Kelly,

All I know is that the Neotropical zone consists of an area consisting of
south and Central America, southern Mexico, and the Western Indies.
Anything above that is the so called Nearctic zone and includes everything
above what I described below, together they are treated by ornithologists
as the Holarctic. So, birds which migrate from the north american breeding
grounds into that region and have their family origination there
(Neotropical zone) I think would be considered a Neotropical Migrant.


By Definition:

Neotropical Area: Biogeographic region including South and Central America,
southern Mexico and the West Indies which shares many species with the
Nearctic zone, the two are sometimes treated by ornithologists as a single
region, the "Holarctic". Many species in the Holarctic are migrants -
Prof. John Wiens (Colerado State University)

Thats the best I can do.

Libor
----------
> From: Kelly Cassidy <kelly at salmo.cqs.washington.edu>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Neotropical migrants
> Date: September 9, 1997 9:20 PM
>
> > I hope that helps you out somewhat?
> >
> > Cheers!
> > Libor
>
> Sure! Now I have three answers:
>
> 1) A bird that migrates below the Mexico/US border,
>
> 2) A bird that overwinters between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn,
> regardless of whether it breeds in North or South America
>
> 3) > Passerines are commonly known as neotropical migrants. A
Neotropical
> > migrant is characterized as a bird which breeds in the Nearctic (North
> > America) and winters in the Neotropics (South America) but has its
> > evolutionary origin in the Neotropical zone.
>
> With definition 1, the Upland Sandpiper is a Neotropical migrant (NM),
> but is not by definition 2 (winters in the pampas of Argentina) or 3 (not

> a passerine).
>
> Any other opinions, or is this an unresolved issue?
>
> Kelly Cassidy -- Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
> Box 357980, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
> kelly at u.washington.edu --- 206-685-4195 --- 206-368-8076