Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Narrow-billed Tody
If you’re thinking the Narrow-billed Tody must be the counterpart of the Broad-billed Tody – you’d be right. Hispaniola (shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic) is the only island with TWO todies and the only island where the todies are not named after their locale. These two todies indeed differ in bill width. They also separate altitudinally. The Broad-billed Tody is found in the lowland broadleaf forests while the Narrow-billed Tody (Todus angustirostris) inhabits the high-elevation cloud and pine forests.
Todies, the charismatic faces of the Caribbean, are small green birds with a bright red throat and paler chest. Though similar in coloration to hummingbirds, they are actually more related to kingfishers and motmots. Todies comprise 5 species spread across 4 of the Greater Antilles and are completely endemic to the Caribbean!
Besides the narrower bill, how can we distinguish the Narrow-billed Tody? First, check the eye color. Narrow-billed Todies have pale, typically blue eyes rather than the dark brown eyes of Broad-billed Todies. Next, check the breast color, Narrow-billed Todies will have a stark white breast, allowing their yellow and pink side feathers to really pop.
In contrast, the Broad-billed Tody has a much streakier yellow-pinkish breast. Finally check the bill. While Narrow-billed Todies do in fact have a narrower bill, the underside of the bill will typically be much darker. And if you really pay close attention, you might even notice that the Broad-billed Tody is overall a much brighter green than the darker, more forest-green of the Narrow-billed Tody.
The Narrow-billed Tody is locally known as the Chi-cui, named after its raspy, insect-like vocalization. They can often be heard making this chi-cui sound or a faster lazer call. But unlike the Broad-billed Tody which can make a nonvocal wing noise that sounds similar to running your fingers through a comb, Narrow-billed Todies do not appear to sport this ability.
These tiny green birds, weighing in at about 5-6 grams, have a voracious appetite and are seen in a near constant state of foraging. They’ll devour anything- from gooey caterpillars to butterflies, and have even been observed munching on 18 different species of fruits! And with their tiny size they’ve even been found choosing smaller fruits compared to some of Hispaniola’s other avian frugivores.
Like the other Caribbean todies, Narrow-billed Todies will dig their own nest burrow in any dirt bank they can find. Unlike Broad-billed Todies, however, which can be found nesting in your local neighborhood, Narrow-billed Todies are a bit pickier and prefer to nest deeper in the woods. In the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic, these tiny todies actually make an elevational migration related to their breeding season. In April, right as they start to get ready for breeding, they’ll move upwards in elevation, being found no lower than 1,000m. But after the breeding season ends, usually July-August, they beeline back down the mountain and can be found as low as 650m during the rest of the year!
Similar to other Caribbean birds that live in forests, the Narrow-billed Tody is rapidly losing habitat, especially to growing agricultural activities like cattle ranching and coffee farms. Climate change has already pushed the two todies closer together—they can now be found breeding in overlap zones around 900m in the Cordillera Central and around 1,200m in the Sierra de Bahoruco of the Dominican Republic. There are even rumors of the first likely hybridization between the two species!
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 song of the Narrow-billed Tody
The song of the Narrow-billed Tody is a buzzy chattering which is repeated at intervals.
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!
Narrow-billed Tody, showing it’s pink sides. (Photo by Alberto Rojas)Perched Narrow-billed Tody. (Photo by Francisco Alba)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Can you find the words in our Narrow-billed Tody word search? Remind yourself of some of the interesting facts about this endemic bird as you look for all 15 hidden words!
Remember the words may appear forwards and backwards, as well as horizontal, vertical and diagonal! Need some help? Or want to check your answers? You can see where all the words were here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Narrow-billed Tody preening!
The Narrow-billed Tody was one of the beautiful birds , found in the Dominican Republic, that were seen by the participants of Landbird Monitoring Training Workshop. This workshop was held at the in the hills of central Dominican Republic during 2022 as part of our Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Program. Wildlife professionals from 16 countries had the opportunity to get together in person and learn to address the challenges of identifying, counting, and tracking our fascinating landbirds – in a variety of beautiful habitats. Find out what it was like taking part from participant Daniela Ventura.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Yellow-headed Warbler
Easy to spot because it forages in the understory is a small distinct warbler with an all-yellow head that contrasts with a plain gray body—the Yellow-headed Warbler (Teretistris fernandinae). It occurs over the western third of the main island of Cuba, as well as on the Isle of Youth and Cayo Cantiles. It is one of two warbler species endemic to Cuba.
The Yellow-headed Warbler is considered a “sister species” of the more easterly distributed Oriente Warbler (Teretistris fornsi), the other endemic warbler. Sister species are closely related – they are the two descendant species formed when one species splits during evolution.
In recent times, some biologists found an area of geographical overlap of the two species on the south side of the island between Cienfuegos and Trinidad City. Interestingly they have discovered a hybrid population here!! This means that both species have been living in this area and breeding with each other for years!! Hybrid zones happen when two closely related species come into contact with one another again and interbreed.
It’s easy to tell these two warblers apart in the field. The Yellow-headed Warbler, has an all-yellow hood and yellow eye-rings and the rest of the plumage is plain gray while the Oriente Warbler has a gray head but yellow face and chest. So you may be wondering, what do the hybrid warblers look like? The hybrids have a yellow hood and yellow chest!
Yellow-headed Warblers inhabit forests and wooded vegetation at all elevations, also scrubby thickets in semi-arid areas. They form small flocks when they are looking for food like insects and other invertebrates, mostly in understory, but also on the ground or in branches. During this time you may hear them making high-pitched buzzy notes tsi-tsi-tsi tsi-tsi, repeated many times.
Many other species of birds tag along with these bustling foraging flocks and often wait for the insects that escape from the Yellow-headed Warblers. They also benefit from the added protection of being alerted to the presence of lurking predators. It is common to see Cuban Vireos, La Sagra´s Flycatchers and Cuban Bullfinches, as well as migratory warblers like Black-and-White Warblers, Prairie Warblers, Worm-eating Warblers, and Northern Parulas joining the flock of Yellow-headed Warblers.
With spring, starting in March, the numbers of insects and bugs begin to increase! This is when the breeding season for the Yellow-headed Warbler starts and usually continues until July. It builds a cup-shaped nest of grasses, rootlets, and other plant fibers placed low or fairly low in a bush, vine, or sapling. Clutch size is 2 to 3 eggs, with egg-laying taking place from April to June.
Although the conservation status of the Yellow-headed Warbler is Least Concern, we need to monitor and protect this bird. Keep in mind that it is a restricted-range species, present only in western Cuba. It is therefore vulnerable to many threats, such as deforestation, pollution, and impacts from climate change, including severe drought, storms, and hurricanes. These threats could kill birds outright as well as damage their habitats, food sources and ability to breed successfully. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Ernesto Reyes Mouriño for the text!
Colour in the Yellow-headed Warbler
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 song of the Yellow-headed Warbler
The song of the Yellow-headed Warbler is series of raspy, high-pitched, buzzy notes.
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!
A Yellow-headed Warbler calls. (Photo by Greg Lavaty)Yellow-headed Warbler. (Photo by Doug Greenberg)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: There are two warblers who both live in Cuba and look very much alike, but they’re not the same! Once is today’s endemic bird, the Yellow-headed Warbler, and the other is the Oriente Warbler. Both are mainly gray and yellow! In our activity of the day you need to look carefully at two photos and try to identify the Yellow-headed Warbler. Check the text above for some handy tips.
If you get stuck and feel like you need a bit of extra help then take a look on the second page of this activity. You will find some helpful hints to set you on the right track.
Thinks that you found the Yellow-headed Warbler? You can check if you are right on our answer sheet here. This activity is perfect to play with school groups or outdoor education clubs etc.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this delightful video of a Yellow-headed Warbler foraging in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Inagua Woodstar
This feisty Bahamian endemic hummingbird was formerly considered a subspecies of the Bahamas Woodstar. But the Inagua Woodstar was classified by the American Ornithological Society as a separate species in 2015. It is found only in Great and Little Inagua, two Islands in the southeastern part of The Bahamas archipelago. The Bahamas Woodstar, however, is found throughout the rest of the Bahamas. Additionally, both species differ from each other in morphology, coloration, vocalizations, and even courtship displays!
The male’s iridescent gorget (throat) of both species is a brilliant shade of purple, sometimes chartreuse (yellow-green) if the light catches it just right. But the Inagua Woodstar male may have patches of iridescence on its forehead and lores (area in front of the eyes). Furthermore, adult male Inagua Woodstars have a unique tail—it is slightly longer and more strongly forked than the Bahama Woodstar, and the outer feathers fan out in a unique lyre shape (think of a U-shaped harp).
Female Inagua Woodstars are much like female Bahama Woodstars—dull green on the back, rufous belly, and whitish upper breast and throat. As with most hummingbirds young males closely resemble females until they undergo their first adult molt at about 10 months of age. Young hummingbirds tend to rest on plant leaves instead of hovering when feeding on flowers.
The song of the Inagua Woodstar is quiet and simple, sounding like wet, squeaking shoes. Calls include a sharp, metallic “tit” or “tit-it”; often given in a series, sometimes quite rapidly. Males also make a metallic sound with their tail during display flights.
Woodstars can be found in nearly all habitats, including dune scrub, freshwater riparian areas, parks, and gardens. They visit flowers of numerous native plants including salvia, sages, various honeysuckles, red-bird cactus, aloe vera, Bougainvillea, Noni, and flame of the woods (Ixora) shrubs. The Geiger Trees, however, seem to be a magnet for many male Inagua Woodstars. Both sexes defend territories around favored nectar sources. Nests may be found anytime from September to June (and possibly year-round) with possible peaks in April-May and October. Nests are usually 3-7 feet off the ground in trees which offer evergreen foliage. In vegetated areas just off the beaches on the eastern side of the islands, nests may be found in various wild scrub plants, about 2-3 ft off the ground. All nests are approximately 2 inches and usually contain two eggs.If you hear the female making repeated calls as you enter a nesting area, she’s telling you “do not come any closer to my nest!” And we hope that you will take heed of of her disturbance warning.
The location of the birds on the islands is highly dependent on the weather in summer and fall, due to the direct influences of hurricanes and the amount of rainfall. While this species is presently common in the Inaguas, it is a restricted range species. It is therefore vulnerable to threats like severe storms and hurricanes, which could wipe out its population directly from the storm itself, or indirectly from destruction of its habitat and the loss of nectar food sources.
Wondering how you can get an up-close look of this endemic gem? Travel to Great Inagua in The Bahamas, where you will fly into Matthew Town, the one small settlement on the island. The locals are helpful with sharing recent sightings and are very willing to give you directions. Please contact these expert local birders/guides for more information: Tarra Lindo Lilninebig@hotmail.com or Casper Burrows Friendlytoursinagua@gmail.com
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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
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!
Perched Male Inagua Woodstar. (Photo by Ann Maddock)Female Inagua Woodstar in flight. (Photo by Ann Maddock)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Like all birds, the Inagua Woodstar and other hummingbirds like to bathe. But they won’t use a traditional birdbath. They prefer to take a shower in moving water- like from a mister, sprinkler. or dripper, or they use a much shallower source. They will even bathe in the water droplets that collect on leaves!
Why not make a hummingbird water dripper so that these lovely little birds can take a shower in your garden? If you have an empty juice bottle you can make this dripper. Other wildlife in your yard will also appreciate having some water!
To make the dripper you will need:
1 plastic jug or bottle, clean, empty and with labels removed
craft wire, twine, ribbon, strips of cloth
1 straight pin or fine-gauge needle
Scissors
Paint or markers (optional)
Be sure to have an adult on hand when using the needle and scissors!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of an Inagua Woodstar feeding in the wild!
Want to know more about these beautiful endemic birds and other hummingbirds? Why not watch our webinar “Flying Jewels: A Photographic Journey of Select Hummingbird Species of the US and The Bahamas“. In it Ann Maddock shares fascinating information about hummingbirds, using stunning photos from her book of the same name! Ann and our friends from The Bahamas talk about the Cuban Emerald, Bahamas Woodstar, and Inagua Woodstar and how anyone can safely photograph hummingbirds, attract them to your yard, and keep them coming back! First shown as a live Webinar as part of BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival 2021.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Jamaican Becard
In the forests and woodlands of Jamaica, you hear a loud and melodious Ricka-ticky-ti-tee and quickly begin searching the canopy of the large trees around you. There it is – the Jamaican Becard (Pachyramphus niger). This unmistakable call lends to one of its local names “Rickatee.” Usually perched scanning for prey, this small flycatcher-like bird is around 18 cm with a large square head and heavy black bill, large brown eyes, and a slightly forked tail.
Males are glossy black on the back and duller on the front. Females (and juveniles) are quite different—they have a bright rufous head, throat, wings, and tail, medium gray back, and pale gray underparts. In most instances, if you see one sex you’re sure to see the other. The Jamaican Becard is typically seen foraging in the mid to upper levels of the forest primarily feeding on insects and other small invertebrates, which it captures by hovering or gleaning from the leaves and branches of trees. They also eat small berries. Belonging to the family Tityridae, a group of Neotropical songbirds, the Jamaican Becard is unique. Of the 17 species of Becard (Pachyramphus spp), it is the only island endemic. The other 16 are found on the continental mainland ranging from Mexico through Central America and South America (only one species, the Rose-throated Becard, is resident in the US in southeastern sections of Arizona and Texas). A standout trait of the Jamaican Becard is its spectacular nest. It’s very large, up to 1.2 m in circumference, and made of sticks, leaves, grasses, ferns, vines, moss, and Tillandsia. The nest is draped and hung at the end of a slender branch high above the ground from a large tree. This gives rise to two of its other local names: “House bird” and “London City.” The female lays three eggs. The breeding season runs from March to June.
Jamaican Becards are clever birds too! The main entrance to the nest is usually at the bottom but there are often several false entrances to baffle predators. With such an attractive stockpile of materials, many other birds of varied species often steal material to make their nests, keeping the Becard couple busily remodeling or fending off the looters. Although fairly widespread across the island, Jamaican Becards are not found in dry limestone forests. With their ecology being dependent on fairly good canopy and large trees the Jamaican Becard is another species that highlights the importance of maintaining forest habitats with large trees in Jamaica.
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 song of the Jamaican Becard
The song of the Jamaican Becard is an an excited-sounding chatter of squeaky notes, often followed by a drawn out “tweeeee” note.
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!
Male Jamaican Becard. (Photo by Matt Grube)Female Jamaican Becard. (photo by Dave Curtis)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Today’s endemic bird, the Jamaican Becard lives in the forests of the mountains in Jamaica. This is where they will nest and attempt to raise their chicks. But it’s not always easy! Jamaican Becards, like many other birds, face many challenges during their breeding season. They must find a mate and build a nest. Then protect the nest and eggs. They must also feed their chicks so that they can grow into strong and healthy birds.
In our “Bird Survivor” game you can learn more about nesting birds and what birds need to do to successfully raise a bird family! Have you got what it takes?
For this activity you will need at least one adult to help organize the game; a large space (indoors or outside); the “Bird Survivor” game cards (provided with the full activity guide); and a group of adults and/ or kids to play the game! You can find out more in our activity introduction here. You can find all the information, instructions, a guide to learning outcomes and the “Bird Survivor” cards in our “Bird Survivor” activity guide and materials. This activity is perfect to play with school groups or outdoor education clubs etc.
Enjoy these videos of a female and a male Jamaican Becard in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Lesser Antillean Swift
As the name implies, this superb flying swift is endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is generally fairly common, and at present the species is known to breed on the islands of Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent (St. Vincent and the Grenadines). eBird data also reports some observations in the Grenadines—Bequia and Union Island.
The Lesser Antillean Swift has a protruding head, a short square tail, and wings that bulge in the middle, cut in at the body, and hook at the end. At first glance it may look like a torpedo with wings whirling through the sky. But spend enough time observing the Lesser Antillean Swift and you will see its black-brown upperparts with a narrow gray rump-band; brown underparts and paler throat. In fact this swift, like many other swifts, spends most of its life on the wing using its speed and agility to catch flying insects. Even copulation occurs in flight!
The Lesser Antillean Swift can be found in a variety of habitats from high altitude pristine mountains to drier lowland savannas and cultivated areas. Highly gregarious, it is often found in flocks of 20-40 individuals. Its stubby dark-gray body and rapid, shallow wingbeats differentiate it from all swallows.
While it doesn’t decelerate often, it does slow down to nest. The breeding season is believed to span from May to July. The nest is built with a mixture of mud, saliva, and other materials the swifts catch in flight. Nests are cup-shaped and built within hollows, trees, caves, or on the sides of cliffs in mountainous areas. Clutch size is 2-3 eggs.
Although not considered a species of conservation concern, there is a serious lack of research and knowledge about this species, making it difficult to accurately assess the species’ status. It’s important to keep in mind that insectivorous birds have undergone some of the steepest declines across all avifauna, due in high part to the use of chemical pesticides applied at industrial scale. Deforestation is also likely to affect the species by reducing available nesting sites. It’s also important to note that basic natural history information on many Caribbean swifts, including this species, is limited, presenting low-hanging fruit for future research.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Lesser Antillean Swift
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 Lesser Antillean Swift
The calls of the Lesser Antillean Swift are a high, sharp twittering.
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!
Lesser Antillean Swift on the wing. (Photo by Frantz Delcroix)Illustration of a Lesser Antillean Swift. (Art by Ian Lewington)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Lesser Antillean Swifts feed on insects, swooping through the air to catch them on the wing! Can you help this hungry Lesser Antillean Swift find its way through our maze to to grab some tasty insect food? You can find the correct route here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of Lesser Antillean Swifts in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager
Of all the endemic Hispaniolan birds, only one bears the title of being Haiti’s only endemic, and that is the lovely Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager. Found only in the western part of Haiti, it is counterpart to the more wide-spread Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, found throughout Hispaniola. This handsome bird is gray below with a gray crown and nape and yellow-green wings, back, and tail. Its black face mask contrasts sharply with broad white mustache stripes and three white spots around the eye, giving it a spectacled appearance and its common name of “four eyes” in Spanish and French, cuatro ojos or quatre-yeux.
The Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager can be distinguished from the similar Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, by, you guessed it, the namesake crown color. In addition, Gray-crowned Palm Tanagers have a white chin and gray throat, whereas the Black-crowned Palm Tanager has an entirely white throat.
But be wary of young Black-crowned Palm-Tanagers in the Sierra de Bahoruco population in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. These young birds will often have a black-gray mottled crown. So how else can we differentiate the two? Check the breast color, the Gray-crowned Palm-Tanagers not only have a gray crown but also a grayer breast, compared to the Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, whose breast is more grayish-white.
With these two birds being so similar, they’ve got to be related right? Correct – and actually it’s a pretty cool story also explaining a bit of the restricted range of the Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager. These birds are found west of the Jacmel Depression, a strip of land running north-south that separates the Tiburon Peninsula from the rest of Hispaniola. During the Mid Pleistocene (circa 1 million years ago) the Jacmel Depression was so low, it was actually underwater, making the Massif de la Hotte mountain range on the Tiburon Peninsula effectively isolated from the rest of Hispaniola. This isolation is what allowed for the speciation of the Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager. And it’s speculated that this geographic barrier led to the speciation of many other flora and fauna, much of which has yet to be described to science!
Though very range restricted, within the Tiburon Peninsula, the Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager is actually fairly common, being found in forests from the coast up to 2,400m elevation. They have been found inhabiting mangrove forests, city parks, coastal scrub, agro-forestry plantations, pine forest, semi-humid forest, and humid forest. Though they are especially abundant in the Macaya Biosphere Reserve, a national park high up in the Massif de la Hotte mountains. Like their black-crowned counterpart, these birds are also generalists, feeding on ripe fruits and probing dead leaves for arthropods.
