristics and size of raptors such as the golden eagle, the condor and the Panamanian harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) make them charismatic national symbols, but they can also attract human persecution.
Southern lapwing (Uruguay)
Rufous hornero (Argentina)
The southern lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) and the ruffed hornero (Furnarius rufus), which prefer meadows and pastures, have really benefited from the conversion of woodlands to farms and cattle ranches.
Common birds like these still play a role in mobilizing support for conservation efforts, said Luis Miguel Renjifo, a conservation biologist at the Pontifical Javeriana University.
Most Argentines can easily find their national bird, the hornero – so named for the oven-like clay nests, or horneros, it builds – even in the parks of Buenos Aires. “They get people excited,” Dr. Renzifo said. “It brings that connection between birds and people.”
Scarlet macaw (Honduras)
With so many beautiful birds in Latin America, poaching for the international pet market has become a major problem, including the scarlet macaw (Ara macao).
The ancient Maya believed that macaws could travel between Earth and heaven, and their colorful feathers adorned the Mayan and Aztec elite. Today those feathers—as well as the bird’s tolerance for captivity and its ability to mimic human voices—make macaws a desirable pet that can fetch up to $3,000.
Populations are declining across much of Central America, and the red macaw is vulnerable in Honduras. However, there has been some recent progress in the area, thanks to forest conservation efforts. programs such as Macaw Mountain, which combines tourism with conservation. and arrangements, such as one in the Mosquitia region, that pay ex-hunters to become managers.
But these achievements remain tenuous.
Can a symbol mobilize conservation efforts?
Understanding species population trends requires long-term data collection, and conservation efforts can take decades to produce results.
“It required resources that weren’t available in many of the most biodiverse countries,” said Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez, co-director of the Center for Bird Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
And the decline of a species in one country is less likely to attract international funding if the bird’s global population is not a concern.
However, Dr. Ruelas and other scientists hope that the local decline of bird species, especially those that are national symbols, will prompt the public to join monitoring efforts or support research and conservation policies.
“A symbol of national identity should be something that makes us work together,” said Dr. Ruellas.
