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| The tops of pyramids offer an excellent opportunity for birding at canopy level. Northern Acropolis. Photo/© Knut Eisermann. |
Birding in Tikal.Tikal was Guatemala's first Guatemalan National Park–declared in 1955–to preserve the Mayan ruins and the extensive broadleaf forest with its diverse wildlife. UNESCO then declared it a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site in 1979. Tikal National Park is part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, the largest Neotropical rainforest north of the Amazon basin.
Tikal is a great place for birding, because of the unique mixture of Mayan ruins and the rainforest which conquered this place after the collapse of the Mayan culture. More than 400 bird species have been reported in northern Petén (Beavers 1992). The temple tops are excellent viewpoints to see canopy birds like Keel-billed Toucan, different parrots (Mealy, Red-lored, White-fronted, White-crowned, and Brown-hooded), and Neotropical raptors. Tikal is one of the best sites to see the rare Orange-breasted Falcon.
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Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus. Photo/© Knut Eisermann. |
Ocellated Turkeys–endemic to the Yucatán peninsula–are quite tame at Tikal and easy to see. Army ant swarms are often accompanied by mixed foraging flock, with several species of woodcreepers (Northern Barred, Olivaceous, Ruddy, Tawny-winged, and Ivory-billed), Red-crowned and Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Gray-headed Tanager, and Tawny-crowned Greenlet.
Because hunting is forbidden within Tikal National Park, mammals wander freely between the primary forest and ruins. The most commonly observed animals are Coaties, Agouties, and Gray Fox walking around the park grounds, and Spider monkeys and Mexican Black Howler Monkeys in the forest canopy.
Beyond its wildlife, Tikal is famous for its magnificent ancient Mayan temples. The majesty of Tikal's ruins is a reflection of the amazing ruling power it held in the past. Some of the oldest buildings in the area were built around 500 BC, but it was not until the 8th century during the Mayan classic period that Temple I was constructed, which today is the symbol of Tikal.
Around 378 AD, Tikal became the main center of commerce, religion and science in the region, after its warriors defeated the people of Uaxactún. In 562 AD Tikal was defeated by Caracol and Calakmul and suffered a hiatus of 130 years. In 695 AD Tikal attacked Calakmul and established again its dominance over the region, when some major remodeling and renovation of the temples occurred (Harrison 1999). Tikal then declined beginning in the ninth century AD and by the tenth century the city was abandoned until it was rediscovered by Fray Andrés de Avendaño in 1695.
Even so, the temples of Tikal remained covered by the thick jungle until other travelers found it again in 1848. The English archeologist Maudslay took the first photographs of the ruins trapped in dense vegetation in 1881.
Accommodation: Tikal is easily accessible via paved roads from Flores. Several comfortable hotels are available in Tikal.
For independent travelers:
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When is the best time for birding Tikal? Any time of the year.
How do you support conservation and development in Tikal? With your entrance fee to the National Park you support the park management.
