Yoro Corridor Biodiversity

The Yoro Biological Corridor is regenerating (or “re-wilding”) tropical forest areas and linking them up with protected parks in the creation of a Forest Corridor. This ‘corridor of protected forests’ provides critical habitat for the region’s people, plants and animals.

Wildlife Species in the Corridor:

Species of Interest

There are many plants and animals to protect in the corridor, including key indicator species for ecosystem health; Some of which are of particular concern for national conservation efforts. Yoro Biological Corridor research combines 15 years fieldwork and data collection related to biodiversity and overall forest health within the corridor (in addition to social studies, collaboration, and training & monitoring with coffee growers). Specific details of the existing biodiversity and the efforts to protect this will be added and tracked on this website and will be published in the research documents.

The Margay Cat and the Quetzal (bird) live in Pico Pijol National Park; An important nationally protected park within the Yoro Biological Corridor. Both of these animals require forest to survive making them key indicators of a forest’s health.

Each species listed is found on IOC™ coffee farms or in protected parks within the Corridor.

Example of a Margay Cat up in a tree; A sighting by YBC field researcher.
Margay Cat (Leopardus wieddi)
Example of a Quetzal bird up in a tree; A sighting by YBC field researcher.
Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)
Example of a White-Breasted Hawk being studied by YBC scientists in the field; this one in particular found in a forest adjacent to a coffee farm.
White-Breasted Hawk (Accipiter striatus chionogaster)
Example of a Blue-Crowned Motmot being studied by YBC scientists; this particular one found on an organic coffee farm.
Blue-Crowned Motmot (Momotus coeruliceps)
An example of a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl being studied by YBC fieldworkers.
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum)

Bird Species

A total of 97 bird species have been identified on coffee farms practicing Integrated Open Canopy™ (IOC™) coffee farming: 72 are resident species, and 27 are migratory species. In one study, IOC™ coffee farming was shown to support as many forest-dependent bird species as forest, including many species that did not occur in shade plantations (Ritterson et al. 2021):

Key forest health indicator bird species include the following 3 migratory birds; And in particular, the Golden-Winged Warbler indicates the presence of mature forest habitat:

Golden-Winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)
Example of a Blue-winged Warbler being studied by YBC scientists in their fieldwork; taken on a coffee farm.
Blue-Winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)
An example of a Wood Th rush (Hylocichla mustelina) being studued by YBC scientists in their fieldwork.
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)