Crooked Tree Wild Life Sanctuary (CTWS) is a protected area in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

. It is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance. It was designated as a

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

habitat on April 22, 1998, under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. During Belize's dry season many resident and migratory birds find refuge in the lagoons. The sanctuary contains of lagoons, creeks, log wood swamps, broad leaf forest and pine savanna, home to hundreds of species of wildlife. The sanctuary protects globally endangered species including the

Central American river turtle The hickatee (''Dermatemys mawii'') or in Spanish ''tortuga blanca'' ('white turtle'), also called the Central American river turtle, is the only living species in the family Dermatemydidae. The species is found in the Atlantic drainages of Ce ...

(locally known as hicatee), Mexican black howler monkey, and

yellow-headed parrot The yellow-headed amazon (''Amazona oratrix''), also known as the yellow-headed parrot and double yellow-headed amazon, is an endangered amazon parrot of Mexico and northern Central America. Measuring in length, it is a stocky short-tailed gree ...

. The Jabiru stork is Crooked Tree's most famous resident. Belize has the largest nesting population of these great birds in all of Central America. Jabiru storks arrive in November to nest in the lowland pine savannas. Two pairs of Jabiru storks are known to nest within the Sanctuary. After the young fledge, in April and May, the birds from the northern and central parts of Belize congregate at Crooked Tree Lagoons. When the rains come, the birds leave to return again the following November.

History

In March 1972, per the request of the Belize Audubon Society and with the approval of the Government of Belize, Dr. Alexander Sprunt IV, Head of the U.S. National Audubon Society Field Office, came to Belize to assess Crooked Tree and make recommendations about its creation as a wading bird reserve. In July he submitted his report and proposal for the establishment of a Natural Area Reserve at Crooked Tree Lagoon. Jabiru stork protection was the Belize Audubon Society's first advocacy project. In 1973 the Jabiru stork was added to Belize's list of protected animals. Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, the first Wildlife Sanctuary declared by the Government of Belize, was gazetted on December 8, 1984. On August 22, 1998, Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary was declared Belize's first Ramsar site based on the wetland's significance, especially as waterfowl habitat.

Location

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary is just off the Phillip Goldson Highway (Formerly Northern Highway). The junction is located about midway between

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, w ...

and

Orange Walk Orange marches are a series of parades by members of the Orange Order and other Protestant fraternal societies, held during the summer months in various Commonwealth nations, most notably Ulster. The parades typically build up to 12 July ce ...

; approximately from either direction. Bus services are available (Monday to Saturday) from Belize City to Crooked Tree Village.

Goal

The main goal of the Crooked Tree Wild Life sanctuary is to protect the area for the thousands of water birds that migrate each and every year.

References

Protected areas of Belize Ramsar sites in Belize {{Belize-geo-stub