Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Screech-Owl
The Puerto Rican Screech-Owl (Megascops nudipes) is a small owl endemic to Puerto Rico. It is dark brown above and white below with brown streaks on the breast, and prominent white eyebrows. It is about 23- 25cm in length and weighs only 140g, as much as a cup of flour or an adult hamster. There are two color morphs (forms): brown and rufous (reddish-brown). There is also a rare grey morph that can only be found in dry forested areas. It’s scientific name nudipes refers to this owl’s unfeathered legs and feet, which is rare for most owls. Males and females look alike, but females are a bit heavier than males.
The Puerto Rican Screech Owl can be hard to see because it is completely nocturnal and spends the day resting—camouflaged in thick vegetation. Listen out for its call—low-pitched, tremulous trills and a descending whinny. It also gives jumbled hoots and cackles that sound monkey-like. Locally it is known as the “Cuckoo Bird” because of the loud coo-coo sounds it makes. When alarmed, it will elongate its body and raise feathers to form small “ear” tufts.
This owl is common in forests and thickets in montane and coastal zones throughout the whole island of Puerto Rico. It nests inside natural tree cavities from April to June, usually laying one or two eggs. It hunts rodents and small prey, like lizards, coqui frogs, and insects; cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, mantis, beetles, weevils, moths and caterpillars, and scorpions. Like other owls, the Puerto Rican Screech-Owl uses its acute hearing and sharp night vision to locate and catch its food. The Spanish name of the species “Múcaro” is also the Taíno word for owl.
The Puerto Rican Screech-Owl previously inhabited the nearby islands of Vieques and Culebra, as well as the US Virgin Islands, but searches for a number of years have failed to find it. It probably went extinct on these islands due to extensive destruction of native forest habitats for agriculture in the early 20th century. Egg predation by the Pearly-eyed Thrasher may have also played a role.
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 Screech-Owl
The calls of the Puerto Rican Screech-Owl are variable- including a tremulous, low-pitched trill, chatters, and whoops.
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 Screech-Owls’ legs are completely bare, which is not common among most owls. They also have small “ear” tufts (not seen here), which they raise when alarmed. (Photo by Andre Nunez)Puerto Rican Screech-Owl . This small owl has two common morphs (colourations); brown and rufous (pictured here) and a rare grey morph. The grey morph can only be found in dry forested areas. (Photo by Alfredo Irizarry)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Can you find the words in our Puerto Rican Screech Owl word search? Remind yourself of some of the interesting facts about this endemic bird as you look for all 15 hidden words! Need some help? Or want to check your answers? You can see where all the words were here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Puerto Rican Screech-owls are nocturnal, so they might not always be that easy to spot. Don’t worry you can enjoy these videos of Puerto Rican Screech-owls in the wild! In the first video you will see and hear this small owl calling at night. You’ll notice that this individual is the brown, rusty coloured morph of the species. The second video shows two fluffy owl chicks in the nest!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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: Arrowhead Warbler
The endemic Arrowhead Warbler is locally known as Ants Picker. This bird has never been in doubt of its identity even though scientists recently changed the species name from Arrow-headed Warbler (Dendroica pharetra) to Arrowhead Warbler (Setophaga pharetra). The Arrowhead Warbler is Jamaica’s only endemic warbler. It is a small active bird with heavy black-and-white streaking and two white wing bars. It might be confused with the migrant Black-and-White Warbler, however, the blackish arrowhead shapes from throat to abdomen, pointing towards the bill, make it readily distinguishable from this winter visitor. In addition, the Arrowhead Warbler does not forage on tree trunks like the Black-and-White Warbler. Female Arrowhead Warblers are similar to males but with dark gray streaking. First year birds have a dull olive-green head, brownish-olive upperparts, yellowish-buff underparts, with no arrowhead streaking and indistinct wing bars. They can sometimes be confused with immature Jamaican Vireos. To tell them apart, look very carefully at the beak—it’s small, fine, and dark grey on the Arrowhead Warbler; chunky and pinkish on the Jamaican Vireo.Arrowhead Warblers are locally common. They occur in a variety of woodland and forest habitats from near sea level into the more humid forests and elevations of Cockpit Country and the Blue Mountains. They are usually seen as an individual or in a small family group, within 3 meters or so of the ground, among thick leaves or tangled undergrowth cover. On many occasions, it is the high-pitched, almost metallic, squeaky sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, swee, swee that first draws your attention. Look carefully and you will spot this special warbler, flicking its tail as it moves around, probing for insects on branches, leaves, and vines.The nest is well concealed in a bush, vine, bromeliad, or tree. It is a compact cup of densely woven, fine roots, lined with moss or lichen. Clutch size is 2-4 eggs. The nesting season is mainly from March to June, but nesting can also occur in November following heavy rains in October. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Arrowhead 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 Arrowhead Warbler
The song of the Arrowhead Warbler is a high-pitched, squeaky sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, swee, swee.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!
Endemic to Jamaica, the Arrowhead Warbler is locally known as Ants Picker. You might hear its squeaky sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, song as it forages for insects in dense vegetation. (Photo by Wendy Lee)The Arrowhead Warbler is a small bird with heavy black-and-white streaking, getting its name from the blackish arrowhead shapes from throat to abdomen, pointing towards the bill. (Photo by Eric Hynes).
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Can you remember the difference between the Arrowhead Warbler and the other similar small birds you might meet on Jamaica? Make sure to read our fascinating facts in this post and then test your memory skills in our Arrowhead Warbler matching game ! FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: There are many different warblers you might encounter in the Caribbean! Some of them are endemics, like the Arrowhead Warbler and live in the Caribbean all year round, others are migratory and only visit during fall or over the winter. Some of these birds can look similar to each other and it can be confusing trying to identify them. Take a look at this helpful guide, from wildlife artist Christine Elder, for identifying warblers. Add colors of the bird you see, look at its behavior and add some notes to help you identify and remember it. You can also take a look at this article all about Identifying Warblers in the Caribbean with detailed tips and tricks to help you. Enjoy this video of an Arrowhead Warbler in the wild! This little bird was filmed in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. You can see it hopping around amongst the vegetation, searching for insects to glean from the leaves. https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2016/06/identifying-warblers-in-the-caribbean/
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: St. Lucia Parrot
The St. Lucia Parrot is the national bird of St. Lucia. Affectionately known locally as “Jacquot,” it is the best known St. Lucian endemic bird species. At 18 inches, it is also one of the largest birds in St. Lucia. Its plumage is mostly iridescent green, with patches of bright red, black, white, yellow, and blue. The vivid cobalt blue to purple on the head and scarlet breast are striking characteristics of the Jacquot. The St Lucia Parrot is one of the most colourful of the entire genus of Amazona parrots, hence the species name versicolor.
Many years ago the St. Lucia Parrot was in grave danger of becoming extinct. Its population was estimated at only ~150 birds in 1976 due to years of hunting, habitat destruction, and the illegal bird trade. Now, there are about 2,000 parrots flying, feeding, roosting, and nesting in various forested areas in St. Lucia.
There are several reasons why the parrot population rebounded so successfully. In 1978, in partnership with Paul Butler of Rare, the Forestry Dept launched a campaign to save the species from extinction. In 1979, the parrot was made the National Bird of St. Lucia. In 1980, wildlife legislation was revised, making the parrot and other forms of wildlife absolutely protected year-round. Anyone found hunting, keeping, or trying to trade in these birds is liable to a fine of $5,000 or one year in jail. In addition, Forestry laws were also revised to protect watersheds as well as wildlife habitats. Illegal clearing of forest is punishable by fines of $2,000.
Finally a Pride Campaign—an island-wide education program about the unique value and beauty of the bird— was carried out. Schoolchildren and the public learned about the parrot through a parrot mascot “Jacquot,” songs on the radio, billboards, bumper stickers, stamps, hats, t-shirts, posters, and more. Gradually, St. Lucians embraced the parrot as a national treasure. This landmark campaign and other actions reduced the incidence of deforestation, hunting, and other illicit activities in the forest reserves to near zero, thus helping to ensure the long-term survival of this amazing endemic bird.
The parrot’s habitat is primarily moist forest in the interior mountain range; it can also occur in secondary forest and cultivated areas. Despite their large size and bright plumage they can be difficult to see in the dense forest canopy as they clamber about in search of fruits, nuts, seeds, and berries from a wide variety of trees including Gommier, Chatagnier, Bois Pain Maron and Aralie. They may travel considerable distances to feed on their favorite fruit trees, which includes awali, mangoes, and wild passion fruits.
St. Lucia Parrots nest in cavities in tall Gommiere, Chataniere, and other trees, where they lay two and occasionally three white eggs. Breeding occurs mainly from February to May, sometimes in June and July.
Did you know that parrots usually mate for life? If one of the pair dies or is killed it may be years before the survivor finds another mate. Parrots do not sing. They fly to their feeding grounds early in the morning and return home late in the afternoon. As they fly, their loud screeching calls echo through the forest, making them easy to identify. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the St. Lucia 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 St. Lucia Parrot
The calls of the St. Lucia Parrot are a loud, squawking “ka-chuck and plaintive “ay-uh.”
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!
St Lucia Parrot (Photo by Horst Vogel)St Lucia Parrot (Photo by Kip Loades)St Lucia Parrot (Photo by Horst Vogel)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: St. Lucia 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 St. Lucia – 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 out, 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 St. Lucia Parrots in the wild! The video shows a pair or parrots feeding on some palm fruits.
Find out more about the St. Lucia Parrot in this fun and creative St. Lucia Parrot zine! If you enjoy reading this zine and feel inspired, why not enter our Caribbean endemic bird zine competition? Just like the example here, a zine is a self-published booklet. Zines tend to be a collage of different images, text, and messages put together by writing, drawing, and/or cutting and gluing content into a booklet. You will find detailed guidelines and judging criteria in these docs: Bird Zine Contest Guidelines and What is a Zine and Bird Zine Contest Instructions. Be sure to read both documents carefully. There are prizes for each age category and two awesome GRAND PRIZES of a pair of waterproof Vortex Optics Binoculars! The new deadline for entries is Sunday May 30th!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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: Zapata Wren
The spectacularly beautiful song of the Zapata Wren welcomes many visitors to the Zapata Swamp National Park. When you hear it, there is no doubt that you have reached the only place in the world where this melodious species lives. The Zapata Wren is one of three endemics named for this important Caribbean wetland in the late 1920s by Spanish soldier and naturalist, Fermín Cervera, who is commemorated in the scientific name of the species (Ferminia cerverai).
There are several distinctive features of these beautiful birds. Their upperparts are rich brown with heavy dark barring (stripes) on the back and tail. The underparts are whitish to light gray-brown with barring on the flanks and undertail feathers. The long tail is often held straight up when the bird is perched, however, the tail is down when the bird is singing. The bill is long and slightly down-curved, dark brown above and paler yellow-brown below. The sexes look alike. Juveniles are similar to adults, but with fine blackish speckles on the throat and less distinct barring on the flanks.
