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: Brown Trembler

The Brown Trembler (Cinclocerthia ruficauda) is a plump, rufous-brown bird, 23–26 cm long. It has a long black beak, slightly decurved at the tip, and a long tail, often cocked over its back. Its flat head is grayish with a faint black eye mask, and it has bright yellow eyes. Males and females look alike but females have longer beaks. 

Brown Tremblers live up to their name! They are best known for their curious habit of drooping their wings and trembling (fluttering) them, a behavior that helps you quickly identify this species. They tremble most often when meeting other tremblers, suggesting that the trembling may be a threat signal. They can also be identified by their distinctive warbling songs and calls. These range from one to three syllable phrases (pio-tareeu-tsee) to squeaky musical notes to a nasal rasping yeeeah call, often repeated many times. Brown Tremblers may not win a singing contest, but they have lots of personality.

Brown Tremblers can only be found in the Lesser Antilles; they are most common on Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Dominica, and St. Vincent; uncommon in Nevis, and rare in St. Eustatius, St. Lucia, Martinique, and Antigua. They live in humid forests and sometimes may be found in secondary forests and plantations, as well as drier woodlands. They are smart foragers – on the ground, where they toss leaves in their beaks to find insects underneath, and in the trees. Their long, strong beaks come in handy as they stick them into spaces between vines, epiphytes, and tree trunks, or pull on leaves trapped in vegetation, in the forest’s understory and mid-story. Snails, scorpions, spiders, beetles, cockroaches, fruit, and even small lizards and frogs – all make tasty meals for the Brown Trembler. 

Brown Tremblers are similar to the closely-related Gray Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis) which has pale gray plumage above, more grayish-white underparts, a broader and dark black eye mask, and a longer bill. The Gray Trembler is found only in St. Lucia and Martinique.

Because this bird prefers humid forests, the conversion of forests to plantations or other human settlements could cause the population to decrease. You can help save this species by teaching others about this bird, and supporting forest conservation on your island. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Brown Trembler

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 Brown Trembler

The song of the Brown Trembler is very variable, with a jumble of whistles and high-pitched 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!

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS:  Use the information above and the clues on the sheet to untangle our our word scramble – all about todays endemic bird the Brown Trembler. With clues about how what is looks, 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 these videos showing some of the behaviours of Tremblers! In the first video you can be today’s featured endemic bird, the Brown Trembler foraging amongst the branches of a tree, searching for insects to eat. The second video shows the similar Gray Trembler, which pale gray and not brown above, you can see this bird ‘trembling’. It is this fluttering behaviour that gives both these two bird species their name!

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: Vervain Hummingbird

Was that an insect buzzing past me just now? No, it’s the Vervain hummingbird (Mellisuga minima), the second smallest bird in the world! This tiny bird, just 5 cm long and weighing just over 2 grams, is endemic to Jamaica and Hispaniola and common and widespread on both islands. Both sexes have metallic green upperparts, pale underparts and a short, straight, black bill. Males are slightly smaller than females, have green spotting on the sides of their breast, and a dark slightly-forked tail. Females have a rounded tail with broadly-tipped white on the outer three tail feathers. Juveniles resemble the adult female but with smaller white tail tips.

Vervains are surprisingly vocal for their size, and always let you know when they are around. Often heard before seen with their very loud, high-pitched, rhythmic twittering, one only has to look up towards the highest open perch in the area. You might see its tiny shape on the leafless limb of a tree or a powerline, as it surveys its territory. It truly punches above its weight! From these perches this cranky little bird quickly darts to ward off other little Vervains from their preferred flowers – including pentas, Chinese hat, aloe, tamarind, moringa, and the similarly named vervain plant. These flowers are smaller than those utilized by the larger hummingbirds. It’s also for this reason Vervains are not particularly fond of hummingbird feeders. 

These little birds are full of character and energy – and not very shy. Their lively courtship displays can be quite obvious and daring in nature, as the male and female quickly rise together face-to-face to great heights. Twittering and sometimes clutching each other by the feet, they then tumble to the ground or separate at the top of flight, falling away in opposite arcs. Two birds of the same sex conduct a similar precarious dance when defending their territory.

The birds are tiny, and so are their nests! The nest is a tiny cup made of plant fibers held together with cobwebs, and decorated with lichen or moss for camouflage. The nest is usually attached to a twig in a little shrub or in more precarious places like the leaf margin of a palm or on man-made structures. Females lay two eggs and do all the incubation and rearing of the chicks. Main nesting season is December to May.

The Vervain can be found across a broad range of elevations and habitats, including urban settings, gardens and open woodlands – as long as there is ample vegetation with small flowers. Despite how common this species is, it has been little studied. However, much that we know about this species has come from Jamaican residents, who have published their valuable observations in the Gosse Bird Club Broadsheet, a long-running publication of this club (now BirdLife Jamaica). In Jamaica these birds are called Little Doctorbird; in the Dominican Republic Zumbadorcito, and in Haiti, Ouanga Négresse. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Vervain Hummingbird

Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest

Listen to the song of the Vervain Hummingbird

The song of the Vervain Hummingbird consists of a series of high-pitched, squeaky “swee” and “swee-ip” sounds.

Puzzle of the Day

Click on the image below to do the puzzle.  You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8,  or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS:  Be inspired by the Vervain Hummingbird and get creative by making some hummingbird button art to hang on your wall! For this activity you will need a pencil, marker pens or paint, scissors (get an adult to help with any cutting), a paper or plastic plate, glue and some colourful and shiny things to decorate your bird with (beads, glitter, buttons etc.). You can download a silhouette to act as a guide and full instructions here. You can use the pictures of the Vervain Hummingbird on this page as inspiration for colours and patterns or look up other species of hummingbirds in a bird guide or on ebird. Or just use our template and let your imagination run wild!

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of Vervain Hummingbirds in the wild! In the first you can see a bird, perched up high, singing it’s loud and squeaky song. The second video shows a Vervain Hummingbird building its tiny nest, which it has attached to a fork in a twig. In the final video you can see an adult female Vervain Hummingbird feeding a fledgling.

Interested in Hummingbirds? Want to find out more about them? Read this fascinating post from Aliya Hosein, all about the Hummingbirds of Trinidad and Tobago! 

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. 

The natural history of this amazing endemic owl is poorly known. Future research should focus on its diet, breeding behaviour, reproductive success, dispersal, and life span. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Puerto Rican Screech-Owl

Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest

Listen to the calls of the 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!

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!

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!

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!

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:

And finally, here is a video of a Zapata Wren singing it’s heart out in Zapata Swamp, Cuba (video by Lisa Sorenson).

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!

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!

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. 

It is well worth a trip to the mountains on Hispaniola just to enjoy the magical place. And while you’re there, keep your ears tuned, you just may hear this magical bird, and hopefully see it as well. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Hispaniolan Crossbill

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!

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.

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!

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!

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS:  Read about how intelligent crows are  in this fun article: Crows are as intelligent as a seven-year old child. 

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS:  Read all about the story behind José (Pepe) González Díaz and Felisa (Fela) Collazo Torres’ book “The Root of the Antilles: A History of the Todidae Family;” and find out more about these beautiful little birds.

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!

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!

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!

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.