Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Bare-legged Owl
Cuba is the home of two tiny endemic owls. The Bare-legged Owl, locally called Sijú Cotunto, is perhaps the lesser known of the pair. That does not mean it is uncommon—in fact, it is easily observed all around the country in wooded areas, mixed palm forest, semi-deciduous forest, and thickets. It is most active at night, which is when you can sometimes hear its series of soft hoots hoo hoo hoo huhuhuhuhuhuhuu, with a bouncing ball rhythm that accelerates at the end. The best chance to see this cute little puffball of an owl during daylight is while it is roosting inside caves or in the crevices of palm trees.
The name of this owl tells us about its most distinguishing characteristic: the lack of feathers on its legs, which are yellow-green in color. If you come across the similar Burrowing Owl, which is very rare in Cuba, you can use this feature to tell them apart! The other tiny Cuban endemic owl, the Cuban Pygmy-owl, also has feathered legs and is more active during the day, unlike its nocturnal bare-legged cousin. Their big, dark brown eyes also distinguish them, as the other species have yellow eyes. Their plumage is mostly rufous to brown on the upperparts, with white spots on the wing feathers. The throat and belly are mostly white, with some brown streaks on the breast and flanks.
Bare-legged Owls feed mainly on large insects and occasionally on frogs and small reptiles. The breeding season occurs from December to June, with a peak around March-April. They use abandoned woodpecker holes or natural openings in trees where they lay two white eggs. They can also be found nesting on cliffs or caves. It is very common to find them in pairs—that observation, coupled with the record of a pair living for seven years in the same territory—has led to scientists suspecting that they are monogamous birds. However, Bare-legged Owls are very secretive, meaning we still have lots to learn about their behavior, especially during the breeding season! This ‘secretiveness’ and the fact they are nocturnal make any sighting a joyful event!
Luckily, Bare-legged Owls do not seem to be in decline. They have a large geographic distribution and have shown adaptive traits in the face of habitat conversion for housing and commercial development. However, as a secondary cavity nester, it is important to protect the holes and dead trees that are an important resource during the breeding season. Dead trees still provide cover and nesting spaces for birds and mammals too, so don’t get rid of the dead trees in your yard just yet!
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Daniela Ventura for the text!
Colour in the Bare-legged Owl
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Bare-legged Owl
The song of the Bare-legged Owl is a soft series of “hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo…” notes that accelerate. This bird also sometimes make a screeching sound.
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!
Bare-legged Owls are ‘secondary cavity’ nesters, meaning they use holes made by other birds especially woodpeckers and natural openings in trees, particularly palms. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim Castellon Maure)Although Bare-legged Owls, like most owls, are most active at night, your best chance to spot one is during the day whilst this tiny owl is roosting. (Photo by Max Schwenne)The Bare-legged Owl is fairly common across Cuba and appears to be able to adapt to live in human modified landscapes. (Photo by John Mangold)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : How much do you know about the life-cycle of our featured bird the Bare-legged Owl? Why not test your knowledge and complete our “Life Cycle of an Owl” activity?
First spend some time learning about owls on the internet or at your school library. Then carefully cut the ‘missing’ images and paste in the correct order to complete this owl’s life cycle! Don’t forget to label each stage.
You can check your completed life cycle against the correct one, which can be found here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Bare-legged Owl in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Puerto Rican Oriole
If the early bird gets the worm, the Puerto Rican Oriole (Icterus portoricensis) really has an edge on the competition! These charismatic birds (called Calandrias in Spanish) mainly sing in the darkness of the early morning, before first light. Both male and females sing lilting, whistling songs until sunrise, after which they mainly produce sharp tchu and buzzy wink calls. Mated pairs often stay close together all day long, and use those calls to keep track of each other, like a game of Marco Polo.
The Puerto Rican Oriole is a member of the Icterus genus, and used to be called the Greater Antillean Oriole. In 2010, the Greater Antillean Oriole was split into four distinct species: the Cuban Oriole (Icterus melanopsis), the Hispaniola Oriole (Icterus dominicensis), the Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi), and the Puerto Rican Oriole.
Puerto Rican Orioles are endemic to the island of Puerto Rico where they can be found across the island in gardens, mangroves and other wooded areas. They forage in pairs or family groups for insects, spiders, fruits, nectar, small lizards, and frogs. Their pointed beaks are sharp and strong, perfect for prying into small cracks in trees or pulling off pieces of breadfruit.
They have beautiful, unmistakable plumage—adults of both sexes are mostly black, with patches of intensely yellow feathers on their shoulders, rump, lower belly, and thighs. Juveniles are olive-green or yellow, with patches of black feathers appearing as they age. It is impossible to tell males and females apart just by looking at them. But only females build the nest, so if you see a Puerto Rican Oriole building a nest you can be certain it’s a female!
Females weave the fibers of palms into a cup-shape nest, which hangs underneath palm fronds or banana leaves. Typically, they prefer to nest and forage on the edges of forests, especially in areas with palms. If you live in Puerto Rico and have palm trees, check under the fronds, from March to June, where you may find their basket-like nests! But remember to be a good host and give her space and privacy. Their oval-shaped eggs are pale white with brown speckles on them, and both parents raise the chicks after they hatch. Nestlings are fed more insects than fruits.
Though classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, preliminary research indicates that the population may be declining. Unfortunately, Puerto Rican Oriole nests are favorite targets for parasitism by Shiny Cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis), who lay their eggs in the nests of other birds for them to raise. As a result, Puerto Rican Orioles often raise cowbird chicks instead of their own, and their reproductive success is low. They may be more successful in more densely forested areas where there are fewer cowbirds.
Overall, the Puerto Rican Oriole is a beautiful, fascinating bird that any visitor to the island should be sure to seek out. If we protect their natural habitats and monitor their population, this endemic songbird can continue its early morning serenade for generations to come.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Michelle Moyer for the text!
Colour in the Puerto Rican Oriole
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Puerto Rican Oriole
The song of the Puerto Rican Oriole is a series of high-pitched whistles , mixed with buzzes and warbles.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Female Puerto Rican Orioles weave the fibers of palms into a cup shape, which hangs underneath palm fronds or banana leaves. Typically, they prefer to nest and forage on the edges of forests. (Photo by Michael Ocasio, Macaulay Library-ML599415791)
Immature Puerto Rican Orioles look very different from the adults being mainly olive or yellow in colour. Patches of black feathers will start appearing as they age. (Photo by Ricardo Sanchez)Puerto Rican Orioles like to get started early in the day. Both male and females sing lilting, whistling songs in the hours of darkness in the early morning, before sunrise. (Photo by Ken Pinnow)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : Can you find the words in our Puerto Rican Oriole word search? Remind yourself of some of the interesting facts about this endemic bird as you look for all 15 hidden words!
Remember the words may appear forwards and backwards, as well as horizontal, vertical and diagonal!
Need some help? Or want to check your answers? You can see where all the words were here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Puerto Rican Oriole in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: La Sagra’s Flycatcher
Weep. A pause. Weep. A pause. Weep. You hear the sound of wings fluttering briefly and the clickety-clack of a beak snapping shut. The weeping continues.
You peek outside and see a medium-sized, nondescript flycatcher perched, leaning forward, on a low branch. It has a brown-gray head, back, and wings (with two inconspicuous wingbars), a grayish-white underside (sometimes tinged with yellow), and reddish-brown tail and primaries. Perhaps its short crest, reminiscent of a Troll doll, is puffed up, but otherwise the bird is unremarkable…until it launches itself from its perch, snags an insect you didn’t even notice from a branch, U-turns with a backflip, and neatly returns to its perch, displaying acrobatics that would rival the Cirque du Soleil.
The La Sagra’s Flycatcher (Myiarchus sagrae) is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family, which is the largest family of birds in the world, comprising more than 400 species. The La Sagra’s range includes The Bahamas and Grand Cayman (local name Tom Fool) and Cuba (local name Bobito Grande). Across these islands, it inhabits nearly all ecosystems including pine forests, mangrove wetlands, and coppice (evergreen broadleaf forests). There are also records of it in southern Florida, where it is considered a rare vagrant. Typically identified first by its one-note weep call rather than by sight, listen out also for its weep–piri song.
This bird really lives up to the name ‘flycatcher’! First, its diet consists primarily of insects. Beetles, caterpillars, moths, katydids, and even dragonflies are favourites, but they are also known to eat fruits and seeds when necessary. Second, the La Sagra’s Flycatcher hunts via “hawking” or “sallying,” where a bird watches for insect prey from a perch, flies off to grab it on the wing, and returns to devour its catch.
During the breeding season, April to July, they build cup-shaped nests using hair, plant fibers and other soft materials in the cavities of tree trunks, broken branches, and even bamboo stalks! Clutch size varies from 2 and 4 eggs.
The La Sagra’s Flycatcher is not threatened but as noted by the IUCN, its population is decreasing. This is likely due to habitat destruction caused by catastrophic hurricanes and unsustainable development. A decrease in the supply of its favourite food—insects, caused by excessive use of insecticides for pest control, is also responsible for its decline.
You can take action to conserve both birds and insects. Whether you have a backyard, garden, or just a balcony planter, provide a haven for the right insects by planting with native plants. And if you do spot any pests in your garden, use nontoxic methods to get rid of them (e.g., neem oil). If we all do our part, birds like the insect-loving La Sagra’s Flycatcher will continue to thrive and provide enjoyment to all.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Giselle Dean for the text!
Colour in the La Sagra’s Flycatcher
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the La Sagra’s Flycatcher
The calls of the La Sagra’s Flycatcher include a quick “sweet” and whistled “whit-it, did-id-oo.”
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 Sagra’s Flycatcher in The Bahamas. The La Sagra’s range includes The Bahamas (home to the subspecies lucaysiensis), and Cuba and Grand Cayman (subspecies sagrae in both islands). (Photo by Beth Hamel)La Sagra’s Flycatcher mainly perches in and hunts insect from the understory. They use their acrobatic flight skills to snatch insects out of the air. (Photo by Greg Lavaty)La Sagra’s Flycatcher belongs to the ‘tyrant flycatcher’ family. This is the largest bird family in the world, with over 400 species! (Photo by Michael World)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : Have you ever wondered what birds live in your backyard? Have you thought about how many birds might be there? Well, today’s “Backyard Bird Blitz” activity is going to help you answer those questions!
Telling the difference between different species of birds can be tricky but we have some tips to help you sort them in them into ‘types’ of bird, which is a really great starting point. We’ve also got some great advice on the best way to count the birds in your backyard. Just download our simple instructions, find a comfy spot with a great view of the birds in your yard or garden and get started!
If you need more help trying to identify birds down to which species they are you could try looking in a local bird field or ID guide or take a look on eBird Caribbean to see if you can find the birds you have been seeing. If you live in the Caribbean you may also spot one of your wonderful endemic birds enjoying your backyard!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a La Sagra’s Flycatcher in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Blue Mountain Vireo
The Blue Mountain Vireo is not blue in colour, doesn’t sing the blues, and is not restricted to the Blue Mountains in Jamaica as its name suggests. However, it is known for its distinctive song, a long trilling whistle, and its alarm call, a harsh “brrrr” which drops in pitch at the end. They are very secretive and are often heard before being seen.
The Blue Mountain Vireo is described as a plain, chunky vireo with a blue-gray head, heavy dark bill, and yellow underparts. It has no facial markings or wing bars, unlike the Jamaican Vireo, which is smaller with conspicuous white wing bars.
This lovely vireo, endemic to Jamaica, is an uncommon resident in humid forest, especially in montane regions. Its habitat ranges from the low elevations of Windsor in Cockpit Country to the high elevations of the Blue Mountains (500-2000m). They are also found in degraded woodlands, farms, gardens, shade coffee plantations, and along roads in higher and wetter areas in Jamaica. They often forage in dense foliage, searching leaves, lichens, and under tree bark for juicy and crunchy insects (beetles, grubs, and spiders), or close to the ground where they glean insects off flowers. They also eat fruit. They usually forage alone or in small mixed flocks with other insectivorous birds.
Their nesting period runs from March to July, during which time Blue Mountain Vireos build a cup-shaped nest using mostly moss. Their nests can be seen dangling from trees or even medium height saplings. Eggs are spotted, but information about clutch size, incubation, and fledging are currently unknown.
The Blue Mountain Vireo is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss is the main threat to this species. Trees within its habitat are cut down for charcoal burning, small-scale farming, and development. Bush fires also limit the area of suitable habitat available for Blue Mountain Vireos and other wildlife. It is important that we protect their habitats by not clearing large areas in the forest, and that we work towards restoring degraded parts of their habitats by planting native trees.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Damion Whyte for the text!
Colour in the Blue Mountain Vireo
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Blue Mountain Vireo
The song of the Blue Mountain Vireo is a loud, musical trill.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
The Blue Mountain Vireo is a plain-looking bird. You can tell it apart from the Jamaican Vireo by its lack of facial markings and wing bars, and larger size. (Photo by Bobby Wilcox, Macaulay Library-ML515352281)Blue Mountain Vireos love forest with dense vegetation and prefer higher elevation and wetter forests. (Photo by Eric Hynes)Blue Mountain Vireos are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss due to farming and development are the main threats to the species. (Photo by Michael Woodruff, Macaulay Library-ML138683421)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : Do you know what the different parts of a bird are called? Knowing them can help you to learn how to describe and identify birds, as well as colour them in. Learn the names for the parts of a bird by checking out the diagram in this page.