To see the Zapata Wren, you have to visit its characteristic habitat, very early in the morning, on non-windy days, and listen for its song. It is challenging to observe due to its cryptic coloration, highly secretive nature, and because it quickly disappears into the vegetation in the face of any alarm. Although their precise range is not known, they are restricted to savanna-type swamp in western Zapata Swamp where sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) and cattail (Typha domingensis), with scattered bushes, predominate.
The Zapata Wren forages in low vegetation and on the ground. It eats insects, caterpillars, spiders, mollusks, small fruits, and even lizards. Its typical song is high, strong and very musical, “Tseuu-we-we-we-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu,” usually repeated 3 times. Nesting takes place between January and July. Pairs build a ball-shaped nest of sawgrass leaves lined with feathers, with a side entrance. Nests are low to the ground, in sawgrass. They are similar to nests of other seed-eating birds, and almost impossible to find. They lay 2 eggs white, on alternate days. Only the female incubates; both parents feed the young. The first nest was discovered in 1986 and only 5 have been found so far!
The Zapata Wren is the only member of its family that lives in the Greater Antilles year-round (2 other species are considered accidental). It is Endangered, due to its small population (recent estimates suggest between 120 and 140 pairs) and very small range. The main threats to its survival are periodic fires and possible predation by introduced mongoose, rats, and catfish (Claria sp). Conservation of this species is a high priority in the National Park Management Plans. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Zapata Wren
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 Zapata Wren
The Zapata Wren is most often found by listening out for it’s “Tseuu-we-we-we-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu” song, usually repeated 3 times. It also has sharp, buzzy chips and harsh notes of various tones.
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!
The Zapata Wren is named after the important Cuban wetland where it lives. They get their food, in low vegetation and the soil, eating insects, caterpillars, spiders, mollusks, small fruits and even lizards (Photo by Christoph Moning).You might not manage to spot the Zapata Wren,due to their cryptic coloration and habit of hiding in the vegetation; but you can’t mistake their loud and beautiful song! (Photo by Alvaro Jaramillo)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Say hello to someone in your family or a special friend AND celebrate endemic birds with a fun Greeting Card for you to download and colour! With a cute bird-themed picture for you to customise, our card also features a beautiful drawing of today’s endemic bird – the Zapata Wren- along with some wren facts!
Please download and print our card template (letter size will work best but A4 will be ok too). It’s best to use card stock, but regular printer paper will do just fine. Once printed, fold in half horizontally (so the short sides touch) and write your own special message on the inside! Don’t forget to colour in the pictures on the front and on the back. Or if you are feeling really creative be inspired by one our featured birds and draw your own greeting card!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Did you know that the melodious song of the Zapata Wren has inspired musicians? Last year Shika Shika released their album “A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean”. The project was a unique fusion of music and birdsong , the ten-track electronic music album, incorporated the songs and calls of endangered birds. Amongst the calls and songs of endemic from the region, there was a track incorporating the sweet song the the Zapata Wren! You can still listen to the tracks on Shika-Shika’s Bandcamp website. Read all about how Shika Shika managed to raise an amazing $30, 000 USD for bird conservation in to our blog post:
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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: Whistling Warbler
A few soft, almost inaudible notes, followed several seconds later by a crescendo into a resounding whistle, are often the first (and sometimes only) sign that the elusive and rare Whistling Warbler is present. If you listen closely, you can also hear a much quieter single-noted call as the bird forages in the undergrowth. Though dark in appearance against the rainforest canopy, a closer look reveals a bird with a blackish hood and upperparts, with a broad black band on the upper breast, white throat and belly, and a striking white eye-ring. The immature Whistling Warbler appears brownish-grey and paler with the same white eye-ring. Its behavior – frequently cocking its tail and fluttering its wings – is another key to identification.
The Whistling Warbler lives in the thick undergrowth in St. Vincent’s rainforest, generally from 300-1,100m in elevation. They can also be found in palm brake forest (33-60% palm trees) and elfin forest (short, thick forest, no greater than 5m in height). The best locations to see them are in Colonarie, Perseverance Valley, Buccament Valley, and Richmond Peak.
Whistling Warblers are known to eat various types of insects and larvae, though they may occasionally take fruit as well. They actively forage in the understory canopy and dense undergrowth, working their way through vine tangles, sometimes pursuing flying insects.
The Whistling Warbler is endemic to the island of Saint Vincent in the Lesser Antilles and its status is Endangered. Its habitat is in decline due to deforestation (primarily for logging and agriculture) and volcanic eruptions of Soufrière. On April 9th, 2021 La Soufrière volcano began erupting – continued eruptions have caused extensive damage to its habitat. Although there is no targeted management in place, this species benefits from habitat protection within the 10,870 acre Saint Vincent Parrot Reserve. Research and education of the local population about threats to the Whistling Warbler would benefit this species, which is so often overshadowed by the country’s national bird and other endemic: the Saint Vincent Parrot. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Whistling 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 Whistling Warbler
The song of the Whistling Warbler consists of an ascending trill of loudly whistled 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!
Whistling Warblers are small, striking black and white birds, endemic to St. Vincent. They are locally known as “Whistling Bird.” (Photo by St. Vincent Ministry of Tourism)The elusive and rare Whistling Warbler is often heard before it is seen. It has a beautiful whistling song. (Photo by Frantz Delcroix)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Get creative and try singing (or playing a musical instrument) like a bird! Be inspired by the Whistling Warbler, or one of our other featured endemic birds or get outside and listen out for the sounds the birds are making and create your own birdsong! You can download our instructions here to help you make some melodious bird-inspired tunes.
Please note that by submitting your video you give BirdsCaribbean consent to use your photos and/or videos on our website and social media accounts.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Learn more about the birds of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including the Whistling Warbler, and get tips on some top birding hotspots in this Caribbean BirdWatch article in ZiNG magazine, LIAT Airlines in-flight magazine.
Birds on St. Vincent Need your help
The recent eruptions of the La Soufrière Volcano threaten the iconic St. Vincent Parrot and the other amazing birds on St. Vincent. The normally lush green landscape of this beautiful country is now blanketed in gray ash. It’s possible that the eruptions, ash fall and damaging pyroclastic flows could go on for weeks; devastating an island already suffering from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic. Humanitarian efforts are well underway, but the wildlife also needs our help!
We are very concerned about the impacts to many regional and endemic birds on St. Vincent, particularly the threatened St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingii), listed as Vulnerable, and the Whistling Warbler, listed as Endangered.
Other restricted-range endemic species (12) include the Grenada Flycatcher, Rufous-throated Solitaire, Purple-throated Carib, Brown Trembler, Lesser Antillean Tanager, Antillean Euphonia, and others.
Help is already on it’s way, with the first shipment of equipment having been sent! This includes a range of field equipment, including binoculars, respirators, backpacks, machetes, GPS units, walkie-talkies, cameras, and head-lamp flashlights as well as nectar feeders for hummingbirds (many flowering plants have been badly damaged), seed feeders for other birds, and camping supplies to allow Forestry to spend the night in the field during parrot survey watches.
In these uncertain times, our caring local partners will continue to need our support. They are working hard in very challenging, often dangerous conditions to ensure that some of our most vulnerable Caribbean birds are assured of a safe and secure future. Later on, there will be a great deal of restoration work to do. At the moment, the volcano remains “in a state of unrest,” according to the UWI.
Thank you to all of the incredibly generous donors to our fundraising campaign for your support. This has been critical to allow us to purchase and ship relief supplies as well as send funds to our local partners in St. Vincent. A huge thank you also to our international partners who are supporting this relief effort, including Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, Caribaea Initiative, Fauna & Flora International, and the Farallon Islands Foundation. We thank our amazing local partners SCIENCE Initiative, the St. Vincent & the Grenadines Environment Fund, and the Forestry Dept for your support and hard work.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Lizard-Cuckoo
With its long, lanky tail and slightly decurved bill, the Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo is unique among Puerto Rican birds. It can be distinguished from other cuckoos found on the island by its gray throat and breast, chestnut underbelly and scarlet eye-rings. It has a very long and broad dark tail with prominent white spots underneath. This tail, 38 to 40.5 cm long, makes up more than half of this bird’s total body length! Males and females are similar in appearance. Juvenile lizard-cuckoos are similar to the adult but with a cinnamon coloured breast, shorter brown bill, and less extensive orange-red eye-ring.
Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoos are solitary birds and are more often seen than heard. They have a loud distinctive call consisting of a series of crescendoing “ka-ka-ka-ka” notes. This has earned it the local name of pájaro bobo mayor (“big ape bird”) since it resembles the calls of a monkey. Another local name is pájaro de lluvia or pájaro de agua (“rain bird”), because its call is believed to forecast the rain.
Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoos are found across the island, inhabiting woodlands, coffee plantations; thick, brush-covered limestone hills; and montane, dry coastal, and swampy forests. In the understory and canopy it climbs up trees and branches looking for its prey. True to its name, it feeds mostly on tree lizards (Anolis spp), but it also eats lizard eggs, large spiders, stick insects, caterpillars, centipedes, beetles, and small frogs. It moves slowly and quietly while feeding, using stealth to hunt. Once its next meal is spotted it keeps its body still while it twists its neck at an angle to strike.
Nests are a loose construction of plants and leaves in trees or thick vegetation. Clutch size is usually two to three white eggs. Both male and female incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
The population of the Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo appears to be stable and the species is listed as Least Concern. However, we know very little about its breeding behaviour and nesting success. Research on this species is needed. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo
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 Lizard-Cuckoo
The call of the Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo is rapid “Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka. . .” that speeds up and gets louder.
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!
An adult Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo. Males and females look similar and juvenile lizard-cuckoos are similar to the adults, but with a cinnamon coloured breast, shorter brown bill and less extensive orange-red eye-ring (Photo by Alcides Morales)Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo, with its lizard prey. These birds also eat large spiders, stick insects, caterpillars, centipedes, beetles, and small frogs (Photo by Roger Wasley)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Get active with your family and friends with our fun chick feeding game! We want you to imagine you are a busy Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo with a hungry brood of chicks to feed! It will take some speed and dexterity to help provide food for your baby birds. Download the instructions here.
We would love to see photos and/or videos of you and your family playing the game. You may email them to Aliya.Hosein@birdscaribbean.org
Please note that by submitting your photos and/or video you give BirdsCaribbean consent to use your photos and/or videos on our website and social media accounts.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these amazing videos of Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoos with food! In the first you can see a Lizard-Cuckoo living up to its name, holding a lizard it has caught- you can also hear this bird calling. Watch the second and maybe get some tips for playing our game! It shows an adult Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo feeding a hungry chick at the nest.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Euphonia
The Jamaica Euphonia (Euphonia Jamaica), locally known as Short-mouth Bluequit, Blue Quit, and Cho-Cho Quit, is endemic to Jamaica. A common resident throughout the island, it is a small, stocky bird about the size (11.5 cm) of a finch, with a short, stubby, gray bill. The male is a lovely bluish-grey all over with some bright yellow on the mid-belly. Females and juveniles have an olive-green upper body, with a paler gray head and underparts than the male.
