| The bird has a limited range in Central America
and appears to have only four substantial populations: Monteverde
is the epicenter of the Tilarán bellbird population which
extends from as far north as Volcan Cacao and south to San Ramon.
The annual migration is as follows: 1) bellbirds breed in high
elevation lower montane and premontane rain forest on the Atlantic
slope (late February through June); 2) Males leave these areas
first and arrive in the premontane moist/wet transitional forests
of the Pacific slope in March/April. This habitat is used as
a post-breeding and staging area from April through early September.
3) Bellbirds then migrate to lowland Atlantic tropical wet forest
in in the Indio-Maiz Biosphere Reserve (southeastern Nicaragua)
in late September through December. 4) In December, they return
to Costa Rica, crossing the continental divide to spend approximately
two months in tropical wet and premontane wet forest on the
Pacific coast (December through February). They migrate back
to Monteverde through the Arenal region The Central Volcano
bellbird population uses the lowlands of La Selva during the
months of January-April, then moves to the high elevations of
Volcan Barva and Braulio Carillo (April through August). We
suspect that this population relies upon the Indio-Maiz Biosphere
Reserve during October through December but this is not confirmed. |