While the Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager is considered common, especially in comparison to many other Haitian birds, they are still of conservation concern. Only 1.5% of Haiti’s original forest cover remains, and even this continues to face the threat of encroaching agriculture and charcoal production for cooking. Their small range and lack of any conservation enforcement means conserving what little remains of the Tiburon Peninsula should be a top conservation priority to ensure the survival of these unique birds as well as other species waiting to be discovered..Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager
The call of the Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager is a thin “Peee-u“.
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!
Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager – note the gray crown and white mustache strips and chin. The throat of the similar Black-crowned Palm Tanager is entirely white. (Photo by Charles Davies-Macaulay Library -ML128928411)A Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager feeds on berries. (Photo by Sean Christensen-Macaulay Library- ML50182511)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: This activity is for everyone! The Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager is endemic to Haiti, part of the island of Hispaniola. It’s time to get creative and learn to draw two other beautiful endemic birds from Hispaniola. The similar looking Black-crowned Palm Tanager, who lives ‘next door’ in the Dominican Republic and another the Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo (found across Hispaniola). Grab some paper and your colouring pencils and get ready to draw along with artist Josmar Esteban Marquez!
Then, enjoy this video of a Gray-crowed Palm-Tanager in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Puerto Rican Flycatcher
The Puerto Rican Flycatcher (Myiarchus antillarum) is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher, endemic to the island of Puerto Rico. It can be inconspicuous, due to its dull brown plumage on its back and mostly grayish-white underparts, but the voice of this elegant bird can be heard from a distance. The Spanish name “Juí” is derived from its characteristic whistled “wheeeeee” call. It also produces other distinctive calls throughout the day, like the quick “tsee-ick” whistle and longer dawn song “whee-a-wit-whee.”
Flycatchers can glean for insects from a substrate, but they mainly catch them in the air, flying out from a perch. This hunting strategy, known as “sallying,” requires acute vision and rapid movements! Its preferred diet consists of insects, like wasps, crickets, and beetles. But it also consumes a small amount of vertebrate prey, including snails and small lizards, and a few seeds and fruits.
The reproductive season extends from February to July. It nests in natural tree cavities, some previously built by Puerto Rican Woodpeckers (Melanerpes portoricensis). They are also known to use artificial nest boxes. Breeding biology studies have found that Shiny Cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) parasitize the nests of the Puerto Rican Flycatcher, thus decreasing their breeding success.
The species inhabits wooded areas, from coastal woodlands and mangroves at sea level to coffee plantations and mid-elevations montane forests. The species is not limited to the island of Puerto Rico; it is also found in the dry forests of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, including St. John, Anegada, and Beef Island, although uncommon.
A long-term mist-netting study in Guánica State Forest in southern Puerto Rico, found a sharp decline in the flycatcher capture rate between 1989 and 2010. However, it is unknown if this trend extends island wide. For the moment, it is considered a species of Least Concern.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Adrianne Tossas for the text!
Colour in the Puerto Rican Flycatcher
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 calls of the Puerto Rican Flycatcher
The calls of the Puerto Rican Flycatcher are a short “tsee-ick” and a plaintive whistle “wheeeeee.” It also has longer dawn song “whee-a-wit-whee.”
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!
Puerto Rican Flycatcher perched, showing off its crest. (Photo by Matt Grube)Puerto Rican Flycatcher. (Photo by Alan Wells)Puerto Rican Flycatcher. (Photo by Benny Diaz)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Puerto Rican Flycatchers can be found in many different habitats including mangrove forests. Mangroves are important for so many of our endemic, resident and migratory birds. They are also home to many other animals and plants. On top of all this mangrove provide protection against storm damage and floods! Do you know where the mangroves are on your island? Why not find out and complete our Where Are My Mangroves? activity.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Puerto Rican Flycatcher carrying nesting material to its nest, in an old pipe!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Red-necked Parrot
Looking over the rainforests of Dominica, one may think that trees have learned to fly as large green objects take to the sky. But as if they have read our curious minds, the birds begin to speak, letting out loud, shrill “chur-lu-weeek” calls to let everyone know that it is indeed the Red-necked Parrot (Amazona arausiaca) moving over the island’s sweeping valleys.
Locally called the Jaco Parrot, these birds are one of two endemic parrot species found on the island of Dominica (Waitukubuli) with the only other Caribbean Island hosting two endemic parrots being Jamaica. What sets the Jaco apart from its cousin – the Imperial Parrot (Amazona imperialis) or Sisserou – is its bluish head, yellow tail band, and bright green body with a dash of orange-red on its upper chest and wings. When they take flight though, their blue underwing is revealed, almost as if to blend into the blue sky like they do when perched in the green rainforest.
Jaco Parrots feed mainly on seeds, nuts, and fruits of various forest and cultivated species, but are occasionally seen foraging on the young shoots of certain plants. They are as messy of an eater as they are loud with the forest floor littered with half-eaten fruits. It’s almost as if they are leaving a trail of breadcrumbs behind for the avid birder! One thing they certainly share with the Dominican people is their love for seeded fruits like citrus, guava, and passion fruit.
While the parrots are said to have an exceptional palate, their desire to forage on cultivated crops has created human-wildlife conflicts as they sometimes damage crops and thus a farmer’s harvest and income. However, the Jaco Parrot is listed as a specially protected bird in Dominica due to its cultural, economic, and ecological significance and its Vulnerable status on the IUCN Red List.
Despite the numerous disasters that have plagued Dominica’s forests and parrots in recent history, including hurricanes and poaching, the Jaco’s ability to lay four eggs and adapt to coastal and inland vegetation types have allowed their numbers to bounce back each time. Thanks to this, they can still be seen in flocks of up to 15 birds loudly calling over Dominica’s mountains as if to issue a daily reminder to their wildlife neighbors saying, “Hello, hello, I am still here!”
Thanks to Jeanelle Brisbane and Stephen Durand for the text!
Colour in the Red-necked Parrot
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 calls of the Red-necked Parrot
The calls of the Red-necked Parrot include a shrill “chur-lu-weeek” with the final note louder and high-pitched, as well as “cureeek” call.
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!
A Red-necked Parrot, locally know as a “Jaco”. (Photo by Jenny Craddock)
A Red-necked Parrot enjoys a tasty meal. (Photo by Stephen Durand)‘Jaco’ Parrot Perched in a tree. (Photo by Paul-Reillo)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Red-necked Parrots love to eat fruits and seeds! Why not try making this passion fruit cup feeder? You can can fill it with seeds or pieces of fruit, and hang in your garden to keep the parrots well fed. Not in Dominica – the home of these beautiful endemic parrots? No problem, any parrots that live near you and many other types of wild birds, will love this feeder! Hang it up, fill it with food, and see who comes to visit for lunch.
Remember that this activity involves using scissors and knife, you will need an adult to help with making this.
Even if you don’t get any parrot visitors to you feeder you can enjoy this video of Red-necked Parrots in the wild! The video shows these beautiful parrots feeding on flowers.
Sadly the charismatic endemic parrots of Dominica have been subject to the controversial export of several individual birds after the 2017 hurricane season and the highly damaging passage of Hurricane Maria. You can read more details of what happened below, including links to a detailed investigation carried out by ‘The Guardian’ newspaper (UK).
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Ashy-faced Owl
The Ashy-faced Owl (Tyto glaucops) is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic). It is a close relative of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba), but it is much darker and smaller. Its adorable heart-shaped face is ash gray which gives rise to its common name.
It is easy to distinguish a night owl from a daytime owl by the color of its eyes. The Snowy Owl, the owl featured in “Harry Potter,” has yellow eyes and is a good example of a daytime owl. The Ashy-faced Owl has black eyes and is a night owl or nocturnal hunter. It feeds mostly on small mammals (rodents and bats), but its diet includes more than thirty species of birds, plus reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.
Although the Ashy-faced Owl is considered abundant on the island, and is not threatened (Least Concern) its population is considered to have declined since 1930. This is due to the destruction of its habitats and the scarcity of nesting cavities. It is also suspected that its close relative, the Barn Owl, may be competing with it for nesting sites. Unfortunately, owls are also persecuted and often killed because they are believed to be omens of death. This is a quite common, but unfounded superstitious belief in the Caribbean.
Ashy-faced Owls live in many types of habitats: open fields, both dry and wet forests, scrub, cave areas, agricultural plantations, palm plantations, and abandoned buildings, but they prefer dense wooded areas. Their calls consist of a harsh “shaaaaaa” sound that looks like a whistle and rapid clicks like those of insects.
They breed from January to June, nesting in natural cavities such as hollows in trees, in caves, in limestone cliffs, and in artificial places. They lay 3 to 4 white eggs. The eggs of birds nesting in dark cavities are almost always white, perhaps because in the dark they cannot be seen by predators. Only females incubate the eggs. Incubation lasts from 30 to 32 days.
Females are much larger and stronger than males—they weigh more than 500 grams, while males weigh between 300 and 350 grams. Therefore, in cases of “domestic disputes” between a nesting pair, the male is the most vulnerable. But there is an advantage to being smaller. Males, being smaller and more agile, hunt different prey from females. Their diet is more varied and this helps reduce competition for food between the sexes.
In captivity a pair with three chicks consumes on average a dozen mice per night, which proves their importance as biological controls. Perhaps whoever kills an owl should be condemned to eat twelve mice a day for several weeks! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Simón Guerrero for the text!
Colour in the Ashy-faced Owl
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 calls of the Ashy-faced Owl
The calls Ashy-faced Owl are include a harsh and hissing “shaaaaaa” call as well as rapid, high-pitched clicks.
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!
Ashy-faced Owl spotted in 2023 in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Joshua Covill, Macaulay Library-ML527553631).An Ashy-faced Owl with it’s small mammal prey, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Ross Gallardy- Macaulay Library-ML26038361)Ashy-faced Owl in the Dominican Republic. Note the ash-gray face and buffy underparts, which distinguish it from the Barn Owl, which has a white face and underparts. (Photo by Jay McGowan, Macaulay Library-ML162362421)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: How much do you know about the life-cycle of our featured bird the Ashy-face Owl? Why not test your knowledge and complete our “Life Cycle of an Owl” activity?
First spend some time learning about owls on the internet or at your school library. Then carefully cut the ‘missing’ images and paste in the correct order to complete this owl’s life cycle! Don’t forget to label each stage.
You can check your completed life cycle against the correct one, which can be found here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of an Ashy-faced Owl in the wild!
Find out more about the Ashy-faced Owl in the article from the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, published in 2018. In this article, Curti et al. provide the first detailed description of an Ashy-faced Owl nest, providing vital information about the biology of this secretive species.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Fernandina’s Flicker
Walking in the Cuban countryside you may find an extraordinary bird, busy among the grass and leaves of the ground—the Fernandina’s Flicker! You may be wondering “on the ground?!” And rightly so! When we think about woodpeckers, we don’t expect to find them on the ground, but this is one of many ways that this woodpecker is unique.
Endemic to Cuba, the Fernandina’s Flicker (Colaptes fernandinae) is the largest woodpecker in the country, with an impressive size of 33-35cm (the Ivory Billed Woodpecker is larger, but sadly it may be extinct). Its plumage is mustard yellow with fine black barring that becomes thicker on the upperparts. Its head is cinnamon tan with fine barring from forehead to nape; the eye is dark brown, and it has a strong black beak. The male has a solid black stripe of feathers in the malar (cheek) region, this is absent in the female. It is the only woodpecker on the island that lacks red color.
Specially adapted to open vegetation ecosystems with few trees, the Fernandina’s Flicker prefers savannas with palms and open forest. The soil offers the main source of food, and our flicker does not hesitate to get some dirt on its beak! It excavates the ground or searches through the leaf litter for insects, larvae, ants, and any other juicy delicacies. It will also examine trunks and bark of trees for food.
As with all woodpeckers, they have very long tongues that they keep rolled around their skull. The tongue has a special tip, serrated, sharp, and really sticky, which they use to probe under bark and in holes to reach their meals. Locally they are called Ground or Dirty Woodpecker, and Ant-eater.
In the mornings and during the breeding season the Fernandina’s Flicker constantly repeats its unmistakable call “kía-kía-kía-kía-kía” and a long sputtering “kirrrrrrrrr.” They become very active and it is common to see them defending their territories and chasing each other. Sometimes pairs will perch on branches and trunks, raising their heads up and down in courtship while making their typical sound “flíck-flíck-flick.”
The breeding season is from February to June. They excavate cavities almost exclusively in palm trees and lay 4 to 5 white eggs. Sometimes they form loose colonies of a few pairs on palmettos, and even share palms with other cavity nesting birds like the Cuban Parakeet or Cuban endemic owls.
The Fernandina’s Flicker is one of the rarest woodpeckers in Cuba. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN, it is restricted to small areas and its population size is declining. Its presence strongly depends on the native Cuban palm savanna ecosystem, which has been reduced or lost due to causes such as cattle ranching, invasive species, and logging.
In addition, due to a scarcity of palm trees and consequently nesting sites, the flicker faces strong competition from the West Indian Woodpecker. The woodpecker is very territorial and will harass flicker parents, destroy their eggs, and take over their territories and nest sites. Thus, it is very important to preserve Cuba’s palm savanna habitats. This is the best way we can help this majestic woodpecker to continue soaring through the skies of the Cuban countryside.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Fernandina’s Flicker
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 Fernandina’s Flicker
The calls of the Fernandina’s Flicker include a loud and rhythmic “flick, flick, flick, flick…”and “kía-kía-kía-kía-kía” and a long sputtering “kirrrrrrrrr.”
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!
A male Fernandina’s Flicker – note the black “malar” (cheek) stripe, which is unique to the male. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim Castellon)A female Fernandina’s Flicker, the black malar (cheek) area is heavily streaked with white. (Photo Dubi Shapiro-Macaulay Library-ML205141591)
A Fernandina’s Flicker pair engaged in a head-weaving courtship in Matanzas, Cuba.(photo by Robert-Lockett, ML439669801)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Our Caribbean Endemic birds are beautiful and fascinating – why not take inspiration from these birds and make you own ‘Zine’ to be included in our BirdsCaribbean Zine library?
What is a Zine? Zines (pronounced zeen) are simple, self-published booklets. They are an easy and fun way to share your ideas with the world. If you are passionate about something and want to make your voice heard, zines are a great way to do this!
For this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival why not create a zine based on our 2023 theme? Water: Sustaining Bird Life. We encourage you to do some research on your topic through online searches, reading books in the library, your own personal experience with the bird, and speaking with local experts. BirdsCaribbean will also feature an endemic bird each day on its website and social media accounts. You can find more information, suggested topics, a list of the materials you will need and ideas for the best way to create your Zine in our downloadable, detailed instruction sheet.
You can also take inspiration from this beautiful Zine all about today’s Endemic bird created by Arnaldo Toledo from Cuba. This was the winner of our Grand Prize for adults (ages 16 and older) of our 2021 Zine competition. “Apuntes de campo Carpintero Churroso” (Field Notes Fernandina’s Flicker).
See all the winners from 2021 and find links to more Caribbean endemic bird Zine here:
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of a Fernandina’s Flickers in the wild! You can see a female foraging on the ground; A male calling at a nest-hole and a male and female together at a nest-hole.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Scaly-breasted Thrasher
Some birders have a really hard time trying to find today’s bird, especially novice birders! The Scaly-breasted Thrasher is built like a thrush and looks a lot like it’s cousins, the Spectacled Thrush and Pearly-eyed Thrasher. This handsome bird belongs to the family “Mimidae” – which includes mockingbirds and thrashers.
Scaly-breasted Thashers might be considered by some to be a bit on the drab side. They have a dark gray-brown head, tail, and upper parts. This lack of “field marks” could put even an experienced birder in a frenzy. But look closely and you will see the scaly breast that give this bird its name really stands out, distinguishing it from other similar species! Scaly-breasted Thrashers also have a short dark bill, thin white wing bars, a hint of scarlet on the rump, and a yellow iris.
These thrashers can be found in the Lesser Antilles, from Anguilla all the way down to Grenada. They use a wide variety of habitats, from mangroves and coastal scrub to semi-open woodlands and humid forests. Scaly-breasted Thrashers are also commonly seen in and around human habitations on some islands. They love to forage high in the canopy in Dominica and Guadeloupe, but will be seen feeding much lower in Montserrat and St. Kitts.
These birds are not fussy and eat a wide variety of foods, including insects, fruits and berries, although they are thought to favour fruits. Their breeding season is in May to June, when they raise 2 to 3 chicks.
Scaly-breasted Thrashers sound similar to mockingbirds, but their voice is softer and slower…be sure to take a listen to for their beautiful warbling song. And listen out for the “dew-quip!” given often when foraging.
Scaly-breasted Thrashers are listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN, but with habitat loss and land-use change they could become less common in the future. For example, birders in Grenada already find it hard to spot Scaly-breasted Thrashers. There is still a lot to learn about this Caribbean endemic and it’s important to make sure we protect its habitats to ensure its future is secure. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Quincy Augustine for the text!
Colour in the Scaly-breasted Thrasher
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 song of the Scaly-breasted Thrasher
The song of the Scaly-breasted Thrasher is a series of high-pitched squeaks and lower-pitched whistles.
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!
A Scaly-breasted Thrasher calls from a tree in Guadeloupe. (Photo by Judd Patterson)
A Scaly-breasted Thrasher perched on an African Tulip, Saint-Kitts. (Photo by Steven Mlodinow)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Do you know what the different parts of a bird are called? Knowing them can help you to learn how to describe and identify birds, as well as colour them in. Learn the names for the parts of a bird by checking out the diagram in this page.
Then test your knowledge on today’s endemic bird by matching the correct names to the correct ‘parts of a Scaly-breasted Thrasher’ and completing this sheet.
Want to check your answers? You can see where all the words matched up to here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Scaly-breasted Thrasher in the wild!
The Scaly-breasted Thrasher is endemic to much of the Lesser Antilles. If you want to find out more about the birds to be found across this group of islands we have good news for you, there is an amazing guide to birds of the Lesser Antilles now available! This field guide allows readers to easily identify all the birds they could possibly find, from Anguilla in the north of the chain down to Grenada in the south. Find out more here:
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Martinique Oriole
Orioles in the Lesser Antilles have black heads and necks, but not the Martinique Oriole! It stands out from the others by having a dark cinnamon hood. Its underparts, rump, and epaulets (shoulders) are a burnt-orange, and wings, back, and tail are black. Looking at the base of the lower bill you will notice that it is actually pale bluish-gray in color. Sexes are alike but the female is a bit duller.
Even though it is brightly colored the Martinique Oriole is still easy to miss. This is because it spends its time foraging in the canopy above for insects, flowers, and fruits. Additionally it has a restricted distribution on the island. Its main habitats include mangroves, dry forest on limestone soils, humid forest, gardens and tree plantations below 700m. Listen out for its song of clear whistles and soft warbles as well as harsh, scolding calls “cheeu.”
Breeding generally occurs from February to July, but has been reported in December too. They weave palm fibers into a shallow pendant basket nest usually 2–4 m above the ground. The nest is attached or stitched to the underside of a large leaf of tree, e.g., seagrape or trumpet tree, to a palm frond, or to the leaf of banana or Heliconia plant. Clutch size is 2–3 eggs that are white to pale bluish with brown spots and blotches. The incubation period lasts a minimum of 14 days. Both male and female feed the chicks and defend the nest.
Its restricted distribution, as well as population decline, have been attributed to brood parasitism by the Shiny Cowbird and deforestation. The Shiny Cowbird will lay her eggs in the nests of other birds and let the other mother bird, in this case the Martinique Oriole, do all of the hard work of incubating and rearing the young cowbirds.