The Jamaican Euphonia has the most amazing song—a melodious, rapid-fire jumble of whistles, trills, squeaks, and buzzes. They also have a distinct “chur-chur-chur-chur-chur” call that sounds like a car that has run out of gas trying to start.
The Jamaican Euphonia’s habitats include forest, woodlands, fields with large trees, and gardens, from sea level to the mountains. It is a frugivorous bird, feeding on berries, fruits, buds, and flowers. Favorite fruits in the forest or garden include figs (Ficus), Jamaican mistletoe berries, Cecropia, soursop, Otaheite apple, papaya, guava, and fruit of cho-cho vines (Sechium). They are important dispersers of mistletoe seeds.
Jamaican Euphonias nest from March to May. They use plant materials such as bromeliads and mosses to construct a spherical nest with a side entrance, often concealed in Spanish moss. They are not globally threatened and their population is regarded as stable. However, at the micro-level, habitat loss due to large clearings will impact the species. It is important to monitor this species to ensure that the status of this island endemic does not change under climate change, habitat loss, and other threats. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Jamaican Euphonia
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 Euphonia
The song of the Jamaican Euphonia is a melodious, rapid-fire jumble of whistles, trills, squeaks, and buzzes. They also have a distinct “chur-chur-chur-chur-chur” call that sounds like a car that has run out of gas trying to start.
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!
Female Jamaican Euphonia. Both females and immature birds are blueish-grey, head and chest with the underparts, wings and back being yellowish-green. (Photo by Sadik Kassam)A Male Jamaican Euphonia, also known as ‘ Blue Quit’ from the plumage colour or ‘Cho-Cho Quit’ from it’s distinctive “chu chu chu chu” call. (Photo by Eladio Fernandez)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Use the information above and the clues on the sheet to untangle our our word scramble – all about the Jamaican Euphonia, what is looks like, what it likes to eat, how it behaves and where is lives. When you’ve finished you can check all the answers to the clues here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of Jamaican Vireos in the wild! This video was recorded in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains; it show two male Jamaican Vireos (all blue-grey with yellowish lower belly) on a branch. One male seems to be calling at the other with the chu-chu-chu-chu-chu call – perhaps he is a rival and the calling bird is telling him to go away?
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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: Hispaniolan Crossbill
The high-elevation pine forests on the island of Hispaniola are peaceful, unhurried, and tranquil, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the cities and towns. The air is cool and pure there, and although it is mostly undisturbed by human activity, that doesn’t mean that it’s quiet: when the wind blows briskly, as it often does, the whooshing sound can be as loud as a train going by. And if you listen carefully, you just might hear another sound up in the pines, a staccato, metallic sound, reminiscent of those old electric typewriters: tink-tink-tink-tink. That would be the Hispaniolan Crossbill.
The crossbill is a specialized finch, about 15 cm in length, the males sporting a mottled rich red body and black wings with two strong white wingbars. The females have yellowish and streaky bodies. But the crossbill’s most distinctive feature is reflected in its name: it has an obviously crossed bill. It is very surprising when you first see it: the top mandible curves to the right at the tip and crosses over the lower mandible, which curves to the left. What? Why does it do that? Is it deformed?
It is not a deformation, it is an adaptation for the crossbill’s main food: pine seeds, that it extracts from the pine cones by positioning the tips of its open bill on opposing pine scales and then opening its bill, forcing the scales apart. It then extracts the seed with its tongue. Pretty clever, right?
Crossbills flock together, and you rarely see (or hear) just one. In fact, this bird is often heard before it is seen. It is often quite vocal. And they are nomadic, traveling throughout the pine forests in search of mature cones. It is considered Endangered due to reduced habitat and forest fires. Thankfully, the pine forests in the Dominican Republic are legally protected, but in Haiti, they are very much at risk.
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 Hispaniolan Crossbill
The calls of the Hispaniolan Crossbill are a high-pitchet repeated “chu-chu-chu-chu”
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 Hispaniolan Crossbill – They have a mottled rich red body and black wings with two strong white wingbars.(Photo by Dax Roman)Female Hispaniolan Crossbills have a yellowish wash and streaky breast. (Photo by Alberto Rojas)Juvenile Hispaniolan Crossbill (Photo by Carlos Objio Sarraff)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: How much do you know now about the Hispaniolan Crossbill? Test your knowledge with our crossbill crossword puzzle! All about this bird, where is lives, what it eats, and its behaviour. Try to remember as much as you can, but if you are not sure of an answer you can check back to the text above or take a look at the Hispaniolan Crossbill page on ebird! And you can find the answers here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of Hispaniolan Crossbills- keep an eye out for their amazing crossed-over beaks! In the first you can see the colourful red male taking a bath in a puddle. The second shows some yellowish and streaky females and juvenile birds having a drink.
St. Vincent’s iconic Parrot still faces challenges from the La Soufrière eruption, but work is being done to help the parrot and relief supplies are on the way (thanks to many generous donors who responded to our emergency appeal)! As the dramatic month of April draws to a close, it is still a mixed picture for the island of St. Vincent, its wonderful parrots and other wildlife, and its people. This level of uncertainty is likely to persist for the foreseeable future, according to scientists, who are monitoring La Soufrière on a daily basis. Their message is that the smoldering, steaming volcano, which is fairly quiet for now, is “still dangerous.” As we have learned, the situation can change rapidly.
Remobilization of ash at surrounding areas of La Soufriere, St. Vincent (Photo by Ilias Papadopoulos, UWI-SRC)
La Soufrière’s destructive path
Since we wrote about the volcano’s first eruption on April 9th, the volcano erupted again on the morning of Earth Day (April 22), with the plume of ash reaching as high as eight kilometers. This created some pyroclastic flows – a mixture of extremely hot volcanic ash and rocks that burns everything in its path. Since then, there have been flows of lahars (these are very fast-moving, dense mudflows or debris flows consisting of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, ash and water) along river valleys and gullies. To make matters worse, torrential rains on April 28 and 29 have created floods and landslides in several parts of the island (including the capital, Kingstown) exacerbating the flow of lahars through valleys. Residents are being advised not to go near rivers or streams, especially in the dangerous Red Zone in the north.
Lahars observed in the Wallibou River (Red Zone, Leeward side of the island) on the morning of 29 April, 2021. The rainfall overnight generated lahars (mudflows) in the red and orange zones. (photo by Richard Robertson, UWI Seismic Research Centre)
Lahars are fast moving, dense mixture of rocks, ash and vegetation and water originating from a volcano. It has the consistency of wet concrete and can cause severe damage to rivers and valleys around the volcano. (photo by Richard Robertson, UWI Seismic Research Centre)
As of the evening of Thursday, April 29, the University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Centre reported that the volcano’s activity remained low. However, the lahars (some extremely hot) have caused considerable erosion and damage in all valleys that drain the volcano, bringing down many trees that have been carried into the ocean and are creating a hazard for shipping. In several parts of the island, damage to the forest has been quite extensive and rivers are filled with sediment. Earth tremors have been frequent. A recent survey noted many broken trees, weighed down by the heavy ash falls – even in the southern Green Zone where the danger is less. In some areas (for example, Jennings, Tiberoux, and Perseverance) trees have lost their tops and there was little sign of life in the forest. This is not good news for birds, including not only the St. Vincent Parrot but species such as the endangered Whistling Warbler and twelve other restricted-range endemic species, including the Grenada Flycatcher, Rufous-throated Solitaire, Purple-throated Carib, Brown Trembler, Lesser Antillean Tanager, Antillean Euphonia, and others.
Valley on the Leeward side of St. Vincent showing severe damage to trees and vegetation. (photo by Richard Robertson, UWI Seismic Research Centre)
Vincentians working hard for the birds
However, there is good news! Our partners on the ground at the Forestry Department of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are still seeing and hearing parrots. Local foresters are working hard for the birds; take a look at the photos and great videos below and on their Facebook page, where you will see them preparing and resupplying fresh fruit to the tall, spindly, but sturdy feeding platform stations that they constructed in the island’s Orange Zone (the central area where many of the parrots are located). Forestry staff have been clearing paths through the damaged forest, looking for stressed parrots and where they are concentrating, clearing waterways of fallen trees and branches in order to restore water supply in several areas, and at the same time doing humanitarian work – helping out their fellow Vincentians with supplies for shelters. Kudos to these brave and hard-working foresters!!! Forestry reports that they have a number of farmers that work with them and they are sympathetic to the plight of the parrots and putting our fresh fruit for them. Forestry is helping to supply this fruit. Members of the public are also calling in to Forestry to report that parrots, hummingbirds and other birds are showing up in areas where they do not normally occur. This shows that parrots are moving around searching for food – thank goodness they have wings! Hopefully, much of the population has been able to escape the eruptions and most damaged areas – time will tell as surveys continue in the coming weeks and months.
Help is on the way!
Thanks to the generous donations from friends and donors to the BirdsCaribbean fundraising effort, and the great support of international partners, we have shipped off supplies for the Forestry Department: a range of field equipment, including binoculars, respirators, backpacks, machetes, GPS units, walkie-talkies, cameras, and head-lamp flashlights; also tools and supplies such as hand drills, aviary wire, tarps, and hardware to repair and enhance the Forestry Department’s facilities for breeding captive parrots at the Botanical Gardens. The shipment also includes supplies to treat and care for rescued parrots—two veterinary “go-bags” (field kits containing all the critical care supplies needed to treat parrots in the field), Vita Seed Top Parrot Mix (300 pounds), hand-feeding formula and medicines to treat rescued parrots, and a portable oxygen generator and St Vincent Parrot-sized mask to help parrots in respiratory distress. The first shipment including all of the above items (1,625 pounds) is now en route to St. Vincent via Tropical Shipping sea freight – it will arrive on May 5th! Additional items still to be sent include nectar feeders for hummingbirds (many flowering plants have been badly damaged), seed feeders for other birds, and camping supplies to allow Forestry to spend the night in the field during parrot survey watches.
Recovery and relief supplies in the first shipment to St. Vincent include field equipment, supplies to care for rescued parrots, and hardware to repair and enhance the St. Vincent Parrot Aviary at the Botanical Gardens. (photos by Paul and Karen Reillo).
In these uncertain times, our caring local partners will continue to need our support. They are working hard in very challenging, often dangerous conditions to ensure that some of our most vulnerable Caribbean birds are assured of a safe and secure future. Later on, there will be a great deal of restoration work to do. At the moment, the volcano remains “in a state of unrest,” according to the UWI.
Jan 2022 Update
Our crowdfunding platform for this appeal, GoFundMe Charity, a separate arm of GoFundMe, unfortunately closed down this site, with a plan for all charities to operate fundraising pages on their main site, thus our crowdfunding page for this fundraiser is no longer available. However, you can donate here and designate your donation in the comments to help with the continued recovery of the St Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and other wildlife in St Vincent. We owe it to the gorgeous St. Vincent Parrots and their beautiful island home!
