Bellbird Conservation Project

The Three-wattled Bellbird (Procnias tricarunculata) is a Central American endemic that is in danger of disappearing from the world. We believe that only four substantial populations of bellbirds exist in the world and all are between Nicaragua and Panama. One of the largest populations is found in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

The Bellbird Conservation Project was created by Dr. George V.N. Powell, one of the founders of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, in 1992. The mission of the project is to protect the bellbird through research and the implementation of appropriate conservation measures such as habitat protection and restoration. In 1992, the main objective was to learn of the migration of the Monteverde bellbird population. The focus of the project expanded in 1997 to investigate the status of the species throughout Costa Rica and Panama.

Photo courtesy of Michael & Patricia Fogden.	Due to loss of habitat, bellbirds are forced to feed in a very small amount of remnant forest fragments during their post breeding season. We estimate that over 350 individual birds are forced to share less than 10 hectares (25 acres) of forest habitat in the Tropical Rain Shadow Forest.
The bellbird depends upon the Rain Shadow Forest habitat for at least three months of the year. The Tropical Rain Shadow Forest of the Pacific highlands is not well protected and its rapid elimination continues. The map below shows how the Tropical Rain Shadow Forest has been left out of national parks and other major conservation efforts of the country.	Map courtesy of George Powell and Susan Palminteri.
	CRCF monitors the bellbird population of Monteverde annually. Both census work and anecdotal data imply a steady decline in bellbird numbers in Monteverde. The graph on the right demonstrates the reason for our concern for this population.
Bellbirds are frugivores and the principal component of their diet is Lauarceae fruit or wild avocados. The Bellbird Conservation Project emphasizes the need to plant more of these trees in the Monteverde region.	Photo courtesy of Brett Cole.