The Martinique Oriole is considered Vulnerable with a decreasing trend in population size and small global range. However, a recent decrease in cowbird numbers has allowed a slight recovery. The species will also benefit from the protection of its preferred habitats from being destroyed and replaced by agriculture, housing, resorts and other businesses.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Martinique Oriole
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 song of the Martinique Oriole
The song of the Martinique Oriole is a series of clear whistles.
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!
A Martinique Oriole, perched. (Photo by Frantz Delcroix-Macaulay Library-ML61978751).A Martinique Oriole searches for food. They eat both insects and fruits. (Photo by Bussier Romain-Macaulay Library-ML136544221)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Can you find the words in our Martinique Oriole word search? Remind yourself of some of the interesting facts about this endemic bird as you look for all 15 hidden words! Remember the words appear forwards and backwards, as well as horizontal, vertical and diagonal! Need some help? Or want to check your answers? You can see where all the words were here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Martinique Oriole in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life,” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo
Old Man Bird, as the local admirers call it, is a stunning bird endemic to Jamaica. This large cuckoo stands at 48cm (19in) and is distinguished by its thick, dark gray decurved bill, creamy white throat fading into pale gray on the breast, and contrasting chestnut belly and underparts. Its broad, long, dark gray tail is tipped with large white spots, while its legs are gray.
The Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo (Coccyzus pluvialis) is found in moist woodland, wooded cultivation, or open thickets in the hills and mountains of Jamaica. During the winter, it descends to lower elevations but is only found near the coast in the wettest places. It runs along branches like a large rat or sails silently on extended wings from one tree to another.
The Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo feeds on lizards, mice, insects, caterpillars, nestlings, and eggs.
Even though the Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo is known for its hoarse quak-quak-quak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak call, which is most frequently heard from April to June, it makes a very quiet landing in trees. Its nesting period is from March to June, and the nest is an untidy platform made of sticks in the middle or upper canopy of tall mature trees.
While the Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo is fairly common and widespread in Jamaica, it is still important to conserve this species due to threats such as habitat loss, predation by non-native invasive animals, and climate change. To help conserve this bird, individuals can support organizations that protect and restore bird habitats, advocate for conservation policies, and participate in citizen science programs that monitor bird populations.
Overall, the Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo is a unique and fascinating bird that adds to Jamaica’s rich biodiversity. Its distinctive appearance, behavior, and call make it a remarkable species worth observing and protecting.
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo
The call of the Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo is a low, growling “aahhhh” or long “quah-quah-aahh-aahh-aahh-aahh-aahh.”
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!
A beautiful Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo perched in a tree. (Photo by Dominic Sherony)
Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo, Trelawny. Jamaica. (Photo by Michael Warner- Macaulay Library-ML510000521)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: This year our theme for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life.” We want to highlight the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds.
We often see birds flying, preening, and feeding, but rarely do we see them drinking water. This does not mean that water is not important to birds.
Birds need water just as much as we do. Drinking water helps them regulate body processes like digestion. Water also keeps birds clean and cool on hot days when they take a splish-splash in a puddle, gutter, or backyard bird bath. Many birds also rely on wetland habitats, such as our ponds, salinas, marshes, mangroves, rivers, and coastal waters.
In our activity you can create your own poster to show how important water is to birds. Draw in the various ways birds use water!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo up high in a tree.
The Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo is endemic to Jamaica – it is one of many birds that can only be found on this Caribbean island and nowhere else in the world! Discover more about the endemic birds of Jamaica in our blog article about the launching of a new poster featuring beautiful illustrations of all these special birds. You will also find a link to download a pdf of this lovely poster.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. 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: Bahama Mockingbird
In The Bahamas, when we hear the “trashers” singing, we know spring is upon us. Their rich soulful song is very pleasing to the ears of birders and nature lovers alike. But, there is more to love about these amazing birds than just their song! Here are some fascinating facts about the Bahama Mockingbird.
The Bahama Mockingbird is slightly larger than its Northern Mockingbird cousin and lacks the large white patches on the wings. It has grayish brown plumage with streaks on its sides and a thin white band on the base of its tail feathers. Females are slightly smaller and have a shorter tail. Juveniles have more densely spotted underparts. Their song is rich and melodious, though not as varied as the Northern Mockingbird. Bahamians locally refer to both species as “Trashers.”
The Bahama Mockingbird, Mimus gundlachii, was named after the German Ornithologist Johannes Christoph Gundlach who spent most of his working life in Cuba (1810-1896). If you’re wondering why the Bahama Mockingbird was named after a German ornithologist living in Cuba, that’s because this bird is not just endemic to The Bahamas.
Their current distribution is mainly in the Lucayan Archipelago (The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands), the Camagüey Archipelagoof Cuba (Cayo Coco Cays) and a small area in Southern Jamaica. Historically, this species was also found in Puerto Rico. Genetically, the Bahama Mockingbird is more closely related to Galapagos Mockingbirds than the Northern Mockingbird. But, Bahama and Northern Mockingbirds do sometimes inter-breed!
In The Bahamas, the Bahama Mockingbird is found throughout the archipelago but appears to have its highest concentration in the central Bahamas, especially on Cat Island. Throughout its range, it prefers arid areas and is found in dry forests and scrub habitats. Unlike its northern cousin, it is mainly found in intact native habitats and tends to avoid urban areas.
Bahama Mockingbirds are omnivorous; this means they feed on arthropods, small vertebrates, and fruit. They forage mostly on the ground, sifting through leaf litter and turning small stones with their bills.
Like the Northern Mockingbird, the Bahama Mockingbird builds a cup-shaped nest out of twigs and plant fibers. Both male and female participate in nest building. Clutch size is between 2-3 creamy to pinkish-white eggs with reddish brown speckles. Both parents raise the chicks. Nests are usually located between 0.5m and 4.5m off the ground but they will sometimes even build their nest on the ground.
Whilst not a threatened species, the Bahama Mockingbird has a restricted range, making it highly susceptible to habitat loss caused by climate change and unsustainable development. In The Bahamas the population may be declining due to competition with the Northern Mockingbird for resources like food and nesting sites.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Scott Johnson for the text!
Colour in the Bahama Mockingbird
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 song of the Bahama Mockingbird
The song of the Bahama Mocking bird is a series of phrases, each repeated several times.
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!
Bahama Mockingbird spotted on South Eleuthera, the Bahamas. (Photo by Noam Markus -Macaulay Library-ML188561091)
A Bahama Mockingbird on Cuba. (Photo by Arturo-Kirkconnell Jr- Macaulay Lirbrary-ML93392851)A Bahama Mockingbird perch in a tree at Portland Ridge Jamaica. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)A Bahama Mockingbird with nesting material, spotted on Abaco, the Bahamas, during Global Big Day 2022. (Photo by Elijah Sands)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: With lots more Caribbean endemic birds to enjoy and colour in during the coming weeks take a look at our colouring-in guide. This will give you some hints and tips on how to make your endemic birds look even more beautiful! Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Enjoy this video of a Bahama Mockingbird foraging in the wild!
If you want to find out more about our conservation work and BirdsCaribbean’s bird banding program you an read all about our bird banding workshop – which was held in the Bahamas in 2022.
Get ready to embrace the color of springtime and honor the Caribbean’s finest and most unique birds with us during the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) 2023!
The festival begins on April 22nd (Earth Day) and runs through to May 22nd (International Biodiversity Day).
This regional event happens across the Caribbean every year and highlights and celebrates the amazing birds that live only in the Caribbean—their natural history, threats, and how we can help reduce these threats.
This year the theme for the festival is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life.”
We are using the same “water” theme as World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) for our CEBF to unify our messages about the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. (note: we will celebrate WMBD in the Caribbean with this theme in the fall).
Birds need water too!
We often see birds flying, preening, and feeding, but rarely do we see them drinking water. This does not mean that water is not important to birds.
In fact, birds need water just as much as we do. Drinking water helps them regulate body processes like digestion. Water also keeps birds clean and cool on hot days when they take a splish-splash in a puddle, gutter, or backyard bird bath.
Many birds also rely on wetland habitats, such as our ponds, salinas, marshes, mangroves, rivers, and coastal waters. With growing human populations and relentless development, there are growing demands for water and continued destruction of our remaining wetlands.
Pollution, erosion, and prolonged droughts are also directly impacting the quantity and quality of water resources and habitats available for our birds.
This CEBF join us in spreading the message that water conservation is vital for all life on earth, including birds!
More iconic endemic birds to be featured for Endemic Bird of the Day!
The CEBF team has been busy preparing for another stellar line-up for Endemic Bird of the Day! Follow this page during the festival as we share 25 new species! It’s a bit of a struggle for us to not reveal this year’s selected species just yet, but we can tell you this: expect beautiful bird artwork by the talented Josmar Marquez who will once again create our coloring pages. These will be accompanied by natural history information, range maps, puzzles, photos, videos, and activities, all designed to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and enjoyment for both adults and children.
A Key West Quail Dove enjoys a drink. Bird Baths can be a great place for birds!
Be sure to follow BirdsCaribbean on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up to date with our ‘birds of the day’ and to find out about webinars and activities during the festival.
In addition to these online activities our amazing CEBF island coordinators and educators will be celebrating with festivities on their respective islands through in-person events. Birdwatching trips, presentations, arts and crafts, bird fairs, habitat clean-ups, and “birdscaping” of home gardens, schools and parks with native plants are just a handful of the events that will take place across the region this year.
We encourage you to get in touch with your local conservation organizations to find out what events are taking place near you, this includes forestry departments too! You can also get together with your friends and family, or community groups and plan your own event. We have lots of activities on our website and YouTube: quizzes, ‘Learn to Sketch’ and origami tutorials, bug hunts, upcycled crafts, outdoor games, and many more that you can do in small or large groups.
Don’t forget to tag us in your photos and videos @birdscaribbean with #CEBF #FromTheNest #WaterSustainingBirdlife
CEBF Small Grants – Apply Now
BirdsCaribbean will once again offer small grants to help cover some CEBF expenses. To apply, send a short proposal via this form, no later than 10 April, 2023. Remember to include in your budget any in-kind funding you can offer: such as volunteer staff time, other materials, etc. You may also send your proposal to CEBF Co-Coordinators: Eduardo Llegus (CEBF@BirdsCaribbean.org) & Aliya Hosein (Aliya.Hosein@BirdsCaribbean.org), and Lisa Sorenson (Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org) with the subject line: CEBF Small Grant Proposal 2023. Please contact Eduardo Llegus if you have any questions or doubts about this. We are looking forward to hearing about the many exciting activities you will be organizing this year.
We call on people of all ages to join us for this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival as we celebrate the diversity and endemism of bird species in the region and come together to raise awareness and nurture environmental stewardship.
You can use our beautiful graphics to promote your events for the CEBF – use them as they are (click in each image then right click and choose ‘save as’) or follow the links to use access a Canva template and add you own logos and information!
Big Year Cuba 2022 was a year-long birdwatching extravaganza, with birders—old, new, and in-between—across the largest island in the Caribbean competing to observe and record the highest number of species. Our Executive Director, Dr Lisa Sorenson, attended the Awards Ceremony in January. Here we share the amazing results of the competition and its likely impact upon the Cuban population and bird conservation.
The Big Year Cuba 2022 poster featured the charismatic and endemic Cuban Tody.
Together, Cuba’s pandemic crisis and the rise in the access to and use of social media, escalated the local tradition of keeping wild migratory and endemic birds in cages into a likely harmful and unsustainable illegal bird trade. Songbird capture and sales increased dramatically in Cuba over the period 2020-2022 and traffickers smuggling birds from Cuba have been seized at airports in Miami. Both Cuban and international conservation NGOs were alarmed by this dramatic increase. In response, they organized a ‘Big Year Cuba’ in 2022.
The year-long competition encouraged Cubans to don their Citizen Scientist caps and explore their island, while enjoying the birds in their natural habitats rather than in cages. Cuban birder and conservationist, Yaro Rodriguez, came up with the idea for Big Year Cuba. It was his hope that this competition would increase the number of birdwatchers in Cuba and birding hotspots on the island. Most importantly, however, Yaro’s goal was to strengthen and unify the position of the Cuban community of birdwatchers in their role as conservationists.
A small organizing committee was formed in Fall 2021 to plan the rules and guidelines for the competition. This included Yaro, Nils Navarro (Cuban artist, ornithologist and bird guide), Vladimir Mirabel (editor, The Cuban Birder magazine), Jeff Gerbracht (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) and Lisa Sorenson (BirdsCaribbean). Generous sponsors (BirdsCaribbean, Optics for the Tropics, Environment for the Americas, and Caribbean Conservation Trust) kindly stepped up to offer cash and other prizes for the winners as well additional prizes for all who competed.
The contest was shared widely via social media on active and growing Cuban Birding Facebook pages and through The Cuban Birder magazine. Competing birdwatchers were required to submit their observations, via checklists, to eBird.
It was an intense year of fraternal competition among the Cuban birdwatchers to register the highest number of species, and the results were amazing. A total of 79 birders from 13 provinces (out of 15) were registered for the competition; 13 were women. Five birdwatchers recorded more than 200 species during the year and more than half of the competitors reported 100 species or more. Today almost the entire island is covered by active observers, contributing to eBird checklists daily.!
Awards Ceremony of the Big Year Cuba 2022
The Awards Ceremony was held at the ranch of the Monte Barreto Ecological Park on January 28, 2023, and attended by Cuban birdwatchers, ornithologists, and conservationists, along with colleagues from Optics for the Tropics, Environment for the Americas, and the Caribbean Conservation Trust. BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director, Dr Lisa Sorenson, was also present at the ceremony to celebrate this historic achievement and help with awarding of prizes.
BirdsCaribbean Executive Director Dr. Lisa Sorenson congratulating the Organizing Committee and all birdwatchers for making it a highly successful event.
Renowned Cuban artist and ornithologist Nils Navarro opened the ceremony, sharing some of the challenges and rewards of organizing a competition of this magnitude. He highlighted the importance of joining other conservation projects in Cuba to make it a success. He also expressed his pleasure in seeing the genuine enthusiasm among Cuban birdwatchers. As a result of this initiative, areas that no one had observed before can now be explored, as in the case of Media Luna, in the south of Granma. Nils said that his colleague Ricel Polán was able to document, for the first time in the history of Cuban ornithology, the presence of the Caribbean Swallow (Progne dominicensis) nesting in that area!
Members of the organizing committee with winners of the Big Year Cuba competition.
Following this introduction, the highly anticipated winners of the Big Year Cuba 2022 were announced. Alejandro Llanes Sosa won 1st Place with a record of 261 species observed, Carlos Hernández Peraza came in 2nd Place with 242 species, and Sergio Luis del Castillo took home 3rd Place with 223 species. Their full testimonies can be found in the February 2023 issue of The Cuban Birder. Special Mentions were given to other birders who observed and recorded over 100 species. Lastly, Muhammed Halim Machado was recognized for having registered the 400th species in Cuban avifauna: the Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus).
First Place winner Alejandro Sosa.
Second Place winner Carlos Peraza.
Third Place winner Sergio del Castillo.
The ceremony ended with old and new friends mingling over delicious Cuban food and drink, including mojitos.
Invited guests mingle over mojitos at the Awards Ceremony.
The truth is in the eBird data
First place winner Alejandro Llanes in the field making sure he does not miss a bird.
According to eBird statistics, during 2022 Cuba showed a sustained growth in the number of uploaded checklists – placing it, for several months, among the most dynamic countries in the world. For example, in November 2022 the number of checklists grew by 145% compared to November of the previous year; in August, by 126%; in April, by 338% and in March, by 185%.
Between 2015 and 2018, only 30 Cubans signed up for eBird. This number rose to 161 between 2019 and 2022. There has been a significant increase in the number of active Cubans on the platform in the last 4 years!
With respect to participation in Global Big Day, from 2018 to 2020 only 43 observers participated. However, between 2021 and 2022 the participation was significantly higher with a total of 193 birdwatchers.
The number of birding hot spots also increased in Cuba from 237 in June 2021 to 361 at the end of December 2022. The number of reported species also grew in the same period from 361 to 375.
The future of birdwatching and conservation in Cuba
Big Year Cuba 2022 was met with great enthusiasm and commitment by Cubans to expand their knowledge of the incredible bird diversity on the island. The Organizing Committee is already thinking about the next Big Year Cuba competition in 2024, but until then they will continue to foster respect for wild birds and their habitats, across the island.
As a result of Big Year Cuba, many new birding clubs have launched in a number of individual provinces, encouraging more Cubans to enjoy watching and studying wild birds rather than trapping and keeping them in cages. Cuban Birding Facebook pages, including Club de Observadores de Aves Cuba and Aves de Cuba and others, have also seen a dramatic increase in their membership during the last 3 years, with many people sharing their sightings and actively following the pages. BirdsCaribbean and our partners will continue to support these efforts, such as recent grants to our Cuban colleagues through our ongoing grant programs.
Ultimately this effort has helped spark a passion for birding and bird conservation and is helping to raise awareness of threats birds face and the irreversible damage the illegal bird trade can have on wild populations. The Committee is hopeful that, through these initiatives, Cuban society will become well informed to make pro-bird conservation choices, including reporting of illegal wild bird sales and refusing to buy wild birds. We shall keep you updated on our collective efforts!
Big Year Cuba winners, after receiving their awards, took photos with their fellow birders. From left to right: Alejandro Llanes Sosa, Carlos Peraz, Vladimir Mirabel and Sergio del Castillo.
Thank you to the Organizing Committee for your hard work on this initiative and congrats on the overwhelming success of your first Big Year Cuba! Many thanks to our partners who sponsored cash and other prizes and donations of educational materials to Cuban birders. And huge thanks to our members and donors, whose generous support helped to make the Cuba Big Year and our other programs to support Cuban bird research and conservation, possible.
We are pleased to share with you the new edition of the Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba, number 6, 2023, by Nils Navarro Pacheco.
The Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba is an annual publication that constitutes the most complete and updated official list of Cuban avifauna. It is the result of a deep and thorough bibliographic review and updating from the field. It serves as a basis for generating regional and global listings and is standardized for use with eBird.
The main objective is to provide up-to-date annual listings of Cuban birds, including reference information on each new report and general statistics about Cuban birdlife, and to serve as a reference platform for ornithological studies in the country. The new list has been enriched with 8 new records for Cuba for a total of 402 species.
This year’s cover highlights the Cuban Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus fringilloides), which could be separated at a specific level very soon. The photo of this beautiful bird was taken by Nils; it is the second most endangered raptor in Cuba.
The 2023 checklist is now available in PDF for free download from the BirdsCaribbean website (see below). The printed version is available on Amazon at a good price. It is not intended to be a field identification guide but is a checklist, updated in accordance with the 63rd supplement of AOS. Nils and the publisher, Ediciones Nuevos Mundos, hope this publication fulfills its role and is useful to all persons interested in Cuban birds and ornithology. Nils welcomes questions or suggestions about the checklist (Nils Navarro).
This checklist edition is dedicated to the memory of Jim Wiley, a great friend, extraordinary person and scientist, a guiding light of Caribbean ornithology. He crossed many troubled waters in pursuit of expanding our knowledge of Cuban birds.
If you are looking for a Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba, you can purchase it here or on Amazon.
Past checklists are all available for download, click on the images below to download a pdf of each.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes the peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is so important to inform conservation work. In this annual blog feature, JCO’s staff is proud to show off the amazing research from scientific teams around the Caribbean. Let your curiosity lure you into exploring:
Warblers eat lizards and fish? What is the preferred snail diet of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite? How can nesting success of terns be improved? There was once a Giant Barn Owl roaming Guadeloupe?
