St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

located just off the Hummingbird Highway in

Cayo District Cayo District is a district located in the west part of Belize. It is the most extensive, second-most populous and third-most densely populated of the six districts of Belize. The district's capital is the town of San Ignacio. Geography Being ...

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 ...

, near

Belmopan Belmopan () is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451. In addition to being the smallest capital city in the continental Americas by population, Belmopan is the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and S ...

, the capital city. It is over 500 acres (2 km²) in area, and contains two

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

systems (St. Hermans and Crystal), various natural trails, and the cool

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅ ...

pool from which the park gets its name. The park is managed by the

Belize Audubon Society The Belize Audubon Society is a conservation group in Belize, formed in 1969. Like similar societies elsewhere, it is named in honor of ornithologist and naturalist John James Audubon. History The Belize Audubon Society was formed in 1969 by Dor ...

. This inland "blue hole" is not to be confused with the offshore Great Blue Hole, also in Belize.

History

The Government of Belize acquired the land for the park in the 1960s and '70s. It was officially declared a national park on November 23, 1986. The park was originally named Blue Hole National Park, but its name was changed in 2005 in order to avoid confusion with Blue Hole National Monument.

Flora and fauna

The park has over 200 species of birds, including unusual tropical species such as the slaty antwren,

piratic flycatcher The piratic flycatcher (''Legatus leucophaius'') is a passerine bird, the only member of the genus ''Legatus''. It is a resident breeder from southern Mexico and Trinidad south to Bolivia and Argentina. At least some birds from Central America an ...

and

red-legged honeycreeper The red-legged honeycreeper (''Cyanerpes cyaneus'') is a small songbird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae). It is found in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and on ...

. Species considered local specialties are

tody motmot The tody motmot (''Hylomanes momotula'') is a species of passerine bird in the motmot family Momotidae. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Hylomanes''. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hondura ...

and

northern nightingale-wren The northern nightingale-wren (''Microcerculus philomela''), or nightingale wren, is a species of passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.Clements, J. F., T. S. ...

.Wheatley, Nigel and Brewer, David (2001). ''Where to Watch Birds in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean''. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. The

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') is a wild cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central and South America east of the Andes. The jaguarundi is a medium-sized ...

, and

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

have all been recorded in Blue Hole National Park.

References

External links

Belize
Cayo District National parks of Belize {{Belize-geo-stub

History

Flora and fauna

See also

References

External links