Thank you to all of the incredibly generous donors to our fundraising campaign for your support. This has been critical to allow us to purchase and ship relief supplies as well as send funds to our local partners in St. Vincent. A huge thank you also to our international partners who are supporting this relief effort, including Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, Caribaea Initiative, Fauna & Flora International, Vortex Optics, and the Farallon Islands Foundation. We thank our amazing local partners SCIENCE Initiative, the St. Vincent & the Grenadines Environment Fund, and the Forestry Dept for your support and hard work.
Some of the recovery and relief supplies sent to the St Vincent Forestry Dept in the first shipment (April 2021). (photo by Paul and Karen Reillo)
Portable oxygen generator with a mask adjusted to fit the St Vincent Parrot. (photo by Paul and Karen Reillo)
Aviary wire and other relief supplies loaded up and ready to take to the port in West Palm Beach. (photo by Karen Reillo)
Relief supplies (1,200 pounds) ready to go the port to get on Tropical Shipping’s next boat to St Vincent on 28 April. Huge thanks to Paul and Karen Reillo for assembling and repacking all of the supplies for shipping! (photo by Karen Reillo)
Scientists studying the impacts of the volcano in the Wallibou River area on 26 April before lahars hit the area on 29 April. (photo by Prof. Jenni Barclay)
The Wallibou River area on 29 April AFTER a lahars hit the area on 29 April. Never underestimate the power of a lahar! (photo by Prof. Jenni Barclay)
St Vincent Parrot in better times, eating monkey goblet fruit (Clusia major), May 2018. (photo by Glenroy Gaymes)
Map of La Soufrière danger zones in St. Vincent. The St Vincent Parrot’s main habitats are in the forests in the orange and yellow zones.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Crow
The Cuban Crow is a large stocky bird with jet-black lustrous plumage. It belongs to the corvid family that includes familiar birds all over the world like ravens, jays, and magpies. It is a noisy bird often located by its incredible call— strange liquid bubbling notes and guttural phrases, similar to parrots or a turkey gobbling.
The Cuban Crow is endemic to Cuba and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It inhabits forests and woodlands with wide, open areas, edges of swamps, farms, villages, pine groves, and especially royal palm (Roystonea regia) groves. The nesting season is from March to July. It builds a well-hidden, large, rustic nest, made of twigs, dry grass, and even feathers. There, it lays from three to four brown-spotted greenish eggs.
Crows are very social birds and, although they can be seen in large flocks often composed of related individuals, they are monogamous, which means they mate for life. Both parents feed their hatchlings, and fathers assure that other relatives also contribute in the defence and raising of the hatchlings.
Cuban Crows are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders – they eat almost any edible thing they find. Their usual diet includes fruits, seeds, insects, frogs, lizards, snakes, small birds, and even some unfortunate baby birds. Due to their intelligence and adaptability, they are successful birds and have adapted to human activities. They will scavenge on small animals killed by vehicles on the road, and will also feed on grain or other seeds that have been left unprotected.
Crows are amazing, inquisitive, smart, crafty, and emotional animals, able to form complex social relationships with other crows and a wide variety of other animals, including humans. They are considered to be one of the smartest bird families, able to use fashion tools and complete a series of steps to solve a problem, equivalent to the abilities of a 7-year old child! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Cuban Crow
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 Cuban Crow
Listen to the amazing calls of the Cuban Crow. They include turkey-like gobbling and guttural phrases similar to parrots. They also have a harsh high-pitched “craaao.”
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!
Cuban Crows are large and very noisy birds, with jet-black lustrous plumage. As with other crows they are inquisitive, smart and very social. (Photo by Neil Hilton)Cuban Crows are omnivorous, and will feed on almost anything edible! They usually eat fruits, seeds, insects, frogs, lizards, snakes and small birds (Photo by Roberto Jovel)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Can you work out what the Cuban Crow saying? Test your skills to decode our Cuban Crow cryptograms! Younger children can try our cryptogram for ‘beginners’ and older children can take on our more challenging puzzle! You can find the solutions to the beginners puzzle here and the challenging puzzle here. Once you have completed the cryptograms why not use the key to make your own cryptic crow messages and challenge your friends and family to decode them!
Go on a virtual birding trip to Cuba with BirdsCaribbean! Read all about the exciting places to visit and beautiful birds that can be seen in Cuba. Join us on one of our trips in October 2021 or Jan or March of 2022! (email Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org for more info).
Take a look at these videos of Cuban Crows in the wild! In the first you will hear the strange calls that Cuban Crows make. The second video shows a pair of Cuban Crows feasting on palm fruits, and the final video show Cuban Crows in an urban setting, with a mixture of behaviours including feeding and some more calling.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Oriole
The Bahama Oriole is an endemic species found only on the island of Andros. Historically, Bahamians called it the “Coconut bird” because of its fondness for coconut palms. This striking bird is mostly black with glowing yellow wing coverts, rump, lower breast, and belly. Both adult male and female orioles look similar. Juvenile birds are mostly duller yellow with grayish-brown upper-parts and black on the face and throat.
Bahama Orioles feed on insects and fruit and can be found in residential areas, the pine forest, and coppice forests of Andros. It breeds from March to August and nests in pine trees and various species of palm trees. It builds a basket-like nest out of plant fibers, and the nest is usually seen hanging under thatch palm and pine tree branches. Usually, three eggs are laid.
The Bahama Oriole was formerly listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as its population was believed to be less than 300 individuals. It was previously thought to be strongly dependent on coconut palms as a nesting site. New research has shown, however, that the pine forest is a critical habitat for them, and they frequent the pinelands more often than previously thought. In addition, recent surveys show the Bahama Orioles’ population size is much larger than previously thought—between 1,300 and 2,800 birds. With this exciting new knowledge, in 2021 scientists downgraded the oriole from Critically Endangered to Endangered and are also planning conservation strategies.
Threats to the Bahama Warbler include hurricanes, feral and invasive animals like cats and wild hogs, habitat loss, and nest parasitism by the Shiny cowbird in residential areas. The species is especially vulnerable to some threats because it is a single-island endemic and could potentially be wiped out due to natural disasters or disease. As a safeguard against extinction, conservationists are considering re-introducing the species to Abaco where it previously occurred but was extirpated in the 1990s. The new studies also highlight the importance of ensuring the long-term protection of this species’ pine forest habitat. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Bahama 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 Bahama Oriole
The song of the Bahama Oriole consists of repeated lilting 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!
Adult male and female Bahama Orioles look similar with a black head, throat, and tail and a yellow rump and belly. (Photo by Dan Stonko)The Bahama Oriole is currently listed as Critically Endangered, threats to the Bahama Oriole include hurricanes, feral and invasive animals like cats and wild hogs, habitat loss, and nest parasitism by the Shiny cowbird in residential areas (Photo by D. Belasco)Bahama Orioles feed on insects and fruit. They build their pouch-like nests in pine trees and various species of palm. (Photo by Rick Staney)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Test your knowledge of where Caribbean endemic birds live with our ‘Fly away home’ Map Matching Activity! Draw lines from the picture of each Caribbean endemic bird to match each one with its home. And here is the Answer Key – don’t look until you have completed the activity!!! You can find out more about Caribbean endemic birds by reading our posts each day and in case you missed it last year find out all about our Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book with even more birds to colour in!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy the video below of Bahama Orioles in the wild! You can see an adult Bahama Oriole feeding on a caterpillar, notice its striking black and yellow plumage. This is in contrast to the young bird you can also in the video, calling from a branch, which has yellow-green plumage.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Bullfinch
The Lesser Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla noctis) is a resident and frequently spotted bird species of the Lesser Antilles (with the exception of the Grenadines). They are common in a wide variety of habitats at different elevations, however, they are no strangers to farm gardens, bird feeders, and populated towns. Bullfinches are omnivorous and eat a variety of foods, including fruits, seeds, nectar, flowers, and even arthropods. They generally forage high in the canopy, but occasionally come to the ground to feed. The species is also famous for stealing nuts and sugar from outdoor restaurants.
Bullfinches are sexually dimorphic, meaning that you can tell males and females apart. The adult male sports a sleek, all-black coat, red throat, and small red patch above the eyes, while the female is brownish-olive above and grey below with rust-tipped wings. There are 8 different subspecies among the Lesser Antilles Islands—some have red undertail coverts. When out of sight the birds can be identified by their distinct song which includes three to seven ‘wheet’ notes. Their characteristic call includes the thin, wiry ‘tseet’ and harsh ‘chuk.’
Lesser Antillean Bullfinches are known to breed throughout the year with a peak from February to August. During the breeding season, males perform courtship displays that highlight their red throat patches. Upon securing a mate, the male becomes territorial to guard the nest, a domed structure constructed with a side entrance. The female lay 2-4 bluish-white eggs with fine reddish spots at the wide end. The nesting period is relatively short, lasting for approximately two weeks.
Lesser Antillean Bullfinches seem to be thriving throughout the Lesser Antilles. Their populations are said to be stable and currently the birds are not faced with any particularly severe threats. However, because climate change is impacting our ecosystems (e.g., more severe droughts and storms) and loss of our natural habitats continues, this species should be continually monitored to ensure that its status remains as it is. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
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 Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
The song of the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch is a thin, high-pitched, repeated “wheet-wheet-wheet“.
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!
The adult male sports a sleek, all-black coat, red throat, and small red patch above the eyes. Plumage varies among the 8 different subspecies in the Lesser Antilles. (Photo by Warren Lynn)Female Lesser Antillean Bullfinch are brownish-olive above and grey below with rust-tipped wings. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Use your observation skills and go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt! Print the cards on sturdy paper and use a clipboard or piece of cardboard as a writing surface outside. Younger children can do our ‘beginner’ hunt and older children can take on our more challenging hunt!
Talk about this with your kids and then go outside to investigate your habitat using the Habitat Scavenger Hunt cards. Instead of collecting the items on the list, this is an observation scavenger hunt. You can check off the items (with a pencil or pen), as they are located. When everyone has had a chance to look for the items listed, come back together to chat about where they were located. Were any difficult or impossible to find? Why do you think that was? For example, it might be impossible to find animal tracks when it is very dry, or perhaps birds are not nesting just now.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Take a look at these videos of Lesser Antillean Bullfinches! The first shows a male bird singing. In the second you can see the brown female in feeding in the rain. The final video shows a young male Bullfinch perched in vegetation, before it flits away.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Vireo
As its Latin name Vireo modestus suggests, the Jamaican Vireo is indeed rather modest in appearance. It is a small, rather rounded, grey-green and olive bird, whose main distinguishing features are its white iris, two white wing bars, pale yellow underparts, and bluish-grey legs. It is one of the least colourful of Jamaican endemic species. Its behaviour is unexceptional too. It can be a little hard to see because it tends to be skittish and stays hidden in dense vegetation, where it feeds on insects and small fruits. Its nest is a cup of finely woven fibers decorated with lichen. It is common and widespread, found on forest edges and roadsides at all elevations. Nothing special, you may think. But when it comes to song, this bird is unsurpassed in its variety and skill.
