Birds occur in just about every habitat type on earth. Birds can fly and move from one region to another, but they consistently associate with specific habitat types. An optimal habitat type is one where a species, through adaptation, can access food, shelter, find reproductive mates, and use coverage to avoid predation.
Bird Habitats vary in structural complexity and the bird communities they support. As a general rule, forest habitats support a higher bird diversity. Conversely, open habitats with little or no vegetative cover tend to support fewer species.
Ornithologists Douglas Stotz, John Fitzpatrick, Theodore Parker III, and Debra Moskovits (1996) used species associations with habitat and bird communities
to propose 41 broad categories of Neotropical Bird Habitats. We follow the categorization proposed by these authors. Each habitat type shows specific characteristics and floristic composition. The authors list the typical plant species in each habitat to make it recognizable by ornithologists and biologists with other specialties.
Below is the list of major Neotropical Bird Habitats. Each link leads to a brief habitat description and photographs that illustrate the habitat’s general appearance.
Forest Habitats
Forest Habitats: Include areas covered mainly with trees, show some
layering and undergrowth. Recently disturbed forestland (cutover or wildfire)
that currently has no forest cover is considered forest habitat as
it is expected to revert to forest.
Non-Forest Habitats
Non-forest Habitats: Include areas covered with grass, shrubs, scrub, or
a combination of several vegetation types. Generally, non-forest habitats show a single layer and, when present, a short undergrowth.
Aquatic Habitats
Aquatic habitats: Include areas that are permanently or seasonally covered
by water. The vegetation cover varies from bare cover to grasses, reeds,
rushes, scrub, or a combination of various vegetation types. Flooded forests
are not considered aquatic habitats.
![]() Freshwater Marshes . | ![]() Saltwater and Brackish Marshes . | ![]() Coastal Rocky Beaches . | ![]() Riverine Sand Beaches | ![]() Freshwater Lakes and Ponds |
![]() Alkaline Lakes . | ![]() Rivers | ![]() Streams | ![]() Bogs | ![]() Coastal Waters |
![]() Pelagic Waters |
Micro-Habitats
A Micro-Habitat is a habitat with a different composition, structure, or
substrate that differs from the more extensive habitat. Microhabitats
are diverse and generally are composed of a plant species, a plant
community, or abiotic elements, all nested within a more extensive habitat.
References:
Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation. Stotz Douglas F., Fitzpatrick
John W., Parker Theodore A. III, and Moskovits Debra K. University of Chicago Press, 1996.