Guatemala Coffee planting Environment Guatemala Coffee cultivation

Faced with severely altered landscapes and shrinking habitats, more than ninety migratory bird species have found refuge on shade trees. In early autumn (the northern temperate zone), birds such as the Nashville warbler (Vermivora ficapilla), the broad-winged eagle (Buteo sailfish), the cockatoo flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus), the lovely summer tanager (piranga), the Raptors and others frequently shade coffee.

In Guatemala, migratory birds are found surviving on coffee farms in different ecosystems. leguminous tree like "cuje." The types of "palaeo-N," and "chalum"(genus Inga), used as the main shade trees in Guatemala, are beneficial not only to coffee plants, but also to migratory birds foraging for birds, attracted from the nectar of flowers or from the flowers of insects. Other species of trees, bromeliads, orchids and ferns that accompany epiphytes enhance the overall biodiversity of coffee farms, providing shelter and resources for birds and other animals.

In addition to migratory birds, the eastern mountain forests and coffee farms are home to more than a hundred resident birds, such as the crescent wabler(forest superciliosa), the masked pheasant (mottled pheasant semifasciata), the tropical golden broad (tyrannus melancholy), and the common bush tanager. A shadow coffee system, while unable to replicate the dynamics of natural forests, could provide surprisingly high quality habitat for many of these birds.

In the east, the shadow of coffee farms forms a bridge between natural forests, joining these residual patches and providing complementary habitat, the landscape having been severely altered by human intervention. Without these basic habitats, birds would seek refuge in areas facing greater challenges, feeding and nesting.