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: Black-crowned Palm-Tanager

Meet the Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, or locally known as Cuatro Ojos (“four-eyes”). This striking bird is a medium-sized passerine endemic to the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic) and some satellite islands. Commonly found throughout the island, these birds are easily identified by their olive back contrasting with a gray nape and  underparts, and a black head bearing a unique pattern of four white spots, hence its Spanish name Cuatro Ojos. Interestingly, while these birds are called tanagers, they are not in the same family as many of the other tropical tanagers, Thraupidae. They actually reside in their own family (Phaenicophilidae), along with several other of Hispaniola’s unique endemics. 

The species is common in nearly all habitats, from urban to remote, from wet forest to dry forest, and both low and high elevation. They feed opportunistically on many different foods, including insects, small vertebrates such as lizards, many species of wild fruits, and occasionally nectar. Though they have several vocalizations, the presence of a Black-crowned Palm-Tanager is often announced by a cascading series of soft whistle calls as they move between perches in flight or by an almost cat-like alarm call used when agitated or detecting a predator. Where you find one, you can be almost certain that there is another close by. Mated pairs stay together year-round, and often forage together. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Black-crowned Palm-Tanager!

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 Black-crowned Palm-Tanager

The Black-crowned Tanager’s vocalizations include a high thin tseeoo and ts as well as a nasal byu. You can also hear the loud call of a Black-whiskered Vireo towards the end of the recording.

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 & ADULTS:  Check out this short video of a Black-crowned Tanager in the wild in the Dominican Republic, such a distinctive and beautiful bird! This video was taken as the Indigenous Eyes Ecological Reserve, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; the second bird shown is a Red-legged Thrush.

FOR ADULTS:Learn more about the Black-crowned Palm Tanager and other endemic birds in the Dominican Republic! Check out these articles on Spencer Schubert’s adventures into the remote corners of the Dominican Republic, all in the name of science and conservation. He is studying how important these birds are in the forest ecosystem as seed dispersers.

Birdy Hear, Birdy Do: Does Playback Attract Seed Dispersers to Restoration Sites?

Forest Restoration in the Dominican Republic: How I Got the Birds to Work for Me