El Jaguar is the perfect combination of cloud forest reserve and coffee farm.
Revised on April 8, 2024Birds and other biodiversity
The tiny, bright yellow bird that John James Audubon called “Wilson’s Flycatching Warbler” breeds in a large swath all across northern North America. Wilson’s Warblers winter in much of Central […]
Revised on November 28, 2020How much Ethiopian coffee is grown in forests? Is it really coming from a pristine environment? Is this method of coffee production really preserving biodiversity?
Revised on January 7, 2022The Horned Guan (Oreophasis derbianus) holds a near-mythical status for birders. It is large –almost the size of a turkey — and bizzare-looking, with a red horn projecting from its […]
Revised on January 28, 2021The Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) is a small, zebra-striped bird that is unique among our warblers. It is the only representative of its genus, and also the only one whose typical mode of foraging is clinging to and climbing up…
Revised on January 7, 2022As has been found in previous studies, birds on Jamaican coffee farms reduce insect pests, providing an important ecosystem service worth 12% of the total crop value.
Revised on October 30, 2020There is now a page listing all the published profiles in the Know Your Coffee Bird series, as well as anticipated upcoming accounts.
Revised on November 2, 2010The Rufous-capped Warbler (Basileuterus rufifrons) is found through much of Central America, north through Mexico. This species is occasionally found in the southwestern U.S., when it creates a sensation among birders. This warbler is a common resident of shade coffee…
Revised on August 26, 2013The Wood Thrush, a relative of the familiar American Robin, is often considered a symbol of the population declines of birds that nest in North America and winter in the tropics. This species has been declining since the mid-1960s, and…
Revised on January 7, 2022One of the most enduring memories of my visit to Finca Hartmann is that of passing a spot that was frequently visited by a vivid male Violet Sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus), a large tropical hummingbird found from southern Mexico to western…
Revised on November 14, 2019Baltimore Orioles rely on flowering trees, especially the species commonly used to provide shade to coffee, during their winter months in Latin America.
Revised on November 14, 2019Bakermans, M. H., A. C. Vitz, A. D. Rodewald, and C. G. Rengifo. 2009. Migratory songbird use of shade coffee in the Venezuelan Andes with implications for the conservation of the cerulean warbler. Biological Conservation 142:2476-2483. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.05.018 Most studies of…
Revised on November 14, 2019A coffee farm that is part of the ProAves Cerulean Warbler Reserve in Santander, Colombia was recently certified by Rainforest Alliance.
Revised on January 8, 2022One of the best things to happen at the the Specialty Coffee Association of America expo in Atlanta this year was meeting coffee people I had only corresponded with up to that time. Surely one of the highlights was getting…
Revised on January 7, 2022My experiences on shade and bird diversity at Nicaragua’s Finca Esperanza Verde.
Revised on May 20, 2021