Birds of the UK Overseas Territories has just been published! The book explores the birds and other wildlife of each of the 14 UKOTs with a particular focus on environmental threats and conservation issues. Six Overseas Territories are within our region: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos. Many BirdsCaribbean members have helped produce the detailed accounts.
The recently (July 2020) published Birds of the UK Overseas Territories includes detailed accounts of the biodiversity of 14 of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) with an emphasis on their avifauna. Although the UKOTs are spread around the globe, of great interest to BirdsCaribbean members will be the chapters on Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
In terms of global biodiversity, these territories are remarkably significant. Among landscapes that range from coral atolls, through mangroves and dry forests to the ice sheets of Antarctica, the UKOTs support no fewer than 45 species of birds currently considered to be globally threatened. They are also home to a third of all the world’s breeding albatrosses, and nine of the world’s 17 species of penguin.
In a rapidly changing world, the UKOTs symbolise global crises in climate and biodiversity. Threats faced by their wildlife range from mortality of seabirds at sea through industrial fisheries, and on land as a result of introduced ground predators to the utter devastation of hurricanes in the Caribbean—which provide a stark reminder of our changing climate. The human impact on the wildlife of our planet has been increasing for centuries, but the next few decades promise to be critical.
This book explores the birds and other wildlife of each of the 14 UKOTs, with a particular focus on environmental threats and conservation priorities. Written by authors with a deep connection to the sites, this book represents an important stocktake of the biological richness of these special places in the early 21st century.
Lavishly illustrated with photos and maps it is well worth purchasing especially as all profits go to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) conservation work throughout the UKOTs.
A beautiful White-tailed Tropicbird – a common site on some Caribbean rocky coast lines. (photo by Andrew Dobson)
Birds of the UK Overseas Territories – edited by Roger Riddington.
Published by T & AD Poyser
ISBN: 9781472977267 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9781472977250 (Hardback)
For purchase from the following vendors:
Amazon Smile: Remember to use smile.amazon.com and designate BirdsCaribbean as your charity to support when making purchases from Amazon (a portion of your purchases comes to us – every little bit helps!).
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: White-chinned Thrush
Walk along any wooded road or trail in Jamaica and you will probably spot a medium-sized dark bird hopping along, with its tail cocked up. This will be a White-chinned Thrush, one of the most common Jamaican endemic birds. It is found in the lowlands, mountains, gardens, and woodlands.
Look again to confirm your identification and you will note a dark grey-black body, bright orange legs and bill, and tiny white epaulettes on the wings. Do not expect to see the white chin; it is so small that you can barely make it out even if you are using binoculars. There are similar looking endemic thrushes in similar habitats in the forests of several other islands, including the Red-legged Thrushes of the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Dominica. Most of them have much more obvious white or spotted patches below their bills.
The local name – Hopping Dick – is much more descriptive. Hopping is what this bird does! Look for it bouncing over grasses and twigs on the margins of forest patches or along the larger branches of trees as it forages for insects, worms, snails, lizards, berries and seeds. As it hops along, it frequently pauses, looking around to check for predators.
Hopping is supposedly more energy efficient for small birds, such as grassquits and warblers that feed in grasses or fine twigs. Larger birds, such as doves and crows, usually walk as they feed on the forest floor or on large branches. Some thrushes feed mostly on the ground, others mainly in trees. Some hop, some walk and others do both. The White-eyed Thrush, Jamaica’s other endemic thrush, is rarely seen on the ground.
Why is the White-chinned Thrush known as Hopping Dick? It comes from the name “Dicky Bird” – the collective name for common garden birds in the seventeenth century, when many small birds in Jamaica were first named by the British. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the White-chinned Thrush!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the White-chinned Thrush
The White-chinned Thrush has a variable musical song in the breeding season, also a shrill whistle p’lice, p’lice and a repeated chicken-like clucking.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the images below to do the puzzles. 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!
White-chinned Thrush (Photo by Matt Grube)White-chinned Thrush (Photo by Instigatrix)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Check out the two short videos of the White-chinned Thrush in Jamaica. The first one shows a bird with a small lizard in its beak. In the second video, a parent is feeding its tiny naked chick with insects. Videos by AvesPuertoRico Felpe.
Every two years, BirdsCaribbean (BC) holds an election for its Board of Directors.
This year — 2020 — is an election year, and we need the involvement of our community members!
Serving on the BirdsCaribbean Board of Directors is a fantastic opportunity to help shape the future of an organization dedicated to conserving the region’s incredible birds and nature. We are a vibrant network and work with many partners throughout the region, including governments, NGOs, educators, tourism interests, communities, students, and more. The BirdsCaribbean Board is an extremely personable, inclusive, and enthusiastic group, and we are eager to bring new ideas and backgrounds to our leadership. Without a doubt, serving on our Board of Directors is an enriching and rewarding experience, and interested individuals should not hesitate to pursue a position.
THE CALL FOR NOMINATIONS IS NOW OPEN!
The BirdsCaribbean Nominations Committee is ready to receive nominations.
The nomination period will remain open for two full months, closing on midnight 30 September. During this time, our community’s goal is to develop the best possible slate of nominees to provide leadership and growth for BirdsCaribbean.
Important lingo:
Nominees = individuals that have been nominated to stand for election
Nominator = the person making the nomination
Seconder = an additional person that supports the nominator’s choice
WHAT POSITIONS ARE UP FOR NOMINATION?
We are looking for Directors to join our leadership board.
Additionally we are looking for Directors that will take on operational duties: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
BirdsCaribbean board members and friends at the NAOC (North American Ornithological Congress) in 2016. Joining our board is a great opportunity to contribute to regional bird conservation and work with an amazing network of dedicated conservationists!
Any individual, sponsored, honorary, or life member in good standing* may be nominated and may also nominate or act as a “seconder” (i.e., give a second endorsement) for a nominee. All nominators must make sure that their nominee is willing to stand for election.
Exceptions:
Directors that have served two consecutive terms in a position cannot run again for that same position. These individuals can run for a different position. [This means that Andrew Dobson cannot run for President in the 2020 elections.]
Note that individuals who have been disqualified because they have served 2 consecutive terms may run for election for their previous posts after a break of 1 term (2 years) or more.
Note — If you would like to know if a prospective nominee is a current member of BirdsCaribbean, or if you are not sure of your membership status, please contact BirdsCaribbean’s Administrative Assistant, Delores Kellman. You can easily renew your membership or join BirdsCaribbean. Contact us if you would like to apply for a sponsored membership.
*The Nominations Committee will perform a thorough vetting of each nominee to make sure that they are suitable for candidacy.
Prior experience on the Board or another non-profit Board
Enthusiasm and commitment to contributing to the leadership and mission of BirdsCaribbean, a non-profit organization
Any BirdsCaribbean member in good standing can nominate any other BirdsCaribbean member in good standing. All members should be active in seeking out nominations for elected or appointed posts. We encourage you to open up dialogue with individuals that you think would be a great addition to the BirdsCaribbean Board, and encourage those individuals to run for election.
Note — the Nominations Committee will be considering the Board’s need for diversity and representation when developing the list of candidates for election.
WHEN YOU ARE READY TO NOMINATE AN INDIVIDUAL, PLEASE COMPLETE THE ONLINE NOMINATION FORM:
Be ready to provide the following:
Nominee’s name, address, country(ies) of citizenship and residence.
Position the nominee is standing for.
Evidence of the nominee’s willingness to stand for election. This is a brief statement that the nominee must write, and then send to you to be added to the nomination form. This should be a brief statement of interest (describing in about 100 words why the nominee thinks they are eligible for the post and what they will contribute if elected).
Name and contact information of a “seconder” (i.e., another person that agrees with this nomination), who must also be a member in good standing.
The nominations will be reviewed by the Nominations Committee to ensure that the nominees are eligible and that the nomination forms are complete.
*You may nominate more than one individual. Please complete a new nomination form for each individual and each position they seek.
The deadline for receipt of nominations is 11:59 PM, 30 September 2020.
MEET THE BC BOARD WEBINAR
Save the date: 1 September (1pm EDT): — Join us for a 1 hour virtual session where you get to meet the current Board members, hear about their positions, and ask any and all questions you have about what serving on the BC Executive Board entails. More details on this event will be made available soon.
For more information on the entire election process, please visit our Elections blog article:
The Caribbean is home to so many incredible species of birds. Join our Board of Directors, and help us protect them! Artwork from Birds of the West Indies by Herb Raffaele et al.
A galaxy of shorebirds! Craig Watson of the USFWS shares stories from the field on Year Five of Piping Plover surveys in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
On Piping Plover Cay
It was January 2020, and the Fish Fry festivities in Bight Park, Providenciales were in full swing as I arrived in Turks and Caicos, eagerly looking forward to a great couple of weeks of shorebird surveys in the islands. I soon discovered that my colleagues, now in their fifth season of surveys, had already experienced great success before I arrived. They recorded an astounding number of individual shorebirds on Black Rock—nearly 5,000, including over 2,800 Short-billed Dowitchers and 180 rufa Red Knot, a threatened species in the USA and Endangered in Canada.
Jen Rock observing thousands of shorebirds at Black Rock, Caicos Banks (Photo by Caleb Spiegel)
We had named a small cay northeast of South Caicos “Piping Plover Cay,” and sure enough, 43 Piping Plovers had already showed up. This amazing little bird is also Endangered/Threatened in the US and Endangered in Canada. This spot, where our team observed a high count of 88 Piping Plovers in 2017, is not just the most important site in the Turks and Caicos, but an important winter site for the entire Atlantic Coast Population. Most Piping Plover winter sites have less than 10 birds, while the numbers of Piping Plover on this tiny island exceed the 1% threshold for the biogeographic population.
Piping Plovers at Piping Plover Cay, South Caicos (Photo by Craig Watson)
A Special Bird and a Recovering Island
The following day brought some thrilling discoveries. I set off to conduct surveys with Dodley Prosper of the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) and to our delight we located 5 Piping Plovers on Stubbs Cay. One was really special; it had been banded in New Brunswick, Canada as a chick, returning to the same Canadian location in 2019 and 2020 to breed! Moreover, while Dodley and I were surveying the small islands between Providenciales and North Caicos, the rest of the team found 32 more Piping Plovers on Little Ambergris Cay, west of South Caicos. This was more than we had ever found there in our five years of surveying. After Hurricanes Irma (and Maria) hit hard in 2017, sucking away several sandy beaches, no plovers were seen. Thus, it was comforting to realize that not only the habitat, but also the numbers of this species appeared to be rebounding on this uninhabited wetland nature reserve. This was a very encouraging start to our fifth season!
Piping Plover Cay, South Caicos (Photo by Craig Watson)
How We Got Started
Our annual surveys in Turks and Caicos began in early 2016. We wanted to know how many Piping Plovers and other shorebirds wintered there, and how important this scattering of over forty coral islands was for their fragile populations. After the hurricanes of 2017, we also assessed the storms’ impact on the birds and the places they made home during the winter months. Surveys have also focused on identifying potential threats to winter habitats.
Unfortunately, there are a range of threats that are common to many parts of the Caribbean: sea level rise caused by climate change factors; invasive species; disturbance from recreational activities; and development. It was important for us to work with many local partners, including the TCI DECR, who now have first-hand information to continue monitoring and protecting the most critical habitats. Now, the question is: will the significant numbers of Piping Plover, Red Knot, and Short-billed Dowitcher we have discovered in the past four years continue to use the islands during the winter? And how will the severe storms affecting Caribbean islands more frequently influence the shorebirds’ population?
Will these shorebirds, especially the Piping Plover, survive these growing challenges?
Over the next ten days, our team explored much further. We revisited many areas we had been to in previous years, discovered new sites, and even used airboats for the first time in our surveys to access shallow sand and mud flats that were otherwise inaccessible. The weather was good, the beauty of the islands was remarkable, and with our new discoveries more information is now available to help conserve shorebirds in the islands.
Airboat surveys for Piping Plovers, McCartney Flats, East Caicos, local guide Bibo with Beyond the Blue, Caleb Spiegel, Jen Rock, Elise Elliott-Smith (Photo by Craig Watson)
Piping Plovers Making Moves
This winter our total Piping Plover count was slightly over 140. This was the second highest since our high count of 193 in 2017, and far higher than our low count of 62 following Irma and Maria in early 2018. At this point, we are not sure whether this reflects a true rebound from the storms or shifts in the use of habitats afterwards. We will need to conduct further surveys to be able to find the real answer, and to understand the meaning of the numbers that we observe annually. Piping Plovers form a strong attachment to their winter homes. Individual birds are known to use the same areas each winter, which may include sand flats, smaller cays, or multiple beaches.
Based on our previous knowledge of how the birds use specific areas, we were able to split into two teams to survey extensive habitat within a couple miles of where Piping Plovers had been observed in the past. This led to an exciting and fascinating discovery: Piping Plovers were moving back and forth between these areas during their daily activities, even within the same tide cycle. With the two teams observing at the same time, we were able to record band numbers from birds moving around these areas at two locations on separate days. Success! Now we were able to get a grasp of the birds’ local movements.
Survey Team for North and Middle Caicos, Sarah Neima, Caleb Spiegel, Junel Blaise, B Naqqi Manco, Elise Elliott-Smith, Dodley Prosper, Craig Watson (Photo by Jen Rock)
An Airboat Makes A Successful Debut
The large sandy flat area surrounding Piping Plover Cay on the northern end of South Caicos and McCartney Flats on the south side of East Caicos have several nearby sites used by a single flock of Piping Plovers. Although the distance between these two sites is relatively short (~1.25 km), making it easy for the birds to fly back and forth, it is a struggle for us humans to search—unless, of course, we have two teams and an airboat. Numbers on Piping Plover Cay had dropped dramatically since the hurricanes, but we were thrilled to find that over 50 Piping Plovers were using these two surrounding areas.
This was the first year we attempted to use an airboat to conduct surveys. The Beyond the Blue fishing guides out of South Caicos assisted us and we were able to reach several areas that we had never been able to access previously. We could never forget our first (and only) attempt at a survey in the past, when we dragged kayaks across what seemed like endless sand flats. This time, we were at first concerned about airboats disturbing birds so we proceeded with caution, stopping at a distance and then wading close-in by foot. The birds were hardly disturbed at all; and we would never have found them without the use of the airboat.
Birds, Not Conchs, on Conch Cay
Conch Cay, between Middle and North Caicos, and East Bay Island National Park, just off the northeast coast of North Caicos, are neighbouring sites used by Piping Plovers. Conch Cay and the sand flats at the southern tip of East Bay are pretty close together (~1.5 km) making it a short flight for plovers. Again, it had been difficult for just one team to observe the birds’ movements to and fro. This time, while one team was surveying Conch Cay, those birds flew directly to where the team on East Bay was surveying (up to 30 individuals had been observed here in the past).