On almost any wooded trail in Jamaica, you may be sure to hear it. First, try to ignore the persistent, loud, and monotonous calls of its noisy cousin, the Black-whiskered Vireo Vireo altiloquus, whose insistent calls of “John Chew-it, sweet John” haunt the woodlands from March to September. Then, listen out for something very different—loud, sweet variations on the theme of “Witchy-witchy-woo.” How many variations? There are so many that experienced birdwatchers in Jamaica will tell you that if they hear a bird song they cannot recognize, it is almost certainly a Jamaican Vireo.
When you think you hear one, listen again; you might be hearing two. The Jamaican Vireo often engages in counter-singing, a common practice among male birds that are defending their territories. When the dominant individual sings, any rival nearby responds with the same song. The two will repeat this performance for several rounds, until one of them changes the song pattern, upon which the other will respond with the new song. This behaviour is called song type matching. It can go on for hours!
Song type matching is correlated with aggressiveness and willingness to get into a confrontation. Some species of birds are so aggressive that they respond before their rival has finished and their songs overlap. Not the Jamaican Vireo. He bides his time and only responds after a few seconds. This reminds us that no matter how important it is to make our voices heard, it is important to listen to what others have to say. Perhaps this is a small token of modesty. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Jamaican Vireo
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 Vireo
The song of the Jamaican Vireo is high-pitched with varied repeated phrases including “chi-wuh, chi-wuh, chi-wuh, zha” and “chi-wee“.
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!
The Jamaican Vireo’s dull grey-green colouring makes it one of the least colourful of Jamaican endemic species. It is often found in dense vegetation searching for insects to eat. (Photo by Eric Hynes).Jamaican Vireos have a loud, sweet and very varied song. When you think you hear one, listen again; you might be hearing two. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Use the information above and the clues on the sheet to untangle our our word scramble – all about the Jamaican Vireo, how it behaves and where is lives. You can find all the answers to the clues here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy the video below of a Jamaican Vireo in the wild! Can you spot it flitting about in the vegetation? Jamaican Vireos can be tricky to spot, not just because their drab grey-green colouring helps them blend into the background; but also because of their habit of hiding in dense vegetation. With their loud and varied “Witchy-witchy-witchy-woo” refrain you are more likely to hear this bird than see it!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Tody
The Puerto Rican Tody or San Pedrito is a small chunky bird with bright green upperparts, red throat patch, white breast, and yellow sides. The bill is long and flat. It is endemic to Puerto Rico and is one of five species of Tody that are unique to the Greater Antilles islands. They have adapted to all elevations and ecosystems on Puerto Rico—from the driest to the wettest. It is easy to identify it in the forest especially when it vocalizes. Its call is similar to that of a cricket, and when it calls it bobs up and down as if doing push-ups!
To feed, the Puerto Rican Tody perches on a branch and remains still, scanning the vegetation for insects. With a short quick flight it catches insects on or under leaves with a sweeping movement of its flat bill. Sometimes it catches insects on the fly. Todies mainly eat insects, but they also hunt for lizards and frogs, and they occasionally eat small fruits (berries). During the breeding season in spring, the male usually hunts insects to give to his mate.
Puerto Rican Tody pairs build their nests in earthy banks along a slope or ravine. They dig a curved tunnel ~30cm long and ~2cm in diameter that ends in a nest chamber ~5cm x ~7cm. This excavation takes about two months. Both sexes share incubation and chick-rearing duties. The task of feeding 2-3 hungry chicks is exhausting – the parents spend the whole day coming and going with insects of all kinds to feed their fast-growing young! When it is time for the chicks to leave the nest, the adults, with food in their beaks, give calls to encourage them to come out.
Puerto Rican Todies are considered common. However, their conservation status needs review. There is evidence that terrestrial arthropods, a main food source of the tody, are declining. In addition, tody populations are threatened by invasive introduced predators like the Indian mongoose and also habitat destruction. We all need to do our part to educate about these special birds and the importance of conserving their habitats. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Puerto Rican Tody
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 Puerto Rican Tody
The calls of the Puerto Rican Tody are a loud, slightly rasping “beep” or “be-beep”.
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 female Puerto Rican Tody, one way to distinguish the male from the female is by eye color. The female’s iris is bluish white and the male’s is dark gray (Photo by Guillermo Plaza)The Puerto Rican Tody perches on a branch and remains still scanning the leaves for insects. With a quick movement and a short flight it catches insects on or under the leaves. (Photo by Alberto Estefania)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Can you find the words in our Puerto Rican Tody word search? All 15 hidden words are about this colourful little bird! You can see where all the words were here.
Watch these three wonderful videos of Puerto Rican Tody behaviour in the wild! In the first you can see the adult birds excavating their nest tunnel, this will be around 30cm long and ends in a nest chamber. This excavation will take them about two months. In the second you can see adult birds feeding, how many different types of prey items can you spot? In the final video you can see a fledgling Puerto Rican Tody sitting on a branch being fed by an adult.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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: Hispaniolan Pewee
A quick, flitting movement in the lower canopy catches your eye. And then it’s gone. No it’s not! There’s a small drab, but cute, bird sitting motionless on a low branch. It’s a Hispaniolan Pewee!
This little flycatcher is not very well known, despite being fairly widespread on the island of Hispaniola where it is endemic. It is found in lowlands, foothills and mountains, but is restricted mostly to undisturbed habitats and remote areas. It’s mostly brown and gray coloration allows it to remain unnoticed, unless it sallies out to catch an insect. Then, you have to watch closely where it goes to see if you can spot it perched. It often returns to the same perch, or one close by.
This pewee has few distinguishing field marks. It is olive-gray above, with a slightly darker head. Its underparts are pale gray with a yellow, olive, or brown wash. Its wing bars are inconspicuous (pale buff) or absent. One of only five flycatcher species on the island, it is the plainest overall in appearance, and at 16cm in length, is smaller than the others except the Greater Antillean Elaenia which is 15cm. They are similar in appearance, except that the elaenia is paler gray, has stronger wingbars, and has a much smaller bill. The other similar species, the Stolid Flycatcher, is quite a bit larger and much more strongly marked and brighter colored, especially the yellow belly.
It is not a very vocal bird either. Pewees are named for their whistling “Pee-WEEE” call, but this species makes a faint “peet-peet-peet”, and that’s about it.
In lowlands, it is found mostly along the coast in scrub forest and mangroves, and in the mountains, in forested areas, often along the edges of trails, roads and fields. Not abundant anywhere, seeing one or two on a walk may be all you’re going to get! But if you have a sharp eye for that quick fly catching bird, you will be rewarded. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Hispaniolan Pewee
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 Hispaniolan Pewee
The calls of the Hispaniolan Pewee are a repeated “peet-peet-peet.”
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!
The Hispaniolan Pewee is found mostly along the coast in scrub forest and mangroves, and in the mountains, in forested areas, often along the edges of trails, roads and fields. (Photo by Dax Roman)The Hispaniolan Pewee is a small, drab, but cute bird. It’s mostly brown and gray coloration allows it to remain unnoticed, unless it sallies out to catch an insect. (Photo by Jose Miguel Pantaleon)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: The Hispaniolan Pewee is a type of flycatcher, but that doesn’t mean that they only catch and eat flies! Their diet will included many different types of flying insects. Moths make a delicious meal for a Hispaniolan Pewee, can you find your way through our maze and help this Pewee find some moths? You can find the correct route here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Don’t forget about our endemic Bird Zine Contest! This is a fantastic opportunity for children and adults to revisit and creatively express their understanding of birds. You will find detailed guidelines and judging criteria in these docs: Bird Zine Contest Guidelines and What is a Zine and Bird Zine Contest Instructions. Be sure to read both documents carefully. There are prizes for each age category and two awesome GRAND PRIZES of a pair of waterproof Vortex Optics Binoculars!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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 Solitaire
What’s that magical sound? Is there a flutist nearby? No, it’s the Cuban Solitaire! This bird, endemic to Cuba, is a member of the thrush family. It is medium size and wears inconspicuous colors. Its upper parts and tail are olive-brown in color and the lower parts are pale gray. On the wings there is a diffuse patch of reddish-brown color. It has a white eye ring, small bill, and a fine dark mustache stripe.The most remarkable thing about this bird is its beautiful, haunting, flute-like song. It is melodious and varied—some say it resembles the sound produced when a wet finger is rubbed against the rim of a wine glass! This excellent songster is considered relatively common but very local. Its distribution is limited to mountainous forest areas on the eastern and western ends of the island. The Cuban Solitaire lives in humid and shady forests: semi-deciduous woodlands and pine forests, preferably close to cliffs of limestone rock. It is difficult to detect unless it sings because it remains very still while perching high up in the trees. Sometimes it flies down to bushes close to the ground in search of food. Its diet consists of fruits and small insects that it catches on the fly, sallying out from a perch like a flycatcher. Nesting occurs between the months of May and July. The solitaire builds a cup-shaped nest, composed of fine fibers of plant material, rootlets, and animal hair, usually covered with lichens and mosses. Nests are located at heights greater than 5 meters, in crevices of rocky cliffs and tree cavities. Females lay 2-3 whitish or light green eggs stained brown or gray.The solitaire previously inhabited Isle of Youth (formerly the Isle of Pines), a Cuban island located south of Pinar del Rio province and Havana. It was extirpated from that island in the 1930s.The Cuban Solitaire is very sensitive to changes in its habitat. Its current status is Near Threatened, however, local experts suggest it should be classified as Vulnerable, mainly due to its restricted distribution, deforestation of its habitat, and the fact that it is persecuted as a cage bird due to its beautiful song. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Cuban Solitaire
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 Solitaire
The Cuban Solitaire has a remarkable song, with a combination of loud trills and flutelike notes on different pitches.
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!
The Cuban Solitaire lives in humid and shady forests: semi-deciduous woodlands and pine forests. It can be difficult to see unless it sings because it remains very still while perching high up in the trees (Photo by Max Schwenne)The Cuban Solitaire is very sensitive to changes in its habitat and is listed as is Near Threatened, mainly due to its restricted distribution, deforestation of its habitat, and the fact that it is persecuted as a cage bird due to its beautiful song (Photo by Bill Hebner)
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 by filling in the parts on this sheet. You can colour in the drawings on these pages too! FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy the videos below of the Cuban Solitaire in its natural habitat. Although these are not the most colourful birds, they have an amazing high-pitched melodic and varied song. You can hear the birds calling and singing in both videos – what does the sound of their song remind you of?
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” 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: West Indian Woodpecker
Rowdy and feisty, but resourceful and a master carpenter – that’s the West Indian Woodpecker (Melanerpes superciliaris). It is a resident bird in Cuba, Grand Cayman, and The Bahamas. Like many other birds across the Caribbean, it has many local names, for example in English the Bahaman Woodpecker, Cayman Woodpecker, and often simply Red-head.
At 26-30 cm long this is quite a large, impressive woodpecker, with a big black bill, crimson eye, and boldly marked with black-and-white barring and chevrons on the back, wings, and tail. Both sexes have bright red on the head, males with a complete red cap, females only at the nape. In flight its white wing patches are especially striking. There are regional differences: Cuban birds (subspecies superciliaris) have a big black eye-mask, which those on Grand Cayman (caymanensis) lack. In The Bahamas, 3 subspecies occur – on Abaco (blakei), San Salvador (nyeaus) and Grand Bahama (bahamensis). The Abaco and Grand Bahama population have more black behind the eye than the San Salvador population. Bahamas birds are also smaller than the nominate subspecies.