Test your knowledge on today’s endemic bird by matching the correct names to the correct ‘parts of a Blue Mountain Vireo’ and completing this sheet.
Want to check your answers? You can see where all the words matched up to here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Blue Mountain Vireo in the wild!
Find out more about Jamaica’s endemic with this fantastic poster made by BirdLife Jamaica featuring ALL the endemic birds on the island!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Hispaniolan Emerald
See them sparkle. See them shine. These birds are looking mighty fine. Both in name and in plumage, the Hispaniolan Emerald is a literal gem of a bird!
True to their name, both males and females boast glittering green feathers. Females have a bronzy glint to their green and can be distinguished from males by their pale white chest and throat. Males have a dark chest and a green gorget (throat patch) which shimmers brilliantly when awash with light. Look for the little white spot behind their eyes which gives them an extra cute face!
How does the emerald stand out from Hispaniola’s other hummers? Fortunately there are only three other resident hummers to tell it apart from. The first key is habitat. The Hispaniolan Emerald prefers higher elevation montane tropical forests. Usually they won’t be found below 200m, but can be found as high as 1,500m! The higher into Hispaniola’s mountains you venture, the more emeralds you’re likely to see. Listen for their sharp metallic chipping notes next time you go for a mountain hike in Hispaniola.
The second clue is to look at their bill and tail shape. The Hispaniolan Emerald has a straight bill, unlike the decurved bill of the Hispaniolan Mango. If you catch it in a bit of sun, you might even see that the lower bill is actually red. Next check the tail shape—emeralds have a dark forked tail, whereas the Hispaniolan Mango has a rounded tail with orange-purple feathers.
The Hispaniolan Emerald is also perfectly sized in between the teeny tiny Vervain Hummingbird and the larger Hispaniolan Mango. This has given it one of its local names—Zumbador Mediana. It is also referred to as Zumbador Esmerelda or Zumbador Verde in the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, they’re known as Wanga-nègès mòn.
Although emeralds themselves are not a Caribbean specialty, our Caribbean emeralds are unique! Most other emerald hummingbirds in the neotropics are in the genus Chlorostilbon. While Caribbean emeralds had formerly been classified as such, recent molecular studies have shown that they are distinct! As such, Caribbean emeralds were placed in the recently resurrected genus, Riccordia, named to honor French surgeon-naturalist Alexandre Riccord. This genus now contains all Caribbean endemic emeralds including the Puerto Rican Emerald, the Cuban Emerald, the Blue-headed Hummingbird, and of course our featured Hispaniolan Emerald. It also includes the extinct Brace’s Emerald, formerly of Grand Bahama.
These hummingbirds are trap-liners, which means that they usually have a preferred flower route. They love common Caribbean flowers like Inga, Heliconia, and Hibiscus. They are also quite adept at snatching insects in the air when they need a little of that extra protein boost!
Like other hummingbirds, the female does all of the work when it comes to nest-building, weaving together a cozy cup of moss and ferns, lining it with lichens, and tying it all together with a bit of spiderweb. She lays two white tic-tac size eggs which usually hatch after a little over two weeks of incubation and fledge about 20 days later.
While Hispaniolan Emeralds are still a common sight around much of the Hispaniolan highlands, they are losing much of their habitat to deforestation, especially in the Haitian mountains, though they persist in La Visite National Park and Pic Macaya Biosphere Reserve.
You can get the opportunity to see these sparkling gems for yourself this summer at our annual conference in Santo Domingo! Be sure to sign up for a trip to Ebano Verde Scientific Reserve or get yourself into the mountains for a good chance to see the Hispaniolan Emerald!
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Holly Garrod for the text!
Colour in the Hispaniolan Emerald
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the calls of Hispaniolan Emerald
The call of the Hispaniolan Emerald is a sharp “tic” often repeated in a series.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
A female Hispaniolan Emerald feeds her chicks at the nest she built. Like other hummingbirds, she doesn’t get any help from the male! Chicks will fledge about 20 days after the eggs hatch. (Photo by Alberto Rojas)A beautiful male Hispaniolan Emerald. Look for these hummers at higher elevations—the higher you venture, the more emeralds you’re likely to see! (Photo by Bradley Hacker)Male Hispaniolan Emerald in Flight at a flower. As well as feeding on nectar, they will also eat insects—snatching them out of the air! (Photo by Cameron Rutt)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Our 2024 Caribbean Endemic Bird Festive theme is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”. What better way to help protect insects than by giving them somewhere to live? In today’s activity you’ll be making a bug hotel. Bug hotels are a great addition to your garden, back yard, or community space. They attract and protect bugs that keep your plants healthy. And don’t forget what is good for bugs is good for birds!
For this activity you will need:
Toilet paper rolls
Milk Carton
Acrylic paint
Large straws or rolled up pieces of paper
Natural materials for bugs to hide in e.g. moss, dried grass, pinecones, twigs, leaves
Stones
Rolled paper
Craft knife (optional)
Black dot stickers or black paint
Just download our handy instructions and get started. Note that this for this activity you will need a parent or trusted adult to help you!
Enjoy this video of a Hispaniolan Emerald in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Cuban Gnatcatcher
Did you know that in Cuba we have a miniature endemic mockingbird? That’s right! It’s the Cuban Gnatcatcher, known locally as ‘Sinsontillo’—which means mockingbird! Just in case you wondered—no, it doesn’t belong to the same family as the well-known mockingbird—but its name fits perfectly! Its appearance, tail, habitat, and even its song are almost identical to those of the mockingbird.
The Cuban Gnatcatcher is one of the smallest birds in Cuba. Both sexes have a similar blue-gray and white plumage, but the male stands out for its beautiful song. They spend the day in small family groups or pairs, mainly looking for small insects and occasionally smaller reptiles. Along with the Cuban Vireo, it is one of the most confiding species we have in Cuba. It is not afraid of humans, providing us with the opportunity to appreciate its beauty up close and enjoy its presence in our natural environment.
This small bird is considered relatively common in particular isolated patches of coastal scrub habitat with medium-height trees. It can be found in the north of Holguín, Camagüey, the northern Keys of Ciego de Ávila and Santa Clara, and in the southern region in Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Trinidad, and Cienfuegos.
Whilst the Cuban Gnatcatcher is often confused with the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, a migratory species that visits Cuba in winter and is found throughout the country, they can actually be easily distinguished! Cuban Gnatcatchers usually stay in low and thorny terrain in small families—while the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is found anywhere, from gardens to parks, often in small groups in August when it begins its migration south.
Additionally, the Cuban Gnatcatcher has a loud melodious song and a black crescent behind the eye to the ear, features that are not present in the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. So if you are away from the coast and see a small bird with these characteristics in the winter months, you have most likely spotted the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, rather than the Cuban Gnatcatcher.
The naturalist Juan (Johannes) Gundlach first named the Cuban Gnatcatcher in 1858. Its scientific name, lembeyei, was a gesture of humility and gratitude from Gundlach to his friend and colleague, Spanish naturalist Juan Lembeye, with whom he shared many field expeditions and valuable information about Cuban birds. This led Lembeye to include them in his book of 1850, long before Gundlach published his first work in 1876.
The nests of the Cuban Gnatcatcher are built at the end of March and resemble those of the Cuban Emerald hummingbird, but are slightly larger. It is one of the few endemic Cuban species whose natural history has recently been well studied by Cuban researchers. However, we still need to find out more about the limits of its distribution. This little bird is restricted to specific areas along the coast, habitat that is under increasing pressure for tourism development. It is therefore important for us to learn more about its habitats, and actively protect these to preserve its populations.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Yaroddys Rodriguez for the text!
Colour in the Cuban Gnatcatcher
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of Cuban Gnatcatcher
The song of the Cuban Gnatcatcher is a loud and melodious series of whistles and trills.
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!
At a size of between 10-11cm, Cuban Gnatcatcher is one of the smallest birds in Cuba! (Photo by Roberto Jovel)The Cuban Gnatcatcher’s black crescent behind the eye to the ear distinguishes it from the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim Castellon Maure)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: During our 2024 celebration of Caribbean endemic birds we will be sharing a beautiful colouring page for every single bird we feature! These lovely pages were created for us by Arnaldo Toledo, who also created a coloured in version of each bird as inspiration. Get your colour pencils ready, and read these super helpful colouring in tips below. Then go ahead, download and print each bird, and get colouring! Enjoy!
These tips are also available in Spanish:
Enjoy this video of a Cuban Gnatcatcher in the wild!
We are pleased to share with you the new edition of the Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba, number 7, 2024, by Nils Navarro Pacheco.
The Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba is an annual publication that constitutes the most complete and updated official list of Cuban avifauna. It is the result of a deep and thorough bibliographic review and updating from the field. It serves as a basis for generating regional and global listings and is standardized for use with eBird.
The main objective is to provide up-to-date annual listings of Cuban birds, including reference information on each new report and general statistics about Cuban birdlife, and to serve as a reference platform for ornithological studies in the country. The increasing number of bird-watching tourists on the island as well as more bird monitoring by Cuban biologists and the rapidly-growing Cuban birding community are contributing to an increase in the number of previously unrecorded species entering the list every year. Furthermore, the influence of climate change is producing altered patterns of migratory movements in many species.
The new list has been enriched with 6 new records—3 of these were added to Cuba’s main list to bring the new Cuban total to 404 species. The other three records comprised two exotic species, and another which is currently classified as ‘dubious.’ Beyond the numbers though, splits announced in the American Ornithological Society 64th Supplement to the Checklist of North American Birds means that Cuba now boasts 3 more Cuban, rather than West Indian, endemic species! Cuba welcomes the Cuban Nightjar ( Greater Antillean Nightjar split to Cuban Nightjar and Hispaniolan Nightjar), the Cuban Palm-Crow (Palm Crow split to Cuban Palm-Crow and Hispaniolan Palm-Crow) and the Cuban Bullfinch (split from the Cuban Bullfinch into the Grand Cayman and Cuban Bullfinches, making the Cuban Bullfinch a true Cuban endemic!).
This year’s cover features a captivating photo of the beautifully plumaged Western Spindalis, Cuban subspecies (Spindalis zena pretrei), taken by Yadiel Veunes, in the Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt. The Western Spindalis belongs to the Spindalidae family which is a recognized family of songbirds endemic to the Caribbean. Spindalises were formerly classified as members of Thraupidae (or “tanagers”) but have since been reclassified as a separate family based on genetic studies. There are five subspecies of Western Spindalis one of which is the Cuban subspecies!
The 2024 checklist is now available in PDF for free download from the BirdsCaribbean website (see below). The printed version is available on Amazon at a good price. It is not intended to be a field identification guide but is a checklist, updated in accordance with the 64th supplement of AOS. Nils and the publisher, Ediciones Nuevos Mundos, hope this publication fulfills its role and is useful to all persons interested in Cuban birds and ornithology. Nils welcomes questions or suggestions about the checklist (Nils Navarro).
This checklist edition is dedicated to the memory of Jim Wiley, a great friend, extraordinary person and scientist, a guiding light of Caribbean ornithology. He crossed many troubled waters in pursuit of expanding our knowledge of Cuban birds.
If you are looking for a Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba, you can purchase it here or on Amazon.
Past checklists are all available for download, click on the images below to download a pdf of each.
The Peregrine Falcon is famously known as the fastest animal on Earth, reaching speeds of up to 240mph when in a dive. (Beth Hamel)
Birds of prey are magnificent, powerful creatures, with a mystique all their own. They play an essential role in Caribbean ecosystems. Sadly, however, their significance as the only native terrestrial predators in the region is often underestimated and misunderstood.
Hispaniola Program Director at The Peregrine Fund, Marta Curti, is one of those conservationists who believe that raptors don’t get the attention they deserve. To inspire others with her own personal passion for the birds, she has written a remarkable new 200-page publication entitled “Raptors of the Caribbean: Education and Conservation Resource Guide.” It is available in Haitian Creole, Spanish and English, and divided into four chapters, each including fun and enlightening educational activities and a learning evaluation. The guide covers identification of raptor species, conservation techniques, and—most importantly—explains “Why Raptors Matter.”
Cover of the new Raptors of the Caribbean Education & Conservation Resource Guide.
“I believe the completion of this guide is a major milestone for raptor conservation throughout the Caribbean,” says Marta. “I hope this guide will help in fostering passion and compassion for the region’s birds of prey and will inspire students, teachers, biologists, and others to work to conserve these amazing birds.”
The workshop includes hands-on, dynamic activities including constructing life-sized hawks using recyclable materials, participating in “raptor Olympics,” a “food chain relay race,” and putting on a play. Marta’s goal is to extend these workshops across the region—while at the same time “training the trainers” to continue teaching students, community members, and educators about the importance of our amazing hawks, falcons, and kites.
Nature sketching and bird observation. (Marta Curti)
Training Workshop practicing bird observation skills. (Marta Curti)
Building a life sized Ridgway’s Hawk out of recyclable materials (Marta Curti)
Caribbean birds of prey vary greatly in size, behavior, and their preferred habitats. Some are migratory or passage migrants, transiting through the region, such as the Peregrine Falcon itself, which may be becoming more common in urban areas. Another speedy and powerful hawk, the Merlin, also migrates from north to south in the winter. Others such as the American Kestrel and the Red-tailed Hawk are seen more often. While some raptors are quite adaptable to new environments, several endemic species and subspecies are in need of help: for example, the Ridgway’s Hawk, Cuban Kite, Grenada Hook-billed Kite, and Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. Climate change, deforestation, hunting, and persecution are among the dangers they face.