Look back and discover how James Bond, a pioneer of Caribbean ornithology, relied on the expertise of little-known Caribbean experts. Or look forward and reflect on the future prospects for bird conservation in our age of unprecedented human impact on Caribbean nature.
As JCO’s Managing Editor, I am immensely grateful for a dedicated team of editors, reviewers, copyeditors, proofreaders, and production specialists that have worked together so well this past year to produce high-quality publications. And of course, our fabulous authors that do the work on the ground to help us better understand the biodiverse Caribbean and the challenges it faces. With the non-profit BirdsCaribbean as our publisher, JCO emphasizes access: trilingual content, support for early-career researchers, and open access–from the latest article to the very first volume from 1988.
While our 100% open-access publication policy is the most prominent and public-facing feature of our work at the journal, there has been a lot going on “behind the scenes” as well.
In 2022, JCO welcomed Caroline Pott, our new Birds of the World (BOW) Coordinator, and huge thanks to our outgoing first BOW coordinator, Maya Wilson! Caroline works with authors and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to produce BOW accounts of Caribbean bird species. Zoya Buckmire took the reins as the new JCO Lead Copy Editor, and helped to recruit Laura Baboolal and Kathryn Peiman to the copyediting team. Dr. Fred Schaffner will join us for editorial help with English manuscripts from authors for which English is not their first language. Joining our Associate Editor board were Dr. Virginia Sanz D’Angelo, Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Jaime Collazo, North Carolina, and Dr. Chris Rimmer, Norwich, Vermont. We are looking forward to hearing from you, our readers and supporters, and working with the JCO team in 2023!
With Volume 35, JCO introduced the assignment of a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to each article, making it easier fo the scientific community to locate an author’s work in the published literature.
Map depicting research locations of the studies published in Volume 35.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO. Consider being a sustainer with monthly contributions of $5 or more!
The Cueva Martín Infierno protected area in Cuba is well-known for its cave and stalagmite formations, but what about its bird community? Located in the Guamuhaya Mountains, one of Cuba’s biodiversity hotspots, this protected area is sure to support a thriving bird community, but this aspect is previously undocumented. In this paper, Montes and Sánchez-Llull present the first comprehensive record of birds in Cueva Martín Infierno, including several endemics and species of conservation concern.
Monica Gala, Véronique Laroulandie, and Arnaud Lenoble
What has two talons, feeds on large rodents, and used to roam the Caribbean night sky? Giant owls! Giant barn owls (Tytonidae) once inhabited the Caribbean in precolonial times, as evidenced by recent palaeontological research. In this paper, Gala et al. describe a bone fragment of an unspecified giant barn owl found on Guadeloupe, the second such record for the Lesser Antilles.
Plastic waste is an increasing source of pollution worldwide, especially in marine environments. Seabirds are particularly vulnerable to marine litter, as they can ingest, become entangled in, or incorporate this waste into their colonies and nests. In this research note, Coffey reports on two Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) interactions with marine litter in the Grenadines, one instance of nest incorporation and another of entanglement and mortality.
Fernando Simal, Adriana Vallarino, and Elisabeth Albers
The hypersaline lagoons of northern Bonaire are home to several populations of seabirds, making it a regionally significant nesting site in the southern Caribbean. Among the species that breed there are the Eastern Least Tern (Sternula antillarum antillarum), Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus), and Cayenne Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis eurygnathus). In this paper, Simal et al. quantify breeding success for the terns at these sites in Bonaire, and provide timely recommendations for increasing tern populations, such as island creation and predator exclusion.
Andrew Fairbairn, Ian Thornhill, Thomas Edward Martin, Robin Hayward, Rebecca Ive, Josh Hammond, Sacha Newman, Priya Pollard, and Charlotte Anne Palmer
How are hurricanes affecting Caribbean landbirds? Like other native species in the region, birds likely evolved under the threat of hurricanes, but as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of storms, this question becomes increasingly important. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, Fairbairn et al. sought to compare the bird community on Dominica to that pre-hurricane. In this paper, they present those results, including the disproportionate effects on some functional groups that may predict which species fare better long-term.
Arnaud Lenoble, Laurent Charles, and Nathalie Serrand
It’s a well-known fact that Hook-billed Kites eat snails- their wonderfully adapted bills tell us that much. But, will any old snail do, or do these high-flying molluscivores have a preference? In this paper, Lenoble et al. present their observations on the diet of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus), with prey availability and distribution having the potential to inform conservation planning for this endemic subspecies.
Ezra Angella Campbell, Jody Daniel, Andrea Easter-Pilcher, and Nicola Koper
How is the Antillean Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus antillarum) faring habitat loss and degradation across its small-island ranges? Campbell et al. aim to investigate the status and distribution of this species in Grenada, comparing its distribution by habitat, elevation, and season. In this paper, they present their results as well as recommendations for the conservation of this species that are applicable both to Grenada and across its Caribbean range.
Michael E. Akresh, Steven Lamonde, Lillian Stokes, Cody M. Kent, Frank Kahoun, and Janet M. Clarke Storr
Wood warbler (Parulidae) diets are varied and interesting, from arthropods to fruits and sometimes even nectar. Occasionally, wood warblers may also consume vertebrate species, primarily Anolis lizards, but these instances are not well documented and have not previously been compiled. In this paper, Akresh et al. present a comprehensive literature review on wood warbler vertebrate consumption throughout the Caribbean and USA, and also describe three new observations from The Bahamas, Jamaica, and Florida.
Jeffrey V. Wells, Elly Albers, Michiel Oversteegen, Sven Oversteegen, Henriette de Vries, and Rob Wellens
The Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) is a stunningly charismatic seabird without many documented or published records in the southern Caribbean until recently. To shed light on this species’ distribution and trends over the decades, Wells et al. sought to compile records from near the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. This review accompanies an erratum note in this issue, and details all previous sightings of the species, with records as far back as 1939.
James Bond, renowned ornithologist of the 20th century and the namesake of 007, contributed dozens of publications to the field of Caribbean ornithology. Throughout his decades of work, he established a network of scientists and laypeople alike, without whom his work would not have been possible. In this Perspectives and Opinions piece, Aubrecht compiles the biographies of Bond’s most important contributors, highlighting the importance of collaboration and networking in advancing scientific study across the region.
The Caribbean Biodiversity Hotspot is well-known for its avian diversity, with over 700 species! Of which more than 180 are endemic. Unfortunately, the wellbeing of these avian populations is often constrained by the inherent challenges of small island developing states, increasing effects of climate change, and colonial histories. In this piece, Nelson and Devenish-Nelson explore these challenges, with concrete examples of endemic birds across the region, and describe a possible way forward for regional conservation of our species as we navigate the Anthropocene.
The annual compilation of the most important articles that appeared elsewhere, annotated by Steve Latta.
Article by
Zoya Buckmire – Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology
Stefan Gleissberg – Managing and Production Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology
TheJournal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO.
Simón Guerrero plays bird calls for participants of a birding event for blind and visually impaired people.
Simón Guerrero, is a lecturer at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (Autonomous University of Santo Domingo) and long-standing member of BirdsCaribbean. Below he shares his remarkable experiences birding with the National Board of the Blind in Santiago and how they celebrated the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival this past June.
The idea of introducing blind people to birds through song occurred to me in the early nineties when I attended a bird monitoring course sponsored by the US Forest Service in La Amistad International Park, a cross-border park created by the governments of Costa Rica and Panama. Among the attendees of the workshop were prominent American ornithologists such as C. J. Ralph and Greg Butcher. One of the course instructors was incredibly good at identifying birds by song. His ability to recognize a bird just by listening to a couple of notes was impressive.
Upon witnessing such skill, I commented to him, with some irony, “But the work you do could be done by a blind person!”
“It could be,” was his short reply.
From that moment, I began to consider the possibility of organizing a bird workshop for the blind using bird song as a basis for identification. As soon as I returned to Santo Domingo, I met with the National Board for the Blind to make arrangements to give a talk on several Dominican birds that live in urban areas, since these species were most accessible to our intended participants.
Putting ideas into action
I have been teaching since I was 18 years old and thought I had already experienced the vast range of rewarding experiences offered by this profession. But I never would have imagined anything like this. I had never seen the level of enthusiasm or interest in learning as that shown by the blind children. What impressed me most was that every time they heard the song of the bird whose song they were familiar with they would exclaim, “Oh, the Mockingbird!” as though they were experienced ornithologists and those birds were part of their daily routine.
As a child I learned to produce a cooing sound by cupping my hands together, and blowing through this hollow space, allowing me to imitate with relative fidelity the songs of the three most common doves in the city of Santo Domingo: Common Ground Dove, Mourning Dove, and White-winged Dove. When the blind children learned how I was able to reproduce these calls they were dazzled. They asked me to teach them to use their hands to imitate bird calls too. I was a little unprepared, because it was my first time teaching blind students and the truth is that I was not trained in their learning techniques. They forgave my clumsiness and tried to help me. They lined up and took turns touching my hands while I imitated the song of the doves. It was an indescribable experience! It certainly made me feel needed and useful as a teacher.
A blind woman learns how to use her hands to mimic bird calls with Simón Guerrero.
A Mourning Dove, one of the birds Simón taught children to imitate. (Photo by Carlos Gomez)
Celebrating Caribbean endemic birds and their songs
For this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, my team and I scheduled several activities with the goal of highlighting the fascinating lives of birds, including those that can only be found in the Dominican Republic. We created several small wildlife refuges where birds and other wildlife could find food and shelter in the city. We also installed artificial nests specifically for endemic species, like the Hispaniolan Parakeet, that nest in cavities. But the most rewarding activity was with participants from the National Board of the Blind.
Artificial nest boxes built by Simón and his team. (Photo by Simón Guerrero)
Hispaniolan Parakeet pair at a nest cavity, UASD. (Photo by Carlos Gomez)
During the first event, when we met with the Board of Trustees, we played audio recordings of the songs of several of our native and endemic birds so that those taking part could identify the birds by their calls. It was unclear who was more impressed, the participants or me. The possibility of identifying birds by song and learning about their behavior was more exciting than they expected. In addition to their enthusiasm and interest in the subject, I was surprised by how much they knew about wildlife and a wide variety of ecological and conservation issues. One of the participants shared with me that she was a fan of nature documentaries and that she listened to them frequently. Vianny, one of the most enthusiastic participants, suggested creating a WhatsApp group named “Cuidemos las Aves” (Let’s take care of birds) and asked my permission to record the meeting to share on her YouTube channel.
Mingling bird songs with music
People enjoying one of the birding events for blind people held during the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
For the second event, we went to the University Campus to bird by ear. We used the audio recordings again to encourage the natural song of the wild birds that live in the city and attract those that may be too shy to come into the open. We were also treated to a violin concert performed by Luis Alfredo Morales, one of the members of the Board of Trustees. Luis spent a year studying music at the University of Missouri in America. It was a fantastic event for both students and teachers. Following this, we planted a native bush (Hamelia patens) in the university garden. This plant attracts hummingbirds and many other birds. Gabino Ortiz, one of the participants, asked me for a bush so that he, too, could attract birds to his home garden.
The third and last activity- another bird by ear, was held at the Botanical Garden of Santiago in collaboration with the Board of Trustees for Santiago (the second largest city in the Dominican Republic) and members of the Education Department of the Botanical Garden. We worked with about twenty participants in a much more favorable habitat with a great variety of birds. Members of the Education Department played an active role from conception to execution. They took the opportunity to explain to the participants the objectives of the institution and the services it provides to the community.
I am excited to share that another event, which will take place in Bonao, has already been planned. Also, the Board of Trustees has let us know that they will repeat this birding activity at its headquarters across the country!
Loving birds is human nature
A Hispaniolan Woodpecker, a noisy endemic that everyone can enjoy! (Photo by Carlos Gomez)
The reaction of the participants made me realize, in retrospect, that the theme of this year’s Festival, “Loving Birds is Human Nature,” is not simply a beautiful phrase.
It asserts the notion that human beings certainly have the innate ability to cherish and respect these fascinating creatures!
Bird activities are an inexpensive and enriching pastime that can be done at any age and help to increase the self-esteem of those who practice it. It is a fun way to learn and make friends while contributing to conserving valuable species that only exist on our island. It is encouraging to know that the National Board for The Blind plans to include this activity with the birds in its regular program of activities. The conservation of endemic birds is a citizen’s duty, but it is, at the same time, a right that assists all people, with no one excluded. Initiating the blind into birdwatching and conservation activities is a meaningful and relevant inclusion.
It is the first time that blind people have participated in this Festival in the DR, and I hope it will not be the last. I hope that this initiative will be adopted by the 20+ countries in which the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival is celebrated every year.
Learning bird songs and calls can be fun and rewarding as well as helping with your bird identification. Here are the calls of some of the birds participants in Simón’s events might have heard for you to enjoy!
Hispaniolan Parakeet:
Northern Mockingbird:
Mourning Dove:
White-winged Dove:
You can find out more about BirdsCaribbean’s Endemic Bird Festival here:
And find out more about Caribbean Endemic Birds in our From the Nest series of blog posts, celebrating our Endemic Birds with fascinating facts, puzzles and fun activities.
BirdsCaribbean warmly congratulates Haitian environmental hero Anderson Jean on receiving Stanford University’s top environmental prize, the 2022 Bright Award, on its tenth anniversary!
Anderson Jean (center) with Haitian schoolchildren planting trees for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
“Anderson’s determination and commitment to Haiti’s birds, despite a number of challenges, is truly inspiring to us all. His work is an expression of hope, seeking to instill a love of birds in future generations,” said Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean.
“Anderson’s optimistic spirit is a marvelous example to other conservationists working hard in the field. BirdsCaribbean has been proud to support his work on the critically endangered Black-capped Petrel – funded in part by the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund – creating awareness at the grassroots level. He has also been instrumental in the rediscovery of the endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in Haiti,” added Sorenson.
Trained in Agroforestry and Environmental Sciences, Jean is based in Les Cayes, Haiti. He began volunteering with U.S. researchers surveying the country’s biodiversity. After 13 years in search of the Ridgway’s Hawk, he and a colleague found the endangered raptor in August 2019 on Petite Cayemite Island – a tremendously exciting achievement for him personally, fueling hope for the future.
Adult Ridgway’s Hawk (Photo by Pedro Genaro)
Jean also founded the annual festival celebrating the Black-capped Petrel (Diablotin), getting farmers, schoolchildren and entire communities involved in learning about and protecting this remarkable seabird. After training with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Vermont Centre for Ecostudies, Jean served for three years as field biological survey coordinator for Société Audubon Haïti.
Black-capped Petrel mascot leading the parade for the Diablotin Festival in Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by EPIC)
In 2017, he founded Action pour la Sauvegarde de l’Écologie en Haïti, which has quickly established itself as a leading advocate for the country’s environment. He currently works with our partner Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC).
Anderson is a long-time member of BirdsCaribbean and has attended a number of our training workshops and conferences. He received a David S. Lee Conservation Fund Award from BirdsCaribbean in 2019 to survey waterbirds at 5 wetlands in Haiti after attending our Shorebird Conservation Training Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.
On his Facebook page, Jean expressed his appreciation: “Thank you to every single one of you who contributed to strengthen my capacity in conservation biology and make me win today the Stanford Bright Award 2022.”
Like BirdsCaribbean, Anderson Jean believes in engaging local residents, inspiring them with a love of birds as an integral part of their own culture. This ensures the sustainability of conservation projects. He is committed to his country, its birdlife – and its people.
Anderson Jean with colleagues from around the Caribbean at BirdsCaribbean’s Shorebird Monitoring and Conservation Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, 2019. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Congratulations on your achievement, Anderson! We look forward to continued work with you and wish you all the best in your future research and collaborations. May you stay strong and become ever more successful in support of Haiti’s birds!
To understand more about Anderson Jean’s ground-breaking work, watch his beautiful video, “Haiti, My Love, My Home” – a moving tribute to his country and to the fragile Black-capped Petrel and a discussion on how people and birds can live together, on YouTube (see video below).
The 2022 joint AOS-BC Conference in Puerto Rico was the setting for BirdsCaribbean’s fourth biennial photography competition. Over 800 wildlife professionals from 34 countries attended the conference with many of them using their cameras while they explored Puerto Rico’s rich biodiversity. With over 280+ gorgeous photographs submitted for review, the five judges certainly had their work cut out for them!
The judges found beautiful composition, impressive technique, and humor while reviewing the collection. Photos were taken between June 23 and July 5, 2022 and uploaded to Flickr (photo sharing site). Click here to see all the photos submitted in the contest (labeled with tag: BCPhotoContest2022). The Grand Prize was donated by Vortex Optics.
Photographers had the opportunity to submit up to six photographs in each of three categories:
Endemics – including endemic birds of Puerto Rico and regional endemics;
Fun With Birds and People – showing humans, birds and nature interacting (including conference activities); and
Birds and Nature – featuring Puerto Rico’s non-endemic birds, close-up shots of other wildlife, natural habitats, and landscapes.
BELOW ARE THE WINNERS, WITH SOME COMMENTS FROM THE JUDGES:
Grand Prize Winner
Red-legged Thrush by Edward Hernández-Lara. “Beautiful, expressive shot with great background and context.” The judges noted that the “colours are terrific,” and the photographer created a “fabulous bokeh effect with the thrush in sharp focus off-centre.” The Red-legged Thrush is a regional endemic found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.
Red-legged Thrush by Edward Hernández-Lara.
ENDEMICS
FIRST PRIZE: Puerto Rican Owl by Ricardo Sanchez. “A wonderful shot that captures a brief moment between the subject and the photographer.” “Beautifully captured through the foliage.”
Puerto Rican Owl by Ricardo Sanchez.
SECOND PRIZE:Pearly-eyed Thrasher by Jadyn Scott. “The texture of the leaves is astounding, a flawless composition.” “This photo is so visually interesting but keeps the thrasher as the center of focus.”
Pearly-eyed Thrasher by Jadyn Scott.
THIRD PRIZE: Scaly-naped Pigeon by Jen O. “Great composition of an unusual pose.”
Scaly-naped Pigeon by Jen O.
Honorable Mentions in Endemics:King of the Jungle by Russell Campbell and Puerto Rican Tody by August Davidson-Onsgard. See photos in gallery below.
FUN WITH BIRDS AND PEOPLE
FIRST PRIZE: Local Feeding Pigeons in Old San Juan by Christina Kolbmann. “A well-lit, great shot that really sums up people’s engagement with the bird world.”
Local Feeding Pigeons in Old San Juan by Christina Kolbmann.
SECOND PRIZE: PROALAS Practice by Holly Garrod. “The framing and light capture a beautiful morning birdwatching.”
Practice Point Count in the BirdsCaribbean one-day post-conference Workshop on use of the PROALAS monitoring methods, Cambache Forest. Photo by Holly Garrod.
THIRD PRIZE:Chicken Crossing by Stella Uiterwaal. “Chickens take centre stage with soft focus of unaware people behind.”
FIRST PRIZE: Bananaquit Call by David Lariviere. “A lovely composition.” “You can almost hear the Coereva singing when you see this image.”
Bananaquit Call by David Lariviere.
SECOND PRIZE:Green Heron by A. Dorian Rose. “The lighting is fantastic with the shadowy breast and sun on the face and back.” “A well-lit, atmospheric shot.”
Green Heron by A. Dorian Rose.
THIRD PRIZE:Bridled Tern by Ricardo Sanchez. “A crisp image of a stunning bird; the cool palette reminds me of birdwatching on windy cliffs.”
Many thanks to our five fabulous judges: Andrew Dobson, Stephen Cutting, Daniel Serva, Ernesto Reyes, and Jessica Cañizares for their time and thoughtful consideration of each entry. Huge thanks also to Vortex Optics for donating the Grand Prize. We also really appreciate the effort everyone took to respectfully capture Puerto Rico’s wildlife and conference events. A big thank you to all those who entered the contest with your captivating and beautiful photos!