West Indian Woodpeckers are frequently heard before they are seen, constantly chattering loudly, some might say they are noisy! When breeding they also communicate with each other by knocking out drumming rolls on branches and snags. All in all, West Indian Woodpeckers are hard to miss.
Typically found in open, dry or damp, scrubby woodlands, they have moved into man-made environments like palm groves, plantations, parks, and even gardens. Thankfully, this is one woodpecker that is generally doing well, being widespread in Cuba and Grand Cayman. The Grand Bahama subspecies is in trouble, however. It was thought to be extirpated after hurricanes devastated woodland habitats in 2004-2005, but then individuals were heard calling on the eastern part of the island in 2019. We don’t know yet if the population survived after Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
West Indian Woodpeckers will hack into trees to find insects, but like some other Caribbean woodpeckers they are omnivorous and opportunistic, eating lizards, frogs, berries, and fruit, and feeding these to their young. These resourceful birds forage at all levels, from tree-tops to the ground. Finally, and fascinatingly, West Indian Woodpeckers have shown how intelligent they are by using so-called ‘anvils’—cracks in trees where they wedge and work on large or hard items of food. This is regarded as a form of tool-use. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Contributed by Gerard Gorman. Gerard is author of Woodpeckers of the World (Helm/Bloomsbury 2014) which includes all the woodpecker species found in the Caribbean.
Colour in the West Indian Woodpecker!
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 West Indian Woodpecker
The distinctive calls of the West Indian Woodpecker are a high-pitched harsh, often repeating trilling “Krrruuuuu-krrruuuu-kruu….”
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!
West Indian Woodpecker- These are impressive birds, with a big black bill, crimson eye, and boldly marked with black-and-white barring and chevrons on the back, wings, and tail. (Photo by Gabriel Lugo)West Indian Woodpeckers will dig into trees and under the bark to find insects, but but they also eat lizards, frogs and berries . (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Remind yourself of some our interesting endemic bird facts by searching out all the clues in our West Indian Woodpecker word search. Can you find all the words? You can find the answers here.
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 the videos below of West Indian Woodpeckers in the Wild! The first shows a male excavating a nest hole in Cuba. In the second you can see a female in Cuba, search for termites to eat. The final clip, also from Cuba, show a juvenile female preening on top of a tree stump.
The first powerful eruption of La Soufriére Volcano on the morning of April 9th, 2021. (photo by Richard Robertson-UWI Seismic Research Centre)
At 8:41 a.m. on Friday, April 9, 2021, La Soufrière volcano, located in the north of the island of St. Vincent, erupted for the first time in 42 years. There have been many additional and more explosive eruptions since then, including a collapse of the volcano’s dome and pyroclastic flows starting on April 12th, decimating villages, farms, and housing. St. Vincent and neighboring islands are now covered in ash, in particular Barbados. The ash plume is also affecting St. Lucia, Grenada, and the Grenadines Islands of Grenada and St. Vincent via surface or sea level winds.
Our hearts go out to our dear friends and colleagues and the people of St. Vincent, as they continue to cope with the devastation caused by the continuing eruptions and dangerous falling rock and ash. Thankfully, many people in the danger (red) zone have been evacuated, but the entire country is impacted by ash fall, power outages, and water shortages. Humanitarian efforts are well underway, but the wildlife also needs our help! Together with our international partners we are organizing funding support to help with the rescue and recovery of the threatened St. Vincent Parrot. (see updated link to donate below under “Jan 2022 Update”).
Please donate generously if you can so that we can provide emergency funding for on-the-ground partners and volunteers to rescue and provide care to injured parrots facing a loss of habitat and food. note: our gofundme page was taken down when their system was changed, so please donate here.
St. Vincent landscape covered in ash, view from Belmont Observatory in St. Vincent, 11 April 2021. (photo by UWI Seismic Research Centre)
Impacts on the St. Vincent Parrot and Other Wildlife
The St. Vincent Parrot, locally known as Vincie, is the National Bird of St. Vincent. It is listed as Threatened. (photo by Nandani Bridglal)
The normally lush green landscape of this beautiful country is now blanketed in gray ash. It’s possible that the eruptions and ash fall could go on for weeks, devastating an island already suffering from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic. We are very concerned about the impacts to many regional and endemic birds on St. Vincent, particularly the threatened St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingii), listed as Vulnerable, and the Whistling Warbler, listed as Endangered. Other restricted-range endemic species (12) include the Grenada Flycatcher, Rufous-throated Solitaire, Purple-throated Carib, Brown Trembler, Lesser Antillean Tanager, Antillean Euphonia, and others. The St. Vincent Parrot is a gorgeous, vibrant symbol of national pride, which bears the country’s national colors. It stands apart from many other Caribbean parrots with the typical green body feathers instead showing iridescent bronze feathers, edged in sunset orange. These striking parrots were once common, but destruction of their forest habitat, illegal trade, hunting, and hurricanes all led to the parrot’s decline to only 370-470 birds in the 1980s. Thankfully, the parrot and its habitat are now protected by law and the population is slowly increasing. It is now listed as Vulnerable with a wild population of about 750 birds. Parrots are generally resilient, but they need our help to make it through this devastating natural disaster.
The Threatened St. Vincent Parrot Needs our Help
Impacts on the wildlife from the eruptions: This St. Vincent Parrot was found in a weakened state. It’s eye were crusted with ash and its crop was empty. Unfortunately, it did not make it. (photo by St Vincent Forestry Department).
Our colleague in St. Vincent, Lystra Culzac, is optimistic that any parrots in the area of the volcano would have moved to safer zones (their main population area is in the west and east slopes of the central mountain range south of the Soufriére Volcano). However, with continuing eruptions many birds have and will continue to perish as ecosystems are devastated from the atmospheric gases and heavy ash fall blanketing the country, as well as pyroclastic flows. We’re very concerned about the impacts on the health and survival of the St. Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and other birds and wildlife. Breathing volcanic ash and dust is extremely harmful; Radio Grenadines reported Scaly-naped Pigeons falling dead out of the sky on nearby Union Island the day after the first eruption. One adult St. Vincent Parrot in the Jennings area has been rescued so far. The bird was found in the Jennings area on Thursday 15th. Bradford Latham (Acting Forest Supervisor for Wildlife Conservation) reported that the bird was very weak when found—its eyes were swollen and crusty with ash and its crop was empty. Sadly the veterinarian worked to save it, but was not able to.
How Your Gift Will be Used
We are working closely with other concerned conservation organizations that want to help, such as the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, Caribaea Initiative, and Fauna and Flora International, in partnership with the Forestry Department in St. Vincent, who is directing the recovery effort. Plans are being formulated for the rescue and rehabilitation of St. Vincent Parrots that are impacted by the volcano. However, carrying them out will be complicated and take time, due to the pandemic and also the understandable need to deal with the humanitarian crisis first. Birds that are rescued will be cared for in the Botanical Gardens of St. Vincent, set up as a rehab and breeding facility. Aviary building supplies are needed to expand aviaries and holding enclosures for rescued birds. Survey equipment, parrot feed, and veterinary supplies are needed to provide care, food, and shelter to rescued birds.
Ensuring the long-term health and recovery of the St. Vincent Parrot will require sustained support and effort as the eruptions may continue for weeks or months (Univ of West Indies Seismic Research Centre). The immediate priorities are field expeditions to search for injured and weakened parrots, put out ripe fruit, nuts and parrot feed on platforms in forest areas with high concentrations of parrots, and expanding accommodations for rescued birds. Down the line, habitats and park infrastructure may need restoration and repair. In addition, surveys to assess the damage to habitats and the parrots’ overall population size will be critical. We will keep our community informed about these plans and our progress in the coming days and weeks. Keeping the parrots within SVG territory is a conservation priority. Rescued birds will be cared for until is safe for them to return to their mountain forest habitat.
Please help us to provide the financial resources that our on-the-ground partners need to carry out the rescue and rehab work and save as many St. Vincent Parrots as possible.
Jan 2022 Update
Our crowdfunding platform for this appeal, GoFundMe Charity, a separate arm of GoFundMe, unfortunately closed down this site, thus our crowdfunding page for this fundraiser is no longer available. However, you can donate here and designate your donation to go towards “St Vincent Volcano Recovery” to help with our continued recovery of the St Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and other wildlife in St Vincent. We owe it to the gorgeous St. Vincent Parrots and their beautiful island home!
Any donation that you can make at this time will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!!!
Enjoy the photo gallery below – click on first photo to see a slide show with captions.
Antillean Euphonia, endemic to the Lesser Antilles (photo by Anthony Levesque)
Rufous-throated Solitaire, endemic subspecies in the Lesser Antilles. (photo by Frantz Delcroix)
Grenada Flycatcher, endemic to Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (photo by Ted Eubanks)
Eruption of La Soufriére Volcano, as seen from Kingston. (photo by Lystra Culzac)
Warning sign up put in December when La Soufriére began to show signs of increased activity. The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre has been monitoring the volcano closely and warned of imminent eruption.
Roof collapsing under the weight of the volcanic ash. (photo by UWI Seismic Research Centre)
Vermont Natural Trail (photo by Amos Glasgow)
St Vincent Parrot portrait (photo by St. Vincent Parrot Project)
Brown Trembler, restricted range species. (photo by James Scriber Daley)
Purple-throated Carib, endemic to the Lesser Antilles. (photo by Alistair Homer)
Measuring the thickness of the ash fall in St. Vincent. (Photo by UWI Seismic Research Centre).
Whistling Warbler, endemic to St Vincent, classified as Endangered.
Palm trees giving way to the weight of volcanic ash. (photo by UWI Seismic Research Centre).
Eruption of La Soufriére Volcano, as seen from Kingston. (photo by Lystra Culzac)
Ash plume on April 9th at 4 PM, the first day of eruptions (photo by Richard Robertson, UWI Seismic Research Centre)
Dead Scaly-naped Pigeon found in Union Island, one of the Grenadines Islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Parrot Lookout on the Vermont Nature Trail (photo by Amos Glasgow)
We have a new activity for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) and we think you’re going to love it! This year’s CEBF theme is “Sing, Fly, Soar — Like A Bird!” And BirdsCaribbean has lots of fun events and activities planned around this theme, including a zine (pronounced zeen) making contest!
We are very excited to invite you to participate in our first Bird Zine Contest. This is a fantastic opportunity for children and adults to revisit and creatively express their understanding of birds. You will find detailed guidelines and judging criteria in these docs: Bird Zine Contest Guidelines and What is a Zine and Bird Zine Contest Instructions. Be sure to read both documents carefully. There are prizes for each age category and two awesome GRAND PRIZES of a pair of waterproof Vortex Optics Binoculars!
What is a Zine?
