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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

Play free online here.

Enjoy this short video of two Scaly-naped Pigeons in Christchurch, Barbados, feeding on palm fruits.

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. 

Society and decision makers must recognize the immense value of mountain forests and protect them to save the La Selle Thrush. You can help by educating yourself and others and advocating for the conservation of nature.  Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the La Selle 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 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!

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: 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!

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!

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: 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!

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?

Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival Highlights Laws that Protect Birds

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!

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!

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.

Here’s a recipe for making nectar (sugar water) for your hummingbird feeder.

And here is a free e-book about native plants for a bird-friendly yard, including suggestions for flowering plants that are popular with hummingbirds.

Heritage Plants eBook (English, Spanish)

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!

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!

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:

Amnesty for Pet Parrot Owners on Cayman Islands

Post-Irma, Parrots in the Abaco Pinelands Are Holding Their Own

Hurricane Dorian Recovery: An Update on How Our Appeal Funds Are Being Used

Working to Save and Protect what’s Ours— That’s our CAWS

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!

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Do a word search, about today’s Endemic Bird of the Day – the Antillean Siskin.  Can you find all 12 hidden words? Here is the Answer Key if you need help!

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.

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!

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.

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: Elfin-woods Warbler

The Elfin-woods Warbler is a rare bird found only in mountain forests in Puerto Rico. Describing it as an elusive bird is an understatement—the warbler avoided discovery until 1969 and was not described as a new species until 1973! This could in part be due to its similarity to the Black-and-White Warbler, which migrates through Puerto Rico. The species was named after Angela Kepler, one of its discoverers. It is the last new species to be described for the region.

The Elfin-woods Warbler is a small bird with black and white plumage. Adults have a black crown and back, incomplete white eye ring, thin white eyebrow and 2 white wing bars. The underparts are white, with black streaks on the throat, breast and flanks. The sexes look alike but males tend to have larger amounts of black streaking on the breast and throat. Juveniles have a similar pattern as the adults, but the black is replaced by grayish-green on the back and yellowish-green on their heads and underparts.

The Elfin-woods Warbler can be differentiated from the Black-and-white Warbler by the absence of white streaks on its back and different black and white pattern on the head. Their behavior also differs: Black-and-white Warblers creep along the trunks of trees whereas Elfin-woods Warblers glean small insects from leaves and small branches of trees and bushes. It moves rapidly among ravines and dense understory of its preferred habitat in moist montane dwarf forest. It often flocks together with other birds – this may also explain how it remained undetected for so many years.

Its current range is limited to just two locations, Maricao Commonwealth Forest and El Yunque National Forest, in the western and eastern parts of Puerto Rico, respectively. The species is listed as Endangered due to its small range and declining population size. The main threat is ongoing loss and modification of its prime forest habitat, even in protected areas. Since the 1980s, the construction of communication infrastructure (e.g., cell phone, microwave and radio towers) and roads, as well as expanded recreation facilities, continues to destroy and fragment its dwarf forest habitat. Conservationists are trying to create a biological corridor that they hope will increase the Elfin-woods Warbler’s range. 

The species’ common name in Spanish Reinita de Bosque Enano refers to the place where it was discovered as well as to its size. In Puerto Rico most people call small birds “Reinita” and “del Bosque Enano” refers to the dwarf forest where it was seen for the first time. It is one of the 12 species of New World warblers exclusively found in the Caribbean region. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Elfin-woods 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 call of the Elfin-woods Warbler

The Elfin-woods Warbler”s song is a series of short, rapidly uttered, unmusical notes on one pitch, increasing in volume and ending with a short series of distinct double notes. It also produces a short metallic “chip” call and a contact call which is similar to the song but without the double-note ending.

Puzzle of the Day

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

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Check out the great video of the rare Elfin-woods Warbler moving through the forest vegetation and gleaning insects from the leaves and branches. This video was recorded in the Maricao State Forest (Monte del Estado).

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-breasted Thrasher

With a chocolate brown back, striking white chest, and piercing red eye, the White-breasted Thrasher is not among the flashiest of Caribbean birds, but it is certainly among the most elegant. This plumage, its pervasive alarm calls, and namesake habit of thrashing through the leaf litter in search of invertebrate prey makes the thrasher unmistakable among birds in the dry forest.  