We had never seen Piping Plovers on Conch Cay before—another new site to document! We realized that these birds may utilize neighboring small cays and beaches as one larger site. In other words, it is all part of the same neighbourhood for them.
Three cays northeast of Provo—Dellis, Stubbs, and Ft. George—also proved to be Piping Plover wintering sites. For the first time a small flock was observed on Stubbs Cay. These birds flew in the direction of Dellis Cay and were relocated later by observing the same bird with the same black flag marker on its leg! This means that not just one or two islands need protection for the continued survival of the Piping Plover. They are actually moving around much larger areas. So, these entire complexes of islands, cays, and intertidal flats need to come under the conservation umbrella.
Piping Plover Survey Locations (Map by Aly Ollivierre)
Snowy Plovers, Salt Flats and Flags
New findings did not end with Piping Plovers this year. On the old sandstone dikes of the South Caicos Cemetery Salinas (salt flats) we counted 17 Snowy Plovers. The Salinas are precious habitats for shorebirds and in our years of surveys we had only detected one Snowy Plover at Northwest Point Preserve two years ago! The Salinas support 21 species of shorebirds and 16 species of waterbirds, including large numbers of migrating Stilt Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Least Sandpipers. The Snowy Plover is a relatively uncommon resident in the northeast Caribbean, and another subspecies listed as Threatened in the U.S. It is fantastic to know that Snowy Plovers are year-round residents here in the Salinas on Turks and Caicos!
Snowy Plover South Caicos Cemetery Salinas (Photo by Craig Watson)
And the Piping Plovers waved flags! Perhaps one of the highlights this year was that nineteen (19) of the Piping Plovers we observed were tagged with unique color flags and codes, identifying the individual bird and its breeding origin. These birds breed in Canada and the U.S. and all but one were banded on their breeding grounds—which included beaches in New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. One bird was marked as a migrant moving through North Carolina. Other flagged species recorded in the islands were Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone, and Sanderling. These resightings are critical, as they are telling us where we need to protect and manage the places where they stop and settle. This will help sustain them throughout their travels, whether they are breeding in Canada, migrating, or wintering in the Caribbean! Keep an eye out for marked shorebirds on your island, report sightings (BandedBirds.org) and contribute to improving our collective knowledge!
Flagged Piping Plover from Escuminac Beach, New Brunswick, Canada on Little Water Cay (Photo by Craig Watson)
Checking out New Spots
Our teams ventured further afield, visiting and surveying areas that we had not looked at in past years. One such area was the island of West Caicos and nearby cays. We had a bit of a bumpy ride out to the cays, but all in a day’s work! We found that some of the smaller cays really did not have suitable habitat for Piping Plovers. West Caicos had some beach areas on the east shore similar to other beaches where Piping Plovers were found. However, most of these beaches were very high energy—not a suitable environment for roosting or foraging birds. We did find a good population of Bahama Mockingbird, which was previously undocumented. The team also found good numbers of seven species of shorebirds including Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Lesser Yellowlegs, all identified as critical species in the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative.
Extensive flats on West Caicos (Photo by Craig Watson)
For the first time we conducted comprehensive surveys in and around the Wheeland Ponds in Providenciales. It is an area of brackish ponds and mangroves, as well as old sand mining pits between Northwest Point and the Blue Hills area. Historically, the area was used for agriculture and sand mining, and for “wrecking”—the shipwreck salvage business. The salinity of the ponds along with the limestone outcroppings support the same types of wildlife, particularly birds, as in other areas. Our surveys detected approximately 20 species, 10 of which were shorebird species, with significant numbers of Black-necked Stilts, Killdeer, and Wilson’s and Black-bellied Plovers. Other birds of interest included American Flamingo, White-cheeked Pintail, and Least Grebe. Currently, the 96-acre area is being considered for inclusion in the Turks and Caicos national park system, as a critical habitat reserve.
Jen Rock and Sarah Neima surveying the Wheeland Pond area (Photo by Craig Watson)
Valuable Partnerships in Conservation
What would we do without our partners? The success of our surveys would not have been possible without this network of awesome people assisting in our efforts. The collaboration has grown over the last five years and now includes many local colleagues, most notably the TCI Department of Coastal and Environmental Resources (DECR). Although first led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in recent years surveys have been jointly led by USGS, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and DECR. From the start, the DECR has provided boats and personnel every year, and over time their members have developed significant expertise in surveying shorebirds. For the first time in 2020, DECR was in charge and worked independently on a survey of Big Sand Cay.
BirdsCaribbean, SWA Environmental (Kathleen Wood), the Turks and Caicos Reef Fund (Don Stark), and the Turks and Caicos National Trust (supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) are local organizations that provided funding support, in addition to the survey assistance by Kathleen Wood. Big Blue Collective (Mark Parish), Beyond the Blue (Bibo), and local guides Tim Hamilton and Cardinal Arthur provided invaluable knowledge of the islands, the marine landscape, and skills in navigating the turquoise waters. In many cases these boat operators went above and beyond our expectations. They got us where we needed to go when we needed to be there, working long hours for not much pay.
Local guide Cardinal Arthur with Jen Rock and Sarah Neima (Photo by Craig Watson)
Information sharing is what it’s all about. During our five years of surveys, we have observed approximately 80 bird species and roughly 13,000 individual shorebirds, providing DECR and local partners with the “know how” to assist in managing the natural resources of the islands. Data on Piping Plovers and other shorebird hotspots has been used by the TCI Government to inform all-important environmental impact assessments and other land management decisions.
It is likely the current pandemic may not allow international partners like myself to conduct another survey in 2021. However, we all hope that another year of surveys can be completed by our many great partners on the ground in Turks and Caicos. The islands are a true treasure for shorebirds and we need to protect and manage these precious places for the continued survival of the species and the environment.
Each year has brought new discoveries and the more we discover, the more effective our partnerships and conservation efforts become! The charming Piping Plover, a very special winter resident in TCI and Bahamas, remains an inspiration to us all.
Craig Watson is the South Atlantic Coordinator of the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture. His job is to coordinate bird habitat conservation efforts with partners for high priority species that utilize the Atlantic Flyway (Canada to South America). If you would like to help fund future surveys and conservation actions for Piping Plovers and shorebirds in the TCI, Bahamas and the region, please click here.
Enjoy the photo gallery below. Hover over each photo to see the caption; click on the first photo to see a slide show.
Piping Plovers at Piping Plover Cay, South Caicos (Photo by Craig Watson)
Piping Plover Cay, South Caicos (Photo by Craig Watson)
Mark Parrish of Big Blue Collective assisting team surveying at Ft. George Cay, Providenciales (Photo by Craig Watson)
Conservation Officers Rodney Smith and Trevor Watkins of DECR assisting with access to islands for shorebird surveys (Photo by Craig Watson)
Piping Plover with flag on East Bay Island Reserve from Second Beach, Newfoundland, Canada (Photo by Caleb Spiegel)
Reddish Egret white phase (Photo by Craig Watson)
Reddish Egret dark phase (Photo by Craig Watson)
Team surveying West Caicos, Sarah Neima, Elise Elliott-Smith, Craig Watson, Dodley Prosper, Junel Blaise (Photo by Jen Rock)
Crew surveying Little Ambergris Cay, South Caicos, Sarah Neima, Tyann Henry, Kathy Lockhart (Photo by Jen Rock)
Elise Elliott-Smith, Sarah Neima, Jen Rock, surveying Little Water Cay in Turks and Caicos. (Photo by Craig Watson)
Junel Blaise of DECR assisting with surveys, Pigeon Pond and Frenchman’s Creek Nature Preserve (Photo by Craig Watson)
Team surveying Little Water Cay, Elise Elliott-Smith, Sarah Neima, Jen Rock, Craig Watson (Photo by Mark Parrish)
Black-necked Stilts, Whitby Salina Pond, North Caicos (Photo by Craig Watson)
DECR Conservation Officers Rodney Smith and Delroy Glinton assisting with access to islands for shorebird surveys (Photo by Craig Watson)
DECR boat assistance with surveys, Dellis Cay (Photo by Craig Watson)
Dodley Prosper (formerly of DECR) surveying in the old sand pits of the Blue Hills area of Providenciales (Photo by Craig Watson)
Wild Cow Run Beach, Middle Caicos (Photo by Craig Watson)
Joe Grant’s beach, Joe Grant’s Cay, East Caicos (Photo by Craig Watson)
Piping Plovers on Stubbs Cay (Photo by Craig Watson)
Beach at West Caicos, first time surveyed (Photo by Craig Watson)
Local guide Tim Hamilton, Craig Watson, Elise Elliott-Smith, Caleb Spiegel, Dickish Cay, Middle Caicos (Photo by Marley Hamilton)
Survey crew on Little Ambergris Cay, South Caicos, Foreground Eric Salamanca (DECR), Sarah Neima and Jen Rock (Environment and Climate Change Canada) Elise Eliott-Smith (U.S. Geological Survey), Background Kathy Lockhart and Tyann Henry (Photo by Caleb Spiegel)
Elise Elliott-Smith and Jen Rock on airboat (Beyond the Blue) (Photo by Caleb Spiegel)
BirdsCaribbean, like many other organizations, has had to “rethink” and restructure many of its regular activities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF), celebrated each spring by diverse groups and partners throughout the Caribbean, moved into the online world for 2020. It transformed into a “virtual festival” from our homes—our “nest.”
Vivian and her grandson Diego enjoy birding in Punta Cana in the DR. Grupo Acción Ecológica developed a simple protocol so that the citizens could make observations of birds from their homes and nearby surroundings, departing from traditional group activities for CEBF for the first time. They report that 70 species were sighted, of which 19 (27%) were endemic. Furthermore, the Festival generated wide family participation and photographs of birds, with much excitement and enthusiasm for this birding-from-home activity (Credit: Grupo Acción Ecológica).
Making the Most of the Challenge
In the 19-year history of the CEBF, we have always found fun and creative ways to connect people to our rich and diverse regional avifauna, with a special focus on the unique 171species that live only in the region. Each year, partner organizations, led by BirdsCaribbean organize educational, social and scientific events, gathering people of all ages together at various birding “hotspots.” This year, the planned theme was to celebrate our Birds and Culture; but the challenges of COVID-19 and the social distancing restrictions on the islands’ residents presented unusual challenges for participants.
However, adjusting to difficult situations is nothing new for the region, points out CEBF Regional Coordinator Eduardo Llegus: “Caribbean people—and birds—are very resilient. We have endured catastrophic hurricanes, severe droughts, heavy rainfall and flooding, pollution, and a number of impacts on our environment caused by human activity.”
“Despite these challenges, our enthusiastic partners and bird educators still inspire everyone to help conserve our winged friends and their local habitats, as well as our natural resources, in harmony with humans,” he stressed.
The Virtual Festival Takes Off
Children, teens and adults engaged in a safe, fun, and educational “virtual festival” for CEBF 2020. Online discussions, webinars, courses, educational videos, bird puzzles, maps, eBooks, colouring pages, blog and newspaper articles all formed part of an exciting range of remote activities.
Birding safely from the house in the Dominican Republic! Due to COVID-19, many people enjoyed watching and learning about birds from their house for this year’s CEBF. Many people started birding for the first time (credit: Grupo Acción Ecológica)!
BirdsCaribbean launched pages from the recently published Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book on our website. This delightful book features 50 endemic Caribbean birds and includes a wealth of additional information on each bird. BirdsCaribbean is especially grateful to the artist Christine Elder, Mark Yokoyama, and many other contributors, including bird photographers. We featured an Endemic Bird of the Day for 50 days on our From the Nest page, and shared photos, puzzles, activities, videos, bird songs and calls, and more.
Throughout this spring, the online world was busy. Birds Caribbean was no exception, with visits to our website and to social media pages increasing by more than 500% in the last two months. BirdsCaribbean now has hundreds of new friends and followers, all engaged and interested in our work.
BirdsCaribbean partners created their own online initiatives for CEBF 2020, mainly on their social media pages, reaching more than 100,000 people all around the Caribbean region, and across the globe. The Bahamas National Trust offered the first online talk, exploring the mysteries of the legendary “Chickcharney”, an owl-like folkloric creature. Artist Christine Elder live-streamed hands-on workshops on Sketching Hummingbirds and Sketching Parrots assisted by parrot expert, Aliya Hosein, in Trinidad.
Social media post by a new BirdsCaribbean fan, Trinidadian Katrina Khan-Roberts, of her sketches from Christine Elder’s Caribbean Hummingbirds Webinar
Josmar’s Drawing and Coloring Caribbean Endemic Birds YouTube Series
Cuban groups partnered with the University of Havana to focus on an Endemic Cuban Bird each day on Facebook, with wonderful photos and fascinating information on each species.
The Cubans shared a different Cuban endemic bird each day of the Festival.
Les Fruits de Mer, BirdLife Jamaica, SOH Conservación, Grupo Acción Ecológica, Puerto Rican Bird Photographers and other Caribbean non-governmental organizations posted on social media about endemic birds and their habitats.
Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Twitter post on the Puerto Rican Parrot
Learning New Ways to Connect
CEBF 2020 was remarkable, offering fresh insights and perspectives through the online experience. BirdsCaribbean and its partners entered a new world of creative possibilities, discovering fresh ways of communicating our important messages on endemic birds. We explored different options, learned to handle Zoom meetings and to present online, and stepped up our social media presence. The response was enthusiastic. The festival was more than just a substitute for regular organized, in-person events. CEBF 2020 highlighted in an innovative way the importance of our unique native wildlife, and emphasized how essential it is to protect our endemic species.
Visit BirdsCaribbean to find From the Nest page, our Youtube channel, and Resources page to enjoy our Endemic Bird of the Day series with photos, puzzles, activities, videos, and more. Follow BirdsCaribbean (@BirdsCaribbean) and your local nature groups on social media with #CEBFFromTheNest and #Festival_de_Aves_Endémicas_del_Caribe.
Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival events are held annually between Earth Day on April 22nd and International Biodiversity Day on May 22nd. Contact your local environmental group to find out about events on your island, or contact BirdsCaribbean to organize an event of your own: CEBF@birdscaribbean.org.
Thank you to all of our partners and friends across the region for participating so enthusiastically and making CEBF 2020 memorable and special. Enjoy the gallery below! (hover over each image to see the caption; click on each photo to see it larger and to view images as a gallery).
Dominica’s Forestry, Wildlife and parks Division challenged their followers to ID birds throughout the month.
Participants in our parrot sketching workshop by artist and naturalist Christine Elder, showed off their artwork on social media!
Corredor Biológico en el Caribe shared information about the much beloved endemic Cuban Tody for CEBF 2020.
Artwork from the DR shared by Grupo Accion Ecologica.
