Belize has miles and miles of coast line, not just on the Cayes and the reef but on the mainland, and it abounds with life. The coastal zone of this ecoregion contains almost 300 species of birds, including red-footed boobies, roseate spoonbills, common noddies, great blue and green herons, white-crowned pigeons, great and snowy egrets, white ibises, and several species of terns. Other birds that stop here occasionally include Yucatan parrots, brown jays, laughing gulls, white-winged doves, and magnificent frigate birds--just to name a few.

But it's not just about birds either. They share the swamps and coastal regions with a variety of reptiles, including boa constrictors, American crocodiles, Morelet’s crocodiles, and iguanas. Sea turtles are holding their own here. The green, hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, and Kemp’s ridley turtles all visit the sandy beaches of Belize annually to deposit their eggs.

Did we mention the manatees? Belize has the largest population of West Indian manatees in the world . This ecoregion also overlaps with the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve system--the second largest barrier reef in the world (after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia). The cayes here (pronounced "keys"),