PLEASE ENJOY THIS PHOTO GALLERY OF ALL THE HONORABLE MENTIONS!
Ubiquitous but beautiful Bananaquit by Amber Roth. Honorable mention in the Birds and Nature category.
Roseate Tern by Bruce Lyon. Honorable mention in the Birds and Nature category.
Scanning for White-tailed Tropicbirds at Quebradillas by David LaPuma. Honorable mention in the Fun with Birds and People category.
King of the Jungle, Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo by Russell Campbell. Honorable mention in the Endemics category.
Northern Red Bishop by Jessica Guenther. Honorable mention in the Birds and Nature category.
Eggs for breakfast? Greater Antillean Grackles by Maggie MacPherson. Honorable mention in the Fun with Birds and People category.
Puerto Rican Tody by August Davidson-Onsgard. Honorable mention in the Endemics category.
Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of the Black-capped Petrel Working Group, shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species.
The Critically Endangered “Diablotin” or Black-capped Petrel in flight. (Photo by Kate Sutherland)
The Black-capped Petrel is locally called the Diablotín (“little devil”) because of the creepy call it makes upon return to its mountaintop burrow in the evening. But nothing is more sinister than the threats this seabird is facing—habitat loss and invasive species. Fortunately, our Black-capped Petrel Working Group has been hard at work minimizing these threats to create a brighter future for these birds. In our latest blog Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of this Working Group shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species.
The full annual update is available on our blog (link above) but here are a few noteworthy highlights:
A number of new confirmed nests have been located in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In fact, the team located nests on Pic La Selle, Haiti’s tallest mountain. This area is where some of the first Black-capped Petrels were rediscovered in Haiti by David Wingate in 1961 and 1963!
Over in Guadeloupe, researchers stepped up detection efforts with military-grade thermal binocular-camera equipment designed to detect, observe, and recognize objects that emit heat. Curious to find out what the camera picked up? Check out the report.
More evidence for persistence of petrels on Guadeloupe, Dominica and Cuba has come to light. A week-long expedition confirms the presence of the Diablotín on Dominica and has led to recommendations for future work, already in the planning stage. Specifically, the Group hopes to employ a four-legged companion to detect the petrels.
Lab analyses have revealed that petrels carry a tremendous load of mercury in their bodies and that their diet might be quite different from closely-related species.
Meanwhile, the people living and working in areas of key petrel habitat also carry on in spite of natural, social and economic calamities, showing resilience and fortitude. Environmental education programs for youth continue in Boukan Chat, Haiti and educational outreach opportunity presents itself in Pedernales, DR.
Cover of the new Raptors of the Caribbean Education & Conservation Resource Guide.
Marta Curti of the Peregrine Fund shares her thoughts on (and love for) our magnificent Caribbean raptors, including several threatened endemic species and subspecies; and introduces a brand new Resource Guide, which will help conservationists, educators, and community members understand raptors better.
I am just going to say it. Raptors are cool! Their laser-like eyesight, powerful hunting skills, acrobatic and graceful flight, coupled with their penetrating stare, have been a source of fascination for humans probably since the first time someone locked eyes with one of these spectacular birds. But they are so much more than attractive and awe-inspiring birds.
More and more research has shown the important roles raptors play in the ecosystems in which they live. They act as top predators, bio-indicators, and umbrella species. They provide important ecosystem services for humans, and many are keystone species. In short, their role in an ecosystem is large in comparison to their numbers and their removal from that system would cause a cascade of negative effects on numerous other organisms – including humans.
Despite this, raptors are one of the most threatened bird groups in the world. And raptors in the Caribbean are no different. Populations across the region are in decline and there are even several endemic species and subspecies that need our help. These include the Ridgway’s Hawk, Cuban Kite, Grenada Hook-billed Kite, and Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. With this in mind, you would imagine that the study of raptors and conservation programs to protect them would be widespread. But sadly, despite the critical roles they play in our ecosystems, and the many threats they face, there are few research and environmental education programs focused on raptors across the Caribbean.
We set out to change all of that.
Together with support from BirdsCaribbean, we at The Peregrine Fund have written a 200-page training manual entitled “Raptors of the Caribbean: Education and Conservation Resource Guide.” The guide is divided into four chapters:
What are Birds of Prey,
Identification of Birds of Prey of the Caribbean,
Why Raptors Matter, and
How One Can Help Conserve Raptors.
Each chapter is followed by two learning activities and one evaluation activity, as well as additional learning materials. Though written in English, we are now in the process of translating it into Spanish and Haitian Creole (Kreyòl), so it will have greater impact throughout the Caribbean.
But the creation of the guide is just the first step. The next stage is to train conservationists, community leaders, and educators in its use. During the AOS-BirdsCaribbean Conference in Puerto Rico in June 2022, we held a condensed workshop for 12 participants. After a short presentation on birds of prey, the action started. We began by breaking into teams and building life-sized raptors out of recyclable materials. Participants created a Stygian Owl, a Ridgway’s Hawk, and even a massive Secretarybird out of nothing but cardboard, plastic bottles, newspaper, and some tape to hold them all together. Creativity took flight!
Team proudly shows off their completed life sized Secretarybird built out of recyclable materials plumes prey and all! (photo by Lisa-Sorenson)
Group works together to construct their Stygian Owl. (photo by Gabriela Diaz)
One group is busy constructing a Secretarybird (photo by Gabriela Diaz)
Group shares their Stygian Owl masterpiece (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Close-up view of Secretarybird constructed of recycleable materials. (photo by Gabriela Diaz)
One group plans the activity they will teach to the rest of the workshop participants. (Photo by Gabriela Diaz)
For the next activity, groups reviewed the guide and chose an activity they were going to teach to the rest of us. We played games, wrote poems, and engaged in a “memory” challenge. One participant kept repeating “I am having so much fun!” A positive sign indeed!
We had carried out a pre- and post-evaluation and saw that in the four short hours of the mini-workshop, participants learned a lot about raptors that they hadn’t known before – such as what they eat, where they live, and the important functions they perform in their environment. It was an intense, hands-on learning experience.
Thanks to support from BirdsCaribbean and the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, the manual is now completed. Our dream is to carry out extended workshops of two or more days in countries around the Caribbean. Participants will gain experience – including conservation-based lessons that use raptors to teach math, language, art, and even physical education in their programs.
One team proudly shows of their Ridgway’s Hawk, made of recyclable materials. (photo by Tahira Carter)
In these longer workshops, we aim to offer participants training in environmental education techniques and methods. These would include developing a guided nature walk; giving an impactful presentation; how to speak about sensitive issues one-on-one with community members; and utilizing whatever materials are available on-hand to create fun and dynamic learning experiences for participants’ target audiences. They would also learn about raptors in their countries, food chains, threats to wildlife, and possible conservation solutions.
Several participants from each country would then be trained to lead these workshops, so we can form a chain of raptor-based environmental education workshops throughout the Caribbean and help to promote interest in raptor research and conservation. From our understanding, this is the only raptor-based conservation-themed workshop in the region. We are excited to embark on these workshops and look forward to sharing our results!
We are currently raising funds to make these education workshops a reality. Ongoing training is so vital to ensure the long-term survival of these magnificent birds. If you would like to support this work, please click here.
The “Raptors of the Caribbean” Training Manual and Guide is currently undergoing a final review, and will be available for FREE download in late September, 2022. Stay tuned!
We are very excited to welcome several new endemic birds to the Caribbean! Every year the American Ornithological Society publishes their supplement to the Check-list of North American Birds which includes taxonomic (classification) updates to North American bird species. This year, we had not one, not two…. but three different species splits!
Hispaniolan Mango and Puerto Rican Mango
Hispaniola and Puerto Rico each acquired a new endemic with the split of the Antillean Mango. Mangos are large hummingbirds with decurved bills in the genus Anthracothorax. The Hispaniolan Mango (Anthracothorax dominicus) can be differentiated by males having a shimmering green throat, and entirely velvet-black underparts, whereas the Puerto Rican Mango (Anthracothorax aurulentus)has green flanks, black restricted to just a patch on the belly, and overall lighter underparts that are a brownish-gray. The female Hispaniolan Mango has a purplish tail base, whereas the female Puerto Rican Mango has a brownish tail.
In the early 1900s, the two mangos were formerly considered two separate species, but were lumped together (Anthracothorax dominicus) in the 1980s. Recent work looking through museum specimens has found that there are enough plumage and morphometric (size and shape) differences to split these two species once more! We now have the Puerto Rican Mango and the Hispaniolan Mango!
Hispaniolan Mango (female) feeding on hibiscus in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Neil Hilton)
Hispaniolan Mango (male) perched in the Dominican Republic.(photo by Carlos-Gomez)
Puerto Rican Mango female feeding in Puerto Rico. (photo by Ken Pinnow)
Puerto Rican Mango (female) perched in Puerto Rico. (photo by Ryan Douglas)
Puerto Rican Mango (male) perched, Puerto Rico. (photo by Ryan Mandelbaum)
Black-billed Streamertail and Red-billed Streamertail
The Streamertail is a long-tailed hummingbird that is easily recognized as the iconic national bird of Jamaica. The country has gained another endemic with the split of the Streamertail into Black-billed Streamertail (Trochilus scitulus) and Red-billed Streamertail (Trochilus polytmus). The biggest difference between these now two distinct species is all in the name, the bill color. But the Black-billed Streamertail also has shorter wings and a more grass-like green plumage, lacking some of the coppery tones that Red-billed Streamertail has. Like the former Antillean Mango, these two hummingbirds were originally recognized as distinct species, but lumped together into the Streamertail (Trochilus polytmus) in 2010s; now they are split again.
Recent research has studied the hybrid zone (the area where two closely-related species interact and reproduce; their offspring are known as hybrids) between these two taxa, finding it has been relatively stable for the last 70 years. While genetically, the two species remain fairly similar, the hybrid zone is relatively narrow, meaning the two species only come into contact in a small area. It also looks like bill color is important to males that are displaying to females, making a good case for splitting these two charismatic hummingbirds once more. Additionally, the Red-billed Streamertail is widespread across the island while the Black-billed Streamertail is restricted to the eastern part of Jamaica.
A male Black-billed Streamertail in Jamaica. (photo by Dominic Sherony)
A female Red-billed Streamertail in Jamaica. (photo by Charles J Sharp)
A male Red-billed Streamertail, locally known as Doctor Bird, shows off his iridescence. (photo by Kaldari)
A male Red-billed Streamertail in Jamaica. (photo by Dick Daniels)
Cuban Kite split from Hook-billed Kite
The Cuban Kite, formerly considered a subspecies of the Hook-billed Kite, is now a full species. (painting by Nils Navarro, from Endemic Birds of Cuba Field Guide)
Cuba is also gaining another endemic with the split of the Cuban Kite (Chondrohierax wilsonii) from Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus). The Cuban Kite was originally recognized as its own species in 1847, when it was first described, but was later lumped into Hook-billed Kite as they can show quite a bit of variation throughout their extensive range in Latin America. However, looking through specimens, the Cuban Kite shows a barred collar, which other Hook-billed Kites lack, overall smaller size, and a larger bill that is typically yellow. While genetically, Cuban Kite remains very similar to Hook-billed Kite, it is a species that is not known to disperse from or travel outside of Cuba, making a good case that there is relatively little connectivity between populations.
Unfortunately, the Cuban Kite is Critically Endangered and there have been very few sightings in recent years. Likely, there is a small stronghold left in the mountains of Eastern Cuba. Their decline has been attributed to habitat loss, loss of its main prey, the beautiful land snails, and persecution from the belief that they hunt domestic chickens. We hope that recognizing the Cuban Kite as its own distinct species will help gain some momentum to conserve this beautiful raptor.
Other taxonomic proposals not accepted
Other proposals that were unfortunately not accepted included: splitting Hispaniolan Elaenia from Greater Antillean Elaenia, recognizing the different subspecies of Red-legged Thrush as 2 or 3 distinct species, and splitting the Caribbean populations of House Wren into 7 distinct species. There’s a lot more work to be done for understanding our endemic birds in the Caribbean!
We are very excited to add a total of 3 new endemic species to the Caribbean! We look forward to continuing to learn more about our specialty Caribbean birds and maybe seeing more distinct species in the future!
Learn more about the Streamertail here (we will update this page soon to reflect the latest taxonomic update): https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2020/04/from-the-nest-day-9/
Over 700 species of birds live in the Caribbean. This includes 176 species that can be found nowhere else in the world! There is no doubt that birds add music and a splash of color to our lives. Many people enjoy watching wild birds since it distracts them from the pressures of their daily lives. Additionally, birds provide invaluable ecosystem services—they control insect populations, pollinate flowers, disperse seeds, and clean the environment. They continue to be important indicators of ecosystem health and can tell us if we are succeeding as stewards of our planet. Unfortunately, these services are almost always overlooked.
Vervain Hummingbird, Jamaica. (Photo by Sadik Kassam)
Birds are still threatened by development, agriculture, pollution, natural disasters, and hunting for meat or pets. For geographically restricted Caribbean birds, both resident and migratory, the effects can be disastrous leading to severe population declines, extirpation, or even extinction.
It’s up to all of us to take care of our birds, and to make sure they are around for future generations to enjoy. You can help birds thrive by taking a few simple, everyday actions.
Here are 10 ideas to get you started:
1. Keep Birds Safe from Pets
Unleashed dogs and outdoor cats can disturb, chase, and kill birds. Around the world, billions of birds die each year when they are caught by birds. Cats are natural predators, even if well fed. Outdoor cats also live shorter, harsher lives—they may suffer from injury or die if attacked by a dog or poisoned, can contract diseases and cause unwanted litters of kittens, if unspayed or unneutered. Keeping your cat indoors (or on a leash outdoors) is good for your cat and birds. Check this website for helpful resources.
Keep pets on a leash when outdoors. Cats kill millions of birds every year. This cat in Montserrat has killed a migratory shorebird, a Western Sandpiper. (photo on right by Alistair Homer)
2. Avoid Using Chemicals on your Lawn
Birds may accidentally eat pesticide and herbicide pellets or prey (e.g., insects) that have been poisoned. This can kill a bird or have toxic effects on their health. You can reduce your use of harmful chemicals by weeding by hand, landscaping with native plants, grasses and flowers that attract birds and provide food for them, and using organic insecticides like neem, and/ or make your own (try a mixture of white vinegar, salt, and dish soap for ridding your garden of weeds.
Keep your lawn pesticide free.
3. Leave Fledglings Where You Find Them
Young birds may spend a few days on the ground before they are able to fly well. Typically parents are nearby continue to care for them and feed them. You can help by keeping people and pets away. If you think a bird is truly an orphan, call a local wildlife rehabilitator for instructions.
Students from the St. Martin Primary School plant a tree, Dominica.
5. Share What You See
Citizen scientists such as yourself help us monitor our bird populations and environment. The observations entered into eBird Caribbean, from interested people across the region, provide data at an amazing scale and level of sophistication. If you’re interested in birds and nature, chances are there’s a BirdsCaribbean citizen-science project that can benefit from your participation. Caribbean Waterbird Census, Global Big Day, Global Shorebird Count
Coral Aviles entering the birds she saw in her Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) count on eBird Caribbean, Blassina Canal Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves)
6. Prevent Window Collisions
During the day, windows reflect plants and trees or the sky, making them look like places to fly into. Sadly, the bird often dies, even when it is only temporarily stunned and can still fly away. Many times these birds die later from internal bleeding or bruising, especially on the brain.The good news is that you can greatly reduce the danger your home’s windows pose to birds. You can explore options like decals, netting, or mosquito screens to keep birds away from your windows during the day. Check out ideas and resources here.
Glass panes that reflect trees and greenery can be problematic for birds.
7. Drink Coffee that is Good for the Birds
You might be looking to satisfy a craving but did you know you can preserve critical habitat for birds, and other wildlife, and support farmers that are committed to sustainable farming, by brewing a cup of coffee? The Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification ensures farmers follow strict growing standards to prevent irreversible damage to bird habitats by protecting tree diversity and foliage cover. Find a store or coffee shop near you, or have it shipped right to your door.
Bird Friendly Coffee.
8. Don’t Buy Illegally Caged Birds
Although trade is illegal, many Caribbean parrots, parakeets and songbirds are still harvested for both the local and international trade. Report the capture and sale of wild birds to the authorities. Learn more here about the Cuban songbird trade.
Hispaniolan Parakeets, native to Hispaniola, are illegally captured and sold for pets or smuggled out of the country for the pet trade.
9. Create Communities
Share your passion for birds with family and friends. And expand your backyard bird oasis into a larger neighborhood oasis by working with neighbors and managers of nearby parks, schoolyards, golf courses, and farms. Together you will help restore habitat and provide safe spaces for birds to find food, hide from predators and raise their families. Restoring bird habitat can also provide cooler spaces for people, absorb stormwater runoff, and combat the spread of invasive plants.
Kids planting trees in Haiti. (Photo by Anderson Jean)
10. Support BirdsCaribbean
At BirdsCaribbean, we’re committed to conserving birds and their habitats. We have been successful in empowering local people to enjoy, study, and monitor local birds, as well as alleviate threats to their survival and their habitats. However, there is still much more to be done for Caribbean birds, people, economies, and ecosystems that are under constant threat of development, agricultural expansion, pollution, climate change, and more. We’re a member-supported nonprofit and we rely on donations for our annual funding. We are extremely grateful to our generous and dedicated members and donors, and we invite you to join us as we continue to build a future where birds and people thrive.
Building capacity to study, monitor and conserve Caribbean seabirds
BirdsCaribbean booth at NAOC, 2016.
Serving on the BirdsCaribbean Board of Directors is an enriching experience, where you can really make an impact.
Group photo with Orlando at his home in Havana. BirdsCaribbean Cuba Bird Tour, January 2019.
Learning all about bird banding on WMBD, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Maria Paulino/ GAE).
Carefree Birding group enjoys the waterbirds in Sint Maarten with Binkie Van Es, BirdsCaribbean member and Caribbean Birding Trail trained guide. (photo by Carefree Birding)
Thanks to educators at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), youth in Jamaica were treated to a field trip that included birding and a nature scavenger hunt using BirdSleuth Caribbean materials published by BirdsCaribbean. (photo courtesy of NEPA)
The results of our first Short Story and Poetry Contest are in! We would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s competition for their creativity and skill at conveying emotion. We received fantastic submissions from the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela and are extremely grateful to each writer and poet for sharing their personal encounters with some of the Caribbean’s best birds.
We decided to host this short story and poetry contest as a way to highlight this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival theme “Loving Bird is Human Nature” by documenting the powerfully innate connection we have with birds. The result was an overwhelmingly talented pool of writers and poets, and outstanding stories and poems to choose from.
Short Story Winners
We are pleased to announce that the short story winners are:
3rd Place: “The Root of the Murder” by Chloe Bramble (Antigua and Barbuda)
The following stories also captivated the judges and they received Honorable Mentions:: “Jairo y el Frailecito” by Yohana Rivero Pérez (Venezuela), “Hide and Seek” by Adriana Cintrón (Puerto Rico) and “Guerreras del aire” by Alicia Marlene Ríos Pérez (Cuba).
Poetry Winners
And the poetry winners are:
1st Place: “To Wonder At Birds” by Brianna Salmon (Jamaica)
2nd Place: “Paloma Querida” by Wanda I. Rodríguez López (Puerto Rico)
3rd Place: “Bird Love” by Yashid Charles (St Lucia)
The judges believed the following poets were also able to powerfully express their ideas and emotions, and they received “Honorable Mentions.”: “Up Close First Encounter” by Alliah Francis (Jamaica), “Las aves de paso” by Yamilaiki Osorio Sánchez (Cuba) and “Miradas al mar” by Génesis Parra Rivero (Venezuela).