The Ridgway’s Hawk is one of the most critically endangered raptors in the world, with fewer than 500 individuals remaining. (Dax Roman)
Merlin Female taking off. (Phoo Chan)
The American Kestrel is a more frequently seen migrant to the region. (Imran Ashraf)
Since the printing of the new guide, Marta has completed two training workshops for a total of 39 people, including teachers, field technicians with the Ministry of the Environment, biology students, and women from rural communities who she hopes to involve more in our conservation efforts through a Women’s Conservation Fellowship. One of the best comments we received from participants were: “These activities really show how much we know about the Ridgway’s Hawk,” and “I am so surprised about how much we have learned in just two days.” Another great comment was short and sweet, “I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time as I have during this workshop.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the workshops and/or how to access a copy of the Raptor Education Guide, please contact: Marta Curti
BirdsCaribbean is proud to support this groundbreaking initiative, through the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund; along with the VanTienhoven Foundation, ACSEH, and National Aviary and partners in the Dominican Republic: Fundación Propagas, Fundación Grupo Puntacana, the Dominican Republic Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, and ZOODOM (National Zoo of Santo Domingo).
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Palm Warbler
Wood-warblers are challenging birds for most amateur birders to ID—they are small, fast-moving, and have plumage patterns that overlap across species, age and sex. However, if you are birding in open areas, and find a sparrow-sized bird, feeding on the ground, with distinctive and bright yellow undertail-coverts, wagging its tail feathers like it’s a matter of life or death—you have found a Palm Warbler!
There are two subspecies of Palm Warbler which are easily distinguished. Whilst both have grayish to olive brown upperparts, if you meet a Yellow Palm Warbler, you’ll notice that—besides their undertail coverts—their throat, breast and belly are also stunningly yellow. On the other hand, only the undertail-coverts, and sometimes the throat of the Western Palm Warbler, is vividly yellow—which contrasts with their pale breast and belly. You can also look out for faint brown streaking on the breast and flanks, and a chestnut cap in breeding plumage. Both sexes are similar, making them one of the few warbler species that are not sexually dimorphic.
Palm Warblers feed almost exclusively on the ground, searching for insects like grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies and mosquitoes during breeding season. Seeds, berries and nectar are added to their diet during the non-breeding season.
As a migratory bird, the name Palm Warbler reflects the fact that the species was first described from a specimen wintering in the Caribbean. The Palm Warbler’s non-breeding range also includes the southeast and Gulf Coast of the United States. Interestingly, this bird has a fondness for the bog and coniferous forests of Canada and the northern United States. This makes it one of the northernmost breeding species of all the New World warblers, surpassed only by its close relative, the Blackpoll Warbler.
Given its remote breeding habitat, and how difficult it is to find the nests of this bird, much remains unknown about this part of its life cycle. Peak nest building occurs around mid-May. Nests are usually constructed at the base of coniferous trees, between 5 to 30 cm above the ground. Females lay two to four eggs and take the lead in incubating the eggs and feeding nestlings, with some support provided by their mates.
Palm Warblers prefer relatively open habitats with scattered trees and dense shrubs of 1–2 m tall on both their breeding and wintering grounds. This charismatic warbler can also be found in a variety of woodland, second-growth, and thicket habitats; on the ground in savannas, open fields and lawns; and in mangroves.
Palm Warblers are not endangered, but like other nocturnal migrants, they face multiple threats from light pollution and building strikes. There is a lot we can do on a daily basis to protect this cute tail-wagging warbler: turn off the lights at night during fall and spring months, advocate for bird-friendly windows, keep your pets indoors, and provide and protect clean water sources along their migration paths. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Daniela Ventura for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Palm Warbler
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Palm Warbler
Palm Warblers have a thin “seep” call, which can be heard during the non-breeding season.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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!
During the non-breeding season, Palm Warblers will join mixed species flocks to forage—look out for them with sparrows, or other migratory warblers, such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler. (Photo by Ryan Sanderson Macaulay Library-ML445341491)
The Palm Warbler was named based on a specimen collected on Hispaniola, but this warbler is far from being a year-round ‘tropical’ bird. They are one of the northernmost breeding of all warblers—only the Blackpoll Warbler breeds farther north. (Photo by Ryan Schain Macaulay Library- ML223997711)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: We hope that you have been enjoying learning all about migratory birds in the Caribbean! Don’t forget that this year our theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Many of the birds we have featured this year are under pressure, often from human activities. This means that our special migratory birds, and many of the other beautiful birds that live in the Caribbean, need your help.
All birds need water to survive so you can help by carrying out the actions in our “Pledge to Conserve Water.” You can download and print our water pledge here. Sign your name and get started helping our birds by following some of the simple water-saving actions listed in the pledge. You can hang or pin it up somewhere at home to remind you to keep saving water and helping birds and wildlife. And don’t forget to share this pledge with your family and friends!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Palm Warbler in the wild on its wintering grounds in Cuba!
Get some helpful for hints on how to identify warblers in the Caribbean: Warblers are among the most beautiful and entertaining Caribbean birds, but they can also be some of the most challenging birds to identify. Luckily naturalist, educator, and artist, Christine Elder, has some really helpful tips on what to look for as well as some amazing resources for you to use. Check out this blog post to find out more. Christine also created the beautiful artwork for our 2023 “Migratory Birds of the Day”!
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Short-billed Dowitcher
Sometimes bird names can be confusing—and in the case of the Short-billed Dowitcher, frankly, misleading! This medium size migratory shorebird most definitely has a LONG bill. So how did it get its odd name?
Dealing with the “Short-billed” part first, this bird has a closely related and very similar looking relative—the Long-billed Dowitcher. They have a very slightly longer bill than the Short-billed Dowitcher—a difference so subtle that it is hard to spot. Yet, these names were meant to distinguish between the two birds! In fact, the calls of these two cousins are actually the best way to tell them apart, especially when in non-breeding plumage. The Short-billed Dowitcher gives a soft “tu-tu-tu” call in contrast to the strident “keek” of the Long-billed. But it seems that the “Tu tu Dowitcher” wasn’t considered a suitable name.
Moving on to the “Dowitcher” part of the name, this is also a bit of a mystery—what does Dowitcher even mean? In the late 19th century, this bird was being hunted in North America. It seems as if Dutch and German immigrant hunters perhaps referred to them as “Deutscher” or “Duitsch” snipe (i.e. “German” or “Dutch” snipe). This may have then become “dowitcher” or “dowitch”.
Short-billed Dowitchers do have a snipe-like appearance with long straight bills, short-ish legs and a somewhat plump appearance. In breeding plumage they have mottled brown snipe-like plumage above, with pale cinnamon-brown below. In non-breeding plumage they are brownish-gray above, with a paler belly and greenish yellow legs.
Short-billed Dowitchers breed in boggy areas at the margins of boreal forests in northern Canada. They travel thousands of kilometers in Fall, stopping along the way to molt and mainly sticking to the coastline as they head south. In the Caribbean, they can be spotted in a wide range of habitats from beaches, to tidal mudflats, to flooded agricultural areas. Look out for their distinctive “sewing-machine” feeding motion, as small groups of dowitchers with their heads down plunge their bills up and down into the water and mud looking for worms and mollusks.
Short-billed Dowitcher populations are declining and the species is on the USFWS list of “Birds of Conservation Concern”. Protecting our Caribbean wetland habitats and reducing the use of insecticides (which will reduce their food sources) can help us provide places for this oddly-named bird to thrive during its migration. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Alex Sansom for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Short-billed Dowitcher
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Short-billed Dowitcher
Short-billed Dowitchers make a soft “tu-tu-tu” call, often as a contact call when flying together.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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!
Even though dowitchers are a very common bird in North America , it was not until the 1930s that scientists began realize that there were two different species there! (Photo by Dorian Anderson Macaulay Library-ML187630851)
Unlike the Long-billed Dowitcher, Short-billed Dowitchers migrate in stages, first moving to intermediate areas to complete their molt, then moving on to their ultimate wintering areas. (Photo by Dorian Anderson Macaulay Library-ML116188411)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: What facts can you remember about today’s migratory bird—the Short-billed Dowitcher? Test your knowledge by filling in the missing words in our Short-billed Dowitcher facts! We have given you all the correct words to use but can you put them into the right places in these fact-filled sentences?
You can re-read the information about this bird above, or search on the BirdsCaribbean webpages or online for more information about the Short-billed Dowitcher! You can also look at the photos, illustration and videos on this page to help you. When you have completed all the sentences, you can check your answers here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of Short-billed Dowitchers in the wild! The first video shows bird feeding with their typical “sewing machine” foraging action, plunging their bills into the mud for worms. In the second video, you can see a flock of Short-billed Dowitchers in flight.
Learn all about how to tell a Short-billed Dowitcher from a Willet: Shorebirds can be tricky to identify, especially as they migrate through the Caribbean in their non-breeding plumage (which is often less distinctive than their breeding plumage). Short-billed Dowitchers and Willets are both commonly seen in the Caribbean in Fall, and both are long-billed and gray-ish brown—so how can we tell them apart? Find out in this blog post from bird guide Allison Caton from Grenada, who got the low-down whilst attending a week-long BirdsCaribbean, Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Interpretive Guide Training Workshop on Union Island in St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Northern Shoveler
Spoony. Bootlips. Souplips. Hollywood Mallard. We could only be talking here about the magnificent Northern Shoveler! This dabbing duck has earned these nicknames due to its huge shovel-shaped bill, which, if you have a vivid imagination, looks like the bird is grinning.
Breeding male Northern Shovelers have an iridescent green head and neck, bright white chest and breast, and rusty colored belly and sides. Their wings have a gray-blue shoulder patch, which is separated from a brilliant green speculum by a tapered white stripe. The bill is black, and the legs and feet are orange. Females have a light brownish head with a blackish crown and a mottled brown body. Their powdery-blue shoulder patch is sometimes visible at rest. The bill is orange and speckled with black dots.
In North America, they fly south to winter at lower altitudes. They fly from the iconic Rocky Mountains down to California and Mexico in late August or early September. Some will also fly east to winter along the Atlantic Coast, down to the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean. Look out for these dandy ducks on your island at wetlands, flooded fields, agricultural ponds, and wastewater treatment ponds.
Northern Shovelers feed by dabbling and sifting in shallow water. Their large bills have more than 100 lamellae (fine comb-like serrations) along the edges which allows them to filter out aquatic invertebrates, seeds and plants from pond water. They swim occasionally with their head under water, or tip-up, and sometimes even dive to feed underwater. Feeding groups and also lone birds will swim in tight rotating circles to stir up the water and bring food items to the surface.
Males give a wheezy “took-took” call during courtship, in flight, and when alarmed. Females on the other hand give a nasal-sounding quack during courtship and throughout the breeding season.
Females build their nest, which is a shallow depression on the ground, within 150 feet of water, and line it with downy feathers. Their clutch size is 8-12 greenish-gray eggs. If threatened by predators or disturbed by humans, females will poop on their eggs. Stinky? Yes, but also quite effective at making sure predators think twice about getting close to those eggs!
Habitat loss and degradation caused by development, climate change, and pollution are major threats to the Northern Shoveler, both on their breeding and wintering grounds. The good news is that whether you’re in the city or rural areas, you can adopt several behaviors that can have a positive impact on wetlands. This includes volunteering for wetland restoration projects, planting native plants, ditching the chemical pesticides, recycling your waste, checking your pipes and fittings regularly for any leakages, and harvesting rainwater. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Aliya Hosein for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Northern Shoveler
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Northern Shoveler
Male Northern Shovelers make a “took-took” call during courtship, in-flight, and as an alarm call.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like—for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Female Northern Shoveler. Did you know that Northern Shovelers are monogamous? They form bonds on the wintering grounds and stay together during breeding until just before fall migration. (Photo by Neil Rucker, Macaulay Library-ML281986781)
Male Northern Shoveler. The odd shaped bill that gives this duck its name has fine projections (called lamellae) along the edges that filter out tiny crustaceans, seeds, and aquatic invertebrates from the water when feeding. (Photo by Brad-Imhoff, Macaulay Library-ML217711091)Male Northern Shoveler in flight. These ducks don’t just occur in the Americas—they also breed across Europe, and spend the winter throughout Europe, Africa, and India. (Photo by Frank Lake, Macaulay Library-ML448025311)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Every year Environment For The Americas (EFTA) selects several bird species to feature for World Migratory Bird Day. These species all migrate through or within the Americas. Several of these birds will pass through or spend the winter in the Caribbean. This year, the featured “Caribbean migratory birds” included the Osprey, Barn Swallow, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Wilson’s Phalarope, American White Pelican and of course today’s featured bird, the Northern Shoveler (click to find out more about each bird!).
EFTA also made a fantastic and fun activity book for you to enjoy full of interesting facts about birds and water, coloring pages and many other water and migration related games and puzzles. You can find them all to download here. This activity book is in both English and Spanish, and features beautiful bird art by Augusto Silva—Enjoy!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of Northern Shovelers feeding in the wild!
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Swainson’s Thrush
If you’re not looking carefully in the forest understory, you might miss the Swainson’s Thrush! These brown, spotted thrushes blend in well amongst forest foliage, but there is no mistaking their beautiful, flutelike, upward spiraling song.