“One of the rarest birds in the West Indies,” is how James Bond described the thrasher in the early 20th century, and the species is still rare today. Found only in Saint Lucia and Martinique, where it is known as Gòj Blan and Moqueur Gorge Blanche, respectively, there are fewer than 2,000 thrashers left. Its dry forest habitat has been fragmented by large-scale development for tourism. It has also been degraded by small-scale timber extraction and livestock grazing. In addition, non-native mammalian predators such as rats, mongoose, and cats have invaded the habitat. These invasive mammals prey on thrashers and other wildlife and are a major cause of the species decline. 

Despite being Endangered, however, this bird is not particularly difficult to see if you find yourself in the dry forest. This is partly because they are noisy, but also because they often live in large family groups, a unique behavior called cooperative breeding. Rather than dispersing to breed independently as most birds do after they fledge, some thrasher offspring from one year forgo breeding to help their parents in raising offspring (their siblings) in the next few years. One consequence of this behavior is extremely short dispersal distances, which in turn, has resulted in a lack of gene flow between the two island populations. Should the two subspecies of thrashers in Saint Lucia and Martinique be split into separate species? Probably…stay tuned! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the White-breasted Thrasher!

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 White-breasted Thrasher

The White-breasted Thrasher’s call is a short, harsh, rasping (tschhh). It also has a more complex song. Thrashers are particularly noisy when defending a territory, using persistent and variable cries, both metallic and nasally.

Puzzle of the Day

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

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS & ADULTS: See the White-breasted Thrasher in action! This foraging bird was filmed in Martinique. You can see how it tosses aside leaf litter to find insects and other food items.

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: Zapata Sparrow

The Zapata Sparrow (in Cuba:  Cabrerito de la Ciénaga) is one of three endemic Cuban birds discovered in 1926 by the Spanish naturalist, Fermín Zanón Cervera. Apparently it had a much wider distribution in the past but now just three small populations persist in three widely separated areas. They are each considered different subspecies belonging to endemic genus Torreornis. The earliest known population was discovered by Cervera in the Zapata Swamp. A second population was found in the Guantanamo province in southeast Cuba in the 1950s. The third population was finally discovered in the Cayo Coco Cays on the north coast in the 1970s. 

Zapata Sparrows are plump sparrows with yellow underparts, a white throat, and a dark mustache stripe. The crown is dark reddish-brown and upperparts are olive-gray. The Zapata and Cayo Coco races are quite similar, with bright colors. The race from the coastal area east of Guantánamo is duller with the crown almost gray. The three races live in quite different habitats. In the Zapata Swamp they live in sawgrass prairie that is flooded about half the year. In Cayo Coco, they inhabit coastal scrub and low forest, and in Baitiquirí (Guantánamo) they live in low thorn scrub with cacti and scattered trees (this is the most arid part of Cuba).

Zapata Sparrows are usually seen in pairs, sometimes accompanied by a third individual. They are weak fliers due to having short and rounded wings. Pairs appear to defend a territory year-round. During the dry season they feed primarily on seeds, fruits, and flowers, but in the wet season they expand their diet to include animal matter such as insects, caterpillars, moths, spiders, snail eggs, and even small lizards. They nest from April to June, and lay two eggs in a cup shaped nest, usually less than one meter from the ground. 

Because of their small ranges and population sizes, all three races are vulnerable to natural threats like hurricanes, and human-caused impacts such as ongoing habitat loss and degradation. The Zapata Sparrow is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Special care must be taken to ensure that the habitat in the 3 areas where it occurs is not damaged or developed. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Zapata Sparrow!

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 Zapata Sparrow

The Zapata Sparrow’s typical call is a high-pitched metallic trill tziii-tzziii-tzziii repeated at intervals while the pair forages. 

Puzzle of the Day

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

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Help! There are reports of an imposter Zapata Sparrow! Can you spot the differences between the original and the imposter sparrow? There are 6 differences to find. After writing in your answers, check the Answer Key to see if you got them all correct.

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS:

A lovely video of the handsome Zapata Sparrow, perched on a branch during a windy day in the Zapata Swamp. The bird turns once so that we get a great view of its front and back:

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: Golden Swallow

If you ever get the chance to go birding in the mountains of the Dominican Republic (DR) or Haiti, you’ll want to add Golden Swallows to your list of birds to see. It’s not uncommon for people to spend hours watching these amazing birds fly around open meadows where they feed. They twist, turn, and dive through the air with incredible grace and precision as they hunt for airborne insects—their primary food source. These little aerial acrobats weigh only 13 grams—the same as a AAA battery—which allows them to maintain flight for a long time with limited effort! 

As for their name, the debate of whether this swallow’s colouring better matches its English common name (golden) or its Spanish common name (verde = green) is a fierce one. We’ll settle it right here—they are both! The colours you see on their upperparts are ever-changing as they fly around and catch the sunlight at different angles. In a few seconds you might observe a blue-ish sheen changing to a golden iridescence that then changes to an olive-green! 

Because of their erratic flight, it’s challenging to get a good look at a Golden Swallow with binoculars! Instead, you might do better if you can locate one of their nests. They are secondary cavity nesters, which means that they nest in cavities already built. So look for them using old woodpecker holes in dead snags, as well as rocky cliff sides that offer small crevices for nesting. Like many other types of cavity nesting birds (ex. bluebirds and flycatchers), Golden Swallows will sometimes use man-made nest boxes. Scientists in the DR have been successful at attracting Golden Swallows to nest boxes. This has helped them to study the birds and figure out how best to protect them. It turns out that conservation of these swallows is definitely needed! 

Although once found in small numbers on the neighboring island of Jamaica, Golden Swallows are now found only on the island of Hispaniola. We don’t know why they have disappeared from Jamaica, but it could be for the same reasons that other swallow species are declining. Swallows feed on insects, and we now know that insects worldwide have been decreasing at alarming rates for a long time. This is from destruction of native habitats as well as the widespread use of insecticides (also called pesticides). Truth be told,  we’ve become too good at killing insects, and we’re only now waking up to the realization that our ecosystems depend on them. The good news is that there is an easy way that everyone can help: plant as many native plants as you can on your property. Native plants attract native insects (not pest insects!), and these insects provide lots of food (filled with protein!) for MANY different bird species. 

Try to replace lawn space that you don’t use with native trees and bushes. Lead or join community efforts to add more native greenery to your neighborhood. Let’s work together to rebuild the food web from the bottom up to help conserve our birds! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Golden Swallow!

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 Golden Swallow

The flight call of the Golden Swallow sounds like tchee-weet.

Puzzle of the Day

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

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Insects are an important food resource for many species of birds. Can you match the pictures of 8 insects with the name of the insect? How many types of insects can you find in your backyard or neighborhood? Do our Insect Matching Activity and then check your answers with the Answer Key.

If you need help identifying them, download Seek, by iNaturalist, a very cool mobile app that can help you identify insects, plants, amphibians, lizards, birds, mammals, and more!

FOR KIDS & ADULTS:

Learn about key native plants that are beneficial to native and migratory birds with our eBook: Heritage Plants: Native Trees and Plants for Birds and People in the Caribbean. The plants highlighted in this book are perfect for backyard gardens, neighborhood landscaping, and other habitat restoration projects big and small.  Browse the book, get inspired, and find new plants to grow in your backyard! Check with your local Forestry Department as they may have some of these plants available at no cost. Available in both English and Spanish!

Download the book for free. (PDF, 24 pages, English)
Partrimonio Vegetal, descarga gratis en español. (PDF, 24 páginas, Español)

Learn all about nest boxes and bird houses and how to make them for different kinds of birds!

Educator’s Guide to Nest Boxes

All about Bird Houses – How to make a safe, successful home for our feathered friends

Learn more about the Golden Swallow!

The Golden Swallow website – lots of great information here on the work that researchers have done with these swallows over the last ten years.

Video of Golden Swallows at their nest box, in flight, feeding chicks, and more! This video highlights the best footage that scientists were able to capture across three summers of research in the Dominican Republic.  Most of the video is on the breeding population in the Parque Valle Nuevo, with a glimpse of the population at Aceitillar.

Enjoy the video below from Cockpit Country, Jamaica. This is the last place that Golden Swallows were seen on in Jamaica before they disappeared. Watch the morning fog slowly drift away and listen to all of the birds waking up in the lush jungle below. 

Read about Justin Proctor’s marvelous adventures and findings from field work on the Golden Swallow in the DR and Jamaica!

Searching for the Golden Swallow in Jamaica’s Ram Goat Cave

Discovering Gold in the Greater Antilles

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: Palmchat

The Palmchat is endemic to and widespread on the island of Hispaniola (Cigua Palmera in the Dominican Republic and Oiseau Palmiste in Haiti). It is a noisy and conspicuous bird, easily seen in flocks in treetops throughout the island. The Palmchat is a very special bird because it is the only member of its family (Dulidae) and genus. Owing to its unique taxonomic status, the Palmchat is the National Bird of the Dominican Republic.

Palmchats are chunky birds, approximately 8 inches in size, dark brown above with an olive green wash on the wings. The belly is cream-colored with heavy brown streaking.You wouldn’t guess from their rather drab appearance that they are the social butterflies of the bird world. They live in societies with up to 50 or more members, all sharing communal roosting and nesting space atop palm trees in large stick-mounds. The communal nest is divided up into multiple nesting chambers, each pair has its own chamber. Nesting mainly occurs in the spring and summer months, but Palmchats industriously maintain the nest and supply new sticks throughout the year as they continue to use it for roosting and socializing. 

While the Palmchat is considered a songbird, it does not so much sing as it does chatter and chirp with members of its community or flock. They have a broad vocabulary of sounds including different types of alarm calls that tell their neighbors whether to focus on a threat on the ground or in the air. They even imitate the calls of hawks and kestrels. Palmchats are also some of the most important seed dispersers in habitats where they live—they move often through open landscapes and help forests regenerate. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Palmchat!

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 Palmchat

The Palmchat’s call is a noisy array of strange call notes, especially when around the nest.

Puzzle of the Day

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

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Play Bird Bingo in your backyard! Look out for hazards and predators and keep your eyes peeled for food and nest materials. Parents – help your kids enjoy and learn about nature in your own backyard and neighborhood. Print the Bird Bingo game cards and play with the whole family!

Learn more about the important role that birds like the Palmchat play in reforesting the forest in these fascinating articles by ornithologist Spencer Shubert:

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

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

Check out the cool video of a Palmchat feeding on the flowers of a Century Plant or Agave plant.

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: Yellow-billed Parrot

Imagine yourself in a cool early morning in Jamaica’s remote Cockpit Country. As the sun rises and the mist gradually clears from the forested hills and valleys, the flights of parrots begin. You can hear them coming from hundreds of metres away. Flocks of these bright green marvels leave the safety of their remote roosts and their nests in cavities of large trees in search of food. In the forests and agricultural lands, they feast on fruit and seeds, sometimes to the despair of farmers. 

There are two species of parrots in Jamaica: Yellow-billed and Black-billed Parrots. The Yellow-bills have light-coloured bills, bluish foreheads, pink cheeks and throats. The Black-bills have dark bills and green faces with a dark spot behind their eyes. Yellow-bills are slightly larger and possibly more abundant than Black-bills. In flight, their wing beats are deeper. Both can be seen in Cockpit Country and the Blue and John Crow Mountains, and there is a population of Yellow-billed Parrots in the Hope Botanical Gardens in Kingston. Both species are threatened by habitat loss and illegal trapping and trade.

Their voices provide further clues to identification. Yellow-bills have mid-range voices, while Black-bills’ voices range both higher and lower. Parrots can be very noisy but sometimes they can be perched above your head, totally silent and undetectable in the green leaves – until they explode into flight with loud squawks.

What are they saying to each other as they fly? Are those squawks and squeaks just random babblings or do they have meaning? Scientists who have studied parrots elsewhere have found that some species of parrots can recognize each other by call and communicate when they have found a good place to feed. Can Jamaican parrots share the location of a fig tree in fruit or juicy flower buds? No one has studied their calls, so we cannot say for sure that this is the case, but it seems likely. 

Maybe one day we will be able to understand the Yellow-billed Parrot calls. In the meantime, we can observe the beauty of their flight and wonder at the variety of the sounds they make. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Yellow-billed 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 Yellow-billed Parrot

Yellow-billed Parrots emit a variety of screeches and squawks, mostly low-pitched  squawks when perched.

Puzzle of the Day

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

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Create your own bird colouring page for your favourite bird! Or draw an imaginary bird! And don’t forget add your “Feathery Facts.” Share with us by tagging us @BirdsCaribbean. Have fun!

Check out the wonderful video of two Yellow-billed Parrots calling and interacting in 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: Purple-throated Carib

When you think purple throat, you wouldn’t expect that the most obvious field mark for this large hummingbird is it’s accentuated, emerald green wings! Coming in at a whopping 5 inches, this hummingbird tends to appear completely black except for its wings. Try golden hour, with the perfect lighting and the right angles and it transforms before the eyes, living up to its name. The regal purplish-red of its throat and breast are revealed, much to the delight of its observers. 

Male Purple-throated Caribs are slightly larger than females and more aggressive. Both sexes have the same coloration, but the female’s bill is about 30% longer and more sharply down-curved than the male. Both bills are adapted for feeding on nectar but they feed from different flowers that fit the shape of their bills. Males prefer Heliconias with short corollas (petals) while females visit Heliconias with longer corollas. They also eat insects.

Purple-throated Caribs are endemic to only a handful of islands in the Lesser Antilles but may be vagrant on other islands. They are often simply called hummingbirds, but may also be called Doctor Bird, Ruby-Throat, Madè, Fou-fou, and Fal-wouj, depending on what island you’re on. Calls include a strident tsip, and a sharp chewp, which is repeated rapidly when they are agitated.

Nesting takes place between January and July. A cup-shaped nest normally containing 2 white eggs is hung from a fork of a small branch between 3 and 18 meters (9 and 60 feet) above ground. Though their conservation status is classified as Least Concern, they are primarily found in low-level moist forests, and may not be the easiest hummingbird to find. Ask any villager though, and they will tell you to look for Heliconia or a flowering Moringa and there you will find what you seek! Due to the continual encroachment of development, both the habitat and the birds are at risk. Conservation should focus on protecting forest habitats in all the islands. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Purple-throated Carib!

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 Purple-throated Carib

Calls include a strident tsip, and a sharp chewp, which is repeated rapidly when they are agitated.

Puzzle of the Day

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

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Check out the video of a Purple-throated Carib in St. Lucia, perching, flying and feeding on nectar. Towards the end of the video, there is good footage of the male courting a female – he holds his body low and horizontal with wings extended and shakes them while moving his head from side to side. The male and female fly together in a circle round and round in a courtship dance which ends with a quick mating and the female flies off.

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 Trogon

Meet the Hispaniolan Trogon (called Papagayo in the Dominican Republic and Caleçon Rouge in Haiti), one of only two trogon species found within the Caribbean (the other being the sister species, the Cuban Trogon). These birds are hefty and distinct, with a glossy green back, gray breast and throat, red belly, and yellow bill. They have a long dark blue tail marked with white below. The sexes look alike except males have fine black and white markings on the wings while females do not.

Although large, these birds can be difficult to find in denser forests. Fortunately their booming vocalizations can often be heard echoing throughout the hills. As the name implies, this chonker of a bird is endemic to the island of Hispaniola. While they are the national bird of Haiti, due to increasing habitat loss, they are more commonly found in the Cordillera Central and Sierra de Bahoruco mountain ranges of the Dominican Republic. They live in pine and broadleaf forest habitats, and have even been recorded as high as 3,000 m in elevation! 

Hispaniolan Trogons are secondary cavity nesters, meaning they’ll take over old cavities from birds such as the Hispaniolan Woodpecker, and enlarge them to make their own nest. Currently the biggest threat these birds face is loss of habitat from deforestation, resulting in their current IUCN listing as Near-Threatened. Some scientists and local conservationists have successfully created nest-boxes for these birds in the scientific reserve, Ebano Verde. The diet of Hispaniolan Trogons is not very well known. They have been recorded eating insects, small anoles, and fruits, especially those of the Parrot Tree (Brunellia comocladifolia). Interestingly, in many other Latin American countries, the Spanish word for trogon is simply trogon, and Papagayo, the name of the Hispaniolan Trogon, is often used for macaws. Be sure to be on the lookout for this striking bird in the mountains of Hispaniola! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Hispaniolan 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 song of the Hispaniolan Trogon

The Hispaniolan Trogon’s song is described as “cuh kwao or cuh kwao kwao,” or  repeating and carrying over long distances.

The Hispaniolan Trogon has a low rattle or cooing 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!

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Complete our All about the Papagayo (Hispaniolan Trogon) Crossword Puzzle! How many words do you know? Be sure to read about the Papagayo, our Endemic Bird of the Day, for clues to the puzzle. If you need help, also check out our Glossary for some definitions that will help you complete this puzzle. And here is a the Answer Key to the puzzle.

And check out this short video with nice footage about the national bird of Haiti, called the Caleçon Rouge in Haiti.

Hispaniolan Trogon Crossword Puzzle-small