BirdsCaribbean offered online puzzles of endemic birds with each Endemic Bird of the Day; these can be accessed at our From the Nest page.
Sustainable Grenadines Inc in Union Island, did a fantastic job sharing sightings of birds at local habitats throughout CEBF!
Ave Zona in Venezuela was active ni sarhing information about endemic birds and habitats for CEBF.
Dr. Adrianne Tossas in Puerto Rico gave an outstanding webinar on the endemic birds of Puerto Rico, co-hosted by the DRNE and BIrdsCaribbean.
The Dominica Forestry Dept did a lot of great sharing about birds found Dominica’s diverse habitats.
Bird Photographer in Puerto Rico shared many outstanding photos of Puerto Rico’s endemic birds.
Parrot expert and enthusiast, Aliya Hosein, in Trinidad, did a wonderful job sharing information, artwork, and stamps of the Caribbean’s endemic parrots
An updated edition of the acclaimed field guide to the spectacular birds of the West Indies is now available for purchase.
We are excited to announce the recent release of an updated, second edition to the acclaimed field guide, Birds of the West Indies by Herb Raffaele et al.!
Birds of the West Indies was the first field guide to cover and depict all bird species known to occur in the region with any regularity, including infrequently occurring and introduced forms. Now fully updated and expanded, this stunningly illustrated book features detailed accounts of more than 600 species, describing identification field marks, ranges, status, songs and calls, and habitats.
There are more than 100 beautiful color plates that depict plumages of all the species—including those believed to have recently become extinct—as well as distribution maps, a color code for endemic birds, and an incisive introduction that discusses avifaunal changes in the West Indies over the past fifteen years, and the importance of conservation.
Noteworthy Features of the Second Edition:
Covers more than 60 new species, including vagrants, introductions, and taxonomic splits
Presents species in user-friendly order from ocean birds to land birds
Separates vagrants to minimize confusion with regularly occurring species
Updates the status of every species
Features illustrations for all new species and improved artwork for warblers and flycatchers
Color codes endemic species confined to one or only a few islands
And don’t forget: whenever you shop on Amazon (e.g., to buy the new field guide), please shop on Amazon Smile and designate BirdsCaribbean as your charity to support. You don’t pay extra, rather a portion of your regular purchase price comes to us – every little bit helps – thanks in advance!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Hispaniolan Parrot
Are those treetops extra loud or is it just us? No, it’s the Hispaniolan Parrot! Known as the Cotorra in Spanish and the Jako or Jacquot in Haiti, these birds often travel in large groups squawking and screeching as they hunt for ripe fruits. Their bright green plumage works well as camouflage as they forage in tropical treetops. The Hispaniolan Parrot is one of the smallest parrots in the genus, Amazona, measuring in at only 28-31 cm. These charismatic birds are brilliant green with a maroon belly, white forehead, light blue headband, pale beak, dark blue cheek patches, and red in the tail. Their bright blue flight feathers help to distinguish them from the similar Hispaniolan Parakeet in flight.
Hispaniolan Parrots are endemic to the island of Hispaniola and are currently listed as Vulnerable. They live in a variety of wooded habitats, from arid palm-savanna to pine and montane humid forest. They typically nest in tree cavities, laying 2 to 4 eggs during the February to June breeding season. Formerly common throughout the island, Hispaniolan Parrots are now much reduced in numbers and locally common only in major forest reserves. Their population decline is due to loss of habitat from deforestation and illegal capture for the local and international pet trade. In addition, these birds forage in cultivated crops and are shot as crop pests.
In the Dominican Republic it is illegal to keep these birds as pets, but the presence of parrots in Dominican households is not uncommon. The government has made a strong effort to seize illegal birds and rehabilitate them in the Santo Domingo Zoo. NGOs and community groups have carried out education campaigns. Some poaching still continues, however, with chicks robbed from nests at a young age and sold as pets. This activity also destroys nest sites because nesting trees are often cut down to reach the chicks.
Fortunately, Dominican conservation groups have led the way in efforts to involve local communities in helping to protect wild populations. Farmers and people living in rural areas often have the best knowledge of the local flora and fauna, including where birds like parrots are known to nest. These people are hired as park rangers and provided monetary incentives to ensure breeding parrots in the area fledge chicks. This not only protects parrots when they are most vulnerable, but also gives communities more ownership and pride in hosting these unique parrots on their farms. You can do your part to help conserve parrots by educating others and supporting conservation of their forest habitat. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Hispaniolan Parrot!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Hispaniolan Parrot
The Hispaniolan Parrot‘s has a wide variety of loud squawks and screeches and 2-syllable bugling flight calls. Dominicans will commonly refer to Hispaniolan Parrots as “cú-ca”, in reference to one of the their most common sounds and calls.
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!
Hispaniolan Parrots eat a wide variety of fruits and seeds, especially palms, cacti, Caesalpinia, and guava. They help to regenerate forests by dispersing seeds. (Photo by Dax Roman)Hispaniolan Parrots are a much beloved bird. Sadly, their populations are declining due to habitat loss from deforestation and illegal capture for the pet trade. (Photo by Francisco Alba)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Don’t miss this excellent short video about the Hispaniolan Parrot featuring Dr. Yolanda Leon, Executive Director of Grupo Jaragua. This conservation group is working hard to save the parrot and other invaluable biodiversity in the Dominican Republic.
The Caribbean is home to 9 species of endemic parrots – how many do you know? Test your knowledge and learn more about these special birds with our fun Caribbean Parrot Memory Match Game.
Dr. Lourdes Mugica, Professor of Biology at the University of Havana, shares with us news of the first edition of the Cuban Ornithologists Year Book. Congratulations to this amazing group on their tremendous work and the creation of this excellent resource.
The last BirdsCaribbean International Conference celebrated in Guadeloupe (July 2019) had many positive outcomes for Cubans, but not all were evident during the conference. Firstly, a record number of Cuban people from all over the country — 20 persons — received support to attend the conference. This was possible thanks to the amazing efforts of BirdsCaribbean and its donors.
It was a great occasion not only for international exchange and networking, but for internal exchanges as well. During the conference, we Cubans organized a meeting to analyze the present status and future of Cuban ornithology, and how we could encourage more research, education, capacity building, and conservation throughout our island. Several initiatives were developed, including the publication of an annual Cuban Ornithologists Year Book (Anuario Ornitológico de Cuba 2019). We are excited to share the first one, and in doing so starting a new tradition. We hope to publish it annually.
The goal of the Cuban Ornithologists Year Book is to gather all the results obtained by Cuban ornithologists and volunteers during the year in different fields, all of them contributing in some way to ornithology and bird conservation. The Year Book shows what we have accomplished during the year, including publications, events, awards, PhD theses, capacity building, and national and international projects. Authors and institutions are listed for each activity. The Year Book also includes a Directory of Cubans and volunteers contributing to the results — email addresses and phone numbers are listed to facilitate scientific exchange. It was labor-intensive to gather all the information at the country level; it is great to now see it completed.
The results include the publication of 29 scientific papers, participation in 15 events with 40 presentations, 49 projects in progress, 1 PhD and 1 Undergraduate thesis defended, 6 awards received, and 8 capacity building courses delivered. All of this information is organized at the national, institutional, and personal levels. Some of the most outstanding results are highlighted. The Year Book concludes with a Directory containing contact information for the 50 Cubans involved.
Many thanks again to BirdsCaribbean for their support for several of the projects mentioned in the Year Book, and for helping so many Cubans attend the BirdsCaribbean conference in Guadeloupe that resulted in this major project.
Dr. Lourdes Mugica is a full professor at the University of Havana where she teaches classes on Conservation Biology and Biodiversity and Conservation. Her main areas of research are Bird Ecology and Bird Conservation, especially of waterbirds. She is also very active in outreach, capacity building and education efforts in Cuba. Download the Year Book here.
The Cuban contingent! A record 20 Cubans attended the 2019 Guadeloupe Conference, thanks to our generous sponsors! (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Every two years, BirdsCaribbean (BC) holds an election for its Board of Directors. The Call for Nominations is open, and will remain open until the night of 30 September.
This year — 2020 — is an election year, and we need the involvement of our community members!
Serving on the BirdsCaribbean Board of Directors is a fantastic opportunity to help shape the future of an organization dedicated to conserving the region’s incredible birds and nature. We are a vibrant network and work with many partners throughout the region, including governments, NGOs, educators, tourism interests, communities, students, and more. The BirdsCaribbean Board is an extremely personable, inclusive, and enthusiastic group, and we are eager to bring new ideas and backgrounds to our leadership. Without a doubt, serving on our Board is an enriching and rewarding opportunity, and interested individuals should not hesitate to pursue a position.
BirdsCaribbean is seeking “hummingbirds” to join our Board of Directors — individuals with lots of energy and enthusiasm!
Some important vocab and distinctions:
Directors = Leaders of the organization
Board of Directors = Entire leadership group (all officers and directors)
Executive Board = Officers only
Positions on the Board of Directors that are open for election include:
4 Officer Directors (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and
1 Director-at-Large
Basic responsibilities of every Director:
Determine and promote the organization’s vision and mission
Ensure effective organizational planning
Determine and monitor the organization’s programs and services
Ensure adequate resources and manage resources effectively
Select the Executive Director
Enhance the organization’s public image
Participate in Board discussions
Promote BirdsCaribbean
Support BirdsCaribbean financially
Take a leadership role on committees
Reveal conflicts or issues
Directors that take on Operational Duties are called Officers, and are listed here:
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Past-President
Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology
Directors without Officer positions are called At-Large Directors.
HOW WE NEED YOU TO BE INVOLVED:
Over the coming months, BirdsCaribbean’s members will:
nominate good individuals for these Board positions, and then
vote on the individuals put forward for election by the Nominations Committee
This is an important opportunity for our community to shape the leadership and future direction of BirdsCaribbean!
ELECTED BOARD POSITIONS and their CURRENT STATUS:
Serving on the BirdsCaribbean Board of Directors is an enriching experience, where you can really make an impact. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
The current members of the full Board of Directors may be viewed here.
The following positions are elected positions, and are all open for nominations, no matter the incumbent’s status.
President: Currently filled by Andrew Dobson, not eligible for re-election to this position (has served two consecutive terms). Position must be filled.
Vice President: Justin Proctor, eligible for re-election to this position.
Treasurer: Laura Bambini, resigning. Position must be filled.
Secretary: Hannah Madden, resigning. Position must be filled.
Elected Director-at-Large: Adrianne Tossas, eligible for re-election to this position.
More information on the roles and responsibilities of Directors and Terms of Reference for each of the elected Officer positions can be found here:
Elected individuals will serve a two-year term starting in January 2021 and ending December 2022.
Board members can serve in the same position for two consecutive terms (if re-elected for a second term). They must then take a two-year break or serve in a different position.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I want to nominate someone that is NOT from the Caribbean, is that ok? Yes, absolutely. Nominees can be from anywhere. However, we do want to strongly encourage nominations of Caribbean nationals.
Do I have to support BirdsCaribbean financially if I am giving my time as a Board member? At a minimum, you do need to be a member, so yes. Your financial support may come in a form other than cash (e.g., assisting with fundraising, grant-writing, membership drives, communications, etc.). Because the Board is responsible for contributing to the financial well-being of the organization, leaders of the organization must help find those funds.
Do I need to be a BirdsCaribbean member to nominate someone or to run for office? Yes, only members in good standing can nominate persons for a position or run for one of the elected positions on the board. If you need to renew your membership, you can do so quickly here. If you would like to join for the first time, click here.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS:
In order to keep our community engaged with the elections, our goal is to keep you well informed of how and when BC members can be involved. Here is a timeline of what lies ahead:
1 August: Call for Nominations opens.
1 September (1pm EDT):Meet the BC Board Webinar — a 1 hour virtual session where you get to meet the current Board members, hear about their positions, and ask any and all questions you have about what serving on the BC Executive Board entails. More details on this event will be made available soon.
1 August – 30 September: Two months’ time during which nominations can be sent to the Nominations Committee.
1 October: Nominations are closed. The Nominations Committee reviews the nominations and agrees on a slate of candidates that they submit to the Board for approval.
1 November: The President will announce the slate of candidates and release the link to electronic ballots to BirdsCaribbean members.
1 November – 15 December: All BirdsCaribbean members should vote during this time.
20 December: The President will announce the results of the election.
31 December: Terms of Office for previous Board members end.
PART 1: NOMINATIONS
The most important part of the election process is the nomination period, a time during which we as a community seek out the best individuals to serve on our Board. In order to oversee this effort, BC has a Nominations Committee, which for 2020 is composed of the following individuals:
Andrew Dobson – President of BirdsCaribbean
Lisa Sorenson – Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean
Justin Proctor – Vice President of BirdsCaribbean
Hannah Madden – Secretary of BirdsCaribbean
Ancilleno Davis – Director-At-Large of BirdsCaribbean
Ann Sutton – former Secretary of BirdsCaribbean
Howard Nelson – former President of BirdsCaribbean
The Call for Nominations is open, and will remain open until the night of 30 September. During this time, our community’s goal is to develop the best possible slate of qualified individuals to run for election, and ultimately provide leadership and growth for BirdsCaribbean. Some traits of nominees that should be considered include:
Qualification for the post (please read the Terms of Reference for each position)
Prior experience on the Board
Diversity of geographic representation
Enthusiasm and earnest commitment to developing a non-profit organization
Any BirdsCaribbean member in good standing can nominate any other BirdsCaribbean member in good standing. All members should be active in seeking out nominations. We encourage you to open up dialogue with individuals that you think would be a great addition to the BirdsCaribbean Board, and encourage those individuals to run for election.
PART 2: ELECTIONS
On 1 November, BirdsCaribbean will send an electronic election ballot to all BC members. The ballot will contain background information on all of the nominated individuals, though we encourage members to research their choices as thoroughly as possible before casting their votes. Remember that elected individuals will become the next BirdsCaribbean Executive Board, a group tasked with shaping the future of the organization. Make your vote a good and educated one!
Members will have six weeks (until 11:59pm EDT 15 December) to electronically submit their votes. All BirdsCaribbean members should vote during this time.
PART 3: POST-ELECTION
BirdsCaribbean will announce the election results on 20 December 2020. Newly elected Board members will receive specific training on how to fulfill their duties, and will also have the opportunity to connect with and learn from the Board member that previously held their position.
New Board members will officially begin their terms on 1 January 2021.
If you have any questions about your membership status or that of a prospective nominee, please contact Delores Kellman, BirdsCaribbean Administrative Assistant: delores.kellman@birdscaribbean.org
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Scaly-naped Pigeon
The Scaly-Naped Pigeon is a large, forest-dwelling pigeon that occurs throughout the Caribbean, except for Jamaica and the Bahamas. It feeds on seeds, fruits, leaf buds, and snails. It is arboreal, feeding in forest canopies. But it will feed opportunistically on the ground, such as on farms or following forest destruction by hurricanes. It is 14 to 16 inches in height. This pigeon, like others, are important seed dispersers, which means that they help us by spreading seeds around to plant trees.
The Scaly-naped Pigeon is commonly found perched high in trees, that is, if you can find it! In many islands, they are skittish, probably due to hunting pressures. They can be detected by their distinctive, melodic, and maybe even wary, Who Are You? call as they peer down from the safety and cover of tall, forest trees. Sometimes, you may only hear the flapping sounds of their wings as they flee the scene to a different, undisturbed location. In other islands though, Scaly-naped Pigeons are at ease with the human population and in built-up areas. For example, they are easily seen on the Grenadine islands shared between Saint Vincent and Grenada, and are affectionately known by the locals as Ramier.
At a distance, Scaly-Naped Pigeons appear entirely slate gray in colour. At closer range you can see that the head, neck and breast are purple-red, with gorgeous iridescence on the hind neck when the sun hits just right. The neck feathers also grow in a scaly-looking pattern thus giving rise to that description in both its common and scientific name (squamosa means scaly). Scaly-Naped Pigeons can also be identified by their red legs, red eyes, and red at the base of their light-coloured beaks. Their red eyes are surrounded by a patch of bare yellow skin.
The Scaly-naped Pigeon is common on some islands, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and some islands of the Lesser Antilles. It is less common on others due to lack of habitat or hunting pressure. It calls from January to July, with peak calls occurring with the fruiting of preferred tree species. The nest is a loose, stick platform constructed on a tree limb, epiphyte, or occasionally on the ground. The female lays 1 or 2 glossy, white eggs and incubates for about two weeks. The young fledge in 18 to 22 days. Local Names: Red-necked Pigeon, Red Head, Blue Pigeon, Mountain Pigeon, Paloma Turca, Torcaza Cuellimorada, Ramier, Ranmye Koa Wouj, Pigeon a Cou Rouge, Ramier Cou Rouge, Grote Blauwe Duif. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Scaly-naped Pigeon!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Scaly-naped Pigeon
The Scaly-naped Pigeon‘s song is a an emphatic cruu. . . cruu-cru-cruuuu…cruu. . . cruu-cru-cruuuu … with the heaviest accent on the fourth syllable. The first syllable is soft and separated by a pause. The last three syllables are repeated and sound like Who are you! It also gives a low-pitched rolling call rhurrrrrrrrrr.
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!
Scaly-naped Pigeon (Photo by Canter Photography)Scaly-naped Pigeon (Photo by Canter Photography)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: The Caribbean has many species of pigeons and doves – how many do you know? Become more familiar with these beautiful birds with our fun Caribbean Pigeons and Doves Memory Match Game.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: La Selle Thrush
The La Selle Thrush is close cousins with the American Robin. Both belong to the genus Turdus – the true thrushes. The genus has 84 species worldwide, including five in the Caribbean: White-eyed, White-chinned, Red-legged, Forest, and the extinct Grand Cayman Thrush. The handsome La Selle Thrush, found only on the island of Hispaniola, is one of the most secretive. This bird is so elusive that scientists didn’t even know it existed until 1927. An expedition to southeast Haiti first found it atop the 2,000m high La Selle ridge, from which it takes its name.
To see this rare bird, you will need to climb up to the dense wet broadleaf forests high in the mountains above 1,300 m (~4000 ft). With an early start and a bit of luck, at first light you will hear the slow, well-spaced phrases of the La Selle Thrush’s wistful song. As it perches on a mossy branch or hops into view, you will see how its jet black head, back, and wings contrast with its bright orange bill and yellow eye ring. Its black upper parts fade to slaty gray on its upper breast and a rich reddish-rufous on its lower breast and sides. Despite its well-earned reputation as a shy skulker, this bird will sometimes come out in a forest opening. Like other thrushes, it forages on the ground, eating insects, earthworms, and fruit.
The La Selle Thrush lives in wet and cloud forest habitats in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It is listed as Vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN because its population size is small, fragmented and declining. The main threat is loss of habitat from cutting of trees for agriculture and charcoal production. More frequent and severe droughts from climate change is another challenge for the long-term survival of these ancient forests and their wildlife.
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the La Selle Thrush
The La Selle Thrush‘s song is a series of deliberate and spaced out notes tu-re-oo and cho-ho-cho. Also heard singing in the distance is a Rufous-throated Solitaire and a calling Hispaniolan Woodpecker.
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!
La Selle Thrush (Photo by Alberto Rojas)La Selle Thrush (Photo by Dax Roman)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Here’s a short video of the handsome La Selle Thrush hopping on the ground in Pedernales, Dominican Republic.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Cuban Grassquit
The Cuban Grassquit, called Tomeguin del Pinar in Cuba, is a very small (11.5 cm) seed-eating bird with a conical bill. The male has a black face ringed with a bright yellow collar. He is olive green above and grayish below with a black patch on the breast. The female is similar but duller with a chestnut and gray face and no black breast patch.
The Cuban Grassquit is endemic to Cuba and widespread across the island in coastal scrub, woodlands, pine forests, and thickets near cultivated fields. Because of their bright colors and beautiful song, many people want to keep these birds as pets. Sadly, this has led to a tremendous decline in numbers of this species due to illegal trapping for the caged bird trade, including much international trade. In areas where they were abundant 20 years ago, they have completely disappeared. Conservation partners in Cuba are working on education campaigns to discourage trapping and keeping these birds as pets. Loss of habitat from deforestation is also a problem.
During the non-breeding season, Cuban Grassquits are usually in flocks with Yellow-faced Grassquits, feeding on seeds, small fruits, and plant shoots. In the breeding season, from March to October, flocks divide into pairs. The nest is a large globular mass of woven dried grass built near the ground, with a side entrance. Females lay 2-3 eggs that are white with brown spots. Both parents feed the nestlings.
The Cuban Grassquit is also found on the island of New Providence, in the Bahamas, where it was introduced in 1963. An airplane carrying a cage of Cuban Grassquits from Cuba to Europe landed in Nassau with mechanical problems. Before the plan could continue on its route, the birds were beginning to die so the cage was opened to release the birds. Cuban Grassquits are now common on New Providence. Because they are non-migratory they have not spread to other islands. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Cuban Grassquit!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Cuban Grassquit
The Cuban Grassquit‘s song is a shrill tsit-tsit-tilloi, or chiri wichiwichi, chiri wichiwichi, chibiri wichi wichi. Pairs also sing in duet as courtship and against territorial rivals. The call is a soft chip or high tsit, often repeated.
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 Grassquit is a small seed-eating bird endemic to Cuba; there is also an introduced population in New Providence, Bahamas. The male is striking with a black face and bright yellow collar. These birds are experiencing a serious decline due to trapping for the caged-bird trade. (Photo by Rick Evets)Cuban Grassquit female – she is similar to the male but duller. Her face is mostly chestnut brown instead of black and she does not have a black patch on the breast. (Photo by Rick Evets)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy the videos of a Cuban Grassquit below. The first two videos show a male and female perched on a branch in Cuba by Cuban bird guide and author of the Birds of Cuba, Arturo Kirkconnell. The third video shows lovely close-up footage of a male foraging for seeds on the ground.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, one of 3 species of hummingbirds that are resident in Antigua and other Lesser Antilles islands plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. (photo by Nick Hollands)
We have all had to adapt to a drastically different way of life in a very short time. One of our partners, the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) in Antigua and Barbuda, has risen to the challenge and made the best of a difficult situation. They organized an online “Birding for Beginners” course to encourage more people in Antigua to learn about local birds, take up birdwatching as a hobby, and to help with citizen science initiatives in Antigua. Here they describe the course and initial outcomes.
The Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) in Antigua and Barbuda is constantly seeking out means to connect our people with nature. EAG aims to promote a greater understanding of and appreciation for how our natural environment provides essential services that support our very lives.
Much of the work that EAG is involved in promotes the conservation of birds and their habitats. One of our goals is to encourage our residents to go out and become citizen scientists—observing birds, collecting data, and sharing it on a platform that can be used by scientists and decision-makers.
A Virtual Introduction to the World of Birds
Yellow Warbler or Canary, as it is commonly called in Antigua. This small bright yellow bird is often found among Wild Tamarind plants and has a beautiful song. (photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
But first, how do we get people to bird, if they don’t know much about the birds? And how do you bird during a pandemic lockdown? The EAG team decided to launch an online Bird Training session called Birding for Beginners, in the month of May. This consisted of six webinars that taught the basics of birding, including identification, behavior, habitat, ecology, Important Bird Areas, monitoring techniques, threats to birds, conservation, and ethical birding.
Antigua and Barbuda is home to numerous species of resident birds, and over one hundred species of migratory birds spend part of their year here. Birds are ubiquitous on our islands; they are found from the mountain tops of the Shekerley mountain range right down to the wave-chasers on our sandy beaches. We have big, imposing raptors and tiny little hummingbirds. We have land birds, shorebirds, wetland birds, and in-between birds!
Getting to Know Birds
Ruddy Turnstones are common winter shorebirds in Antigua and the Caribbean. They find invertebrate prey items on the beach by flipping over stones, hence their name “turnstone.” (Photo by Arnaldo Toledo)
During the webinars, the participants were challenged to learn to identify birds by their shape, size, colour, behaviour and location. For example, one should be able to look at a bird’s bill and decide if it’s a meat-eater, a seed-eater, an insect-eater, a fruit-eater, or otherwise. Some birds glide in flight while others flap. When feeding, some probe and peck, while others snap prey out of the air, or flip over everything in sight. How about their behaviour on the ground? Some run around, some pose majestically with a piercing gaze, and some even “twerk” (bobbing their tail incessantly)!
Participants learned about the important part birds play in our environment. The EAG webinars highlighted some of birds’ vital ecosystem roles. These include keeping the insect population under control, dispersing seeds, pollinating flowers, cleaning up carcasses, advising on the weather, enriching the soil – and even influencing fashion! Participants also learnt about birding “hotspots,” Important Bird Areas and Key Biodiversity Areas across our islands. Examples of these are our offshore islands, Christian Valley, Wallings, McKinnons Pond, and the Codrington Lagoon.
An International Study Group is Born
The Barbuda Warbler, found nowhere else in the world except the tiny island of Barbuda (photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Of course, we also examined identifying common birds, as well as rare birds and resident and migratory species. We highlighted birds of conservation concern due to threats they face, both human-caused (e.g., destruction of their habitats) and natural (e.g., hurricanes). Special mention was made of our endemic Barbuda Warbler, found nowhere else in the world but – Barbuda.
To wrap up the course, participants learned how to implement actions to conserve birds, how to monitor them, and how to use the online applications eBird Caribbean and Merlin to identify birds and store their birding observations.
The participants were eager and enthusiastic, joining EAG via Zoom and Facebook. The interest was greater than expected and they all returned regularly to keep up with the course. Most of our participants were local, but others from across the region joined us – including participants from Anguilla, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts, and Trinidad and Tobago. Even persons from the UK and US who are regular visitors to the island followed the course!
Inspiration and Support – Thank You!
Shawn Maile was enthusiastic about the course and his new-found hobby and shared his experience and certificate proudly on his LinkedIn.
One of the participants, Shawn Maile, shared his thoughts in an article he posted on his LinkedIn: “I jokingly posted a status to say that maybe I should take up birdwatching. Next thing you know, I was signed up for an online birding course in the middle of a pandemic and starting a new hobby.”
He further commented, “Fast forward to the end of the course and I have currently logged over 25 different species of birds. I can no longer walk, drive, run, or simply go outside without seeing, hearing or sensing a bird. Now armed with the skills to identify and count the avian species, I can proudly say I am a certified beginner birder. Armed with my binoculars and ebird app, I forge into the unknown tracking and viewingmy winged friends.”
Following the course, we are pleased to announce the formation of our very own bird club, the Wadadli Warblers! Our first team outing occurred last week as we began field training at McKinnons Pond, all while wearing masks. We anticipate building up our team of local contributors who monitor birds and their habitats (e.g., participating in the Caribbean Waterbird Census), traveling the Caribbean islands to see the region’s incredible diversity of birds (there are 171 endemics) – and having fun doing it!
The Wadadli Warblers take on their first birding expedition to birding hotspot, McKinnon’s Pond, in Antigua.
This training opportunity and ongoing mentorship would not have been possible without the support of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Cape Cod Bird Club, BirdsCaribbean, and the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival. Our participants were treated to a special appearance by Dr. Herbert Raffaele, former Director at USFWS Division of International Conservation (funding millions of dollars for conservation projects around the world), and award-winning author of several books including the important field guide, “Birds of the West Indies.” Special thanks to Dr. Lisa Sorenson of BirdsCaribbean for her assistance, and for being present at every webinar, supporting the presenters and answering questions.
We urge you to start appreciating our natural world. We urge you to take this time to reconnect to nature. Join the EAG and join the bird club too! For more information, contact us at 268-462-6236 or eagantigua@gmail.com. To donate and support our programs, click here. And enjoy the photo gallery below (click on each photo to see it large and view as a slide show).
Editors Note: Congratulations to the EAG team for this hugely successful and engaging online training. EAG has been a long-time partner of BirdsCaribbean and the 3 facilitators of this course, Natalya Lawrence, Shanna Challenger, and Andrea Otto, have all been active members of BirdsCaribbean. They have participated in our workshops and conferences and have been awarded many grants to carry out education, monitoring, restoration and conservation projects in Antigua and Barbuda. We applaud their enthusiasm, professionalism and sheer hard work to advance awareness, appreciation, and conservation of Antigua and Barbuda’s incredible biodiversity. We encourage you to support the amazing work of the EAG either through membership or a donation.
To learn more, check out the following articles and Youtube videos:
The ongoing Black Lives Matter movement continues to challenge us and to confront deeply-entrenched attitudes and assumptions about race that affect so many individuals and communities negatively. This includes the vibrant and growing communities of Black scientists, naturalists and birders, in the Caribbean and beyond. At BirdsCaribbean, we have been similarly inspired to reach out directly to the organizers of Black Birders Week, who swiftly took action following the Central Park incident – a blatant display of white privilege. We applaud this strong response, because their goals reflect our own: inclusivity, diversity, solidarity, teamwork – and of course, the common love of birds that brings us together.
Here is an article co-authored by three co-organizers of Black Birders Week, Amber Wendler, Alex Troutman, and Chelsea Connor, who met up with Executive Director Lisa Sorenson and other BirdsCaribbean leaders recently on Zoom. We look forward to continuing the dialogue, to building our relationship, to sharing ideas and to working together on concrete plans and actions that will empower Black birders and shine a light on their amazing work. Rome was not built in a day, as the saying goes, but we at BirdsCaribbean are committed to supporting Black Birders Week, fighting discrimination, and bringing hope. We are stronger together!
#BlackBirdersWeek flyer with list of events created by Sheridan Alford and Danielle Belleny. Full text at tinyurl.com/BlackBirdersText
Black Birders Week was created in response to a racist incident in New York City’s Central Park: Amy Cooper, a white woman, called the police on Christian Cooper, a Black birdwatcher, and lied, saying, “There’s an African American man threatening my life,” when he politely asked her to put her dog on a leash in an area that required her to do so by law. Many people do not realize that racist incidents, such as this one, happen every day – they are just not captured on video. The recording of this incident highlighted some of the challenges Black people face when going birdwatching or participating in other outdoor activities. In addition to not feeling safe, many Black people feel as if they do not belong in outdoor spaces predominantly occupied by white people. Black Birders Week was organized by individuals of BlackAFinSTEM, which is a collective of Black birders, nature enthusiasts and scientists. The goal of Black Birders Week was to increase the visibility of Black birders and nature enthusiasts and promote inclusivity in the outdoors.
After Black Birders Week, co-organizers Amber Wendler, Alex Troutman and Chelsea Connor virtually met with members of BirdsCaribbean, so that we could all share our experiences and discuss how the birding community can take action to become more diverse and inclusive. It felt as if we all already knew each other and were friends, catching up after a few years of being apart. It was inspiring to hear everyone’s stories and the projects that they have worked on and plan to do in the future. We’re excited to meet in person next July at the next BirdsCaribbean International Conference in Trinidad, and we’re looking forward to continuing these conversations virtually in the meantime.
Participants in the Zoom Meeting. From left to right. Top row: Chelsea Connor, Lisa Sorenson, Alex Troutman. Second row: Amber Wendler, Justin Proctor. Third row: Emma Lewis, Howard Nelson, Ancilleno Davis. Fourth row: Adrianne Tossas. BirdsCaribbean Board member, Leno Davis (Bahamas) commented: “Being a scientist can be challenging for some and less challenging for others. Our group spoke of privilege, racism, tokenism, implicit and institutional biases, representation, and shifting cultural perspectives and norms. Being black in the Caribbean is different from the USA or UK experience but they are all valid.”
What does Black Birders Week mean to you?
Amber Wendler is a PhD student at Virginia Tech pursuing research on Puerto Rican Todies.
Amber Wendler: Black Birders Week means a lot to me. It has given me a sense of community. I could not be happier to finally see so many other birders who look like me and have had similar experiences to me. I am blown away by all the support this week has received and it has given me hope for the future.
Alex Troutman: Black Birders Week means freedom, inspiration, and growth. Freedom to immerse yourself in nature. It has been inspiring to see all the people supporting Black Birders Week and saying that they are going to make a stand to make sure birding is inclusive for all people! Black Birders Week means growth, not only because I grew as a birder and individual by telling and hearing other birders’ stories; but also because the birding community is growing stronger in numbers and morally. More people stand to make a change, or call out actions and behavior discouraging others who do not fit the typical birder profile of an older white male.
Chelsea Connor: Black Birders Week meant getting my voice, and the voices of others like me amplified. We had been talking on and off about the struggle we face with the outdoors, but now we were more widely heard, and invited to share. I got to see so many Black people outside, doing what they love and to hear their stories and the inspiration that this event gave them. I’m so proud and that will all stay with me forever.
What did you take away from Black Birders Week and what do you want others to know?
Alex Troutman is a Masters Student at Georgia Southern University studying the dynamics of insect communities and MacGillivray’s Seaside Sparrow nestlings in tidal wetlands of Georgia.
Amber Wendler: People too often value biodiversity of nature more than diversity of people. Ensuring that Black people and other under-represented groups have access to and feel welcomed in the birding community and outdoor spaces leads to a diversity of ideas and perspectives, which greatly benefits the community and advances scientific research. I am truly amazed by the BlackAFinSTEM group. Individuals from this group saw an opportunity to bring awareness to an important issue, quickly came together to plan and were able to change the minds of many people.
Thanks to Black Birders Week, we increased the visibility and amplified the voices of Black birders. Individuals and organizations started to take action to make the birding community more diverse and inclusive, and many Black birders who previously felt alone now have a supportive community. However, it’s important to recognize that systemic racism was built up over hundreds of years and thus will not be fixed in a week. There is still a lot more work that needs to be done until all Black people will feel safe and welcomed in outdoor spaces. We all must continue to listen to people’s experiences, learn and take anti-racist action.
Alex Troutman: Black Birders Week has not only encouraged me, but it has also given me a sense of pride. First, I am proud that 30+ Black people in the STEM field who identify as birders could make this happen without ever being in a room together and not ever officially meeting each other besides Zoom sessions. Next, I had a sense of pride and encouragement from all of the support that we have been given from people who participated in Black Birders Week in some way, whether it was following with each day’s hashtag or viewing the live streams.
It has been encouraging to see all of the Black birders and Black nature lovers who are out there. I thought I knew a good bit of them, but Black Birders Week has allowed me to connect with so many others who I probably never would have met if it wasn’t for Black Birders Week. Some people were even within the same state. It has also been encouraging to see the younger generation get excited about birding! Black Birders Week gave me community, support, and encouragement to keep going! I hope that others got as much out of BBW as I did. I want others to see that everyone can and should be welcome to go birding without FEAR, DISCRIMINATION, and LACK of ACCESS. It truly takes everyone to make sure that nature can be used and enjoyed by all.
Chelsea Connor is a herpetologist and science communicator. Birds were her first love growing up in Dominica. She currently is a student in Texas researching anole diets and tweets anole facts and about her island, @ChelseaHerps
Chelsea Connor: I want people to remember that silence is complacency. A lot of the things that happen that are witnessed by someone can be stopped by the simple intervention of a white ally. Allies should use their platforms as much as possible to amplify the voices and experiences of BIPOC (Black and Indigneous People of Color) and to create paid opportunities and spaces for them where they are fully supported. Too often BIPOC get hired, but then they’re left alone to face discrimination and racism from their coworkers and peers.
I feel like Black Birders Week has definitely made that conversation start happening more. It’s so encouraging and heartening to see everyone who participated and still hearing about the effect it had for them. I expected the event to go over well, but the international recognition it got blew my mind. It makes me feel hopeful, like much needed change can start happening. I’ve also gotten to connect with so many great people and institutions and I cannot wait to see them grow. Depending on your background, you may not know what it’s like to not feel heard and then to finally have that – but I can tell you, it’s been quite an experience and I’m so happy to have had it. I can’t wait to see more representation of us outdoors and in the natural sciences. Thank you for being part of this too.
Sincere thanks to Amber, Alex and Chelsea for talking with us and writing this wonderful article! Big thanks also to our colleague, Andrew Rothman (@The_Rothman), for introducing us. We appreciated tuning into #BlackBirdersWeek events and look forward to further discussions, opportunities to partner, and actions we can take together to make sure Black birders are welcome and supported everywhere. We welcome Amber, Alex, Chelsea, and all others to our BirdsCaribbean community, a diverse network of wildlife professionals, birders, tour guides, educators, community members, and more. Stay informed about Caribbean bird news by signing up for monthly newsletter here. Join us here. And follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@BirdsCaribbean).
We know. It has been a difficult time, and you might be starting to get “itchy feet.”
You’re probably not quite ready to travel yet, but as soon as it is safe, where would you go?
Think green, forested hills filled with bird song; cool rivers with the splash of waterfalls and deep pools to enjoy; or inviting turquoise bays fringed with silvery white sands. This is the Caribbean, and it’s waiting for you!
Our Amazing Island Guides
The Purple-throated Carib is endemic to a handful of islands in the Lesser Antilles (Photo by Barbara and Frank Lilievre).
BirdsCaribbean has the perfect tool to help you with your future plans: a newly updated Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Guide page! Expert local guides are essential to getting the most out of your travel experience, so we have gathered information on the best in the region—all within one handy directory on the CBT website.
These guides, from 21 islands—and counting—have completed the CBT Interpretive Guide Training Program or have obtained training or certification through other programs. They are trusted partners of BirdsCaribbean and the partner organizations we collaborate with on the islands. These knowledgeable guides will satisfy bird, nature, and adventure tourists of all kinds. From birding, boating, and botanical gardens to mountain trails, waterfalls, and even rum tours … there is something for everybody.
Adams Toussaint, St. Lucia Birding & Wildlife Ambassadors
If you browse through our directory, you will see what an extraordinary range of expertise these local guides have to offer.
Our most recently trained guides in Grenada can take you out to sea, birding on sailboats (Vaughn Thomas at Archipelagics) and in kayaks (Kendon James at Conservation Kayak). Seasoned guides such as Adams Toussaint in Saint Lucia, and Lystra Culzac in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have been leading birdwatching tours for years. They know exactly where to take you to find all the unique birds of their islands, including the extra special (and incredibly beautiful) St. Lucia and St. Vincent Parrots.
Lystra Culzac, guide in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
You will also see that our guides offer tours in several languages. Binkie van Es on Sint Maarten speaks four languages, and David Belfan in Martinique speaks no less than five! If they have written a bird guide, this is also highlighted. For example, Erika Gates (Bahamas), Anthony Levesque (Guadeloupe), Ann Sutton (Jamaica), Kate Wallace (Dominican Republic), Roger Neckles (Trinidad and Tobago), as well as Birdy Jno Baptiste and Stephen Durand from Dominica are all published authors of field guides for their countries!
So … Where To?
This beautiful bird, of resplendent plumage, is the National bid of Cuba. It’s colors match the colors of the Cuban flag (Photo by Jose Pantaleon).
Maybe you will opt for the largest island in the Caribbean: Cuba! There are 26 bird species on Cuba that are found nowhere else in the world, from the smallest bird in the world (Bee Hummingbird) to their beautiful National Bird (Cuban Trogon). There you can meet up with Ernesto Reyes, who will introduce you to these birds and so much more. Ernesto is a Cuban biologist with more than 15 years of experience with birds in Cuba, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. He offers multi-day birdwatching and bird photography tours (including two tours with BirdsCaribbean) that allow visitors to observe more than 95% of Cuba’s bird species. What riches!
Maybe instead of big, you go small. You might consider putting Anguilla in your plans. This 35-square mile, neatly wrapped package of an island contains a surprising amount of biodiversity. Go with Jackie Cestero of Nature Explorers Anguilla to explore the island’s more than 20 wetlands—once the center of a thriving salt industry dating back to prehistoric Amerindian inhabitants. Today these wetlands provide critical habitat for both resident and migratory species as they travel along the Atlantic Flyway. Be sure to pack your snorkel and fins, because Anguilla’s extensive marine park system is home to a number of species of turtles, colorful reef fish, and corals. Many of the island’s beaches provide nesting habitat for endangered sea turtles and, if you’re lucky, you’ll also spot migrating whales and dolphins.
Make Your Plans Happen
Hopefully by now you’ve got some ideas of where to go, and who to go with. Whatever you decide, just be sure of two things: hire local guides and keep going back to the Caribbean! No two islands are alike.
Beautiful jungle path through the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico beckons you to come visit. (photo by Dennis van de Water)
The Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) is a project of BirdsCaribbean. The CBT has been developed to connect people to the extraordinary places, diverse cultures, and people of each island. The CBT promotes authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourages the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats.
Through our CBT Interpretive Guide Training Program, we are partnering with operators and guides in the region to organize one of the most comprehensive guide training and certification programs in the region. The course is facilitated by National Association of Interpretation (NAI) Certified Interpretive Trainers, and participants learn not only to identify the local bird species and their connection to the environment, but also how to effectively communicate information to audiences in a meaningful and enjoyable way. To date, we have held International Training Workshops in Grenada, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Cuba, and St. Vincentand theGrenadines.
We would love to have your feedback. Have you been on a birding tour with a great birding tour guide from on or off our page? We’d love to hear about it. If you would like to recommend a great guide we don’t know about, organize a guide training program in your country, or want to know about the next program we might offer, drop us a line at info@caribbeanbirdingtrail.org and—when you do go on the Caribbean Birding Trail (and we hope you will)—let us know how it went for you.
Special thanks to our Caribbean Birding Trail Project Coordinator, Aly Ollivierre, and our website developer, Kathleen McGee, for working so hard to get the site updated over the past six months!
Check out our short video on the Caribbean Birding Trail:
Colorful and friendly, the Cuban Tody is one of Cuba’s most beloved endemic birds. (photo by Aslam Ibrahim)
Join BirdsCaribbean, the Caribbean Birding Trail and acclaimed Cuban bird guide, Ernesto Reyes Mouriño, on the adventure of a lifetime in January or March of 2021.
Cuba is well-known for its amazing landscapes, vibrant culture and unique biodiversity. According to the new Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba: 2018-2019 Edition, 394 birds have been recorded in Cuba, including 28 which are endemic to the island and 30 which are considered globally threatened. Due to its large land area and geographical position within the Caribbean, Cuba is also extraordinarily important for Neotropical migratory birds—more than 180 species pass through during migration or spend the winter on the island.
Our itinerary takes you to several of the best and most beautiful birding locations in Cuba, providing opportunities to see many of Cuba’s endemic species and subspecies as well as many migrants. Along the way, we will meet people in local communities, stay in Bed & Breakfast establishments (casas particulares) and eat in private restaurants (paladars), allowing you to experience Cuba’s rich culture, delicious food, friendly people, and generous hospitality. We will also have the opportunity to meet and have discussions with local ornithologists and conservationists that have been working with BirdsCaribbean for many years.
BirdsCaribbean is offering two tours in 2021: a 9-day trip in January and a 12-day trip in March.
Find detailed itineraries for both trips below. Traveling with us helps Caribbean birds as a portion of the proceeds from the trip supports our bird conservation programs and partners in Cuba and the Caribbean. See some of the world’s most beautiful and memorable birds, knowing you are helping ensure their welfare by supporting the people who study and protect them.
Read testimonials and see photos from past trips in the gallery below. Purchase the Endemic Birds of Cuba Field Guide here. Check out the report and photos from our January 2016 trip here and from our July 2017 trip to Havana and Zapata Swamp here.
NOTE: The recent policy changes in the Cuban Assets Control Regulations do not affect BirdsCaribbean’s birding trips or the requirements of US citizens traveling with us. Our birding trips consist of group travel under the general license that authorizes travel transactions that provide “Support for the Cuban people.” The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) requires that: 1) travel be conducted under the auspices of an individual or organization (BirdsCaribbean) that promotes independent activity intended to strengthen civil society in Cuba, and 2) the tour must consist of “a full-time schedule of activities that: (i) enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities; and (ii) result in meaningful interaction with individuals in Cuba.” While you are on the trip, BirdsCaribbean will ensure that you have a full-time schedule of activities that engages with and provides support for private citizens (e.g., local guides, Cuban biologists, private business owners), and avoids transactions with the State Department’s List of Restricted Entities and Subentities Associated with Cuba (“the Cuba Restricted List”).
COVID-19 UPDATE: Right now, we are planning to offer these two tours in 2021. We will continue to assess the situation during the fall. If we deem that it is not safe to travel to Cuba, one or both tours will be canceled (or rescheduled) and all deposits and payments refunded (less a $25 processing fee). We will be monitoring the COVID-19 situation.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Sad Flycatcher
Sometimes one can get a bad name through no fault of one’s own. In this respect the Sad Flycatcher must be one of the unluckiest birds in Jamaica and perhaps the world. Rufous-tailed Flycatchers have Rufous-tails. Ring-tailed Pigeons have rings on their tails. But there is nothing sad about a Sad Flycatcher. It doesn’t sound sad or look sad. It is a pretty, perky little bird, one of the most common sights in the wooded pastures of central Jamaica. So where did it get its name?
The Sad Flycatcher was first described by P.H. Gosse in the mid-nineteenth century. He called it the Black-billed Flat-Bill, and gave it the scientific name Mylobius tristis. Tristis means sad in Latin. This appears to be the origin of the name. In his description, Gosse wrote that the song of this bird was, “A single wailing note, somewhat protracted, particularly sad to hear, but sometimes followed by one or two short notes in another tone.” While almost everything in his book, “The Birds of Jamaica” is correct – an astonishing feat, considering the how little time he spent in Jamaica – he was wrong about this sound. The call of the Sad Flycatcher is not sad at all. Instead it is a cheery pip, pip-pip pereeee!
The Jamaican Pewee, on the other hand, does indeed have a mournful, single-noted call. This species was also first described by Gosse. The two species are often found in the same habitat. Perhaps Gosse confused the two, and so one of the happiest little birds in Jamaica got a bad name.
The Sad Flycatcher is endemic to Jamaica. It’s local name is Little Tom Fool. It feeds on small insects by sallying from high perches to capture its prey, often returning to the same perch. It also eat small fruits. It has a dark brown crown, brown upperparts, a white throat and upper breast, and a yellow belly. The Sad Flycatcher can be found in forests, woodlands, and pasture edges at all elevations across Jamaica. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Sad Flycatcher!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call and song of the Sad Flycatcher
The Sad Flycatcher‘s call is a frequent pip or pip-pip. It’s song is a rising, cheery pip-pip pereeee.
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 Sad Flycatcher is endemic to Jamaica. It is the smallest of the 3 Jamaican Myiarchus flycatchers. It usually perches in an open area, flying out to catch flying bugs and beetles. (Photo by Eric Hynes)The Sad Flycatcher is endemic to Jamaica. Jamaicans call it Little Tom Fool because it tends not to move even when people get close. (Photo by Paul Jones)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy these two short video of the Sad Flycatcher. The first one is by Aves Puerto Rico Felpe – the bird is perched, looking around and it gives its cheerful call pip, pip-pip pereee several times. This video was filmed in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The second video is lovely clear footage of a perched bird, filmed in Kew Park, Westmorland Parish, Jamaica. The bird flies out and lands back on the branch to give us a nice view of its colors from behind.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Forest Thrush
The Forest Thrush is a shy forest dweller endemic to the Lesser Antilles, where it occurs only on four islands: Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Saint Lucia. It is locally called the Yellow-legged Thrush – it’s name in French, Grive à Pattes Jaunes, means just that. The legs, bill, and bare skin around the eye of this bird are bright yellow. Its upperparts are brown while its underparts have white feathers edged in brown, giving it a scaled effect. Males and females have the same plumage.
The preferred habitat of the Forest Thrush is mountain forests, but it also occurs in swamp forests in Guadeloupe. Like other thrushes, it sings a soft musical song, but it mainly sings at night. This forces ornithologists to get up very early to go and count them! In Guadeloupe, the French Biodiversity Office has been monitoring the species for 6 years. The results of the 2020 census are very encouraging with record numbers of birds in some areas. This is good news because the population had suffered a decline from Hurricane Maria in 2017. Moreover, thanks to a successful campaign, including a petition to the French government and letter-writing campaign by BirdsCaribbean, the species will not be hunted in 2020 in Guadeloupe!
The Forest Thrush was previously classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Its population had declined throughout its range from deforestation, introduced predators, hunting, and severe habitat loss from the Soufrière Hills volcanic eruptions on Montserrat in 1995-1997. Surveys show it has been gradually increasing in remaining habitat in Montserrat and numbers are up in Guadeloupe as well. This led to a downgrading from Vulnerable to Near Threatened in 2019. Unfortunately, however, the Forest Thrush has declined drastically in St. Lucia and it is now extremely rare, if not extirpated. Ornithologists do not know why.
Each of the four islands where the Forest Thrush lives host a different subspecies, which all look a little different. The thrush feeds on insects and berries from ground level up into the tree canopy. Breeding takes place from April to July. A bulky cup-shaped nest is built, usually not far from the ground, in a bush or tree. Two to three greenish-blue eggs are laid. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Forest Thrush!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Forest Thrush
The Forest Thrush‘s song is a musical pattern of clear notes, fairly loud and far-reaching. Calls include sharp chuk or chuk-chuk.
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!
Forest Thrush (Photo by Anthony Levesque)Forest Thrush (Photo by Alistair Homer)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy this short video of a Forest Thrush in Guadeloupe hopping along the ground and tossing aside leaf litter as it forages for insects and berries to eat.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Adelaide’s Warbler
This striking little bird has a sunny yellow belly and sings a sweet trilling song. It can be identified by its gray upperparts, yellow underparts, and two white wingbars. It has a yellow eyebrow stripe that may be edged by black above, and a yellow or white patch under the eye. The tail is gray with white outer feathers. Females differ from males by having less white in the tail, and less pronounced black edging in the eyebrow stripe.
The Adelaide’s Warbler (Setophaga adelaidae), along with the Elfin Woods Warbler (Setophaga angelae), is one of two endemic Parulid warblers on the island of Puerto Rico. The two species have different habitat preferences, however, and only coexist in Maricao Commonwealth Forest, in the western part of the island. The Adelaide’s Warbler is abundant in dry coastal scrubland and thickets, moist forests of middle elevation and haystack hills. It is an active bird, moving constantly as it gleans insects and spiders from leaves and twigs. The local name for this species is Reinita Mariposera which means “butterfly-eating warbler,” due to its fondness for eating caterpillars.
Adelaide’s Warblers typically breed from March to June but the season can be variable with the timing and nest success depending on rainfall. They build cup-shaped nests at heights of 1 to 7 in dense cover. Females lay 2 to 4 white or greenish-white eggs, flecked with small small brown spots. Although currently listed as a species of Least Concern by IUCN, the long-term survival of the Adelade’s Warbler could be threatened by loss of its forest habitat and global climate change. As the planet warms, summer drought is expected to increase in many Caribbean islands, and this could reduce survival of the young.
Previously, the Adelaide’s Warbler population in Puerto Rico was considered a single species with races from Barbuda and Saint Lucia. However, in 2000 the species was split into three distinct species. The other two species were named Barbuda Warbler (Setophaga subita) and St. Lucia Warbler (Setophaga delicata). The Puerto Rican species has the name of the daughter of Robert Swift, who captured the first specimen. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Adelaide’s Warbler!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Adelaide’s Warbler
The Adelaide’s Warbler‘s typical song is described as a variable and loud trill that may increase or decrease in pitch and speed. They have a very large song repertoire and individuals have been recorded as having an average of 23 song types per individual! They also have a pip and a chick call.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Adelaide’s Warbler (Photo by Hemant Kishan)Adelaide’s Warbler Singing (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy the two short videos of Adelaide’s Warbler below by AvesPuertoRico FelPe. The first video is lovely footage of a bird singing it’s trilly sweet song. The second video shows how active these birds are—hopping along quickly as they forage for insects on twigs and branches, stopping only to sing.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Cuban Trogon
Cuban Trogon (Priotelus temnurus), Tocororo
This beautiful bird, of resplendent plumage, is the National Bird of Cuba. It’s colors match the colors of the nation’s flag. It is iridescent dark blue-green above, with a violet-blue crown and nape, grayish white throat and breast, and brilliant red belly and eyes. The wings and tail are patterned in blue, black, green and white. The underside of the tail appears mostly white and the tips of the tail feathers are prominently flared. When perched, its size, bright colors, distinctive voice, and posture make this bird unmistakable.
Cuban Trogons are rather inactive birds and are easily approached. They are usually seen alone or in pairs. Their most common call is a repeated toco-toco-tocoro-tocoro,from which it’s local name Tocororo is derived. They are common in wet and dry forests at all altitudes, and are widespread all over Cuba, the Isle of Youth and some cays. These birds do not build a nest. Instead, they use abandoned woodpecker holes or other natural cavities, where they lay 3-4 white eggs from April to July. Their diet is flowers, fruits, insects, and reptiles, including Anolis lizards, which they also feed to their young. It hovers while feeding, much like a flycatcher.
There are 43 species of trogons in 6 genera in the Family Trogonidae (6 quetzals and 37 trogons), that live in tropical and subtropical forests of the Americas, Africa and Asia. The Cuban trogon is one of two species restricted to the islands of the Caribbean; the other species is the Hispaniolan Trogon. Undisputedly Cuba’s national bird is one of the most beautiful representatives of its family. Trogons are colorful and beautiful birds, but the particular shape of the Tocororo’s tail makes it unique. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Cuban Trogon!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Cuban Trogon
The Cuban Trogon‘s call is a repeatedtoco-toco-tocoro-tocoro, from which it’s local name Tocororo is derived. The throat and tail vibrates as the bird calls (see videos below).
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 Trogon (Photo by Jose Pantaleon)Cuban Trogon (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy these short videos of Cuban Trogons calling. The video is by Cuban ornithologist, Arturo Kirkconnell, the bird perched out in the open and calling (turn up the volume). Note its upright posture and red, white and blue colors. Its throat and tail vibrate as it calls. You can hear another trogon calling in the distance. The second video shows a closer view of a calling trogon.
It is with great excitement that we are finally able to break some very big news — effective today, Dr. Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr. will be serving as the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology’s new Editor-in-Chief!
For most of us, Joe is symbolic of Caribbean ornithology. He has lived and breathed it almost his entire life. You would be hard pressed to find a Caribbean researcher out there that hasn’t cited one of Joe’s papers, had the pleasure of working alongside Joe, or most importantly, befriended Joe.
We’re delighted that Dr. Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr. will be serving as the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology’s new Editor-in-Chief.
But what makes Joe an exceptional choice to lead the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO) into its fourth decade, goes far beyond his extensive research and academic background. From the beginning, Joe has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the people of the Caribbean. He has taught and mentored numerous students, always sending them off into the world with a greater understanding and appreciation for the natural world around them.
In the world of peer-reviewed journals, we often talk about Impact Factors, which are a measure of how extensively a journal’s publications are cited, and thus a proxy for how important a journal is in its field. If we were to apply that same train of thought to the impact that Joe has had on the people, wildlife, and landscapes around the Caribbean, he would certainly be ranked highly.
And Joe is definitely no stranger to BirdsCaribbean (BC). He has been involved with the organization since its first year, 1988, earning him the Site Fidelity Award presented at last year’s Guadeloupe Conference. He has served as Vice-President of BirdsCaribbean from 1991–1995, and then took the reigns as President from 1995–1997. Joe has also been an active member of the Founders Award Committee (founded by Fred Schaffner) since it first launched at BC’s Grenada Conference in 2013. This committee awards the students who present the best papers in conservation research or management at the biennial conference.
Meanwhile, here at JCO, Joe’s name is a very familiar one. And while it’s true that some of our staff know Joe best in the following format — Wunderle, J.M., Jr., [Year]. [Article Title]. [Journal Name]. — we are all really looking forward to working more closely with the real Joe over the coming months. His leadership for JCO could not be a better fit.
Here are some great links for learning more about Joe:
On behalf of all the JCO staff, welcome aboard, Joe! We’re very glad to have you with us.
And to members of the BirdsCaribbean community far and wide, please don’t hesitate to reach out and send Joe a warm welcome to his new position as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology!
— Justin Proctor, Managing Editor of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and Vice-President of BirdsCaribbean
Joe Wunderle receives the one and only Site Fidelity Award for being the longest running BirdsCaribbean member that has not missed a single conference in 30 years! BirdsCaribbean 22nd Conference in Guadeloupe, July, 2019. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Hispaniolan Parakeet
Meet the charming face of Hispaniola – the Hispaniolan Parakeet, known as the Perico in the Dominican Republic, or the Perruche in Haiti. These gregarious, green goofballs are most easily seen chattering noisily from the rooftops of Santo Domingo. They are extremely social and often hang out in large groups with as many as several dozen individuals.
This parakeet is bright green overall, with a long and pointed tail, white eye-ring, pale beak and legs, and red patch on the wing’s wrist area that shows up well in flight. The sexes are identical. The Hispaniolan Parakeet is best distinguished from the similar green Hispaniolan Parrot by its much longer tail and higher pitched squawk-like vocalizations. While they are the only native and endemic parakeet on the island, the Olive-throated Parakeet has been introduced to some of the more urbanized parts of Hispaniola. Similar in size, these parrots can be distinguished by their blue wing patches, instead of the red boasted by the Hispaniolan Parakeet. Interestingly, Hispaniolan Parakeets also used to also exist in Puerto Rico, though they were declared extinct on the island in 1882. Yet one other introduced population persists on the island of Guadeloupe.
The Hispaniolan Parakeet’s natural habitats are forested mountains and lowlands, but there are populations that live in urban areas like the ever-increasing one in Santo Domingo. They feed mostly on fruits and seeds, but sometimes also on corn and other crops and therefore regarded as a pest by farmers. They travel and forage in flocks.
Like many other parrots in Latin America and the Caribbean, Hispaniolan Parakeets are threatened with extinction, currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Their biggest current threat is poaching, where young parakeets are taken from nests and sold into the pet trade. Deforestation is also a problem— the parrot has been disappearing in areas where forests have been cut down for agriculture. Their current population is estimated at several thousand individuals, with trends showing continuing declines. It is illegal to keep these and the Hispaniolan Parrots as pets. Let’s continue to educate about keeping these magnificent birds free and wild to decrease their presence in captivity and help them survive for future generations to enjoy. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Hispaniolan Parakeet!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Hispaniolan Parakeet
The Hispaniolan Parakeet has a noisy screeching flight and perch call kree, higher pitched that than the Hispaniolan Parrot.
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!
Hispaniolan Parakeet Eating (Photo by Dax Roman)Hispaniolan Parakeet (Photo by Dax Roman)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Read more about the laws that protect Hispaniolan Parakeets, Parrots and other birds that are captured for the illegal pet trade. What can you do to help?
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Crested Quail-Dove
You have to get up early if you want to see Jamaica’s endemic Crested Quail-Dove. And you will have to be in the mountains—in the dense, dripping wet, thousand shades of green foliage, coolness of the mountains. If you’re lucky, you may first detect its presence by a rustling of leaves on the hillside beside you. Freeze and you may spot one, walking along the forest floor, looking for fruits and seeds. It will be bobbing its plush, grey, helmeted head and tail as it struts along; its beady, red-ringed eyes seeking out small fruits and seeds on the ground.
When you see a Crested Quail-Dove you will know, because it is coloured like no other Jamaican bird. It has an iridescent reddish-purple upper back that contrasts with its grey neck, crest, and underparts; an iridescent purplish-blue lower back, and reddish primaries and secondaries (flight feathers). Keep still and savour the experience while you can. If it sees you, it may fly heavily a short distance and vanish back into the safety of the undergrowth. Sometimes it freezes on the ground or on a low perch, allowing for extended views.
The Crested Quail-Dove lives in the Blue and John Crow Mountains, Mt. Diablo area, and Cockpit Country. Locals call it Mountain Witch, Blue Dove or Blue Partridge. It’s two-part song is a mournful whuuOh..whuu, the first note sharp with the following notes softer and lower in pitch. The dove is much more likely to be heard than seen. Like other forest birds, its long-term survival will depend on preservation of Jamaica’s forests.
There are nine species of quail-dove in the genus Geotrygon and each one is uniquely beautiful. They are all found in the tropical or subtropical forests of the Caribbean and Central and South America. The Crested Quail-Dove was the first to be named by the nineteenth century naturalist, Philip Henry Gosse. “No description can give an adequate notion of the lustrous radiance of this most lovely bird,” he wrote in his book, “The Birds of Jamaica” published in 1847. When you see one you will agree with him. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Crested Quail-Dove!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Crested Quail-Dove
The Crested Quail-Dove‘s song is a mournful two-note whuuOh..whuu, the first note sharp and the second note softer and lower in pitch. The dove is much more likely to be heard than seen.
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 Crested Quail-Dove is a creature of awesome beauty. (Photo by David Havel)The Crested Quail-Dove has a unique crest on the nape of its neck that looks like a helmet. (Photo by Francisco Piedrahita)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Check out the videos of this elusive endemic bird! The first video shows a close-up view of a handsome Crested Quail-Dove perched on a branch. The second video shows the dove walking along the road with it unique habit of bobbing its head and tail. BirdsCaribbean member and guide, Ricardo Miller, helped James Currie of Nikon’s Birding Adventures find this bird on the famed birding hotspot, Ecclesdown Road, in the Blue and John Crow Mountains, Jamaica.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Puerto Rican Emerald
The Puerto Rican Emerald (Chlorostilbon maugeaus), or Zumbadorcito de Puerto Rico in Spanish, is an endemic hummingbird found only in the archipelago of Puerto Rico. Measuring from 3.5 to 4 inches and weighing approximately 3 g, it is the smallest bird species in the island. It is not much larger than the smallest hummingbird species of the world, the Bee Hummingbird from Cuba, which weighs only 1.8 g. For comparison, a penny weighs 2.5 g, similar to these tiny birds!
The Puerto Rican Emerald is sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females look different. The male has iridescent green feathers on its body and a black tail, while the female has white underparts and white outer tail feathers. This hummingbird can be distinguished from other hummingbirds in the archipelago by its shorter, straighter bill, and black forked tail. Emeralds are distributed throughout forests and woodlands from the coast up to the mountains. They are highly territorial, often defending territories with intense aerial pursuits.
The Puerto Rican Emerald mainly feeds on nectar taken from a variety of brightly colored, scented small flowers of trees, herbs, shrubs and epiphytes. They use their long, extendible, straw-like tongues to retrieve the nectar while hovering with their tails cocked. Sometimes they may be seen hanging on the flower while feeding. Many native and cultivated plants on whose flowers these birds feed heavily rely on them for pollination. With its smaller size, this species feeds on the nectar of flowers with shorter corollas (petals). Sometimes they reach the nectaries from larger flowers by piercing the base of the flower. This is a form of “nectar robbery” because it does not provide the essential service of pollination to the plant. Emeralds also take some small spiders and insects, especially females, which provide an important source of protein during the breeding season.
Puerto Rican Emeralds may visit local hummingbird feeders for some sugar water, or drink out of bird baths or water fountains where they will either hover and sip water, or they will perch on the edge and drink. Do you have Puerto Rican Emeralds visiting your yard? If not, entice these colorful gems by providing native flowering plants that they are fond of, like Malvaviscus penduliflorus (Turks cap, sleeping hibiscus, carriaquillo), Hamelia patens (firecracker bush, firebush), and Odontonema sp (cardinal’s guard). You can also enjoy their presence by providing a feeder. Just be sure to clean it and refill it every couple of days! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Puerto Rican Emerald!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Puerto Rican Emerald
The Puerto Rican Emerald‘s song is a repeated twittering phrase of high-pitched descending notes, tseereetseetseetsee-tslew-tslew-tslew-tslew-tslew. Calls include a constantly repeated high-pitched tsik and irregular series si..si..sik-sik…tsik. (other birds heard in this recording: Black-faced Grassquit, Puerto Rican Tody, Puerto Rican Vireo, Elfin Woods Warbler, Puerto Rican Woodpecker).
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 Puerto Rican Emerald sipping nectar from a Star Vine Flower. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)Female Puerto Rican Emerald – note her white underparts. (Photo by Engie Photography)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy the videos below by Aves Puerto Rico Felpe. First, a male sipping nectar from flowers, including slow motion of the bird hovering while it feeds. The second incredible video shows a female feeding her chick, newly fledged and out of the nest, but still being fed by Mom. The third video shows 2 chicks (male and female) in the nest at 17 days old. Their feathers are growing and they will fledge soon – they are nearly too big for the tiny cup-like nest!
The female alone builds the nest using plant fiber, wild cotton, moss, cobweb and its saliva; and decorates it with lichens. She lays 2 eggs and incubates them for about 14-16 days. Chicks fledge (leave the nest) at about 20-22 days old.
Magnificent Frigatebirds soaring like big black kites overhead are a familiar sight throughout the Caribbean. These birds are also commonly seen harassing and stealing food from other seabirds—a behaviour known as kleptoparasitism—earning them the reputation of being ‘Pirates of the Skies’!
These days, a careful watcher might also see a Magnificent Frigatebird fitted with a small tracking device. These birds are part of an ongoing project, ‘Regional-scale Conservation through Multi-territory Tracking of Frigatebirds,’ for which a workshop was held recently in Anguilla. Following the workshop, one of the attendees, Jennifer Wheeler, caught up with one of the project co-leads, Dr. Rhiannon Austin, in order to talk more about the history of the project and this unique seabird.
Magnificent Frigatebird (male) in flight at the colony on Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. (Photo by Rhiannon Austin)
Jennifer, for BirdsCaribbean (BC): Hi Rhiannon. The workshop wrapped up just before COVID-19 shut down international travel. I’m glad you made it back to the UK—first off, how are you doing with coronavirus? I assume it has affected your work schedule?
Rhiannon: Thanks for asking! As in most places, it has changed things notably for us in the UK both professionally and personally, and we are all trying to adapt to the situation. I am currently employed as a Research Associate at the University of Liverpool, which has been shut since just after our workshop in mid-March, and we don’t know when it will reopen yet. Our fieldwork this season has been put on hold for now. However, we are doing our best to keep moving forwards and keep up communications. It is all about supporting each other.
BC: I believe we first crossed paths in mid-2016, when you were developing the proposal for the multi-island Frigatebird Project, but I think you had already started working in the region prior to that. What first brought you to the Caribbean?
Rhiannon: Yes, we corresponded in 2016, but met in person for the first time at BirdsCaribbean’s International Conference in Cuba, in July 2017, which was my first BC meeting. It was such a great experience and a fantastic opportunity to meet and hear from others working in the region. I first started working in the Caribbean in 2011, on a project with the Department of Environment (DoE) in the Cayman Islands that focused on Marine Protected Areas. Although my work on this project wasn’t related to seabirds, I became very interested in the seabird colonies on the islands, and always wanted to write a grant to go back and study them.
Team working at the Booby Pond Nature Reserve (Photo by Jessica Harvey)
I did this after my PhD in 2015, and our grant was funded! At the time of the BC conference in 2017, I was managing our Darwin Plus project in the Cayman Islands, which started as a two-year collaboration between the DoE, Universities of Liverpool and Exeter, and the National Trust of the Cayman Islands. The project aimed to gain essential information on the at-sea movements, population status, and ecology of breeding seabirds in this UK Overseas Territory (UKOT). I was lucky enough to be able to continue working on the seabird populations here after this funding ended—last year was our fourth field season. The hope is that our collaborative group can continue studying these important populations over the long-term to gain a fuller understanding of inter-annual variability in behaviour and population responses to environmental change.
Aerial View of the Booby Pond Nature Reserve on Little Cayman (Photo by Rhiannon Austin)
BC: So, your work with Cayman Islands frigatebirds led naturally to thinking about working across several islands?
Rhiannon: Exactly! The DoE and I started working together to tag and track frigatebirds in 2017. We collected some great data that really helped to improve our understanding of the at-sea movements and behaviour of this unique species during the breeding season. These data have also now been used to identify marine Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) during our Darwin Plus projects. We have discovered some interesting things about how Magnificent Frigatebirds from the Cayman Islands exploit their environment, including the tendency of birds to forage both coastally around reefs and sargassum drifts and within the open ocean. We have also detected sex-based differences in their foraging tactics, with males making more offshore trips than females when rearing chicks (you can check out our open access article in MEPS here).
Protecting this species is a real challenge as their large wingspans means that they have low energetic fight costs (i.e. they don’t have to use a lot of energy to beat their wings!), and therefore can forage over huge stretches of ocean. They don’t respect international boundaries and don’t need a passport(!), so it takes cooperative management from multiple nations to protect them across their entire range. The current project that I lead, along with Dr Jon Green at the University of Liverpool, really developed in response to these challenges. Our team wanted to do something to bring those working in the UKOTs together, to discuss ways to extend networks that will help to protect biodiversity. Frigatebirds are really a tool for helping to achieve this aim, as their unique traits make them a potential indicator species for marine biodiversity hotspots. They require better protection, as do multiple species and habitats within the Caribbean.
Rhiannon holding a tagged Magnificent Frigatebird on Little Cayman (Photo by Federico de Pascalis)
BC: Are all the Caribbean UKOTs involved in the current project?
Rhiannon: Yes, I am lucky enough to be working with partners in all 6 of the Caribbean UKOTs under the current project (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda and Montserrat), as well as BirdsCaribbean who it is great to be partnering with. The recent workshop on Anguilla was attended by partners from all of these territories including the Anguilla National Trust (Anguilla), Department of Environment – Cayman Islands Government (Cayman Islands), Jost van Dykes Preservation Society (BVI), Department of Environment and Coastal Resources – Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands (Turks and Caicos), Department of Environment – Government of Montserrat (Montserrat), Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Government of Bermuda (Bermuda), and BirdsCaribbean (see photo). It was great to bring everyone together to discuss the work that we are doing, and how it might help with the large task of addressing conservation issues within marine and coastal environments in the UKOTs.
I’m currently combining and analysing data from multiple Caribbean frigatebird populations to investigate what habitats this species uses at sea and on land (where they like to roost and feed), and to predict suitable habitat across the region (including within areas that we have no data for). The hope is to use frigatebird tracking data in habitat modeling approaches to identify areas of ecological importance relevant to not only frigatebirds but other mobile marine vertebrates. There is another year and a half left on this project and it will end with a large workshop that our project team plans to host during the next BirdsCaribbean Conference in 2021. We hope to open this up to those working in non-UK states and territories in the Caribbean that are interested in seabirds and related conservation issues.
BC: Have you found partners outside of the UKOTs?
Rhiannon: Yes, I’ve recently started a collaborative project with NGOs and Government departments in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. They have large and important populations of seabirds in this area but desperately lack funds for monitoring and conservation. We were due to start preliminary work on this project during the spring/summer, but this had to be delayed for now because of recent events. However, we are committed to seeing this happen once borders open up again and it is safe to proceed. Through the Frigatebird Project, we have also recently started collaborating with some fantastic conservation and research organisations in the States (the Avian Research and Conservation Institute – ARCI) and Canada (University of New Brunswick / NSERC), who have worked on frigatebird populations in the Florida Keys and Barbuda, respectively. I am also always keen to make new connections with those interested in the spatial ecology and conservation of seabirds and other marine vertebrates in the region.
BC: Where are you finding funds for this work?
Rhiannon: This work is largely funded by the UK Government’s Darwin Plus grant scheme, which aims to fund local projects to help protect biodiversity and the natural environment in the UKOTs. The team and I at the University of Liverpool have been lucky enough to have undertaken a number of projects in the UKOTs supported by Darwin Plus, and I really hope that our collaborative group will continue to have success working under this scheme, as our conservation and research activities continue in the Caribbean. My work in Mexico is currently funded by an ‘Early Career Researcher’ grant provided by the University of Liverpool, but we hope to seek funds for longer-term work in the future.
Seabird Workshop Participants from left to right, back row: Tashim Fleming, Aaron Richardson, Susan Zaluski, Eric Salamanca, Jeremy Madeiros, Louise Soanes, Jane Haakonsson (remotely via video!), and Jonathan Green. Front row: Rhiannon Austin, Farah Mukhida, Ajherme White, Clarissa Lloyd, Giovanni Hughes, Jennifer Wheeler (Photo by Rhiannon Austin)
BC: Where would you like to see the project go in the future?
Rhiannon: We really hope that this project, and the outputs that it provides, will help to build new collaborations and working relationships amongst those in the UKOTs (and more widely) that have shared issues and/or knowledge that can be exchanged. The ultimate long-term goal is that this will lead to the development of transboundary management strategies. This a huge task and not an easy one that can be addressed in this project, as it requires involvement of so many nations and organisations. Here, we are starting by identifying training, data and management needs in the 6 UKOTS, and will then undertake supporting activities in these territories (for example, colony surveys or feasibility studies) that will hopefully lead to future funding and longer-term project work. Our final workshop in 2021 will focus on ‘Connectivity and Networks’, and it will be a great opportunity to make steps towards these objectives.
BC: Frigatebirds connect the Caribbean – and beyond. What else makes frigatebirds special?
Rhiannon: Frigatebirds are unique. If I could spend the rest of my lifetime studying them, I would be happy! They are very different from many other seabirds, both in terms of their at-sea behaviour and breeding strategies. Associated with this, they have evolved some intriguing morphological (body) characteristics. For example, they lack waterproofing on their feathers so are constrained to forage at the ocean’s surface. Because they don’t dive under the water, they also lack webbing on their feet, which are adapted for roosting in mangrove trees where they nest. Frigatebirds also have impressive wingspans which allow them to roam huge distances with ease, even when rearing chicks! They also have a very interesting breeding strategy. Females have much greater roles in parental care than males: while the male deserts the chick after only a few months, females may continue rearing chicks for over a year.
Frigatebirds get a lot of bad press because they regularly steal food from other birds. Did you know that the name ‘frigatebird’ and associated nickname ‘Man O’War bird’ refers to the warships favoured and feared by pirates between the 16th and 19th centuries? Personally, I think that this foraging tactic is fascinating and actually quite smart in an environment where prey distributions may not be predictable in time or space! Despite my obvious biases towards frigatebirds, we have a diversity of seabirds in the Caribbean (>20 species) that use a range of life history strategies to successfully exploit and breed in this environment. There is so much to learn. In addition to frigatebirds, I spend time working on boobies, gannets, and shearwaters, but the former remain my favourites!
Male Magnificent Frigatebirds at the colony on Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. (Photo by Rhiannon Austin)
BC: You have worked in other parts of the world, including the Mediterranean… how would you compare the two regions?
Rhiannon: I have always gravitated towards warmer climates, and I feel a strong affinity with the Caribbean. It is where I hope to be based in the long-term. I worked in the Mediterranean on shearwaters for 4 years, and the two regions do have some similarities. Both have high levels of biological connectivity between the many coastal habitats that they contain, and both experience high levels of human activity and associated pressures on their marine and coastal ecosystems.
As with the Caribbean, the Mediterranean has many conservation issues to overcome. However, there are a number of initiatives in the Mediterranean that we might be able to learn from to help with the particular challenges faced in the Caribbean. For example, recent efforts to undertake observer programmes onboard fishing vessels are helping to address bycatch of seabirds. Similarly, there are initiatives to identify and designate interconnected networks of MPAs. Spain’s efforts at site protection are a good example of this. Nevertheless, these types of conservation action only work if multiple stakeholders and nations work together in their efforts, which we all know is challenging. One of the reasons that I enjoy working in the Caribbean so much is its people, and the diversity of birds in the region, many of which we still know so little about. There is so much here to discover and protect!
BC: Do you have a favourite memory from the project that you would like to share?
Rhiannon: There are so many to choose from! Some funny and some just magical! I’ll give you one of both. I think one of my favourite ‘amusing’ memories was watching one of my research assistants (who hates fish) being regurgitated on by a frigatebird while in a very precarious position during work at the colony, which he could not move out of for about 10 minutes. He had to grin and bear being covered in half-digested fish while the rest of us tried desperately not to laugh as we worked!
Withholding regurgitates, the Booby Pond Nature Reserve on Little Cayman is one of my favourite places on earth! Working there over such extended periods of the year means that I am lucky enough to get to see sights and behaviour that few in this world observe. These include adults feeding their chicks, scuffles between nest neighbours, juveniles playing with nesting material in the sky, and fledglings finding their wings and taking off the first time! It is a privilege and an honour to work with such amazing creatures. The noise of the colony alone is something to behold! Imagining these sights and sounds is definitely a great way to find peace and calm while in lockdown in the UK (check them out in this video clip!).
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Red-legged Thrush
Found in the Bahamas 🇧🇸: Thrush; Cuba 🇨🇺: Zorzal Real; Dominican Republic 🇩🇴: Chua Chua, Haiti 🇭🇹i: Ouèt-ouèt; Puerto Rico🇺🇸: Zorzal Patirrojo; Cayman Islands 🇰🇾: Old Thruss, and Dominica🇩🇲: Pyé-jòn, this Caribbean endemic is similar in behavior to its North American counterpart, the American Robin. The Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) is about 25-28 cm long. Its colors vary depending on what island you’re on, but it is always distinguished by its bluish-gray or slate gray upperparts, bright reddish-orange legs, red eye ring and white tail tips. Males are larger than females.
There are six subspecies (three described here). The Bahama race (T. plumbeus plumbeus) has a black throat, black bill and tail, mid-gray under parts and white chin patch. The Western Cuban, Isle of Pines and Cayo Coco sup species (T. p. rubripes) has a white chin, black throat, blackish to reddish bill, black tail, greyish breast and orange buff belly. The Hispaniola and Puerto Rican, subspecies (T. p. ardosiaceus) has a boldly striped throat, black tail with white tips, reddish orange bill, with greyish underparts.
The Red-legged Thrush inhabits forests, pinelands, scrub, shade coffee plantations, gardens, and residential areas. It is a common and year-round resident throughout most of its range. It is omnivorous, feeding on a variety of fruits, insects and small vertebrates like anole lizards and greenhouse frogs. It forages mainly on the ground, working through leaf litter to find invertebrates. Like the American Robin, it is a common visitor to gardens and lawns, hopping along with its tail held up.
Breeding behavior of the Red-legged Thrush is poorly understood and varies with subspecies, but pairs have been observed defending breeding territories. They build cup-shaped nests with roots, grasses, mosses and leaves. Three to four eggs are laid and chicks leave their nests about 15 days after hatching. Breeding may take place from January to September, but peaks from April to July. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Red-legged Thrush!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Red-legged Thrush
The Red-legged Thrush has a number of different calls, including a low weecha and high-pitched chu-week. The song is a melodious but monotonous series of two to three phrases similar to the Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus), but a bit more musical: chirri chirri eeyu chirr biyuyu … tewi …shooh tewi
Listen to the song of the Red-legged Thrush
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!
Red-legged Thrush in Cuba – this subspecies has a reddish-brown abdomen, white chin and black throat. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim)Red-legged Thrush in Hispaniola – this subspecies has a whitish abdomen and boldly striped throat. (Photo by Dax Roman)Red-legged Thrush in the Bahamas – this subspecies has black throat with white chin patch and gray underparts. (Photo by Erika Gates)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy this lovely video of a Red-legged Thrush in Puerto Rico where it is a common resident. It is called and gray in Puerto Rico. You can hear a Black-whiskered Vireo calling in the background. Video by AvesPuertoRico Felpe.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Cuban Parrot
The Cuban Parrot, formerly known as the Rose-throated Parrot, is not actually endemic only to Cuba. It also occurs on two islands in the Bahamas (on Abaco and Great Inagua) and the Cayman Islands. It is a pigeon-sized parrot (~30 cm). Coloration varies between the islands but this attractive parrot is mostly green with a pinkish-red chin, throat, and cheeks, and purplish abdomen. The forehead and eye ring are white and flight feathers are soft blue. The bill and legs are yellow. Is a very noisy bird, especially when they are in flocks in the non-breeding season. During the breeding season they are usually in pairs.
In the Cayman Islands, the parrot is called the Cayman Parrot and it is the national bird of the Cayman Islands. In the Bahamas it is called the Bahama Parrot, and in Cuba – Cotorra Cubana.
In Cuba, the Cuban Parrot lives in dense woodland (including the Isle of Pines). It inhabits native broadleaf and pine woodlands in the Bahamas, and dry forest and agricultural areas in the Cayman Islands. The parrot has also been recorded in savannas with palm groves, mangroves, plantations and gardens. They eat a variety of fruits and seeds, including including gum elemi (Bursera simaruba), poisonwood berries, wild guava, mastic, white torch, mahogany seeds, and fruits of many species of palms. For nesting they mainly use old woodpecker nest holes and dead palms that have lost their foliage. The Abaco Island population has the unique behavior of nesting in limestone crevices in the ground, which makes them vulnerable to predation by feral cats and raccoons. Females lay 3-4 white eggs; breeding is from March to September.
The Cuban Parrot was formerly much more numerous and widespread. Christopher Columbus was so struck by the numbers of parrots when he made landfall in The Bahamas in 1492, that he wrote in his log, “flocks of parrots darken the sun.” Sadly, this parrot has been extirpated from much of its former range due to habitat destruction and capture for the pet bird trade. Hurricanes also kill birds and damage habitats. Some conservation actions have helped: such as the creation of the Abaco National Park in 1994 to protect the parrot and campaigns to educate people that capture of wild parrots is illegal and they should not be kept in cages. But more work is needed to ensure the long-term survival of this near-threatened species. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Cuban Parrot!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Cuban Parrot
The Cuban Parrot is very noisy, especially when perched in a flock. It has a wide variety of screeches and calls. In flight, it utters a harsh squawk squawk.
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 Parrot’s short rounded bill is characteristic of all true parrots. The bill is a powerful multi-purpose tool used for eating, climbing, defending, preening (grooming), and playing. (Photo by Ger Bosma)Four sub-species of Cuban Parrots are recognized: two in the Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac), one in Cuba, and one in the Bahamas. (Photo by Richard on Flickr)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy the videos below which show the Cuban (Bahama) Parrot in the wild. The first video shows a Cuban Parrot feeding on tamarind seed pods in Matanzas, Cuba. The Bahama Parrot video by Scott Johnson and the documentary from 2011 provide details on the threats to Bahama Parrots in Abaco and Great Inagua and research and conservation actions by the Bahamas National Trust to protect the parrot. The fourth video is QUINCY’S SONG – a rap song created for the first Rare campaign in the Bahamas to protect the Bahama Parrot in 1992.
Learn more about the Cuban Parrot in these articles:
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Antillean Siskin
Take a walk in a sun-filled, rolling meadow up in the mountains of the Dominican Republic (DR). If you’re lucky, you will see a small flock of beautiful black and yellow birds take flight. They emerge from their hiding place within the thick grasses to then swirl up and into the sunshine. These are Antillean Siskins. Contrary to what their name implies, they occur nowhere else but the island of Hispaniola.
Antillean Siskins are small chunky birds with a light yellow conical bill. Males have a distinctive black head and bright yellow collar and underparts. Their back is olive-green, the tail is black with two yellow patches. Females are olive-green above and yellowish-white below with grayish streaks. Antillean Siskins are incredible songsters. Check out the amazing ensemble of different sounds they can make below.
Antillean Siskins live in montane pine forest and grass savanna habitats in the border region of the DR and Haiti. They may wander down to other habitats at lower altitudes during the colder, non-breeding months of the year. Siskins feed on seeds from a variety of grasses, shrubs, and trees. They forage in small to large flocks. Breeding takes place in May and June. Pairs build a cup nest made of moss in bushes or the lower branches of pine trees.
Unfortunately, the “islands in the sky” that Antillean Siskins and other montane species call home are shrinking. The habitat is disappearing due to human encroachment. The next mountain top can be a long flight away, and is likely facing the same problems. It is up to us to protect their remaining habitat. We can also help with ongoing efforts to reforest Hispaniolan mountain forests and grassland habitats. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Antillean Siskin!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the songs and call of the Antillean Siskin
The Antillean Siskin sings an amazingly eclectic song (starting at 0:32) without seeming to take a breath, including a jut-jut, a shrill and buzzy zzhhreeeee, and a buzzy insect-like zzzzzzzzzt that is upward inflected.
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 Antillean Siskin (Photo by Dax Roman)Female Antillean Siskin (Photo by Dax Roman)
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this shirt video of a lovely male and female Antillean Siskin eating fruit – the white-fleshed pitahaya or dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus), a species of Cactaceae.
Recent, tragic events serve as a stark reminder that racism and racial injustices continue to tear apart and divide communities around the world. Direct and indirect violence, discrimination, and oppression against black people cannot be tolerated.
Our hearts go out to those that have been—and continue to be—hurt and affected by these inhumane and heinous actions. We stand in solidarity with black communities demanding accountability, reform, and respect.
The BirdsCaribbean community, spread out across the Caribbean islands and around the world, strongly supports efforts to advance justice, peace, and unity, and we stand beside those who work so tirelessly to see these goals achieved.
Our organization will prioritize actions to become a bigger part of the collective solution moving forward, using our reach, influence, and mission to create the safest environment possible and most equitable treatment of our friends, colleagues, and partners.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Hispaniolan Woodpecker
Hispaniolan Woodpecker – friend or foe? This charismatic endemic is found all over the island of Hispaniola and has garnered quite the reputation for itself. With darting lemon yellow eyes, and sporting a flashy bee-striped back pattern, these loud birds can often be seen throwing their heads back and proclaiming a loud waaakkkkkaaaaa to the world. Unlike most woodpeckers they are very social, often nesting in loose colonies of up to 20 pairs. Pairs excavate a cavity for nesting and the adults in the colony defend the nesting tree. Pairs greet each other upon arrival to the cavity by swinging their heads from side to side.
Although Hispaniolan Woodpeckers prefer to build their nests in Royal Palm trees, many people misperceive this bird as a pest, believing it prefers Dominican homes. But it does not, and these birds are actually quite useful to keep around. First, they are valuable seed dispersers. They eat a variety of native fruits and through their poop, help to regenerate deforested palm savannah pastures. Second, they are fond of eating those pesky large cockroaches that many people are not too keen to host in their homes. Many people did not realize that the woodpecker provided these valuable ecological services. In the past, it used to have a bounty, with the government paying for each woodpecker tongue collected. Thankfully, even with a price on its head, the woodpecker has persisted, remaining a common and widespread bird.
Hispaniolan Woodpeckers are buffy dark-olive below, their back is covered in yellow and black stripes. Males have a red crown and nape while females have a black crown and red nape. Their tail base is brilliantly red while the tail itself is black. The rump is olive-grey. Males are larger than females and their bill size is ~20% bigger. They eat insects, fruit, and seeds taken through gleaning, probing and pecking on trees, bushes, epiphytes and cacti.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Hispaniolan Woodpecker
The Hispaniolan Woodpecker is quite vocal, emitting a range of sounds including yapping, squeaking, rolling and nasal calls. They give a long series of up to 23 notes in long-distance communication. Drumming is done only occasionally.
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!
Hispaniolan Woodpecker eating bananas (Photo by Jose Miguel Pantaleon)Female Hispaniolan Woodpecker (Photo by Jose Miguel Pantaleon)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a male Hispaniolan Woodpecker feeding by probing and pecking on a tree trunks to find insects.
This video has some great footage of a female Hispaniolan Woodpecker perched on a tree trunk and calling repeatedly.
Birds of the UK Overseas Territories has just been published! The book explores the birds and other wildlife of each of the 14 UKOTs with a particular focus on environmental threats and conservation issues. Six Overseas Territories are within our region: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos. Many BirdsCaribbean members have helped produce the detailed accounts.
