Although many people often use the term "Neotropical" as a synonym for the tropical regions of South America, the ecozone actually covers South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, the Caribbean islands and South Florida. The Neotropical region is characterized by a diversity of shared flora and fauna. .
The exceedingly varied avifauna of Central and South America inhabits the most extensive and luxuriant rainforests in the world as well as widely different nonforest habitats of the lowlands, mountains and deserts.
In particular, the region hosts approximately 3,300 bird species, the richest concentration of avifauna in the world. Thirty-one bird families are endemic to the Neotropics, over twice the number of any other ecozone. Bird families originally unique to the Neotropics include rheas, tinamous, curassows, toucans, hummingbirds and wrens.
This unique diversity of species of birds and additional flora and fauna make the region a vital part of the conservation.
The Neotropical Region