A zine is a self-published booklet. Zines tend to be a collage of different images, text, and messages put together by writing, drawing, and/or cutting and gluing content into a booklet. The booklet can be reproduced through photocopying and hand-binding, or shared online via a PDF or flip booklet. Because they are informal and colorful, they are an engaging way to learn and accessible to different types of learners. Need more information? We’ve put together this document that explains how it works, and how you can make your very own!
The Bird Zine Contest was created to allow people in all walks of life, children and adults, to creatively explore the fascinating world of birds. Entries could be from researchers, educators, photographers, students, tour guides, storytellers, artists, advocates – even the ‘I saw my first bird in the wild yesterday’ people! We hope that these zines will also illuminate the intimate relationship between birds and people. It can also be an enjoyable way to further connect our community, so that zine creators will communicate with each other, find opportunities, or even collaborate on future projects.
Remember, birds are super clever and resourceful. They freely express themselves everyday. So should YOU!
We look forward to receiving your bird zines. This collection is meant to reflect our incredibly diverse species of birds and culture and your creativity.
Help us spread the word! Tell your friends and family about the contest and the cool prizes.
Be sure to read these 2 documents and follow instructions carefully:
St Lucia Parrot Zine cover, created by Aliya Hosein, Trinidad and Tobago. You can view the full zine booklet below.
Bird Zine Contest Guidelines – information on who is eligible to participate in the contest, how to submit your zine, prizes, judging, and more.
The deadline for submission is 11:59 PM EDT on Sunday, May 30th, 2021.
Learn More About Zines
A quick online search for ‘Zines’ can provide you with endless examples and tutorials. Here are some zines, many environmental, to look at to get your creative juices flowing.
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF), now in its 21st year, announces its return for a month-long celebration of the region’s endemic birds! This year’s theme is “Sing, Fly, Soar — Like a Bird!” We will learn about our feathered friends, exploring their beautiful songs and astounding power of flight. Their flight expresses pure freedom and their songs reach out to us, as we connect with them and reflect on their amazing journeys with mixed feelings of envy and admiration. Who hasn’t wished they were able to slip “the surly bonds of Earth” and “danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings”?* These emotions stir us as we embrace this evocative theme.
CEBF creativity – online
How are we reflecting the theme in our CEBF 2021 activities? The #HumansofBirdsCaribbean have been busy behind the scenes preparing webinars, e-books, art classes, colouring pages, videos, origami, puzzles, activity sheets and so much more. A fan favourite, the ‘Endemic Bird of the Day’ series is back with a line-up of 30 new endemic bird species. Be sure to follow BirdsCaribbean on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see if your favourite bird made the cut. BirdsCaribbean is also excited to host our first ever Bird Zine Contest (pronounced zeen) and a virtual social event, Bird Jeopardy, this year to the festival!
Last spring the event kicked off with a discussion on the Bahamas’ mysterious “Chickcharney” led by the Bahamas National Trust’s Scott Johnson. Dr Ancilleno Davis led a wonderful story time session about mangroves and gave us a virtual tour of his backyard, which happened to be a thriving mangrove habitat! Christine Elder and Josmar Esteban Marquez helped us to realize our potential as artists by inviting us to follow along as they sketched Caribbean birds. New birders were treated to a six-session course “Birding for Beginners,” organized and hosted by Antigua’ Environmental Awareness Group (EAG). The BirdsCaribbean flock has expanded considerably and we hope to continue to build interest and enthusiasm for the region’s rich bird diversity.
An interactive festival experience
This year, during April and May, we have another astonishing line-up of talks. We will dive into a range of topics, including how to record and use birdsongs to understand bird behavior; endemic hummingbirds in the Bahamas; the role of wildlife rehabilitators in nurturing the next generation of champion conservationists; and new discoveries in regional bird research.
However, CEBF participants will not only be sitting and watching; we have also worked on making the CEBF even more interactive. For the past 18 months we have collected stories, myths, and beliefs about birds from our members, which are currently being compiled into an e-book. We have also launched a zine-making contest called the Bird Zine Contest: you will find more details here. And throughout the festival we will be accepting short videos of our members, explaining what this year’s theme means to them – more details on this coming shortly!
Meanwhile, stay safe…
The well-being of our partners and supporters remains the highest priority for BirdsCaribbean. Following the model of our hugely successful virtual “From the Nest” edition of CEBF in 2020 we will provide activities that can be done from the safety of your homes. Some countries are still experiencing serious COVID challenges, while others are doing better. Do follow your local public health guidelines and mask up, socially distance, and stay home if this is called for. With vaccinations now being administered, there is a light at the end of the tunnel—hopefully we will be able to up meet at birding hotspots across the region in the coming months!
The CEBF is a great opportunity for people of all ages to learn about and connect with the Caribbean’s 171 endemic bird species. These birds inspire us to rise above our challenges. In spite of the threats they face; from loss of their habitats to hurricanes to invasive species, they continue to sing, fly and soar!
Visit birdscaribbean.org or follow @BirdsCaribbean on social media for fun and free activities this spring.
Welcome to our first ever Bird Zine Contest, being held as part of our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival 2021 activities! We hope to inspire you to get creative and join the contest. We have some awesome prizes for winners in each age category plus 2 overall grand prize winners – see below! Please read the Contest Guidelines and Rules carefully and be sure to follow them. Read more about the CEBF theme for 2021 (Sing, Fly, Soar — Like a Bird) and the contest here.Detailed Instructions for making a Zine and the contest categories/ topics for your zine are in the ‘What is a Zine and Bird Zine Contest Instructions‘ document.
Contest Guidelines and Rules
Eligibility
Participants must belong to one of the following four age categories:
7 – 9 years old
10 – 12 years old
13 – 15 years old
16+ (Adult)
We welcome submissions to the contest* from all the insular West Indies including: the Bahamas, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos Islands, Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands), Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. *Children and adults from other countries are most welcome to create a zine and share it with us, for inclusion in our Bird Zine Library online, but only folks from the countries/ islands listed above are eligible to be part of the contest.
Language
We will accept zines in English, Spanish and French.
What to enter: you may create a physical zine or digital zine – details on each are below. Zines must be created using one of the four topics identified and described in the What is a Zine and Bird Zine Contest Instructions.
Physical Zines:
Participants must select ONE topic from the list below.
Choose between a four (4) page zine, i.e. one letter sized page folded in half OR an eight (8) page zine i.e. two letter sized pages folded in half and binded in the middle .
The first page of the zine must be used as the cover with a title.
Participants may use images (photos & artwork) only or images and text. Text-only zines will be disqualified.
Participants may draw/trace or cut & paste images into your zine.
At least one full body photo or drawing of an endemic bird must be included in the zine (see list of endemic birds here).
The common name/s of the endemic bird/s featured in your zine must be included. You may include local bird names too.
The information must be written in your own words, not copied from a source.
Pages must be numbered (bottom left); excluding the cover page
ONE SUBMISSION PER PERSON.
Digital Zines:
St Lucia Parrot Zine cover, created by Aliya Hosein, Trinidad and Tobago. You can view the full zine booklet below.
Same as the above with the following additional guidelines:
The zine can be created using Microsoft Word (blank template provided) or any other online design software.
Zine must be created from scratch.
Participants must obtain permission to use photos and credit the photographer.
No videos may be embedded and no links may be shared in the digital zine.
See example of St. Lucia Parrot digital zine booklet below.
Winners from each age category will receive the following:
7-9 year old – coloring books, colored pencil set, BirdsCaribbean hat & buff
10-12 year old- coloring books, coloured pencil set, BirdsCaribbean hat & buff
13-15 year old – coloured pencil set, copy of ‘Birds of the West Indies Field Guide’ (Herbert A. Raffaele et al.), BirdsCaribbean hat & buff
16+ year- coloured pencil set, copy of ‘Birds of the West Indies Field Guide’ (Herbert A. Raffaele et al.), BirdsCaribbean hat & buff
There will also be a Grand Prize for children (overall) and adults (overall). Each grand prize winner will receive a brand new pair of binoculars, outstanding for birding: Vortex Diamondback HD 8 x 42 waterproof binoculars which come with an Unlimited Unconditional Lifetime Warranty.
How to Enter your Zine
You or an adult can email completed zines to info@birdscaribbean.org with copy to aliya.hosein@birdscaribbean.org. Include your full name, age, country, selected topic, title of zine. Email subject: Bird Zine Contest
Physical zines: Scan and save as a PDF. Name PDF as follows [first name-last name-age-topic]
Digital zines: Save as PDF. Name PDF as above.
Submissions Deadline
By 11:59PM (EDT) on Sunday, May 30th, 2021
By submitting your zine to BirdsCaribbean as part of this contest, you agree that your zine may be shared on our website, social media, and BirdsCaribbean Zine Library online. All authors retain copyright and all zines will be credited with your name.
Judging
Zines will be reviewed by a panel of judges with points awarded for each of the following criteria:
Originality
Creativity and visual appeal
Details clearly seen in art and images i.e. not blurry/ too large/ too small
Correct bird photos or drawings used
Correct information given; use of technical terms for e.g., endangered, dimorphic, nocturnal
Easy to read and understand
Interesting and correct details about bird/s included relevant to selected topic
Handwriting is legible/ Font is legible (digital zines)
BirdsCaribbean is very excited to announce that we are launching a new bird monitoring initiative — the Caribbean Motus Collaboration. And we need your help and involvement! Read on to learn more about this program and how you can help.
What is Motus?
Kirtland’s Warbler fitted with a lightweight nano-tag. These tiny transmitters, which weigh as little as 0.2 g, allow researchers to track the movements of small animals with precision across thousands of miles. (photo by Scott Weidensaul)
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a powerful collaborative research network developed by Birds Canada. Named after the Latin word for movement, Motus uses automated radio telemetry arrays to study the movements and behavior of flying animals (birds, bats, and insects) that are nano-tagged and tracked by Motus receivers.
Motus’ main objective is to enable conservation and ecological research by tracking the movement of animals. The system consists of hundreds of receiver stations and thousands of deployed nanotags on 236+ species, mostly birds. Data from this network have already expanded our understanding of bird movements, including pinpointing migration routes and key stopover sites, as well as movements, habitat use, and behavior during breeding and non-breeding seasons. We are only just beginning to tap into the enormous potential of this new technology and growing network of partnerships and data sharing for conservation.
Motus technology is also a valuable educational tool that can advance conservation education both in and out of the classroom. Birds Canada and the Northeast Motus Collaboration have developed a curriculum that combines interactive classroom activities with Motus tracking tools that can be used to teach local children about birds, migration, and conservation.
Expanding the Motus Network in the Caribbean
Motus is widely established in Canada and the US, and beginning to spread throughout Central and South America; however, there are currently no active receiver stations in the Caribbean. The more Motus stations we can put up, the more we can increase our understanding of where tagged birds are moving. In addition, many species of conservation concern that live in or migrate through/ to the region have not yet been tagged. We want to fill this critical geographical gap.
Yellow dots represent the active Motus receiver stations. The white box outlines the insular Caribbean. A few Motus stations that were put up in several islands have been damaged by storms and hurricanes, and need repair.