The entire CEBF team offers a sincere thanks to everyone who submitted. We invite you to read all submissions, including the winning short stories and poems in both Spanish and English, at this link OR click on the book below. to view here!
We would love to see this collection of short stories and poems grow! Please contact Aliya.Hosein@birdscaribbean.org and info@birdscaribbean.org if you would like to contribute a short story, poem, or both!
On April 9th, 2021, La Soufrière Volcano, on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, began to erupt for the first time in 42 years. These explosive eruptions left the conservation community gravely concerned about impacts to the island’s wildlife and vegetation. Using funds raised through our volcano recovery campaign, BirdsCaribbean, the Saint Vincent Department of Forestry, and Antioch University were able to begin assessing the effects. Here, we report on field work from our successful two-week pilot season surveying for the endemic Whistling Warbler and other forest species in May of 2022. Field Assistant Kaitlyn Okrusch shares her experiences—read on!
There is something indescribable about witnessing a creature that so few have laid eyes on. Not because it makes you lucky over others. Rather, this creature, this other living thing, has somehow managed to stay hidden from our pervasive (and distinctly) human nature. This thought crossed my mind several times as I glimpsed a view of the Whistling Warbler—a really rare bird found only on one island and restricted to mountainous forest habitat. As I gazed up at this endemic gem, I imagined its secretive life. With its stocky body, bold white eye-ring, cocked tail, and tilted head, it looked back down at me, just as curious.
When Mike Akresh, a conservation biology professor at Antioch University New England, asked if I wanted to assist a pilot study for the Whistling Warbler on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, I paused. “The Whistling Warbler?” I thought, “Saint Vincent?” I had never heard of the bird nor the island. Now, I don’t know how I could ever forget either.
Saint Vincent is located in the southern Lesser Antilles, and has a kite tail of 32 smaller islands and cays (the Grenadines) dotting southward. Its indigenous name is ‘Hairouna,’ which translates to the Land of the Blessed. The people, the culture, and the biodiversity are truly remarkable—blessed indeed. In addition to the warbler, the islands are home to the national bird, the colorful and endemic Saint Vincent Parrot, and host to six other bird species that are found only in the Lesser Antilles.
The rumblings, then eruptions, that ignited our work
At the northernmost point of this island lives the active volcano, La Soufrière, which last erupted in 1979. In December of 2020, this powerful mountain showed signs of life with effusive eruptions and growth of the lava dome for several months. On April 9th 2021, explosive eruptions began that sent plumes of ash as high as 16 kilometers. In addition, pyroclastic flows and lahars (very fast-moving, dense mudflows or debris flows consisting of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, ash and water) caused considerable damage along river valleys and gullies.
Multiple eruptions in April damaged trees and blanketed the forests and towns in thick layers of gray ash, leaving many parts of the island barren for months. Upwards of 20,000 people were evacuated in the Red and Orange Zones (northern half of the island), and, thanks to this decision, there was no loss of life. Remarkably, the 2021 eruption of La Soufriere is the largest to occur in the entire Caribbean of at least the last 250 years.
Massive ash cloud from La Soufriére volcano explosion on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, April 13, 2021. There were multiple powerful eruptions in April, starting on April 9th. (Photo by Dr. Richard Robertson, UWI).
There was grave concern for the welfare of the Saint Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and other wildlife. BirdsCaribbean launched a fundraising campaign and our community stepped up to provide funding and supplies for volcano recovery efforts, both short and longer-term. This natural disaster was destructive for both the people and the land; the impacts are still being seen and felt today. But, out of this catastrophe arose an opportunity to assess the status of Saint Vincent’s iconic birds and to plan for their conservation moving forward.
The eruption of La Soufrière called attention to the urgent need for collaboration and research efforts regarding biodiversity conservation on Saint Vincent. With such limited baseline knowledge pertaining to most of the forest birds on the island, locals worried that some species (like the Whistling Warbler and the Saint Vincent Parrot) might disappear. No one was sure how these eruptions had impacted their populations.
This opened the door for concerted efforts between the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Department of Forestry (SVGF), BirdsCaribbean, and Antioch University, to complete a pilot season surveying for the elusive and endangered Whistling Warbler and other endemic landbirds. SVGF and researchers from Florida International University (led by Dr. Cristina Gomes) were already in the process of specifically re-surveying the Saint Vincent Parrot population, so our surveys focused on other landbirds (stay tuned for a blog post on this work!).
La Soufriére Volcano Trail sign. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Volcanic remnants near the northeast town of Georgetown. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Headquarters of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Department of Forestry, located in Campden Park near Kingstown. We met several times with Forestry staff during our visit to plan and discuss the field work. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Ash deposits on the coast at Wallibou, just north of the Wallibou River in the northwest, Glenroy is looking towards La Soufriére volcano. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Trees on the La Soufriére trail—one year later you can still see the damage to the canopy from the April 2021 eruptions. (photo by Lisa-Sorenson)
Touching down for the “oreo” bird
Flying into Saint Vincent. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
My eyes grew wide as the plane touched down and I stepped out into the humid, salty air. Lisa Sorenson (the executive director of BirdsCaribbean) had been down here for the previous few days with her husband, Mike Sorenson, and colleagues Jeff Gerbracht (Cornell Lab of Ornithology and long time BirdsCaribbean member) and Mike Akresh. They had been scouting out potential locations for our surveys of the warbler using the PROALAS point count protocol with SVGF and specifically SVGF Wildlife Unit Head, Glenroy Gaymes.
Lisa and Mike A. picked me up from the Argyle International Airport in a silver Suzuki jeep—driver’s side on the right, drive on the left. I hopped in the car and we zipped off into the narrow (and steep!) hillside roads of Arnos Vale—a small community north of the capital of Kingstown. Lisa had been down here before. She drove us around like a local: confident and happy, despite the crazy traffic and winding roads! I rolled down the window and the sun brushed my face. Our first stop before our home base was a local fruit stand, well equipped with juicy mangoes, soursop, plantains, pineapple, and grapefruits. Island life and fresh fruits—nothing quite compares!
As Lisa and Mike picked out the various ripe fruits they wanted, Lisa didn’t miss an opportunity to ask the stand tenders if they had ever heard of or seen the Whistling Warbler. She took out her phone, pulled up the Merlin Bird ID app, and displayed some of the few captured sounds and photographs of this bird. She held it up for them to see. “Ahhhh, yes, we’ve heard that before!” the man said, after listening to the song. A smile crept onto his face. The unmistakable call of this bird, as I would come to observe, has been ingrained into the minds of many locals—without them even knowing who was making it. “We hear that many times when we are in the forest,” the woman said.
The song of the Whistling Warbler is a crescendo trill of loudly whistled notes.
Many locals (and non locals) are unaware that the Whistling Warbler is endemic to Saint Vincent. On the other hand, many are aware that the beautiful and iconic Saint Vincent Parrot is endemic. Endemic species are naturally more vulnerable to extinction due to their specific nature: their limited distribution leaves them particularly vulnerable to threats like habitat destruction, climate change, invasive predators, or overhunting. On top of those reasons—as noted above—their survival may be even more perilous after a devastating volcanic eruption. It is well known that often the large, flamboyantly colored birds captivate, motivate, and receive more funding when it comes to conservation. Sometimes the smaller, less colorful birds quite literally get lost in the shadows. Because of a lack of research and funding, there are large knowledge gaps pertaining to the Whistling Warbler’s ecology and population status.
Whistling Warbler perched on a branch. (Photo by the Saint Vincent Ministry of Tourism)
There are only two scientific papers out there (one unpublished) that contain what little we know about the Whistling Warbler. Consequently, you often see “no information” listed under the various tabs if you search for this species on the Birds of the World website. What is its breeding biology? Do we actually understand the plumage variations between sexes and ages? What about habitat preference and home range size? Diet? Perceived versus actual threats regarding its conservation?
Furthermore, this warbler is interesting because it is also monotypic. It’s in a genus all of its own, and there are no subspecies. This makes the warbler especially unique, and it may be susceptible to changes that we could be causing (and accelerating).
Unfortunately, as with many endemic birds throughout the Caribbean, the lack of capacity, funding, and previous interest has limited our ability to answer these research questions and better conserve these endemic species. Few have had the time (or the funding) to put into fielding these research questions. These are some of the motivations to try and research—to understand—this unique bird and its ecology. We hope to try and figure out the status of this endangered warbler and build local capacity to monitor the warbler and other birds.
Hiking, Birding, and Counting, Oh My!
Most birders acknowledge that in order to see a bird, you need to be a bird. This means getting up at unpleasantly early times, 4 am for example. But, more often than not, it is well-worth the short night of sleep, driving in the dark, and arduous hiking, to watch and hear the lush green forest wake up. On our first field morning, we headed to a trail called Montréal, a steep ascent up the mountain, that became Tiberoux trail, once you reached the saddle and hiked down the other side. This was an area that SVGF staff had both seen and heard our small, feathered friend before.
Montreal farm field with Glenroy Gaymes and Mike Akresh. Glenroy points the way to hike into the mountains on the Montréal trail to survey for the warbler. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Utilizing local and SVGF staff knowledge was a crucial aspect of our surveying strategy. Our team visited sites and hiking trails where the warbler was known to be seen or heard in the past. We then conducted point counts within these areas to collect data on the presence/absence of the warbler and other forest species. Glenroy (AKA “Pewee”) has a wealth of knowledge about Saint Vincent’s forests and wildlife. His deep connection with the land comes from inherent connection and diligent observation: being a part of and not apart from the land. He has been walking these trails for 30+ years, patiently learning. Now, he was going to try and teach us about one of his favorite birds.
At first glance, the Whistling Warbler seems nearly impossible to study, partly due to its elusive nature, and partly due to its apparent habitat preference. This bird is found in dense, mountainous forests on extreme slopes of ridges and slippery ravines. This, as you can imagine, makes it difficult to track the bird, let alone nest search. One wrong step, and you can be sent flying down the mountain.
Luckily, with Glenroy’s knowledge and our protocol incorporating a playback song of this species, we were given glimpses here and there as the warbler flitted through the dense, dark, mid-canopy. Digging our heels into the steep sides of the trail, we would all anxiously listen for and await our prized subject. You could feel the tension rising as each of us swiveled our heads back and forth, looking for any sign of movement. “I see it, I see it, right there!” one of us would whisper—the others getting our binoculars ready.
For this two week pilot season, we wanted to rely on local knowledge to understand where to place our PROALAS point counts. PROALAS is a protocol used throughout Central America, and is now beginning to be implemented with BirdsCaribbean’s new Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Project. The protocol includes a standardized set of survey methods for monitoring birds, specially designed for tropical habitats. For our study, we would stop and do a 10-minute point count, noting every single bird that we see and/or hear every 200 meters along a designated trail. This methodology is a quick and systematic way to get an understanding of the landbirds in an area.
Additionally, we collected vegetation and habitat data which can then be used to understand species-habitat relationships. In our case, since we were focusing on the Whistling Warbler, we also did an additional five-minute point count just for it. For the first two minutes, we would play a continuous variety of Whistling Warbler calls and songs and visually looked for the bird to come in. For the final three minutes, we would turn off the playback, and listen to see if the warbler called back. At several locations, we also set out Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs), which are small devices that record bird songs for days at a time without us being physically present at the site.
All of this data was entered into eBird, available to local stakeholders and forever stored in the global database (see our Trip report here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/58880). Needless to say, Lisa, Mike, Jeff, Mike Akresh, and myself all got a crash course in Saint Vincent bird ID in the field.
Jeff, Mike, and Kaitlyn hiking on Tiberoux trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mike Akresh setting up the AudioMoth acoustic monitoring device in the field. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Winston “Rambo” Williams and Mike doing a point count on the Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Team on the Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Warbler and Parrot teams on the Silver Spoon trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Glenroy Gaymes walking through Mahorn Ridge. The orange flowering bush is Palicourea croceoides; common names Yellow Cedar and Caribbean Red Cappel Plant. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Audiomoth Automatic Recording Unit (ARU) set up on a tree to record songs and calls of forest birds. (photo by Lisa Sorenson).
So, how are the warblers doing?
Figure 1. Map of St Vincent showing locations of our PROALAS Point Counts without Whistling Warbler (WHWA) sightings, with warbler sightings, and eBird Caribbean sightings prior to the April 2021 eruption of La Soufriére Volcano.
The good news is we found some warblers! After surveying 8 sites, 46 points, and conducting 100+ point counts, we detected the Whistling Warbler, by sight and/or sound, at around 35% of the point locations (see Figure 1). Warblers had higher abundance on the eastern (windward) side of the island compared to the western (leeward) side, and appeared to be present on steep, mountainous, wetter slopes with natural (non-planted) forest.
Interestingly, we detected a number of Whistling Warblers along the La Soufrière Trail, an area that was highly impacted by the volcano eruption, so the warbler seems to be doing ok despite the habitat destruction! However, the impacted northern areas were definitely quieter and a number of other forest birds seemed to be missing, like the Cocoa Thrush and Ruddy Quail-Dove. One hypothesis might be that the heavy ash deposits closer to the volcano affected insects living on the ground—the food resources needed by ground-foraging bird species.
We also noted that a few other bird species were especially rare on the island after the volcano eruption. For instance, we did not detect any Antillean Euphonias, and only briefly saw or heard the Rufous-throated Solitaire at two locations. The Green-throated Carib, Brown Trembler, and Scaly-breasted Thrasher also had fairly low numbers throughout the island. This may have been due to the habitat we focused on and/or the time of year of our surveys. Clearly, more surveys are needed to assess these other species.
Fenton Falls trail, where Whistling Warblers were detected. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mike Akresh, Jeff Gerbracht, and Mike Sorenson along the Fenton Falls trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Possible non-active Whistling Warbler nest. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Whistling Warbler looks out from a branch. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Whistling Warbler (possible juvenile or female). (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Nature is resilient!
After traversing much of this island in search of the warbler, it is hard to imagine that this devastating eruption happened only one year ago. We saw the remnants of the ash on the trails; trees drooping over from the sheer weight of the volcanic ash upon their branches, and huge swaths in the north part of the island mostly devoid of large canopy trees. Yet, there was also life flourishing around us, green and growing up towards the light.
Glenroy commented that after the April eruptions, the forests were so eerily quiet, he felt like he was in outer space. He told us that in some areas, there was not one creature to be seen or heard for months, not even the ever-present mosquitos. Despite this devastating natural disaster, here we were though, both hearing and seeing many of the forest birds coming back. This also often included hearing the unmistakable crescendo whistling song of the Whistling Warbler, much to our delight.
Spathoglottis plicata, Philippine Ground Orchid (invasive species) in bloom. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Glenroy Gaymes with a St Vincent Hairstreak butterfly (endemic to St Vincent). (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Jeff and Mike Sorenson at the Parrot Lookout on the Vermont Nature Trail. Yes, we saw parrots! (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
“Life From Death” interpretive sign along the Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mike Sorenson looking for birds in dense forest habitat. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Optimistic for the future: Our next steps
Kaitlyn Okrusch on the Coffee Trail with a rainbow in the background. (Photo by Glenroy Gaymes)
BirdsCaribbean, in partnership with Antioch University, SVGF, and others, are hoping to better understand how (and if) the Whistling Warbler and other species are recovering. Based on our knowledge of bird population resilience following catastrophic hurricanes, some species may quickly rebound to their former population sizes, while it may take years for other species to recover, and some may even become extinct. For instance, the Bahama Nuthatch, with a previously extremely small population, has not been seen since the devastating Hurricane Dorian passed through Grand Bahama island in 2019.
Next steps are to further examine the audio recordings we collected, carry out more surveys, and conduct a training workshop next winter to help build SVGF’s capacity to continue to monitor the warbler and other forest birds next year and in future years. We also plan to work together with SVGF to write a comprehensive Conservation Action Plan (CAP) which will help guide monitoring and conservation of the warbler for many years to come.
Finally, we will work with SVGF to elevate the status of the warbler in the eyes of locals—educate about this special little bird through school visits, field trips, and a media campaign. This endemic bird will hopefully become a source of pride, alongside the Saint Vincent Parrot, so that local people will join the fight to save it from extinction. It takes a village to work for the conservation of anything—especially birds—and we are excited to be partners on a fantastic project.
I keep returning to a quote from Senegalese conservationist, Baba Dioum: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” Through collaboration with Vincentians and SVGF, I do believe we can better understand how this bird lives, and what this bird needs. It is, and will be, hard work. With help from Glenroy and other Forestry staff who have a wealth of knowledge and appreciation for the land and its wildlife, hopefully all Vincentians will come to know and love the Whistling Warbler as we have, and help us to conserve it and Saint Vincent’s other forest birds.
Lisa at the Silver Spoon Parrot watch lookout. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
The team at work. L-R: Mike Akresh, Jeff Gerbracht, Lisa and Mike Sorenson. (Photo by Mike Sorenson)
Acknowledgments
We thank Glenroy Gaymes for working with us in the field nearly every day, generously sharing his vast knowledge of the birds, plants, and other wildlife of Saint Vincent’s forests. We are also grateful to Mr. Fitzgerald Providence, Director of Forestry, and other SVGF staff for supporting our work, including Winston “Rambo” Williams, Lenchford Nimblet, and Cornelius Lyttle. Thanks also to Lystra Culzac for sharing her knowledge about the Whistling Warbler and St Vincent’s forest birds and providing helpful advice and insights to our field work. Funding for this pilot study came from BirdsCaribbean’s Volcano Recovery Fund—thank you so much to everyone who donated to this fund and to the “emergency group” that came together to assist with funding support and recovery . We also thank Antioch University’s Institute for International Conservation for providing additional funding.
Blog by Kaitlyn Okrusch (with Lisa Sorenson, Mike Akresh, Jeff Gerbracht, & Glenroy Gaymes). Kaitlyn is a graduate student at Antioch University of New England. She is obtaining a M.S. in Environmental Studies as well as getting her 7-12 grade science teaching licensure. She has worked and volunteered for various bird organizations over the past six years – both conducting research (bird-banding, nest searching) as well as developing curriculum and educating. These most recently include University of Montana Bird Ecology Lab (UMBEL), Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory (HRBO), and Owl Research Institute (ORI). Her passion is fueled by connecting people with the wild spaces they call home – especially through birds.
Help us to continue this work!
Once again, we thank the many generous members of our community who donated to help with the recovery effort for birds in St Vincent impacted by the April 2021 explosive eruptions of La Soufrière Volcano. If you would like to donate to help with our continued work with the Forestry Department and local communities, please click here and designate “St Vincent Volcano Recovery” as the specific purpose for your donation. Thank you!
*The “emergency group” that came together to assist with funding support and recovery of the St Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and other wildlife consisted of the following organizations: BirdsCaribbean, Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, Fauna and Flora International, Caribaea Initiative, Houston Zoo, Grenada Dove Conservation Programme, UNDP Reef to Ridge Project, Houston Zoo, IWECo Project St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Farallon Islands Foundation. We thank our amazing local partners SCIENCE Initiative, the St. Vincent & the Grenadines Environment Fund, and the Forestry Department for your support and hard work.
Gallery
Antillean Crested Hummingbird. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Lobster Claw Heliconia (Heliconia bihai). (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Fenton Falls Trailhead. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Cattle Egret coming in for a landing. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Jeff Gerbracht walking on Montreal Trail towards the mountains with a boom mic. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
La Soufriere in the clouds on the east side of the island. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Common Black Hawk in the Calabash mangroves. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Lisa and Mike at Fenton Falls. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Purple-Throated Carib on the Silver Spoon Trail. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Two-year old Maeson Gaymes (incredible little hiker!) on the La Soufriere Trail for Global Big Day 2022 in St Vincent. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mangroves down by the ocean in Kingstown. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
St Vincent Hairstreak (Pseudolycaena cybele), also called Marsyus Hairstreak, St Vincent endemic butterfly, rests on a flower. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Freshly picked Guava on the coffee trail. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Old Trinity Road on the west side of the island, near the volcano. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Purple-Throated Carib nest found by Jeff, Lisa and Mike S. on Montreal. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Scaly-breasted Thrasher sits on a branch. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Saint Vincent Bush Anole Anolis trinitatis). (Photo by Mike Akresh)
St. Vincent Whistling Frog (Pristimantis shrevei, IUCN endangered) in Glenroy Gaymes’ hands. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Plumrose or Water Apple flowers found on the Coffee Trail. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Lystra Culzac and Lisa Sorenson – mango sisters reunited! Lystra generously shared her knowledge about St Vincent’s forest birds and provided excellent advice for our field work. (photo by Mike Sorenson)
Lovely pastoral scene, nursing calf in Montreal. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Warbler and Parrot Crews at Silver Spoon Trail. (Photo by Glenroy Gaymes)
Acomat Boucan (Sloanea-caribaea) – Large tree with buttress roots in the forest. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Gommier (Dacryodes excelsa) dominant large tree in St Vincent. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2022 is “Loving Birds is Human Nature”. 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: Cuban Pewee
Often seen darting from a perch to grasp insects from the air, the Cuban Pewee is full of energy and character. It is a species of flycatcher, a group of birds well known for catching their insect prey on the wing. Unlike other species with vibrant colors (think Western Spindalis, Yellow Warbler, and Painted Bunting) this small bird has rather drab olive-brown plumage with an olive-gray crown and tufted crest. Its underparts are lighter beige-gray with yellowish wash. Look for the bold white crescent behind the eye to distinguish this bird from other flycatchers.
Formerly called the Crescent-eyed Pewee, the Cuban Pewee is a Caribbean endemic, found in only two countries: Cuba and The Bahamas. There are four subspecies, three in Cuba and one in The Bahamas, which vary slightly in plumage. In The Bahamas, you can find them on the northern islands of Grand Bahama, Abaco, New Providence, Andros, Eleuthera and Cat Island. They are wide-spread throughout Cuba from the coast to moderate elevations. Their habitat includes pine and broad-leafed forests, forest edges, tree plantations, brushy scrub, mangroves, and swamp edges.
A great way to find this bird is to listen out for its song, Tswee-ooooooooo.” The first part is explosive and the second a long descending whistle. It’s call is a short “peep peep,” or the Bahamas, “peeep peep peep!”
Like other flycatchers, the Cuban Pewee typically uses a low perch from which it flies to catch insects on the wing. It mainly eats small insects, but will also eat fruits. Breeding is thought to occur in February-March in the Bahamas and March to June in Cuba. The nest is a finely-made cup of roots, hair, dried grass, lichens, and moss placed in the fork of a tree branch or shrub. Eggs (2-4) are pale with dark dots, crowned with lilac or grayish dots at the broad end.
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 song of the Cuban Pewee
The song of the Cuban Pewee song is a “Tswee-ooooooo.” The short sharp initial “Tweee” is followed by a drawn-out descending whistle.
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!
A Cuban Pewee in the Bahamas. (Photo by Christopher Johnson)A Cuban Pewee. This small flycatcher live in open woodlands and scrub. (Photo by Sergey Uryadnikov)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: How much can you remember about the birds we have featured during the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival 2022? Test your memory of your newly gained knowledge of these wonderful birds with our 2022 Caribbean Endemic Bird Quiz! Today we have Part Two of a two-part Bird Trivia Quiz. Try to answer all the questions without checking back to our posts or looking up the answers online or in your bird guides! But just in case you do get stuck you or if you want to do some studying before you try the quiz you can read about all our featured endemic birds here or take a browse on ebird. Once you’ve finished the quiz you can click on the “View Score” link to see how many you got right and find out the correct answers! Note: the page might look blank when you finish, but if you scroll back up you should be able to find the link to “View Score”.
Now you’ve completed our quiz – enjoy this video of a Green-tailed Warbler the wild!
When the world seemed to stop at the behest of the pandemic, forcing most of us to remain at home, our BirdsCaribbean community kept going — birding, monitoring, and sharing our stories from safe spaces in our neighborhoods, community parks, and backyards.
Nearly three years and countless virtual meetings later, the anticipation of an in-person reunion was palpable. In partnership with the American Ornithological Society (AOS), and with invaluable support from local partners Para La Naturaleza and Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña, Inc. (SOPI), we successfully hosted our biggest conference to date — AOS & BC 2022— welcoming over 800 wildlife professionals from 34 countries to the tropical shores of Puerto Rico from June 27-July 2, 2022.
The conference, held under the theme “On the Wings of Recovery: Resilience and Action”, was a true celebration of the perseverance of our community featuring 146 poster presentations, 143 oral presentations across 14 symposia, 280 contributed papers, 8 roundtable discussions, and 93 student presentations.
Keynote speakers Dr. Howard P. Nelson, professor and wildlife biologist from Trinidad and Tobago and professor of conservation leadership at Fauna & Flora International, and Dr. Herbert Raffaele, retired chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of International Conservation, spoke to the importance of resilience and action as the Caribbean region faces the conservation challenges of the future. Speaking to packed auditoriums at the Convention Center in San Juan, Dr. Nelson addressed “Island Futures: Pathways to Resilient Conservation of Caribbean Birds,” and Dr. Raffaele outlined “Saving Our World’s Birds: A Plan for the Future.”
Plenary speaker, Dr. Kristen Camille Ruegg gave a fascinating talk on: “The Bird Genoscape Project — Unlocking the Secrets of Bird Migration Using DNA in the Tip of a Feather.” And Dr. Purnima Devi Barman received a standing ovation for her inspiring presentation to save the Greater Adjutant Stork, locally known as the Hargila: “The Rewilding Revolution: Using the Magic of Community Action to Save the Hargila,.
“Our international conferences are always special because they give members of our diverse community a chance to meet, network, and learn about cutting-edge research and conservation solutions,” commented Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Sorenson. “This year was exceptional because the pandemic added a new layer of complexity to our work and our plans for the future. Partnering with the AOS allowed us a unique opportunity to widen our network of enthusiastic conservationists. The high level of participation and engagement over these five days of learning in Puerto Rico augurs well for the future of the Caribbean region and the safeguarding of its natural resources, particularly its birds and their habitats.”
BirdsCaribbean Highlights at the Conference
Workshops
BirdSleuth Caribbean: Connecting Youth to Nature and Science through Birds
Birds are an engaging and fun way to get youth interested in nature, science, and inquiry-based learning. The BirdSleuth Caribbean Workshop sought to inspire participants to consider ways they, and their organizations, might support teachers and youth through educational programs in school as well as in camps and afterschool programs.Facilitated by Jennifer Fee, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Dr. Lisa Sorenson, BirdsCaribbean, the full-day workshop reviewed the innovative BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum — a resource that engages kids in scientific study through fun activities, games, and real data collection through the eBird citizen-science project.
BirdSleuth Caribbean Workshop group photo.
Participants learn the basics of bird identification. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
BirdSleuth Workshop participants identify birds outdoors. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Ingrid shows off her drawing. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Participants sketch birds at the BirdSleuth workshop. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Raptors of the Caribbean: Education and Conservation Resources
This highly-anticipated workshop focused on teaching participants about raptors, one of the most threatened bird groups in the world. Globally, we recognize there to be a basic lack of knowledge about raptors, as well as a lot of misinformation about birds of prey in general. Although raptors in the Caribbean are suffering population declines, they often remain excluded from environmental education guides and outreach programs.
Through the use of a brand new, hot-off-the-press resource, Environmental Education Guide: Raptors of the Caribbean, workshop facilitators Marta Curti and Gabriela Diaz from The Peregrine Fund engaged participants in dynamic, hands-on activities, and group work to better understand the importance raptors play in the ecosystems where they live. These activities helped participants gain practice and increase their confidence in teaching others about birds of prey using/adapting the materials and activities presented in the education guide.
Participants in the Raptors of the Caribbean Workshop show off their bird of prey, made from recycled materials.
The Power of Film and Video to Drive Conservation Impact
In the age of social media, and faced with the phenomenon of rapidly declining attention spans, the importance of video as a tool for storytelling cannot be underestimated. New research shows that 83% of people prefer watching videos as a means to learn vs. reading text. In this workshop, Elijah Sands, Senior Communications Officer at the Bahamas National Trust, with support from Tahira Carter, Communications Manager at BirdsCaribbean, engaged participants on the use of the most dynamic form of digital communication — video — to inspire change and drive impact.
Inspirational message recorded especially for the group by Paul Nicklen, acclaimed Canadian photographer, film-maker, author and marine biologist. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Workshop Facilitator, Elijah Sands, from the Bahamas National Trust, uses videos from his portfolio to explain key concepts to the group. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Training Workshop
This workshop was held as part of BirdsCaribbean’s Landbird Monitoring Project, which seeks to inspire and facilitate landbird monitoring and conservation efforts in the Caribbean — including raising public awareness, alleviating threats, and managing and restoring habitats. Through a blend of classroom and field-based activities, workshop facilitators Jeff Gerbracht (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), Maya Wilson (BirdsCaribbean), Ingrid Molina (Our Coffee Our Birds), Holly Garrod (BirdsCaribbean), Coral Aviles (San Juan Bay Estuary Program), and Alcides Morales and Omar Monzon (Para La Naturaleza) introduced participants to landbird identification, monitoring techniques, and eBird data entry. The group practiced bird ID and counting techniques at Hacienda La Esperanza Nature Reserve and Cambalache State Forest. Participants will join a regional network of people involved in standardized monitoring and conservation of landbirds in the Caribbean.
Participants in the Landbird Monitoring Workshop look for birds in the forest. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Puerto Rican Emerald. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Participants in the Landbird Monitoring Workshop engage in classroom sessions before going out into the field. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Puerto Rican Woodpecker. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Participants in the Landbird Monitoring Workshop engage in classroom sessions before going out into the field. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Symposia
Puerto Rico Day: Bird Diversity and Conservation in the “Island of Enchantment”
As traditionally done by BirdsCaribbean, the first day of the conference launched with presentations of local ornithological work. This symposium consisted of two sessions with 11 presentations that included research, conservation, and education conducted by biologists representing different agencies and organizations. In the opening talk, Adrianne Tossas summarized the status and distribution of the avifauna throughout the island, emphasizing threats and current advances in habitat and species protection. Team efforts by the PR Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PR DNER) and US Fish and Wildlife to save the charismatic and Endangered Puerto Rican Parrot were presented by Tanya Martínez and Thomas White, respectively. Also from PR DNER, Katsí Ramos spoke about the accomplishments of the Endangered Yellow-shouldered Blackbird Recovery Program, and Ingrid Flores focused on the agency’s numerous activities to increase local awareness on biodiversity conservation.
Joseph Wunderle from the USDA Forest Service, gave an overview of the increasing challenges bird populations face from climate change, as revealed from population responses to severe hurricanes across the region in recent years. University of Mississippi biologist, Francisco Vilella, summarized his contribution to the knowledge of the biology of the Puerto Rico Nightjar and raptor species. Marconi Campos, Rainforest Connection, shared recent collaborative work in bird conservation with technological advances that allow remote acoustic sampling of birds in over 600 sites in the island. Hana Weaver gave an update on The Peregrine Fund’s efforts to improve the reproductive rates of the Endangered Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk, while Laura Fidalgo talked about the contribution of members in bird monitoring programs of the Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña. Finally, Omar Monzón, from Para La Naturaleza, emphasized on the organization’s role in the protection of private lands and the engagement of volunteers in citizen science.
Francisco Vilella
Hana Weaver
Ingrid Flores
Joseph Wunderle
Katsí Ramos
Laura Fidalgo
Marconi Campos
Thomas White
Tanya Martínez
Omar Monzón
Shorebirds of the Atlantic Flyway:How Recent Work to Conserve Wetlands is Contributing to Species and Habitat Resilience in the Caribbean and Beyond
With 15 fantastic talks across three sessions this symposium moved from highlighting the importance of Caribbean and Atlantic Fly wetlands for migrating shorebirds, to the threats shorebirds and wetlands face, and on to the exciting outreach and restoration work. Presenters from 13 different countries shared their recent work and experiences. During the symposium, participants heard how the Caribbean Waterbird Census can highlight where the important places for shorebirds are and the threats they face; data from 12 years of the CWC were presented. We also learned about development that is having devastating impacts on Caribbean wetlands and mangroves, and ongoing battles to halt the destruction. But there were also inspiring stories of hope and community engagement, showing how outreach and education can inspire people to love shorebirds and value their wetlands. Even when all seems lost we learned that wetlands can be restored and created to provide havens for shorebirds, other wildlife and people to enjoy. It was clear that shorebird and wetland conservation in the Caribbean and throughout the Atlantic Flyway is full of challenges. However, working together with local communities we can help protect these beautiful birds and their valuable habitats.
Some of the presenters and organizers of the Shorebirds Symposia, from left to right: Benoit Laliberte, Juliana Almeida, Maxon Fildor, Alex Sansom, Elio Dortilus, Lisa Sorenson, Debra Baker, Ajhermae White, Elijah Sands, Devon Carter (photo by Chris Johnson)
Planning for Resiliency of Caribbean Island Endemics – Strategies for Post-2020 recovery
This symposium included two sessions with fantastic talks from 11 speakers covering the conservation perspectives on island endemics from across the Caribbean islands from The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica in the north to Saint Lucia and Trinidad in the south. The symposium provided an opportunity for conservation practitioners to reflect on the status of the endemics on their islands, share insights on recovery patterns after disturbance, and reflect on the implications of the current post-2020 discussions at the Convention on Biological Diversity for the conservation of birds on their islands. Clear themes from these two sessions included the need for realistic targets, much greater financial and technical support for species management interventions, and sustained efforts on practices that are having an impact.
Seabirds in Peril: How Recent Knowledge is Contributing to Conservation Priorities and Species Resilience in the Face of Environmental Change
Organized by BirdsCaribbean’s Seabird Working Group, the seabird symposium included 14 presentations spread out throughout the whole day. Speakers presented exciting studies from North America to Antarctica, by way of the Caribbean. The day started with a heartfelt call for active restoration of imperiled seabirds globally. Following speakers shared tools to better assess the health of seabird populations, from survey methods using drones (in Puerto Rico) to cutting-edge artificial intelligence to analyze drone and airplane imagery, and from tracking studies of Caribbean seabirds to studies of links between oceanographic features, forage fish and seabirds in the western North Atlantic. participants closely listened when speakers shared about the importance of long-term studies on land (in Jamaica and Antarctica) and at sea (in Gulf Stream waters off the U.S. coast) to assess changes in seabird populations. Finally, conservationists shared inspiring conservation projects, from assessing the presence of predators in the Grenadines to addressing issues of plastic pollution in the Gulf of Maine, and about restoration success stories in Anguilla and Puerto Rico.
The Caribbean Seabird Working Group (with members representing Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, the Grenadines, Bonaire, and Curaçao) was able to use gaps in the schedule to discuss its push for a region-wide Seabird Census in 2023.
Working Group Meetings
Endemics and Threatened Species Working Group (ETSWG)
The BirdsCaribbean ETSWG meeting was attended by 15 members. The meeting reviewed the outcomes of the needs assessment survey prepared by the 2 co-chairs (Ellie Devenish-Nelson & Howard Nelson). Members were also briefed on the status of the Alliance for Zero Extinction by the participants from the American Bird Conservancy (Amy Upgren, Dan Lebbin, Dave Ewert). The participants also discussed key issues for the group including broadening participation across the islands in the working group, data management, funding, and key projects that the various members were working on including monitoring efforts on endemic and threatened species in their countries. The group reviewed the chairmanship and there was unanimity that the current co-chairs would continue to chair the group until the next BirdsCaribbean conference. The Chairs also discussed the development of group activities in the intervening year, and agreed to improve its presence on the BC website and the frequency of members contribution to a working group blog.
Bird Education & Festivals Working Group and Educators’ Awards
Caribbean Bird Educators reconnected and discussed the themes and activities for this year’s World Migratory Bird Day and Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival. WMBD Coordinators, Laura Baboolal and Miguel Matta, gave a brief overview and handed out Happy Kits to all educators—a wonderful set of materials to educate about this year’s theme—Dim the Lights for Birds at Night. Participants also received a fabulous set of nine different sticker sheets featuring the artwork of talented artist, Josmar Esteban Marquez. The stickers include a variety of Caribbean birds (endemics, residents, waterbirds, shorebirds, migrants, etc.) to use in the next Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival and other bird education activities. Thanks to Daniel Serva for his incredible efforts to carry two heavy suitcases on a long journey from Venezuela to Puerto Rico – he shared the incredible tale of his journey that included a harrowing 6 hour interrogation by US Customs when he arrived in San Juan, who were convinced that Daniel was transporting drugs on the stickers!
Educators group photo at the Bird Education-Bird Festivals Working Group Meeting at the conference.
A highlight of the meeting were the awards given to ten different educators who did a fantastic job celebrating WMBD and/or CEBF in the last two years, consistently organizing creative and fun activities for youth and local communities, and also sending in their reports and photos. All recipients received binoculars and a certificate of recognition. Educators’ Awards went to Shanna Challenger (Environmental Awareness Group, Antigua and Barbuda), Maria Paulino (Grupo Acción Ecológica, Dominican Republic), Josmar Esteban Márquez (AveZona) Inés Lourdes Fernández (La Empresa Flora y Fauna Santiago, Cuba), Ingrid Flores (DRNA, Puerto Rico), Carla Montalvo (Roots and Shoots, Puerto Rico), Ajhermae White (Dept of Environment, Montserrat), Monika Gomez (DR), Natalya Lawrence (Antigua and Barbuda), Shirley Droz (post-humous award, Puerto Rico), and Marisa Awai (Bahamas). Congratulations to all the winners!
Laura Baboolal and Lisa Sorenson presenting an Educators’ Award to Ingrid Flores (Puerto Rico). (photo by Daniel Serva)
Laura Baboolal and Lisa Sorenson presenting an Educators’ Award to Maria Paulino (Dominican Republic). (photo by Daniel Serva)
Laura Baboolal and Lisa Sorenson presenting an Educators’ Award to Carla Montalvo (Puerto Rico). (photo by Daniel Serva)
Laura Baboolal and Lisa Sorenson presenting an Educators’ Award to Shanna Challenger (Antigua). (photo by Daniel Serva)
Daniel Serva telling the harrowing story of his journey bringing the stickers to Puerto Rico (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Laura Baboolal presenting a posthumous Educators’ Award to Carla for Shirley Droz(Puerto Rico). (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Laura Baboolal, Miguel Matta, Carla Montalvo, Sheylda Díaz-Méndez, and Lisa Sorenson. (photo by Daniel Serva)
Laura Baboolal and Lisa Sorenson presenting an Educators’ Award to Ajhermae White (Montserrat). (photo by Daniel Serva)
Laura Baboolal and Lisa Sorenson presenting an Educators’ Award to Daniel Serva for Josmar Esteban Marquez (Venezuela). (photo by Daniel Serva)
Laura Baboolal presenting an Educators’ Award to Giselle Dean for Marisa Awai (Bahamas). (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Laura Baboolal presenting an Educators’ Award to Joshel Wilson for Natalya Lawrence (Antigua). (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Roundtables
Action Learning for Building Resiliency in Island Endemic Species Recovery
The roundtable on species recovery used an action learning approach to deliver on a specific need identified by the Endemics and Threatened Species Working Group’s needs assessment survey – more training on species recovery. The session consisted of two segments, the first enabled the 20 participants to learn from three guest speakers from The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Antigua and Barbuda, who shared their experiences undertaking species recovery actions on their islands. The second part of the round-table permitted all participants to interact directly with the speakers and each other in small working groups, which enabled workshopping the challenges each participant was experiencing with species recovery on their respective islands. Feedback from the participants suggested that the workshop provided an excellent forum for learning from each other’s professional experiences as well as improving the informal networks between species recovery practitioners.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO) at 34—an Open Discussion on How our Regional Journal can Best Meet your Needs
The JCO editorial team at the conference. From left: Editor-in-Chief Joe Wunderle, Lead Copy Editor Zoya Buckmire, Managing Editor Stefan Gleissberg, Development Editor Natasha Atkins, Review Editor Jen Mortensen, and BC Vice President Justin Proctor.
The JCO–BirdsCaribbean’s peer reviewed scientific journal–welcomed fellow editors, authors, and other conference participants for a brainstorming session about the role of our journal in the Caribbean research and conservation communities. Managing Editor Dr. Stefan Gleissberg opened up the discussion with an overview, and Editor-in-Chief Dr. Joe Wunderle was available throughout to answer questions. JCO occupies a rather unique niche serving a biodiverse region which at the same time is also culturally and politically diverse. To limit access barriers to critical information on Caribbean birds, JCO publishes in three languages, provides immediate open access, keeps a comprehensive online archive, and has only modest publication charges. A vital point of the journal’s work is to assist early-career and first-time authors, and those who’s research is not conducted with the support system of an academic institution, in order to achieve the highest-possible impact of their work. Roundtable participants contributed valuable ideas. Conversation points included ethical and permit compliance, and how these vary widely among islands and territories. Following a request by a participant, JCO now explores how abstracts from the conference can be published in the journal, increasing visibility.
The most prestigious award — The Lifetime Achievement Award — went to two conservation stalwarts (1) Dr. John Faaborg, Emeritus Professor, University of Missouri and (2) Mr. Eric Carey, Executive Director, Bahamas National Trust and Past President of BirdsCaribbean. This award honors individuals who have helped change the future of Caribbean birds and their habitats for the better through a lifetime of work and dedication.
Elijah Sands accepts the BirdsCaribbean Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Mr. Eric Carey, Bahamas National Trust.
Eight individuals, representing three organizations – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program, Terrestrial Ecology Division,Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources; and Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña, Inc. (SOPI)– were hand selected by our President Dr Adrianne Tossas for the President’s Award. In choosing recipients several things are considered, particularly their ability to adapt in challenging times and master their skills ultimately raising the bar of service in conservation. This year’s Founders’ Award recipient was Julissa Irizarry from Puerto Rico, for her outstanding paper entitled Evaluating avian biodiversity in Puerto Rico’s urban neighborhoods: A test of the “luxury effect”. And finally Russell Campbell received the Video Workshop Award for showing the most initiative in the field following the training session at the conference. Read all the details and award citations here.
Recipients of the BirdsCaribbean President’s Award: Ricardo López-Ortiz, Katsí R. Ramos-Álvarez, and Roseanne Medina from the Terrestrial Ecology Division of Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
Elijah Sands accepts Lifetime Achievement Award from Executive Director Dr Lisa Sorenson on behalf of Emma Lewis.
Ex-President of the Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña, Inc. (SOPI), Gabriel Lugo, receives the BirdsCaribbean President’s Award on behalf of SOPI President, Laura Fidalgo, and Executive Director Emilio Font.
BirdsCaribbean President Dr Adrianne Tossas and Executive Director Dr Lisa Sorenson with BirdsCaribbean President’s Award recipient Tanya Martinez of the Terrestrial Ecology Division in Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
Recipients of the BirdsCaribbean President’s Award, 2022, for their work in the conservation of the Puerto Rican Parrot and the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird.
Silent Auction
The Silent Auction is an important fundraising activity and always a fun event at BirdsCaribbean conferences. Among the many items donated by our members for auction this year was the once-in-a-lifetime experience to zipline with BirdsCaribbean Executive Director Dr Lisa Sorenson! It is worth mentioning that Lisa wasn’t even aware this item was up for bid until too late, but seized the moment and fulfilled her ziplining duties in great form for the birds!A huge thank you to our members who donated a record-breaking 600 items for auction this year, helping us to raise US$6,000! All proceeds from the auction support our ongoing conservation efforts and provide much-needed travel scholarships to help Caribbean wildlife students and professionals attend our meetings.
Dr Howard Nelson and Ellie Nelson consider which books they’d like to bid on. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Bidding at the Silent Auction. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Silent Auction organizer, Jennifer Wheeler, announces the start of the event with the traditional blowing of the conch shell. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
The excitement builds as the bidding comes to a close. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Lisa finds out that she is the feature of a surprise auction item – a zipline experience! (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Tody Trot
This year’s 5k Fun Run, the Tody Trot, was named in honor of one of Puerto Rico’s most fascinating endemic bird species, the Puerto Rican Tody. 5k organizers, Maggie MacPherson and Justin Proctor, were excited to welcome 75 runners and walkers to the starting line. The course took participants along sandy beaches, beautiful ocean views, and even a castle, finishing in style on a rocky peninsula with waves crashing all around.
Tody Trot participants socialize after the race.
Tody Trot participants on the course.
Merchandise
This year, we partnered with award-winning biological illustrator, Arnaldo Toledo, and past president of Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña Inc. and Tour Operator for Wildside Nature Tours, Gabriel Lugo, to create a series of eye-catching designs! Arnaldo and Gabriel combined art, birds, and fashion to bring attention to Puerto Rico’s iconic bird species and the threats they face. The AOS-BC Conference collection included t-shirts, hats, buffs, stickers, and a poster that all featured the gorgeous illustrations of talented Cuban artist Arnaldo Toledo. These items and many others, such as local bird-friendly coffee and field guides from Puerto Rico and the West Indies, make great souvenirs from the conference and unique gifts for family and friends! Limited merchandise items from the conference are still available for purchase in Puerto Rico, please contact the Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña Inc. for more information (Gabriel Lugo and Emilio Font)
Endemic Birds of Puerto Rico T-shirt, AOS-BC Conference Merchandise.
Endemic Birds of Puerto Rico Hats, AOS-BC Conference Merchandise.
Tody Buff, AOS-BC Conference Merchandise.
Endemic Birds of Puerto Rico Poster, AOS-BC Conference Merchandise
Field Guides & Books on Puerto Rico and the West Indies by Dr Herbert Raffaele and Mark Oberle.
Endemic Birds of Puerto Rico Stickers, AOS-BC Conference Merchandise
Raffle
Fernando stylishly sells raffle tickets at the conference. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Thanks to our generous partners, we are hosting another amazing Raffle to support our ongoing conservation efforts. All proceeds directly impact scientific research and support programs and activities that build the capacity of Caribbean wildlife professionals — like our regional training workshops and conferences.The items offered this year are so good that we have two grand prizes — an original watercolor “Puerto Rican Tody” by award-winning Cuban Wildlife Artist and Illustrator, Arnaldo Toledo; and the Vortex Razor HD 8×42 Binocular, valued at US$1,279.99!
Other fabulous prizes include more stunning bird art — limited edition, high-quality giclee prints of Cuban endemic birds, signed and numbered by acclaimed Cuban artist and author, Nils Navarro.The grand prize drawing will take place on Saturday, 27 August 2022 so enter now for a chance to win! bit.ly/Raffle-2022 With each ticket purchase, you can help Caribbean nationals create better tomorrows for the birds and the communities that live alongside them.
Exploring Puerto Rico: Excursions and Endemics
We could not come to Puerto Rico, home to some of the region’s most stunning endemic birds, and not explore the beauty of our host island. Local hosts, Para La Naturaleza and SOPI ensured that conference attendees had the opportunity to discover as much of Puerto Rico’s rich flora and fauna as possible. Tours included visits to El Yunque National Forest in Río Grande, Medio Mundo y Daguao in Ceiba, the Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve in Fajardo, the Antiguo Acueducto del Río Piedras and the Parque Central de San Juan.
Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to everyone that helped make this conference a tremendous success! It was a pleasure to work with our co-host, the American Ornithological Society, and our local partners, Para la Naturaleza and Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña to organize the conference. We are very grateful to all the conference sponsors and donors, including the National Science Foundation, Dept of Natural Resources and Environment, Puerto Rico, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Windmar Home, Audubon, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Para la Naturaleza, Richard King Mellon Foundation, US Geological Survey, American Bird Conservancy, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and the US Forest Service – we could not have held this conference without you! We are especially grateful to all those that provided funding and donated to help us provide travel scholarships to 40 Caribbean wildlife professionals and students, including those that participated and donated to our 2022 Global Big Day teams fundraising event in May. As you can see in the photos and videos, the conference provided an incredible opportunity for learning and networking. It also helped us to reconnect, recharge, and become newly inspired to continue our vital conservation work, after a long period of covid isolation. Thank you to all of you from the bottom of our hearts!!!
Gallery
Hover over each photo in the gallery to see the caption or click on a photo to view as a slide show.
Adrianne and Adolfo pose for a photo. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Keynote Speaker Dr Herbert Raffaele delivers address at AOS-BC Conference in Puerto Rico. (Photo by Christine Schmidt)
Dr Herbert Raffaele delivers Keynote Address. (Photo by Christine Schmidt)
Lisa and Dr Birdy at the airport. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Tyrone, Jordan, Zoya at their posters. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Howie, Yvan, Lisa, Christopher and Ellie at the Closing ceremony after party.
Josh Pergola and Justin Proctor show off their new endemic birds of Puerto Rico t-shirt. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Participant group photo. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Elijah Sands, from the Bahamas National Trust, reviews technical elements of video production at The Power of Video Workshop. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Alex Sansom presenting author of a talk by Jessica Cañizares on the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) – what we have learned from the last 12 years. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Dr Adrianne Tossas delivers remarks at the AOS-BC Conference opening ceremony. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Lisa introduces keynote speaker Dr Herbert Raffaele. (Photo by Christine Schmidt)
Ellie Devenish-Nelson and Howie Nelson chat with Chris Mulvaney at the Merch table.
Adrianna, Purnima and Lisa.
Jose Colon assists with sales at the BIrdsCaribbean merchandise table.
Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña, Inc. (SOPI) table. (Photo by Christine Schmidt)
Photo frame fun: Adrianne, Shanna, and Lisa.
Justin helps out with sales at the merchandise table. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Adrianne and colleagues. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Volunteers pause for a photo at the BirdsCaribbean merchandise table. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Shoppers make their final bids at the Silent Auction jewelry table. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
View of the Convention Center that shows the zipline. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Photo frame fun with Lisa, Adrianne, Delores, Tahira and Ann.
Adrianne, Ingrid and colleagues take a photo frame pic. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Shoppers browse items at the Para La Naturaleza table.
Photo frame fun: Christine Schmidt and Lauren Gates.
Recently constructed Motus Station. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Lisa Sorenson, Herbert Raffaele, Ann Sutton, and Justin Proctor sending love to our Cuban colleagues.
Caribbean women group photo.
Ingrid Flores Vallejo manages the DRNA & NOAA table. (Photo by Christine Schmidt)
Yvan, Lisa and Christopher at the Closing ceremony after party.
Reunion of Caribbean colleagues at the Opening Reception of our AOS-BC Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico (27 June-1 July 2022).
Holly helps customers at the merchandise table. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Justin Ziplining across the Convention Center courtyard. (Photo by Edward Hernández-Lara)
Natasha helps a customer at the BirdsCaribbean merch table. (Photo by Christine Schmidt)
Lisa finds out about the surprise ziplining experience at the Silent Auction. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Lisa Ziplining across the Convention Center courtyard. (Photo by Edward Hernández-Lara)
Lisa, Emilio, Omar and JC take a selfie at the Para La Naturaleza welcome ceremony. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Meeting up with colleagues at the Opening Reception on the Terrace – Maya Wilson, Junel Blaise, Dodly Prosper, Howard Nelson (photo by Tahira Carter)
Lisa is suited up and ready for her first-ever zipline experience! (Photo by Justin Proctor)
Dr Howard Nelson delivers Keynote Address. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
All eyes on that vintage Society of Caribbean Ornithology T-shirt. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Group photo with the AOS-BC Photo Frame. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Lisa and Justin spot a Puerto Rican Parrot on the way up. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
JC and Joshel help Chris select an endemic birds of Puerto Rico hat. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Branded BirdsCaribbean shirts on sale. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Ingrid, Ivelisse and JC pose for the camera in our fun AOS-BC photo frame. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Puerto Rican Woodpecker. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Delores, Josh, Justin, Adrianne and Lisa pause for a photo during conference prep. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Silent Auction offer to zipline with Lisa Sorenson. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Dr Herbert Raffaele delivers Keynote Address. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Justin and Giselle show off the Puerto Rican Tody Buff. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Dr Herbert Raffaele delivers Keynote Address. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Lisa takes a photo with students after the closing ceremony. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Lisa Sorenson, Mike Webster, Bruce Lyon, and Andre Dondt.
Jordan, Tyrone, Zoya, and Lisa. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Lisa Ziplining across the Convention Center courtyard. (Photo by Edward Hernández-Lara)
Lisa and Justin are ready to zip! (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Field Guides on display at the BirdsCaribbean merchandise table. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
The Silent Auction jewelry table is busy with bidders! (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Participant gets ready to head into the field, with a new friend. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
JC manages sales at the BirdsCaribbean Merchandise Table. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Dr Howard Nelson delivers Keynote Address. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Carlos, Luis and JC take a selfie. (Photo by Juan Carlos Fernandez)
Participants in the Landbird Monitoring Workshop, Puerto Rico, look for birds in the forest. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Ajhermae White poses for a photo in the conference photo frame. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Keynote Speaker Dr Howard P. Nelson addresses a packed ballroom at the AOS-BC Conference opening ceremony. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Group photo of Caribbean delegates at AOS-BC Conference 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Dr Herbert Raffaele delivers Keynote Address. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Lisa and Jennifer send love to our Cuban colleagues (note the bracelet!). (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Caribbean colleagues from our Endemic and Threatened Species Working Group discussion at AOS-BC 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Browsing books at the Silent Auction. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Puerto Rican Emerald sits on a branch. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Jose Colon stands next to his Silent Auction donation – a vintage Society of Caribbean Ornithology T-shirt. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Justin zooms by on the zipline. (Photo by Edward Hernández-Lara)
Group Photo of the Caribbean and US Delegation.
Safety first! Justin gets suited up for the zipline experience. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Caribbean men group photo.
Laura Baboolal participates in the Tody Trot.
Adrianne and colleagues take a group photo. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Zoya Buckmire at her poster. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Participants in the Landbird Monitoring Workshop pause to discuss what they’ve observed. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Photo frame fun: Adrianne, Ingrid, and Lisa.
Bird-friendly Coffee and a Puerto Rican Tody Mug – the perfect gift package! (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Lisa Sorenson, Maya Wilson, Lisa Kiziuk, and Holly Garrod.
Dr Howard P. Nelson delivers Keynote Address. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Tyrone, Ellie, Howie, Jordan, Lisa and Zoya. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson(
Caribbean group jumping for joy! (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Environment of the Americas table. (Photo by Christine Schmidt)
Lisa, Ivelisse, Farah, Shanna, and Ingrid at the Closing ceremony after party. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Tahira and Jennifer manage sales at the merchandise table. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Lisa Sorenson and team present their Ridgeway’s Hawk, “Enriquillo”. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Handmade wooden and crochet birds, from Cuba and Venezuela respectively, are displayed at the merch table. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Lisa and Justin smile for a photo after their zipline experience. (Photo by Daniel Serva)
Various items for sale at the BirdsCaribbean merchandise table. (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Participants in the Landbird Monitoring Workshop engage in classroom sessions before going out into the field. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Participants in the Raptors of the Caribbean Workshop show off their bird of prey, a Secretary Bird, made from recycled materials. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Adrianne and Lisa take a group photo with students.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2022 is “Loving Birds is Human Nature”. 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: Blue-headed Hummingbird
Arguably the most beautiful hummer in the Lesser Antilles region, the Blue-headed Hummingbird is not to be missed! If you find yourself in high elevations of rainforest to elfin woodlands on Dominica and Martinique, be sure to look out for this naturally bold bird. During the breeding season, you may be treated to a special sight as females will sit on their nests just inches away from people! This medium-sized hummer is ~9-11cm. Males are deep blue all over with some metallic green on their back and underparts, and a sparkling “gem blue” color on the head. Females are slightly shorter in length and resemble a bigger version of the Antillean Crested Hummingbird, with pale underparts, green head, more green on the back, and longer beak. She carries a white tip on her tail, which looks like a little lady wearing a skirt.
Polygynous in nature, the male will mate with several females but guards specific small groups of flowers for different females. He keeps busy trying to prevent other birds from coming to these flowers, though he is often unsuccessful. The male prefers a variety of flowers, which include Palicourea crocea, Psychotria urbaniana, and Rudgea citrifolia—all belonging to the coffee family (Rubiaceae). Males and females feed on the same flowers, but females are often seen at the fringe edges of forests, adjacent to citrus and coffee plantations, feeding.
From February to June, the female engages in nesting with no assistance from the male. On her own, she constructs an intricate cup nest with very fine plant fibers, which include fluff from silk cotton trees and the furry part of tree ferns. Spider webs are used on the inner part of the cup, which becomes elastic as the chicks grow. The outer part of the nest is walled with lichens, which creates a camouflage effect. This is useful given that she nests in very small trees that are at eye-level for most humans. Clutch size is two small off-white eggs.
The voice of the male Blue-headed Hummingbird is a strong click-click-click which sounds like snapping of the fingers. The female is somewhat softer and often drags the syllables especially when nesting.
The Blue-Headed Hummingbird is high on the list of birders who visit Dominica for birding. They are not globally threatened but are a restricted-range species occurring on just two islands. Their populations should be monitored carefully as they are highly vulnerable to and recover slowly from severe hurricanes which are increasing in the Caribbean with climate change.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Blue-headed Hummingbird
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos 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 calls of the Blue-headed Hummingbird
The calls of the Blue-headed Hummingbird include a metallic-sounding trill.
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!
A Blue-headed Hummingbird on Dominica. (Photo by Gabriel Kornbluh -Macaulay Library- ML393651351)A female Blue-headed Hummingbird on her nest. (Photo by Paul Reillo)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: How much can you remember about the birds we have featured during the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival 2022? Test your memory of your newly gained knowledge of these wonderful birds with our 2022 Caribbean Endemic Bird Quiz! Today we have Part One of a two-part bird trivia quiz. Try to answer all the questions without checking back to our posts or looking up the answers online or in your bird guides! But just in case you do get stuck you or if you want to do some studying before you try the quiz you can read about all our featured endemic birds here or take a browse on ebird. Once you’ve finished the quiz you can click on the “View Score” link to see how many you got right and find out the correct answers! Note: the page might look blank when you finish, but if you scroll back up you should be able to find the link to “View Score”.
Now that you’ve completed our quiz – enjoy this short video of a Blue-headed Hummingbird in the wild!
If you’re thinking the Narrow-billed Tody must be the counterpart of the Broad-billed Tody – you’d be right. Hispaniola (shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic) is the only island with TWO todies and the only island where the todies are not named after their locale. These two todies indeed differ in bill width. They also separate altitudinally. The Broad-billed Tody is found in the lowland broadleaf forests while the Narrow-billed Tody (Todus angustirostris) inhabits the high-elevation cloud and pine forests. 
FOR KIDS: Can you find the words in our Narrow-billed Tody word search? Remind yourself of some of the interesting facts about this endemic bird as you look for all 15 hidden words!
