Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: St. Vincent Parrot
The Saint Vincent Parrot or Saint Vincent Amazon (Amazona guildingii) is the national bird of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is endemic to the island of Saint Vincent. This species has striking and unique coloration unlike any other Amazon. There are two colour morphs: yellow-brown (more common) and green. Both have pale heads and bronze-colored underparts, a blue, yellow and orange tail, and green-and-blue flight feathers. The green morph has many green feathers on the back, whereas the yellow-brown morph has the rest of the upperparts largely similar to the body. Males and females look similar. This colourful bird has the colours of the national flag, making it more special to Vincentians.
The Saint Vincent Parrot is found in mature rainforest along western and eastern slopes of the central mountain range. Occasionally, they are seen in nearby cultivated lands. They are usually seen flying in pairs but are observed foraging in flocks on fruits, seeds, flowers and leaves. These parrots nest in cavities of large, mature trees. The female typically lays two eggs, but could lay up to four. They are loud birds with an impressive vocal repertoire. Like most parrots, they are active early in the morning and late in the afternoon, the ideal times to see them in the wild!
The Saint Vincent Parrot was once common, but destruction of its forest habitat, hunting for food, trapping for the cage-bird trade, and hurricanes all led to the parrot’s decline to only 370-470 birds in the 1980s. Thankfully, the parrot and its habitat are now protected by law and the population is slowly increasing. It is now listed as Vulnerable with a wild population of about 750 birds. Continued conservation and public awareness campaigns are critical to saving this species from extinction. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the St. Vincent Parrot!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the St. Vincent Parrot
The St. Vincent Parrot has an impressive vocal repertoire; they give a loud, scratchy un-parrot-like call gua-gua-gua while in flight.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Learn how to draw Cuban endemic birds—the charming Cuban Tody and gorgeous Bridled Quail-Dove—in this fun video by talented artist, biologist, and educator, Josmar Esteban Marquez! The video is in Spanish with English sub-titles. (turn on sub-titles by clicking on the “CC” link at the bottom of the video screen).
FOR ADULTS:Learn more about the birds of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and top birding hotspots in this Caribbean BirdWatch article in ZiNG magazine, LIAT Airlines in-flight magazine. Take a virtual birding trip to the Lesser Antilles, including St. Vincent, and “see” the St. Vincent Parrots in these two fun articles:
In Search of the Amazonas: A Virtual Tour of Four Islands
The Glorious Sight of St. Vincent Parrots – in the Wild