The Caribbean Motus Collaboration (CMC) is developing a multi-pronged strategy to expand the Motus network by installing and maintaining receiver stations in strategic locations throughout the islands, deploying nanotags on priority bird species, and implementing a specially adapted Caribbean educational curriculum.
Why is this Important?
Our birds are declining at alarming rates.
The Painted Bunting is a declining songbird that winters in FL, Cuba, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Central America. (photo by Ray Robles)
The insular Caribbean is a global biodiversity conservation “hotspot” that is home to over 700 species of birds. Roughly half of these bird species are residents in the Caribbean, including 171 that are endemic – meaning they are found nowhere else in the world! The other half are migratory, splitting their time between temperate and tropical habitats in the Americas, and shared among multiple countries along the way.
For some migratory birds, the Caribbean islands are the perfect winter retreat — they arrive in early fall and stay until spring. Others use one or more islands as stopover sites to rest and refuel as they fly between their breeding and wintering grounds further south. Whether they stay or move on, they are much-loved visitors, reflecting the seasons and inspiring our cultural expressions.
Unfortunately, bird populations are declining. Fifty-nine Caribbean species are at risk of extinction, listed as Vulnerable (30), Endangered (24), or Critically Endangered (5) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A recent study found that nearly 30% of the bird populations in North America since 1970 have been lost, and Caribbean species are among the many that are in trouble.
Birds in the Caribbean face an entire suite of threats, including habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, and invasive species. In addition, climate change has become a constant danger to the region, not only to people, but also to wildlife. The Caribbean is experiencing increasingly intense hurricanes, long droughts, and dramatic changes to the marine environment. The threats are growing for our vulnerable birds, and we can’t afford to lose any more.
Needed now: An effective bird monitoring system in the Caribbean
Research on our birds has progressed considerably in recent decades, but we still lack basic information on many species. We need to understand them better if we are to save them.
We need to identify the most critical sites and habitats for our migratory, resident, and endemic birds, and we need to assess the threats they face. Importantly, we need to raise awareness about why all of this matters.
At BirdsCaribbean we partner with international, regional, and local partners to develop long-term monitoring programs, e.g. our Caribbean Waterbird Census program. We are using several strategic tools for doing so, and we are confident that the Motus Wildlife Tracking System will become an invaluable resource for strengthening our efforts.
Motus receiving stations function similar to automated toll booths on a highway – every time a bird passes over the station it’s recorded, just as automated toll booths record license plates. The stations have a range of about 9 miles or 15 km. (Ruddy Turnstone photo by Maikel Cañizares)
The Caribbean Motus Collaboration (CMC) can inform and promote bird conservation
Colleagues from the Northeast Motus Collaboration stand by a newly installed Motus station in Pennsylvania. (photo credit: Northeast Motus Collaboration)
Our partners are eager to build the Motus network in the Caribbean. The initiative is gaining momentum quickly and the time to act is now! As a regional organization, BirdsCaribbean is keen to facilitate this effort and assist our partners.
Our collaboration will enhance the efforts of those working to grow the network in other regions of the Americas. And it will shed light on the movements and habitat use of bird species of conservation concern. This knowledge is essential to safeguarding birds throughout their full life cycles and reversing population declines.
Caribbean natural resource managers, including many of our partner organizations throughout the region, will be able to use information from the Motus network to identify the most important sites and habitats for our resident and migratory birds. Once identified, those in the Caribbean network and beyond will be able to focus our work on these most critical areas, alleviating threats and protecting these sites. By building the capacity to use this powerful tool, we will also be contributing to the development of local research and environmental education programs. The knowledge, skills, and appreciation for birds will multiply. It’s a “win-win” for the birds, and for those who work to conserve them in the region.
We Need Your Help!
To grow the CMC, we are seeking funding from granting agencies and private donors, and looking to establish partnerships with international and regional organizations, landowners, and businesses in the Caribbean.
Can you suggest a good site for a Motus receiver station? Stations should be located in secure areas that are optimal for detecting movements of birds (e.g., migration flyways, prime habitat for resident and migratory birds). Receivers can be installed as independent structures that are powered by solar panels. However, installing a station on existing structures (e.g., building roofs, fire towers, abandoned telephone towers, radio towers, etc.), especially those with access to electricity, can significantly reduce costs.
Would you or your organization be willing to maintain Motus receiver stations on your island? Motus stations should require minimal maintenance. However, depending on the station setup, data might need to be downloaded a few times each year. It is also important to regularly check that the stations are in working order, particularly following a storm or other disturbance.
Are you interested in sponsoring a Motus receiver station or nanotags, or know of an individual, organization, or business who would be? The components of receiver stations cost approximately ~$4,800, and the total cost of a station (including installation, maintenance, personnel, etc.) is ~$10k. Nanotags, which will be deployed on priority species to track their movements, cost ~$225 each. But any amount is helpful! This is a highly tangible way to get involved in the conservation of Caribbean species.
*NOTE: This year, our fundraiser for Global Big Day (May 8th, 2021) will raise funds for the Caribbean Motus Collaboration. We hope that you will participate – stay tuned!
If you are interested in contributing to the CMC in any capacity, we want to hear from you! Please fill out this short survey so that we can gather information and follow up with you.
Special thanks to the Northeast Motus Collaboration for their generous help, advice, and encouragement in developing this project!
The Grenada Dove, one of the world’s rarest birds. (Photo by Greg Homel)
Listening along the hillsides of the Mt. Hartman Estate, you can hear the mournful call of the Grenada Dove, one of the world’s most critically endangered birds. It is a shy and elusive bird, staying well within the forested hills and valleys of the estate, and very rarely seen outside of the forest canopy. The Mt. Hartman Estate, one of only two locations in the world where this bird lives, has been transformed over the last few years into one of the region’s premiere education and outreach centers, focused on the Grenada Dove.
The Grenada Dove is brown with a white belly, a light pinkish brown upper chest and neck, and a grayish forehead that extends up from the bill. Its legs, feet and bare skin around the eyes are a bright crimson red. The adults show a white belly, no markings on wings, outer tail feathers tipped with white, and a strip of white feathers that extends from its side up around the bend of the wing.
Though rarely seen, male Grenada Doves call for long periods during the breeding season with a single, descending note about a second in duration that is repeated every seven to eight seconds and can be heard up to 100 metres away. Because of the topography of the Grenada Dove’s habitat, calling males from the hillsides can be heard in valleys outside of dove habitat.
A viewing tower was erected in the park.
Habitat loss and predation by introduced invasive species such as mongoose, rats and cats are the primary threats facing the dove. Not having evolved with these introduced ground predators and sensitive to direct disturbance, a dove flushed from a perch will fly to the ground and attempt to run away, making them easy prey. Like most doves, the Grenada Dove spends most of its time scouring the ground for seeds. Although nests are located in trees, these are easily preyed on by rats. Nestlings shift to the ground at about 14 days old, making them as well as adults easy prey on the ground.
These habits continue to place the dove at risk. With funding from American Bird Conservancy and the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, the Grenada Dove Conservation Programme and the Forestry and National Parks Department began to implement predator control programs at both the Mt. Hartman National Park and Perseverance Protected Area and Dove Sanctuary in 2013. Very high numbers of predators were caught at both sites—more mongoose at Mt. Hartman than Perseverance, but more rats at Perseverance—and it is well understood that continued predator control is urgently needed. Due to limited funding, control has been limited to key breeding areas. A predator-proof fence would provide the best protection, but financing for this endeavor has not yet been secured.
The visitor center is now a popular attraction for school groups.
Starting late in 2013, the Grenada Dove Conservation Programme and the Forestry and National Parks Department have been working to make it easier to hear, see, learn about, and appreciate Grenada’s unique endemic National Bird and its habitat, the dry coastal forests of Grenada and the Mt. Hartman National Park. Through a generous grant from the Sandals Foundation, and with additional help from BirdsCaribbean, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, they have created new interpretative displays at the Mt. Hartman National Park and Visitor Center, developed outreach materials targeting the broader public, and carried out a school programme for elementary students in the Parish of St. George’s about Grenada’s unique species, the Mt. Hartman National park.
Billboards were placed at parish boundaries. (Billboard design by Madeleine Smith, photo by Greg Homel/Natural Encounters)
Initial activities in this project began with the pro-bono assistance of wildlife photographer, Greg Homel. He captured gorgeous photos of the dove that enabled us to include enlarged images on our outreach materials, including billboards at all parish boundaries island-wide. Though easily heard with a distinct call, the Grenada Dove is difficult to see in the forest. The idea was to bring the dove to Grenadians, residents and visitors alike on their daily commutes.
After Hurricane Ivan in 2004, funds allocated for interpretation at the Mt. Hartman Visitor Center from the GEF/World Bank funded Grenada Dry Forest Biodiversity Conservation Programme needed to be reallocated for the complete rebuilding of the Visitor Center at Mt. Hartman. The activities carried out by the Grenada Dove Conservation Programme, with the Forestry and National Parks Department, enabled us to supplement existing interpretation at the site, including building a 20ft viewing tower surrounded by dry forests, at the edge of Grenada Dove habitat. Being still and with patience, one may see this elusive bird! The tower’s location enabled visitors to hear calling doves, and experience the dry forest and its wildlife, including anoles, birds and lizards. At the entrance to the short trail leading to the tower, an outdoor bird identification display featuring Grenada’s bird species has been erected that identifies endemic, resident and migratory birds. BirdsCaribbean provided the template.
Interpretive signage in the visitor center showcases the dove and its dry forest habitat.
Multiple 8-foot tall indoor wall displays in the Mt. Hartman Visitor Center tell the Grenada Dove story in a larger than life fashion. With numerous descriptive photos and information, both youth and adults are targeted. These displays cover the dry forests, the dove itself, its habitat and threats. At child height, the 8 sq. ft. tabletop 3D relief map shows visitors the hills and peninsula that make up the Mt. Hartman National Park.
Posters, stickers and a brochure full of pictures on the Mt. Hartman National Park and its wildlife were designed and printed, both for display island-wide in government buildings, schools and tourist establishments as well as for distribution to students in our school outreach programme. Having developed an elementary school presentation, Forestry and National Department staff visited over 20 schools, and are continually getting called to present to more grades and schools island-wide.
The Project’s goal is to bring more students and visitors to the Mt. Hartman National Park to experience Grenada’s forests and unique biodiversity first hand.
Vistitors can learn about many of the area’s native birds.
The Grenada Dove, IUCN listed as Critically Endangered, is found only on the island of Grenada. With a total population of around 160 individuals*, it is one of the rarest birds in the world. Found only on 2 locations on Grenada, its population is declining primarily due to loss and degradation of its specialized habitat and predation by invasive predators such as mongoose and rats. The Grenada Dove Conservation Programme, in collaboration with the Forestry and National Parks and international collaborators for the last 20 years, is working to keep this unique species from extinction through habitat protection, research, species management, stakeholder participation, and education.
By Bonnie Rusk, Founding Director, Senior Biologist at Grenada Dove Conservation Programme
Visit this page to learn more about the Grenada Dove and download free educational resources:
