Red Bank

Between roughly January and March, scarlet macaws come down from the Maya Mountains to the valley around Red Bank to feed on annatto and pole wood fruit, and dozens gather in the trees, which is the largest reliable concentration of the species in Belize. The birds were being hunted until a community conservation project was set up in the 1990s, and the village now guides visitors instead. Outside the season the macaws are elsewhere and there is nothing to see.

The landscape

• The macaw flocks - dozens of scarlet macaws feeding in the valley trees.
• The feeding trees - annatto and pole wood, the fruit that brings the birds down.
• The village guides - the community project that replaced hunting with guiding.
• The valley - the ground below the Maya Mountains the birds come down to.

When to go

January to March is the season and the only time the macaws are reliably present. Early morning and late afternoon are when they feed. Outside the window there is nothing to see.

Before you go

The macaws are seasonal and visitors arriving outside January to March find none. Numbers vary year to year with the fruit crop. Facilities in the village are minimal and guides must be arranged.

Nearby

Placencia is southeast, and Cockscomb Basin is north.

Key facts