Swainson’s Thrushes fall within a genus of birds known as Catharus thrushes. These thrushes are known for foraging low to the ground. They all have a spotted breast and a solid brown back of rust or olive, that varies in shade between species. Other thrushes within this genus include the Hermit Thrush, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and of course, our Caribbean overwintering Bicknell’s Thrush. Swainson’s Thrush can be distinguished from the others by their buffy colored eye rings and buffy coloration in the lores (between the eye and bill) which give these birds the appearance of wearing buffy spectacles!
Unlike their counterparts, Swainson’s Thrushes use more aerial fly catching techniques to obtain their insect prey—though they are quite fond of fruits during their migration. They also forage higher off the ground in comparison to other Catharus thrushes.
Did you know that there are actually eight different forms of Swainson’s Thrush all differing slightly in coloration? This has led to the recognition of different subspecies. Typically they all fall within the russet-backed and olive-backed forms. Interestingly enough, it’s hypothesized that these different subspecies might actually take different migratory routes and even overwinter in different locations! Russet-backed birds typically overwinter in Middle America while olive-backed birds continue to South America.
These birds can spend the winter anywhere from Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina! There is an international collaborative project currently underway which uses Motus technology to tag Swainson’s Thrush at different spots along their migration to better understand which routes different subspecies are taking. Banding data has shown us that Eastern and Western populations both take different routes and overwinter in different locales. The same populations might even take different routes in the spring and the fall! We’re excited to see what insights Motus technology can give us about these long distance migrants. Be sure to check out the Caribbean Motus Collaboration to learn more about how this technology is being used to understand migratory movements in the Caribbean.
Within the Caribbean, we typically see Swainson’s Thrushes during their fall migration. The Eastern populations will sometimes pass through Western Cuba on their way south. They’re considered a rare transient to other areas in the Western Greater Antilles, Cayman Islands, and the Northern Bahamas.
After finishing their spring migration, Swainson’s Thrushes breed in northern spruce forests, and in California in riparian woodlands. Although still considered one of the most abundant birds of northern spruce forests, their populations have been steadily declining. The reasons for this are unclear, but could be attributed to high predation rates leading to low nest success. But it is likely that habitat changes, especially on their wintering grounds, could be a major factor.
Thanks to Holly Garrod for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Swainson’s Thrush
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Swainson’s Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush has a frog-like “peep” call. You might also hear its distinctive ascending, flute-like song.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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 Swainson’s Thrushes have “sing-offs” during the breeding season, which can lead to chases and even occasionally to physical attacks. (Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren)Swainson’s Thrushes have been called “mosquito thrushes” because of their habit of chasing after flying insect prey while feeding on their breeding grounds. (Photo by Eric Ellingson)
On their wintering grounds in particular, Swainson’s Thrushes will add fruits to their insect diet. They can also often be found attending army-ant swarms. (Photo by Mick Thompson)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: The Swainson’s Thrush is quite a rare migrant bird in the Caribbean, which means that it is a bird that is hard to see here. But don’t worry, there are lots of beautiful migrant birds to look out for at this time of the year. From long-billed shorebirds flocking on the beaches, to the colorful gems of warblers flitting amongst the trees, there is so much to see!
When it comes to knowing who is who when out looking for birds, field guides and webpages with colorful illustrations, helpful maps and detailed descriptions of each bird are really useful. But these are not the only tools available to you! Have you heard of the Merlin Bird ID app? When you see a bird, you just answer some simple questions about it, and the app helps you work out what bird you have spotted! Merlin Bird ID can also help you ID a bird from a photo you have taken or a recording of the birds song! Why not head out and look for some migratory birds and then use the Merlin Bird ID app to lend a helping hand? We have handy instructions what to look for and how to use the app here. So grab you phone, binocular and camera and see what you can find!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of Swainson’s Thrush taking a drink in the wild!
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: American White Pelican
If you look to the sky and spot a flock of large, conspicuously white birds, with black flight feathers, yellow bills and legs, soaring gracefully on broad, stable wings—no doubt, you have found a flock of American White Pelicans! These beautiful birds are easy to identify with their huge size, large pinkish-yellow bill, and white coloration. If the bill is gray instead of yellow, then you have spotted an immature bird in its first year! You will never, however, confuse this bird with its cousin, the Brown Pelican. Whilst they share part of their geographic distribution, and may be found together in wetlands, the Brown Pelican is smaller, with a darker coloration and a completely different feeding behavior.
When feeding, American White Pelicans obtain their food by dipping their bills into the water and scooping up fish, their main prey. This is usually done in very shallow freshwaters, although they will also feed in saline waters. The Brown Pelican feeds on fish as well, however, they plunge-dive from high up in the air, using the force of impact to stun small fish before scooping them up.
If you visit the shallow lagoons that pelicans prefer, you can observe each species feeding in their own way. Brown Pelicans look for food alone, each bird swooping down rapidly to catch their prey. White Pelicans forage cooperatively, using clever group strategies to capture fish. Coordinated flocks of swimming birds work together to encircle fish and herd them into the shallows where they become concentrated and can be more easily caught with synchronized bill dipping. Their enormous bills with elastic, expandable, pouches below then come into play—the pelicans scoop prey again and again into their pouch, an amazing spectacle when hundreds of these birds are feeding together!
This species breeds in western and central North America, laying two white eggs in a nest constructed in the soil. They are attentive caregivers to their young—from the moment the chicks hatch, both parents spend the day looking for fresh food to help them grow. By three weeks of age they are more mobile and parents begin to leave their nests unattended, coming back only to bring food. At this age, the young birds begin to form creches, for protection and warmth.
During autumn the species migrates south, spending the winter in southern California, the Gulf States, Mexico, and Central America. Most literature states that American White Pelicans are vagrant in the West Indies, with very few reports. Some researchers even say that they do not cross oceanic waters, but news flash: this information is no longer accurate! They do cross the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf and they are now common birds in Cuba! In February 2021, citizen scientists in Cuba recorded 1,700 individuals in one aquaculture farm in the Pinar del Río Province in western Cuba. A resident population of about 300 lives year-round in the wetlands of Los Palacios in the same province, and during winter migration they are common in most Cuban coastal wetlands in the western part of the country, for example, Zapata Swamp. Visit eBird Caribbean to observe all these recent sightings.
Thanks to Lourdes Mugica for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the American White Pelican
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the American White Pelican
Adult American White Pelicans are usually silent, especially when not breeding. At breeding colonies you might hear them give frequent low, brief grunts.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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!
American White Pelicans cooperate when feeding. Sometimes, large groups gather in wetlands. They coordinate their swimming to drive schooling fish toward the shallows. (Photo by Michael Stubblefield Macaulay Library- ML554648261)
When While Pelicans are on their wintering grounds they only search for food during the day, but in the breeding season, they commonly head out fishing at night. (Photo by Mick Thompson)
American White Pelican in flight. (Photo by Cristina Avila Macaulay Library- ML538260461)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Can you find the words in our American White Pelican word search? Remind yourself of some of the interesting facts about this water-loving migratory bird as you look for all 15 hidden words!
Remember the words may appear forwards and backwards, as well as horizontal, vertical and diagonal! Need some help? Or want to check your answers? You can see where all the words were here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of American White Pelicans in the wild! In the first video, you can see what this bird looks like when it is flying.
In the second video, you can see a couple of birds in their winter plumage swimming.
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Wilson’s Warbler
This spritely migratory bird with the bad toupée is the Wilson’s Warbler. It is one of the smallest warblers at around 10-12cm long and weighing 5-10g.
Its plumage is mainly yellowish-olive, with a golden yellow throat and belly. It has beady black eyes and a small, thin beak. Adult males have a glossy black cap on their heads; the cap on females and juvenile males is highly variable but usually duller and more olive colored. These little birds are insectivorous, feeding on various arthropods on tree leaves and branches. They often hover in front of leaves as they try to capture a tasty insect morsel!
Wilson’s Warblers breed in the western United States, across Canada, and also in Alaska. It is a ground-nesting species that loves scrubby habitats and thickets near streams. Their clutch size ranges from 2-7 eggs and they are capable of breeding twice in a season. Only females incubate the eggs and brood nestlings (chicks), but males help feed nestlings and fledglings (chicks that have grown feathers and are learning to fly).
By August they leave their breeding grounds and begin their fall migration to Central America and islands in the northern Caribbean—The Bahamas, Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. During migration they use many types of habitats, from lowland thickets near streams to high-elevation cloud forests. On their wintering grounds they supplement their diet of squirmy, slimy, crunchy insects with “honeydew”—a sugary liquid secreted by some insects as they feed on plant sap.
The Wilson’s Warbler is not threatened but is listed as a “Common bird in steep decline” by the Partners in Flight organization. This is because of habitat loss on both their breeding and wintering grounds, predation from invasive species like domesticated cats, and nest parasitism. Helping Wilson’s Warblers, and other birds, can be as simple as keeping pet cats indoors and using a leash and harness when outdoors; and supporting the efforts of bird advocacy groups and NGOs that are working to restore and protect habitats across the Wilson’s Warbler’s range.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
The Wilson’s Warbler
‘I’m a tiny warbler,
With beady black eyes,
A black cap on my head,
And energetic for my size,
I breed in mountain meadows,
And thickets near streams,
I winter in Central America,
A vagrant in the West Indies,
Because of habitat loss,
My species is in decline,
Please protect my forest home,
Before I run out of time”
Thanks to Scott Johnson for the text and poem, and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Wilson’s Warbler
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Wilson’s Warbler
The call of the Wilson’s Warbler is a husky chip. You may also hear the male as they start to sing on their wintering grounds. The song is a rapid string of similar notes, dropping in pitch toward the end.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like—for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Female Wilson’s Warbler. Look for this bird in tangles of vegetation along streams or ponds or even forested edges. (Photo by Arlene Ripley Macaulay Library-ML176994031)Male Wilson’s Warbler. Wilson’s Warblers tend to be brighter yellow in the West and paler yellow in the East. Pacific Coast populations have the brightest yellow, almost orange, foreheads and faces. (Photo by Rick Evets)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: This year the theme for World Migratory Bird Day is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life.” We want to highlight the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds.
We often see birds flying, preening, bathing and feeding. You might not have ever seen a bird taking a drink of water but they do!
Birds need water just as much as we do. Drinking water helps them regulate bodily processes like digestion. Water also keeps birds clean and cool on hot days when they take a splish-splash in a puddle, gutter, or backyard bird bath. Many birds also rely on wetland habitats, such as our ponds, salinas, marshes, mangroves, rivers, and coastal waters.
In our activity you can create your own poster to show how important water is to birds. Draw in the various ways birds use water!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of Wilson’s Warblers in the wild! In the first, you can see a lovely, brightly colored male. In the second, a Wilson’s Warbler takes a bath—one of the many things birds need water for as they migrate!
Read all about a bird banding adventure in Oregon! Caribbean biologist Zoya travelled all the way from Grenada to the US to learn more about studying birds using bird banding. Wilson’s Warbler was one of many bird species that Zoya was able to get up close to on her way to passing her NABC (North American Banding Council) exam and becoming a certified Bander. Find out all about her experiences in the blog below.
We are delighted to inform you that we have partnered with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology to provide free access to Birds of the World to anyone within the Caribbean islands!* Just login to your existing eBird/Cornell account, or create a new eBird/Cornell accountto access Birds of the World for free!
BirdsCaribbean members outside the Caribbean can receive a 25% discount on a personal subscription plan, using the coupon code BC25 (current paid-up BC members have free access through the end of 2023). The Cornell Lab of Ornithology also provides complimentary access to certain user groups under their Birds of the World Digital Access Scholarship. If you fit into any of the categories, be sure to reach out to them.
Every Bird has a Story
Birds of the World (BOW) is the largest online ornithology resource with comprehensive life history information on 10,906 species and 249 families of the world’s birds. BOW brings together scholarly content from four celebrated works of ornithology, including Birds of North America, Neotropical Birds,The Handbook of Birds of the World, Neotropical Birds, and the Internet Bird Collection (IBC), among others, to provide an in-depth scholarly account for every species. With the integration of millions of bird observations from eBird and stunning images from the Macaulay Library, BOW is the most powerful ornithological resource ever created. It’s a single platform where biologists, birders, and anyone with an interest in birds can explore comprehensive life history information on birds.
Content includes topics such as identification, plumages and molt, taxonomy, distribution, habitat, diet, behavior, breeding, movement, conservation and management, and more. All species accounts have range maps and a growing number have “intelligent maps”—science-based abundance maps and animated migration maps (created from eBird data). Magnificent colour plates from many of the world’s top illustrators are backed up by the massive Macaulay Library resource – a media asset of photographs, video and audio recording. Every species displays its IUCN conservation status and additional ornithological notes as appropriate. The common species names are even available in more than 50 languages!
And here’s a neat feature – because it is linked to eBird, when you are logged into Birds of the World each species account shows a blue badge indicating whether or not you’ve seen, photographed, or taken audio recordings of the bird. If you’re not yet an eBird user, now is a perfect time to sign up and start using this wonderful app to find birds, keep track of the birds, and contribute to science! And if you’re in the Caribbean be sure to use our special eBird Caribbean portal.
Since all of the information has been vetted and can be accessed from a single platform, you will save time spent on endlessly searching and comparing facts across different websites and other sources, reduce costs associated with research (citations are listed and linked to publications where available!), correctly identify birds and improve your birding skills, master bird taxonomy, or keep up with the latest bird news, webinars and research through the exciting science news blog.
One overriding feature of the resource is that it will be constantly revised by ornithologists to include the latest taxonomic revisions and latest information about each species.
Access in the Caribbean is enabled by the efforts of a large number of expert birdwatchers and ornithologists across the region who work with BirdsCaribbean to write, update, and curate Caribbean species accounts. The list of active accounts will continue to be updated as more articles are written, so make sure to check this space regularly for our Caribbean Birds!
In exchange for free access to all Caribbean birders, we have agreed to adopt and update a set of the Caribbean species each year. So would you like to contribute to Birds of the World? BOW is keen to use species experts to help author the species accounts. If you are interested in helping or would like to learn more, contact: Caroline Pott, BirdsCaribbean’s Birds of the World Coordinator, and Stefan Gleissberg, Managing Editor of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. Thanks to all for your contributions!
*Included locations are: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French part), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Anyone in this area currently subscribed to Birds of the World, who now wants free access, should actively cancel their subscription in order to avoid future charges. Go here to do this.
Join or renew your membership with BirdsCaribbean!
If you’re not a current member, we encourage you to join BirdsCaribbean or renew your membership today! Membership benefits include discounts on our meetings, programs, and materials; the opportunity to meet and network with scientists, birders, educators, and conservationists across the region; and the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping in our urgent fight to save habitats from destruction and birds from extinction. Your membership also supports the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, an open access, peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of ornithology within the Caribbean region. Any questions about your membership, contact Delores Kellman, Administrative Assistant, BirdsCaribbean.
Current paid-up BC members outside the Caribbean have free access through the end of 2023. New and renewing BirdsCaribbean members outside the Caribbean can receive a 25% discount on a personal subscription plan, using the coupon code BC25 (those within the Caribbean have free access).
Your membership helps our efforts to raise awareness, train and mentor conservation professionals, support research and monitoring, and engage people in citizen science and conservation actions. We look forward to welcoming new members as well as welcoming back lapsed members!
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Common Nighthawk
Picture yourself on a hot and muggy summer evening, sitting out in the backyard hoping to catch a little breeze that might just keep you from drowning in your own sweat. While you’re sucking down the last drops of grandma’s ice-cold, hand-squeezed lemonade (grandma never disappoints), make an effort to look to the sky. These are the nights when you might get a look at a Common Nighthawk—or hundreds—soaring around above you as they pick off any insects that have drifted up too high.
Nighthawks, like swifts or swallows, are acrobatic flyers that can just as easily catch insects in flight as a baleen whale collects plankton in the ocean. But compared to many other aerial insectivores, nighthawks are large, which works in your favor when you’re looking to spot a few. And the other good news is that you can find them cruising the airways above cities, small towns, suburbia, and well into rural landscapes, so never skip an opportunity to look up and try your luck, wherever you are.
It’s easy to see why nighthawks have been long-standing members of the very exclusive Cool Birds Club. Let’s start with the male’s courtship “booming” behavior. When males are lookin’ for love, they fly up into the sky making a repeated “peent” noise. Then, all of a sudden, they go into a deep dive, accelerating rapidly towards the ground until they reach a point where they abruptly pull their wings forward, creating a “boom” or “whooshing” sound. Ever had your cap go flying off on a windless day? Now you know why.
Another awesome attribute is this species’ camouflage. If they are perched or lying motionless in their nest, human eyes cannot see them. They sport a mottling of very earth-toned colors, including brown, tan, black, and gray, with specklings of white. In fact, these birds blend in so well that there’s probably one looking at you right now and you don’t even know it. However, when these birds are in flight, it’s a different story! They have large scythe-shaped wings, and their dark bodies contrast well with a lighter sky behind them. Look for a very obvious white patch on the underwing to confirm that you are indeed seeing a nighthawk.
It would certainly be nice if the Common Nighthawk was a little more…common. These birds are struggling a bit, and as always, there are some easy things we can collectively do to help these birds become more numerous on our landscapes again. The call to action is as follows:
Eliminate insecticides from your life, enough said.
Plant as many and as much diversity of native plants on your landscape as you can (native plants foster higher insect and thus prey abundance).
Reduce your driving speed—something we should all be doing already in order to protect other wildlife. The roadways out there are a slaughter. Of particular importance is reducing your speed in the evenings and at night, especially on gravel or dirt roads. Nighthawks have been known to roost (i.e. rest/sleep) on these roads at night.
Thanks to Justin Proctor for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Common Nighthawk
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Common Nighthawk
The call of the Common Nighthawk is a distinctive nasal “neet.” Note however that this bird does not call often when it is migrating.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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!
Common Nighthawks have one of the longest migration routes of all the birds that breed in North America. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux Macaulay Library- ML107295391)The name “nighthawk” is a bit misleading as this bird is not strictly nocturnal— it’s active at dawn and dusk—and it is also not closely related to hawks! (Photo by Kenneth Cole Schneider)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Common Nighthawks feed on insects like beetles, flies, moths, crickets, and grasshoppers. Almost all the insects they eat are flying insects and Common Nighthawks will swoop through the air to catch them on the wing!
Can you help this hungry Common Nighthawk find its way through our maze to to grab some tasty insect food? You can find the correct route here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of a Common Nighthawk in the Wild! Don’t forget to look up for these birds! Sometimes they will be resting in trees.
The second video shows what the Common Nighthawk looks like in flight.
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Wilson’s Phalarope
Each summer, west of the Mississippi, the Wilson’s Phalarope gathers in enormous flocks on the salt lakes of the western United States. Birders and conservationists are captivated by the species’ distinctive field marks, habitat preferences, feeding habits, and interesting natural history—including a departure from normal breeding habits!
The Wilson’s Phalarope is a small (22–24 cm in length), aquatic shorebird, with a needle-like bill and a white rump and underparts. Wilson’s Phalaropes exhibit sexual dimorphism (where males and females look very different from each other). Interestingly, females are larger and much more colorful than their male counterparts. In breeding plumage, females display a beautiful reddish-brown neck and back, contrasting with a white belly. Males, on the other hand, are more subdued in appearance, featuring a drabber overall coloration. Regardless of sex, both genders boast a distinctive white stripe running down the center of their long necks and black eye masks. During the non-breeding season, both males and females sport a more subdued plumage, of pale gray above and white below.
The Wilson’s Phalarope has a diverse and widespread distribution; its breeding range spans from western Canada down to the western United States. They breed in a range of wetland habitats, including lakes, ponds, and marshes. After laying eggs, the female typically departs, leaving the male to incubate the eggs and care for the young. This unique reversal of traditional gender roles, called “polyandry,” is an intriguing aspect of their breeding biology.
During the non-breeding season, these remarkable birds undertake impressive migrations that lead them to coastal areas of South America, particularly along the western coast. As part of their migratory route, they may also travel through the Caribbean. Our islands thus provide essential stopover points where these birds can rest and feed before continuing their long migrations.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Wilson’s Phalarope is its feeding behavior. They are adept at foraging in shallow waters, using their long, slender bills to peck at the surface. One can observe them swimming in small, rapid, circular motions. This unique swimming behavior creates a small vortex, or a whirlpool, that brings up aquatic invertebrates from the depths, providing a rich food source. Terrestrial invertebrates are also consumed.
Currently, Wilson’s Phalaropes are classified as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that they are not currently facing significant conservation threats. However, like many bird species, they are not immune to potential threats. Habitat loss due to urban development and agricultural expansion remains a concern. Additionally, disturbances to breeding and foraging areas, pollution of wetlands, and climate change induced shifts in their preferred habitats could potentially impact their populations.
You can help conserve Wilson’s Phalaropes and other wetland-dependent bird species by:
Supporting wetland protection and sustainable land use in your region.
Participating in citizen science by joining eBird! The more information that is available to researchers, the better they can help protect these precious birds.
Helping raise awareness and let people know about the importance of wetlands for birds and people!
Thanks to Susan Davis for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Wilson’s Phalarope
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Wilson’s Phalarope
Wilson’s Phalaropes make abrupt nasal-sounding calls to each other. These are made both as courtship and contact calls.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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, and all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
The colorful female Wilson’s Phalarope in her breeding plumage.Male Wilson’s Phalarope in breeding plumage, he is less colorful than the female. ( Photo by John van Dort Macaulay Library-ML565008391)Wilson’s Phalarope in nonbreeding plumage. Wilson’s Phalaropes are one of only two species of shorebirds that stop to molt during migration rather than at their breeding grounds. (Photo by Gutierrez Maier Macaulay Library ML451123731)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Wilson’s Phalaropes make epic journeys south every year on migration! They start heading towards the Caribbean and South America in July, before the weather gets too cold and food becomes hard to find. They don’t make this trip all in one go; they make some stops along the way to rest, molt out of their breeding plumage, and take on more food. They can eat so much on some of these stops that they double their body weight!
Why not ‘Follow the Phalarope’ in our fun activity? You will learn how to map the migration routes of three Wilson’s Phalaropes all the way from North America to islands in the Caribbean! You can find the instructions and worksheet here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos, by Don DesJardin, of Wilson’s Phalaropes foraging in the Wild! In the first video you can see the different plumages of the brightly colored female and duller male. In the second can see the ‘spinning’ technique these birds often use when feeding.
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Least Tern
The tiny Least Tern is one dashing beach bum, from its brilliant yellow bill, to its crisp black-and-white head pattern, to its slender pointed wings, and forked tail. Other field marks to look for are a black cap, pale gray back, and white underparts. It is the smallest of terns in North America, reaching a length between 21cm and 23cm long (about the same size as a Northern or Tropical Mockingbird) with a wingspan of 53cm.
The Least Tern’s diet consists mainly of fish but it will also eat shrimp and other invertebrates. During the breeding season food becomes especially important to male terns. During courtship, the male will offer the female food in hopes of enticing her to choose him as a mate. Suave looks and cheesy lines won’t work on these practical females!
Once she accepts, they will begin building their nest in shallow depressions in the sand. Least Terns prefer bare or sparsely vegetated sand or dried mudflats along coasts or rivers, but they will also nest on sandy or shell islands and gravel and sand pits. Least Terns are colony nesters, meaning they nest in a group, which allows them to share information about food sources—and to spot and mob predators like dogs and cats!
Eggs are laid between the middle of April and early May. Incubation lasts for 21 days. Least Tern chicks are able to leave the nest just three to four days after hatching; but they are dependent on their parents to feed them for 6 weeks or more.
Unfortunately their favorite nesting habitat is also prime real estate for human recreation, residential development, and alteration by water diversion; all of which encroach upon the area available to nest and successfully raise chicks. Although this tern can readily adapt in response to sites that change within and among years, it appears to be most productive at colony sites that have endured for several years. Global climate change is also an ever-present threat to the Least Tern. Rising sea levels and catastrophic storms can damage or destroy its nests, as well as its habitat.
But you can help Least Terns and other beach-nesting birds—educate your friends and family about these birds and how to keep them, their eggs, and their chicks safe. Remind them that there’s a place for everyone at the beach, to pick up their garbage when they are leaving, to leash their pets, and to avoid getting too close—especially if birds are nesting.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Aliya Hosein for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Least Tern
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Least Tern
The calls of the Least Tern include a “ki-dik” heard frequently from flying birds.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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 Least Tern is the world’s smallest species of tern! (Photo by Anthony Levesque)Least Tern with a fish, Least Terns feed almost entirely on small fish. (Photo by Stephen Buckingham)Least Tern in flight. (Photo by Sam Miller Macaulay Library-ML161558471)A Least Tern on its nest. Least Terns typically nest in a shallow depression on beaches but on the island of Bonaire the resourceful Least Terns sometimes take over deserted American Flamingo nests! (Photo by Stephen Buckingham)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Nesting Least Terns share their beach home with many other creatures, including crustaceans like crabs. Whilst least Terns prefer to eat fish, many other beach and wetland-living birds love to feed on crustaceans! These fascinating animals have boneless bodies covered by hardened skin called an “exoskeleton.” Why not find out more? In today’s activity we would like you and a parent or friend to delve into the details about crabs, and write a fact file. Find out more and get a template for your fact file here. Have fun learning all about these crusty critters!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Least Tern in the Wild! Watch this adult feeding a fish to its chick.
Read all about conserving Bahamas beach-nesting birds and their habitats in the blogs below: Margo Zdravkovic shares her adventures from Conservian’s 2016 Bahamas Shorebird Conservation Expedition and Jennifer Wheeler shares her experiences from the expedition in 2018. Margo and her team of volunteers worked to protect beach-nesting birds, nests and young, including today’s featured bird, the Least Tern. This is important shorebird and seabird conservation and research work with a mission to provide on-the-ground protection and restoration measures at key shorebird and seabird sites in The Bahamas.
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Hold onto your binoculars and get ready for the charming Yellow-billed Cuckoo! With its sleek brown body, white underparts, long black tail spotted white underneath, and striking down-curved yellow bill, this bird stands out in the crowd. This stealthy bird can be difficult to spot, however, as it often sits motionless for long periods of time. When disturbed, it holds its body low and moves quietly along branches, disappearing quickly into the foliage. In flight, its reddish-brown wing patches are diagnostic.
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is quite the traveler! They breed in the eastern two/thirds of North America as well as in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and parts of Mexico and Central America. They winter almost entirely in South America, east of the Andes and can be seen in many Caribbean countries on migration, sometimes passing through in huge numbers.
They are caterpillar connoisseurs, chowing down on these wriggly treats like true bug busters. Their soft, hollow “cu-coo cu-coo cu-coo” calls might make you feel like you’re in the heart of the wilderness. It’s like a calming lullaby echoing through the trees. But they also have a distinct, louder and more guttural “ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp” call. In North America it has earned the nickname ‘rain crow’ or ‘storm crow’ because it calls just before the rain and sometimes continues to call throughout the rainfall.
When love is in the air these cuckoos pair up and get straight down to business. The breeding cycle from egg laying to fledging takes only 17 days! Pairs construct flimsy nests in dense shrubs and the female usually lays 2-3 eggs.
Yellow-billed Cuckoos are well-known for their “parasitic” behavior—they sometimes lay additional eggs in other birds’ nests, both their own species and others, such as American Robin, Wood Thrush, Gray Catbird, and Red-winged Blackbird. This remarkable behavior, that is, “parasitizing” the parental care of other birds, is an adaptation for increasing their own reproductive success. Because it grows so quickly, a cuckoo chick is able to outcompete its nest mates for food. Cuckoo chicks beg vigorously and have even been observed standing on the backs of their nest mates to monopolize the parent’s feeding!
Now, let’s talk about serious stuff. The elusive Yellow-billed Cuckoo faces challenges just like other birds. Habitat loss from development is a major threat, especially on its wintering grounds. Climate change, invasive species, and pesticides (which kill and contaminate their insect prey) are also serious threats. So, what can you do? Support conservation efforts—donate to organizations that protect nature, get involved in citizen science projects, and spread the word about these incredible birds.
Thanks to Justin Saunders for the text and Christine Elder for the lovely illustration!
Color in the Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page 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 colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo
The calls the male Yellow-billed Cuckoo are a distinctive series of hollow, wooden-sounding “ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp” noises.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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 tendency of Yellow-billed Cuckoos to call at the sound of thunder has led to their colloquial name, the “rain crow.” (Photo by Sue Barth Macaulay Library- ML102608081)Yellow-billed Cuckoo with a caterpillar. Did you know that Yellow-billed Cuckoos are among only a few bird species able to eat hairy caterpillars! (Photo by Ed Harper Macaulay Library- ML170865821)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Today’s bird, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, loves to include insects in its meals! Why not explore outside and “meet the insects” in today’s activity! You will get up close to some of those mini-beasts that are crawling, flying and even munching on leaves in your own backyard. You can download all the instructions for this activity here, including instructions for how to make your own ‘mirror box’ for looking at the insects!
For this activity you’ll need:
an old light colored bed sheet or towel will work
a magnifying glass or mirror box (see page 3)
garden gloves (optional)
camera
sheet of paper and pencil
Note: You will need a parent or trusted adult to help you with this activity!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the wild!
Find our more about how we celebrate World Migratory Bird Day every year: Take a trip back in time and read our round-up of BirdsCaribbean’s celebration of World Migratory Bird Day in 2020. With a global pandemic going on this was the first year when we took our celebrations online and started our series “Birds Connect Our World” featuring a “migratory bird of the day.” Find out more here:
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Northern Pintail
Meet the Northern Pintail, a flier extraordinaire! They can spring straight up from the water’s surface, wheeling and darting through the air on their slender wings. They are one of the first ducks to migrate south in the fall, traveling during the night at speeds of ~48 miles per hour (77.2 km/h)! Their nickname, “greyhound of the air,” suits them well!
Northern Pintails are undoubtedly elegant with a long neck, slim body, and pointed tail. Breeding males are absolutely dapper with a gleaming white breast, a white line down their chocolate brown head and neck, gray upperparts, and prominent long and pointed tail. Females have a plain tan head and plumage is mottled in browns and whites with a scalloped effect. Nonbreeding males look similar to females but retain their upper-wing pattern and long gray shoulder feathers. Juveniles have a plain appearance with a darker, browner crown, less buffy upperparts and flanks, and more spotted below.
Northern Pintails leave their breeding grounds in Canada and the US in August and migrate along the Atlantic coast to the Caribbean and South America, arriving in late October. Look for these ducks at mangrove swamps, estuaries, salt ponds, reservoirs, and also flooded agricultural areas. You might spot them feeding tail-up in shallow water, as they pick snails and worms from the moist soil and water. In swamps and ponds, they also dabble for aquatic plant seeds, insects, and crustaceans at the water surface by filter feeding with their bill. On land they feed on grains (rice, wheat, corn, barley) and by digging out tubers (potatoes) out the ground using their bills.
When it comes to breeding, Northern Pintails, like all “dabbling ducks,” form pair bonds on the wintering grounds. To attract a female’s attention, males perform elaborate and ritualized courtship displays like “head-up-tail-up” and “grunt-whistle.” This latter display entails stretching their necks up and tipping their bills down while giving a whistle call. They also perform “turn-back-of-head” while swimming away to show off the gorgeous purplish iridescence on the back of their heads. Females show which courting male they have chosen by following him and performing the “inciting” display, which includes head-bobbing while making a grunting vocalization..
Northern Pintails are common but their population is decreasing. Loss of wetland habitat, cultivation of grasslands, and agricultural practices that destroy nests have all contributed to this decline. It is important that we work together to restore and maintain our tropical wetlands. Ditch the chemical fertilizers and pesticides that can leach into our wetlands. Keep trash out of wetlands by reusing and recycling to the best of your ability, and don’t be afraid to deep dive into the wonders of wetlands to educate yourself and others!Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Color in the Northern Pintail
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page 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 colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Northern Pintail
The calls the male Northern Pintails are short bursts of wheezy sounding whistles.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images 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 Northern Pintail. In breeding plumage this dapper duck has a distinctive long black tail and white neck stripe. (Photo by Steve Buckingham)Female Northern Pintail. Northern Pintails nest on the ground in croplands, grasslands and wet meadows, often farther from water than other ducks.Northern Pintail flock in flight. Northern Pintails also occur in Europe, the Middle East, India, and Asia. (Photo by Martin Crocorax)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Learn more about the Northern Pintail—it’s fascinating biology and behavior, and then learn how to sketch it! Presented by Dr. Lisa Sorenson, BirdsCaribbean, and naturalist and artist, Christine Elder. This fun webinar is part of our Caribbean celebration of World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD). Have fun learning about other migratory birds with us in our “Birds Connect our World” pages! We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, videos, fun facts, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of Northern Pintails in the wild! In the first you can see a male and female searching for food in shallow water. In the second you can see a male in breeding plumage preening
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Lesser Yellowlegs
With their long bright-yellow legs, you might spot these elegant shorebirds at the water’s edge searching the shallows for food. Lesser Yellowlegs are mottled grayish-brown above, with pale underparts. These slender-looking, long-billed birds can be easy to pick out from the crowd with their distinctive leg color. However, take care as this shorebird has a ‘cousin’—the Greater Yellowlegs!
Greater Yellowlegs are much larger and more heavily built. If you spot the two together, you’ll be in no doubt as to who is who. But you can also pick out Lesser Yellowlegs from its relatively shorter bill-length compared to Greater Yellowlegs. Lesser Yellowlegs also have a distinctive whistled “tu-tu” call, typically one or two notes, while the Greater Yellowlegs call is a stronger “tu-tu-tu!” of 3 to 4 notes. You can find more ID tips in our video here.
Lesser Yellowlegs breed in the Boreal forests in the far north of North America. They head south after breeding, making amazing migratory journeys of thousands of kilometers. They can start to arrive in the Caribbean from July and August. Some Lesser Yellowlegs will continue on to South America, but others will spend the winter here. Lesser Yellowlegs can be found in wetlands, both freshwater and on the coast. They show up on mud flats, ponds, lagoons, and on mangrove edges. They will also use agricultural areas, with flocks of thousands of individuals sometimes using flooded rice fields.
Lesser Yellowlegs are one of the most common shorebirds using the Atlantic Flyway. They are currently listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN. Sadly, however, Lesser Yellowlegs populations have declined by a shocking 63-70% since the 1970s! Loss of habitat, climate change, and unsustainable hunting and trapping at several non-breeding locations have all contributed to this decline. Conserving our Caribbean wetlands will help Lesser Yellowlegs and many other species. They provide food-rich havens for birds to refuel on migration or to spend the winter.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Color in the Lesser Yellowlegs
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page 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 colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib
Listen to the calls of the Lesser Yellowlegs
The calls of the Lesser Yellowlegs are a whistled “tu-tu” with one or two notes, often repeated rapidly.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Lesser Yellowlegs. Did you know that despite their similar appearance, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs are not each other’s closest relatives? The Lesser Yellowlegs is more closely related to the Willet! (Photo by Franz Delcroix)
Lesser Yellowlegs mainly feed on invertebrates including snails and flies, beetles, and dragonflies. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Birds, like the Lesser Yellowlegs, that are typically found at the shore and other coastal habitats like mudflats and lagoons are called shorebirds.
These birds come in different sizes and shapes. They are always on the move, checking the shoreline for food. They have special bills that help them poke into the mud or sand and in between rocks. Their bills and leg lengths are different depending on what they eat and where they find their food. All of this can help us to identify them!
Why not go Birding at the beach? Or at any other wetland! We have made some suggestions of who you can look out for whilst you’re there. You can also download and print out our handy guide to help you identify the different types of shorebirds we find in the Caribbean. You can find more helpful tips, activities and video on our Shorebird Resources page.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of Lesser Yellowlegs
Read all about the fascinating work tracking Lesser Yellowlegs: Biologist Laura McDuffie has tracked the movements of these long distance migrants as they travelled to and from their breeding areas. Find out more about Laura’s work, the amazing journeys that Lesser Yellowlegs make each year and the threats they face along the way!
Front and back covers of Birds of the National Botanic Garden of Cuba. The Cuban Green Woodpecker, on the front cover, is the only representative of the Cuban endemic genera living in the garden.
At almost 500 hectares, the National Botanical Garden of Cuba offers a green oasis to birds, other wildlife, and people, in the capital city of Havana. It is well known for its extensive collection of palm trees, ethno-botanical displays, greenhouses, and serene Japanese Garden. From November to February it is an ideal place to see migratory birds, while some of Cuba’s iconic endemic and native birds can be seen year-round.
The new field guide “Birds of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba” (Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba) is the most comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date work of its kind. We speak with the dedicated authors Dr. Martin Acosta, Dr. Lourdes Mugica, and MSc. Karen Aguilar, about the field guide. They share the extensive research that went into its creation, how the team persevered through numerous setbacks, their surprising finds and fond memories at the garden, and advice for aspiring field guide authors.
What inspired you to create a field guide to Birds of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba?
It is a long love story between our group and the birds of the National Botanical Garden. In 1982, Dr. Martin Acosta began tutoring an undergraduate’s thesis on the garden’s birds. Since then, he realized that, with its almost 500 hectares and varied vegetation, it was a privileged place, despite the fact that at that time less than 40 species were detected. From there we carried out and published several studies on the ecology of the species that inhabited the different areas that make up the garden.
Cover of the first field guide to the Birds of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba, published in 1990.
Later, in 1990, we published a short rustic guide to identify the 41 birds we had recorded at the garden. As we had no camera or way to obtain the illustrations, Dr. Vicente Berovides, Professor at the University of Havana, drew each of the birds by hand with pencil. Incredibly, his drawings were good enough to identify the birds! That simple guide sold out quickly, so very early we could appreciate that the public was eager to get this kind of information.
From the year 1990, the well-known Special Period arrived in Cuba, with a deep economic crisis that did not allow us to travel to the field and investigate the waterfowl of the rice fields and natural wetlands that were the main focus of our research in that period. That fact resulted in all our energy and time being focused on the birds of the garden, where we traveled by bicycle from before dawn to monitor their bird populations and assemblages, to do several ecological studies, and to assist our students in their undergraduate theses.
Over time our knowledge of the place and commitment to sharing our results were increasing. Both Martin and Lourdes thought that we were going to retire without fulfilling the dream of having a book for the general public. At the time we did not have any funds to guarantee writing, editing, design, and printing. Even without the funds, but with all the accumulated knowledge of more than 30 years, in 2019 we got the final push when Dr. Banessa Falcón, Director of Teaching and Research of the National Botanical Garden, insisted on the importance of achieving this book. Karen joined the authors to contribute voluntarily with the design, photography, and anything else that was needed.
Similarly, Neyda Izquierdo, winner of the National Publishing Award in Cuba, edited the book free of charge. Additionally, Dr. Banessa Falcón, supported us in working on the book from its inception and was our scientific editor for the botanical topics.
Karen and Lourdes traveled by bike to the garden almost every day until the book was completed.
In this way, we managed to assemble a fantastic team, with whom the work became a constant exchange of ideas between wonderful people, who dedicated many hours to ensure the quality of the text in the pandemic times. In the end, it was a collective work, full of love, commitment, science, and fun!
Today, within 55 years, the garden has an assemblage of birds that has tripled in diversity in response to the vegetation development. So far 128 species, (three of them after publishing the book) have been registered, so this group of vertebrates is among its greatest attractions.
Undoubtedly, this was the great moment to bring to light the work that seemed to be just a dream for so long. Our research shows the importance that a well-managed anthropogenic (man-made) site can have for the conservation of birds. In addition, we hope that this field guide may be a useful model to other botanical gardens in Cuba and the world.
How is this field guide different from other Cuban bird guides?
It differs in several aspects:
It is the first Cuban bird guide made entirely with photographs of birds; the guides that currently exist in Cuba are based on illustrations.
The biggest difference is that it includes closeup images of the heads of most bird species (85%), which allow you to appreciate important details that are not visible in general photos or drawings.
In Chapter Four of the field guide, each family has a general picture with the main characteristics of the family and then, all the species within the family are presented. Each species has between two to six pictures; icons and text complete the descriptions.
It is the first guide that dedicates a chapter to the interdependence between the development of plant communities and the assemblages of birds that use them, in addition to revealing different aspects of the ecology of some notable populations. The guide also includes a chapter that encourages bird watching in Cuban society and offers strategies for its development.
In Chapter Three, the authors promote birdwatching and give advice on how to attract birds to your garden. In this page several vegetation structures are highlighted because of the impact they may have on birds and the resources they can offer.
It is a field guide based on the original scientific results obtained by the authors from more than 30 years of research, not on a bibliographic compilation, and it includes a chapter where many of these results are shared.
In Chapter Two, the published ecological results collected by the authors for over 30 years at the garden are presented.
The incorporation of informational boxes within the text of the general chapters is also new in Cuban bird guides. They offer a deeper understanding of the scientific elements, and were obtained by the authors in this botanical garden.
The book focuses on an ex situ conservation institution, dedicated primarily to the conservation of plants, which now joins a small group of botanical gardens around the world that have their own bird guide.
In the Field Guide chapter, 125 species are presented with 473 photos. Although the authors provided 70% of the pictures, the rest are from the selfless collaboration of 52 Cuban and foreign photographers, so this guide is a result of solidarity for the good of conservation.
Soon after the guide was published, we received a national award from the Cuban Book Institute (First Prize for Technical Scientific Criticism 2022) and the Prize for Best Scientific Book of Natural Sciences from the University of Havana. It is the first Cuban bird guide to achieve these recognitions within the country.
Tell us about your team of authors—how did each contribute?
Taking photos of moving subjects is not easy but Karen persevered.
Martin and Lourdes had the general idea of writing a bird guide since 1990, when we first published a much simpler version. Both of us contributed with our long experience, field data, and results from published studies. We wrote most of the text, and did the exhaustive revision of each version. Martin also contributed numerous photographs that are used in the field guide.
But it was Karen who designed the book and supplied most of the photos. She spent many hours doing fieldwork during the book’s development, and processed the images for the guide. She also wrote some informational boxes.
The three authors worked closely and intensively during the two and a half years it took to complete the book. We also actively participated in the final revision of the text, together with the general and scientific editors.
How much research did you need to do for this field guide?
That’s a good question, because we never worked to make a field guide, we worked to contribute to the knowledge of the natural history of the birds that live in the garden, and the more we learned, the more questions arose. So we carried out research on reproduction, territoriality, feeding, seed dispersal, and composition and structure of the assembly of birds associated with some types of vegetation. The findings have all been very useful in writing the book.
The birds used the water from the garden to maintain their feathers and meet daily demands, as well as the annual molting behavior in different bird species.
After extensive research, the authors found that the garden can meet the birds’ diverse needs: food, shelter and security.
What we can say is that it is not enough to know the list of birds that have been recorded in a site. It takes years of observations, and countless hours of fieldwork, to study essential aspects of the ecology of the species of birds that live there to contribute to their knowledge more effectively.
Martin closing a mist net at the garden. Mist netting is an essential tool for species inventory, provides useful indices of relative abundance, and can be used to track temporal trends in abundance.
What part of creating this field guide—writing, photographing, designing and editing—did you have the hardest time with or find most challenging?
Photography and design were the biggest challenges of this book. Photography, because we set out to create a guide based entirely on photos, and getting good-quality photos of 125 species, many of which are rare or difficult to photograph because of their behavior, such as aerial insectivores, was really a major challenge. At the end all species have photos and each species identification page has between 2 to 6 photos.
Martin and Karen taking photos in the garden.
Martin and Karen talk about camera models and techniques to get the best photos.
The design was challenging because it was Karen’s first design job, so taking on that task involved long hours of intense work. Both challenges were successfully overcome.
In general, it was challenging to achieve our goal that both the writing and the design were attractive to a very wide audience, including children, young people, adults, birdwatchers, and specialists in the subject.
What helped you to stay focused on such a large project?
First of all, the love of birds. Knowing that a book like this can have a great impact on Cubans and contribute to bird conservation also motivated us. Little by little, we realized that the garden can contribute a lot to local knowledge and the appreciation of birds, helping people to value not only their beauty, but also all the ecological services they provide.
Secondly, it is not easy to visit our protected areas because they are located in isolated areas that are difficult to access and transportation is scarce. However, the National Botanical Garden is situated close to Havana (only about 30 km or 18 miles) and can be easily visited by the population of the city.
Finally the teamwork, which was fabulous and exhilarating. It kept us together and working hard from start to finish. Every photo achieved, every chapter completed, every species completed, was an achievement we thoroughly enjoyed and it kept us excited to reach the next goal.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating this field guide?
We learned important things related both to the birds, as well as to perseverance and the strength we have to achieve our goals.
As for the birds, we were impressed by the beauty and complexity of the birds’ heads—the close-up photos highlighted details that are not captured with binoculars or full-body photography.
Another thing that surprised us was the important role played by the Red Silk Cotton Tree (Bombax ceiba) in the early months of the year, when very few plants bloom in the garden. In January and February, this tree is covered with beautiful red flowers and numerous birds are attracted to them, but not only in search of insects, nectar and pollen. The most surprising thing is that the flowers accumulate a lot of water, and the birds use them as natural sources, to quench their thirst, in these months of intense dryness.
At the top of the left-hand page you can see a Yellow-faced Grassquit looking for water in a Red Silk Cotton tree flower; at the bottom, in the same tree, a Cuban Blackbird looks for water or insects in the flowers.
For Martin and Lourdes, it was not difficult to write the text, they knew the site and the birds well and already had the experience of working on other books. But for Karen the challenge was immense, she did not know about design, nor photography, nor was she able to recognize the bird species. All this knowledge was necessary to complete the book.
That involved numerous hours of self-study to learn how to work CorelDraw, Photoshop, and InDesign programs. So Karen took photography courses, studied the content of the main bird guides that have been published in America, and learned the particular style of providing the information in the field guides. At the same time, she made frequent visits to the field to take photographs, and learn to recognize the birds, and she kept working on the book every single day during those years.
Any fun stories to share during the process of writing, photographing, design, and editing?
There were many stories. At first Karen said she wanted the guide to be with photos, so that it would bring something different from other Cuban guides. When she tried to take her first photos, a mockingbird and a sparrow, after much effort, she did not achieve anything with her lens—at that moment she realized that the road was going to be long, difficult, and that she had a lot to learn.
I remember when we went to the zoo to take close-up pictures of the herons. They were asleep with their heads lowered and eyes closed. Yelling at them was the only way to wake them up. We shouted wildly and the moment they woke up Karen took the photo very fast. People passing by looked at us as we were screaming at the herons and by the looks on their faces, they thought we were crazy. We really laughed a lot.
Another day, Karen went alone on a motorcycle to the garden to take photos. When entering the garden, she saw a group of puppies crossing the fence and stopped the motorcycle to play with them. But the puppies ran after her which gave her a good scare. She had to run so they wouldn’t bite her.
How long did it take to complete the field guide?
We started in June 2019, the book was ready to print in January 2022. During Covid we had an interruption of about six months in which we were totally isolated without communication, (not all in the team had a good cellular phone to use the internet), and without the possibility to visit each other as we were not able to meet. So we would say that it took approximately two intense years to complete the book.
When the lockdown restrictions were lifted, we established a method of working that allowed us to advance relatively quickly, because at the same time that we were advancing in the text, we worked on the design. We made constant visits to the garden, looking for photographs that helped us explain the text, and with those visits we were constantly updating the information.
In fact, up to 2019, when we started working, 105 species had been registered; in 2022 that number had already risen to 125.
How did you celebrate when the field guide was completed?
The five of us, three authors and two editors, were so happy, we could not believe that we had finished the book. When we saw the first print proof the emotion was immense! We celebrated it by spending time together and sharing each of our experiences.
How many endemic birds live in the garden?
Of the 27 living endemic species in Cuba, 10 are found in the garden; and also 12 of the 20 species reported as endemic for the West Indies—making a total of 22 species in this category.
In the book we report on nine Cuban endemics, but recently the Cuban Trogon was recorded for the first time at the garden!
What is one of your fondest memories of birding in the Botanical Garden?
Every time we visit the garden we enjoy it so much and we learn something new about the behavior of the birds so it is difficult to say. For example, seeing the sunrise and the awakening of the birds, seeing for the first time the Cuban Tody, a typical bird of our well-preserved forests, seemed incredible to us, and recently, we just observed the Cuban Trogon for the first time!
The national bird of Cuba- the Cuban Trogon. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)
I remember one time when it started to rain, and we had to place the camera under the umbrella to take the photos. That day we registered two new species and got several quality photos for the book, it was unforgettable!
Recording a new species and getting a quality photo that we needed, of a bird doing an activity that we mentioned in the text, was always exciting to us. I can say that the three of us thoroughly enjoyed each visit, which in those last two years amounted to more than 60.
Where in Cuba can someone purchase this field guide?
Right now it is not for sale. We have a small first batch of just 300 printed books and very high demand. The first copies have been used to promote the book and they have been given as a prizes in competitions and festivals, as well as gifted to outstanding nature photographers, decision-makers, and some libraries.
The second printing will be made this year, thanks to a grant from the Betty Peterson Conservation Fund from BirdsCaribbean. We are thinking of selling copies from this second batch at the National Botanical Garden or in the Library of the University of Havana, Alma Mater, in the City of Havana.
How can someone outside of Cuba get their own copy?
We hope to eventually sell the book through BirdsCaribbean’s website.
Do you plan on providing an English translated version of this field guide?
We would love to have an English version and the idea is to seek funding in the future for translation, design, and proofreading.
What would you say to a birder who is thinking of publishing his own field guide?
Keep going, never stop, work hard, visit the site as many times as you can, and record species, behaviors, dates and places. When you gather enough information, find a good team and work together. A good field guide is a collective work, which can help birds and people.
We have always lived in a poor country under a strong blockade, with few resources, little transportation, lots of communication problems, and high migration of young personnel. If we could succeed, then anyone who proposes a project like this and puts in the effort, perseverance, and love will succeed too.
Our small Caribbean countries need to know their natural heritage, and be aware first of what we have, so that later they become aware of the responsibility of each one in taking care of it. We all can contribute in some way to conservation. Books like this are the first step to take—knowledge brings appreciation, appreciation is an important step for conservation.
You can, you should.
The three authors of the book, from left to right, Karen Aguilar Mugica, MSc in Geography, Martin Acosta Cruz PhD. and Lourdes Mugica Valdés PhD, both ornithologists from the Bird Ecology Group of the University of Havana. Karen has been a volunteer with the group for several years.
Drs. Lourdes Mugica Valdés and Martin Acosta Cruz are Professors at the University of Havana’s Faculty of Biology in Cuba. They teach both formal ecology courses and in the faculty’s research and environmental education programs. They, along with Karen Aguilar Mugica, are members of the University of Havana’s award-winning Bird Ecology Group (BEG). The BEG is widely recognised for its contribution to our knowledge of Cuban waterbird ecology. They are, moreover, long-standing members and friends of BirdsCaribbean.
Yaritza with Lola the Puerto Rican Parrot mascot. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
BirdsCaribbean is proud to coordinate the annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) along with many environmental and community organizations across the region. Today we look back on all the fun events celebrating the Caribbean’s iconic birds, being in nature, meeting new friends, and making water conservation an important part of our daily lives!
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) 2023 emphasized the importance of water conservation by shedding light on the crucial role of waterways and their surrounding watersheds in supporting our region’s unique bird populations and providing us with clean water.
We often see birds flying, preening, and feeding, but rarely do we see them drinking water. This does not mean that water is not important to birds. In fact, birds need water just as much as we do. Drinking water helps them regulate body processes like digestion. Water also keeps birds clean and cool on hot days when they take a splish-splash in a puddle, gutter, or backyard bird bath. Many birds also rely on wetland habitats, such as our ponds, salinas, marshes, mangroves, rivers, and coastal waters. With growing human populations and relentless development, there are growing demands for water and continued destruction of our remaining wetlands.
The 2023 CEBF marked a significant milestone in bird conservation efforts. After a challenging period of virtual celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this spring we witnessed a massive return of in-person activities. Bird enthusiasts, nature lovers, conservation organizations, and local communities all came together to spread the urgent message that water conservation is vital for all life on earth, including birds, and to learn how to protect the habitats of the one-of-a-kind bird species that call the Caribbean home.
CEBF heads offline and into nature
Coordinators embraced the theme by focusing on water as an essential resource and raised awareness about conserving and sustainably managing water habitats. The interconnectedness of birds, water, and the broader ecosystem was celebrated and supported through birdwatching trips, habitat cleanups, bird fairs and many more activities.
“Water, a lifeblood of our birds, sustains not only their existence but also their habitats,” said Eduardo Llegus, co-regional coordinator of CEBF. “With over 700 bird species in the Caribbean relying on our water resources, it becomes clear that the preservation of these precious resources is essential for their survival. As we embrace theUN Decade (2021-2030) on Ecosystem Restoration, let us remember that protecting and reversing degradation of our water ecosystems is not just an obligation but a lifeline for our avian treasures and the biodiversity they represent, hence, a healthier ecosystem and a healthier people.”
A Key West Quail-Dove takes a drink. Bird baths are a great way to support birds and attract more species to your backyard!
CEBF events were highly interactive and captivated children, teens, and adults alike. Birdwatching allowed attendees to marvel at the beauty and diversity of endemic bird species in their natural habitats. These guided field trips also provided valuable insights into the ecological, economic and cultural importance of natural areas. Educational workshops and presentations deepened participants’ understanding of birds and their conservation needs. CEBF island coordinators educated participants about bird ecology and behavior, raised awareness of the multitude of threats they face, and inspired individuals to become advocates for bird conservation.
Celebrations across the region!
Jamaica
Birdlife Jamaica organized a “Bring a Child Birding” event in Kingston’s vibrant Hope Gardens. Approximately 50 participants, divided into smaller groups, enjoyed a thrilling two-hour tour spotting many birds, including exclusive Jamaican endemics. Despite the busyness of the garden, they all enjoyed the experience and we hope these budding birders continue to be encouraged to bird. More details from this event will be shared in an upcoming blog!
Birdlife Jamaica’s ‘Bring a Child Birding’ event flyer.
Justin Saunders of Birdlife Jamaica helps with bird identification at Hope Gardens. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Budding birders socializing and learning how to use binoculars. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Cuba
CEBF celebrations in Cuba were vast! An astounding 69 Cuban island coordinators executed a multitude of events across 12 (out of 15) provinces impacting over 5,000 people. This year we joyfully welcomed new Cuban birding clubs to the celebrations: Club Observadores de Aves de Artemisa, Club de Observadores de Aves de Granma, Proyecto comunitario Amiguitos de la Naturaleza, and Nativa Red de Microviveros. Cuban ornithologists Martín Acosta, Lourdes Mugica, and Karen Aguilar released a much-needed field guide, “Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional” which documents the abundant bird life at Cuba’s National Botanic Garden. Children and teenagers were treated to bird puzzles, cartoons and other bird-centric games, and participated in habitat clean-ups and tree planting activities. Information about water conservation was shared through the local media.
Diorama of Parque Nacional San Felioe in Cuba. (Photo by Festival de las Aves Endémicas del Caribe)
The CEBF encourages sensory play through gardening too. A little boy plants a tree for birds at his school in Cuba. (Photo by Festival de las-Aves Endémicas del Caribe)
A participant with her beautiful flamingo sculpture. (Photo by Festival de las Aves Endémicas del Caribe)
Information about the festival and endemic birds of Cuba was shared via radio interviews.
Participants were also treated to a bird book display.
Felix Raul Figueroa, photographer and member of Grupo Ecología de Aves, looks on as students from Ciénaga de Zapata color the Cuban Parrot. (Photo by Grupo de Ecología de Aves)
Group photo of students and members of Club observadores de aves de Granma.
Two young girls plant trees in the Jardín Botánico Cupaynicú. (Photo by Club de observadores de aves de Granma)
Winners of the art competition pose with their prizes at the award ceremony in El Bongo Park. (Photo by Club observadores de aves de Granma)
Cuban CEBF Coordinators and members of Grupo de Ecología de Aves Universidad de La Habana.
Dominican Republic
Grupo Acción Ecológica, an environmental NGO in the Dominican Republic, hosted a tree planting event at the botanical garden to support birds and other wildlife. Students were also encouraged to tap into their creativity by painting bird masks and landscapes. The paintings gave students the opportunity to display their skills and also to voice their ideas of what healthy bird habitats should look like. One student explained, “I painted the sky and added a rainbow, the sun, clouds, water, trees, and birds, because birds need all these elements to live”.
Students help plant native trees for birds and other wildlife at the National Botanical Garden.
Grupo Acción Ecológica and students at the National Botanical Garden.
María Paulino of Grupo Acción Ecológica speaks to students about the endemic birds of the Dominican Republic.
María Paulino leads a birdwatching tour at the National Botanical Garden.
María Paulino hosts a group discussion with students at the National Botanical Garden.
Event coordinators included members of the Department of Environmental Education, the Seed Bank and Grupo Acción Ecológica.
Puerto Rico
In nearby Puerto Rico, Fundación Amigos del Yunque integrated birding and education to raise awareness among youth and local communities about the significance of the island’s endemic bird species and their interconnectedness with ecosystems, including the renowned El Yunque National Forest. Other Puerto Rican partners Coriecis, Conservation Opportunity, Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín, Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña Inc. (SOPI), SOPAS, and Organización Reverdece y Educa tu Comunidad, organized birdwatching, conferences, information booths, fairs, and coastal clean-ups. These events attracted the participation of teachers, students, parents and other volunteers.
Coriecis volunteers use their brand new Vortex binoculars during the bird census. (Photo by Coriecis)
A Conservation Opportunity member educates participants about the endemic birds of Puerto Rico. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
A Conservation Opportunity member sensitises participants about the threats posed by marine pollution. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
This newly installed sign encourages beach goers to keep their environment clean. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
How long are your ‘wings’? A member of Conservation Opportunity measures her arm length against a bird wingspan poster. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
The Conservation Opportunity cleanup crew. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Eduardo Llegus talks about the effect of plastic pollution on human health. (Photo by Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad)
Youth making a sign at Colegio Ponceño.(Photo by Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad)
Birdwatching at Colegio Ponceño. (Photo by Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad)
Scaly-naped Pigeon-colored in by students. (Photo by Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad)
Members of Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad at the University of Puerto Rico Ponce Campus garden.
A young girl plays a bird game during the CEBF festivities as a member of the Luis-Munos Marin Foundation looks on. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves Rodriguez)
CEBF Coordinators from Luis-Munos Marin Foundation in Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves Rodriguez)
Bird-centric scavenger hunt at El Yunque Forest. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Hilda Morales shows participants how to identify birds. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Votes cast for participants’ favourite Puerto Rican endemic bird activity. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Yaritza Bobonis, coordinator from Fundación Amigos de El Yunque, welcomes participants to the CEBF event.
Yaritza Bobonis with Lola the Puerto Rican Parrot mascot. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Bird nests on display at CEBF event at El Yunque Forest. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Antigua and Barbuda
Heading down to the Lesser Antilles, the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) of Antigua and Barbuda hosted an immersive floating classroom field trip—a boat tour wound through critical mangrove and coral reef habitats, allowing participants to closely examine their structures and functions, before landing at Great Bird Island. There, participants equipped with binoculars identified the diverse range of land and seabirds that breed on the island, experiencing firsthand the importance of the offshore islands as wildlife havens. The objective was straightforward; reconnect participants with birds and nature, and hopefully, inspire them to make environmentally conscious decisions in their everyday lives.
Practice makes perfect! Students learn to use binoculars during the Floating Classroom field trip. (Photo by EAG)
Shanna Challenger-helps students spot and identify the birds of the Offshore Islands. (Photo by EAG)
Joshel Wilson speaks to students of St Anthony’s Secondary School about the Antiguan Racer on the Offshore Islands. (Photo by EAG)
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Education (SCIENCE SVG) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines originally planned an outdoor community event at Sandy Bay with aid from a local organization. While unfavorable weather conditions forced celebrations indoors, SCIENCE SVG was triumphant with a joyful display and presentation at the Georgetown Secondary School.
Dr Joanne Gaymes of SCIENCE SVG explains the competition rules for winning the prizes displayed at the table. (Photo by Lystra Culzac)
Lystra Culzac features the Whistling Warbler, an endemic of St. Vincent found in the forested upper watersheds of the school community. (Photo by Dr Joanne Justo)
Student with her prizes for correctly answering quiz questions on birds at the activity table. (Photo by Lystra Culzac)
Also in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Forestry Department brought the beauty of endemic birds and the need for their conservation to local schools. These school visits were featured in the local news, undoubtedly reaching more Vincentians locally and abroad! Junior Forestry Officers were taken on a birding tour of Lingley Valley to practice their bird identification skills acquired during the BirdsCaribbean Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Training Workshop held in January this year.
Grenada
In Grenada, CEBF celebrations headed to the mangroves at L’anse Aux Epines! Gaea Conservation invited all birders—new, amateur and veteran, to join them for “Birding 101: Tips and Tricks on Bird Identification in Grenada.” They birded along the road before entering the mangroves where to everyone’s delight they saw the Grenada Flycatcher!
Birding 101 event flyer.
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
Grenada Flycatcher. (Photo by Knut Hansen)
Beginner and experienced birders joined Gaea Conservation Network for their event.
Trinidad
And finally, at the end of the Caribbean archipelago on the island of Trinidad, CEBF was celebrated at the ARC Conservation Field Station in Brasso Seco, a small village nestled in the Northern Range. Attendees of the “Protect the Rivers, Save the Birds” event were introduced to bird banding, an important conservation tool, and treated to up-close views of some of the area’s common birds like the stunning Silver-beaked Tanager and delightful Bananaquit. Giselle, director of ARC Conservation and graduate of our Caribbean Bird Banding (CBB) workshop, allowed the younger children to release the banded birds under her careful supervision. Their delight was palpable and we hope that happy memories were created!
ARC Conservation Field Station at Brasso Seco.
Giselle shows the children how to correctly hold a Violaceous Euphonia.
Learning about water conservation for birds and humans at the event.
After the nets were closed, it was time to dive into some Birdsleuth Caribbean activities, a discussion on water conservation at home, and bird art. Masks were crafted by hand with designs representing the resident birds. A spectacular bird masquerade made for the perfect finale to a wonderful day of celebrations. There were no questions among the children about their favorite mask—the Trinidad Piping-Guan or ‘Pawi’ was the clear winner!
Children and ARC Conservation members wear their hand crafted masks.
Still the Best in the West (Indies)
The Endemic Birds of the West Indies Coloring Book was again a favorite among participants across the islands. Since its release, island coordinators have used the book as a tool to introduce youth to the fascinating world of birds. Both English and Spanish versions of the coloring book are available for free download from our Resources page! Contact info@Birdscaribbean.org to find out how to receive printed copies of English or Spanish books.
We intend to share this valuable educational resource in French, but this can only be made possible with your help! Your support ensures that our resources, which help both adults and children learn about birds and how to protect them, remain free and accessible.
Feathery facts and free resources for classrooms and homes
Each day we featured a new Endemic Bird of the Day on our website and across BirdsCaribbean’s socials, sharing 26 new species in 2023. The species were carefully selected to include truly unique birds, like the Martinique Oriole and Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager; species which keep birders’ ID skills in check, like the Lesser Antillean Swift; those that challenge female stereotypes, like the Ashy-faced Owl; and endemic crooners, like the Rufous-throated Solitaire and Bahama Mockingbird. You can find the complete library of 131 endemic birds covered thus far here. (There are ~180 endemic birds total in the region with 5 “new” species added via species splits in July 2023!).
Each endemic bird profile was accompanied by a beautifully drawn image by Josmar Esteban Marquez of AveZona, stunning high quality photos and videos, online puzzles tailored for different levels (between six and 1,024 pieces), and bird calls. Fun, free and engaging activities were also provided for both kids and adults, including downloadable coloring pages, experiments, up-cycle crafts, and more.
CEBF 2024 loading…
This year’s CEBF is over – but don’t worry, we still have plenty of bird content for you to enjoy! Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and have joined the BirdsCaribbean mailing list, to ensure you are kept up to date with our latest news via our monthly newsletter.
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival will return next April 2024 – but we need help coming up with a theme! We would love to hear your ideas for next year’s theme, which should allow us to highlight a critical problem that affects birds throughout the region. Please email your theme and a brief explanation (1-3 sentences) on why it should be the 2024 CEBF theme to CEBF@birdscaribbean.org, info@birdscaribbean.org and Aliya.Hosein@birdscaribbean.org
And, we need help distributing educational materials to our partners in the Caribbean for next year’s CEBF.
In addition to high shipping costs, it can be difficult to get the materials to individual islands on-time and in good condition. If you, or a friend or relative, will be traveling between the US and the Caribbean during the months of December, January and February and have extra room in your suitcase, please get in touch with us at CEBF@birdscaribbean.org, info@birdscaribbean.org and Aliya.Hosein@birdscaribbean.org. Your support will help ensure that bird education remains accessible to all in the Caribbean.
Acknowledgements: A massive THANK YOU to the island coordinators for your enthusiasm and dedication to making this another memorable CEBF! Each year we see a growing number of participants committed to increasing their knowledge of Caribbean birds and actively working to protect their habitats. We also extend our gratitude to our donors and members who help us provide the coordinators with the support and resources they need to educate and inspire future generations of bird and nature loving communities.
The annual BirdsCaribbean Seabird Working Group (SWG) newsletter is now available! Catch up on the latest research, conservation, restoration, and education projects happening across the Caribbean – in English, Spanish, and French!
In this issue of the SWG newsletter learn about the ongoing Caribbean Seabird Census and how you can get involved. SWG members have created a suite of resources (webinars, bird ID cards, trendy field apparel, and much more!) to ensure you are well equipped for your seabird census. Visit the Seabird Working Group webpages and our Seabirds Resources page to access these resources.
Click on the images to view and download newsletters in English, Spanish and French.
The newsletter also provides updates on the spread of Avian Influenza in the Caribbean and recent and ongoing regional projects and publications, including a seabird conservation plan for the Cayman Islands, Brown Pelican monitoring project on Sint Maarten, GPS tracking of Red-footed Boobies in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and more.
Also in this issue’s “seabird spotlight” meet Cuban seabird researcher Antonio Garcia Quintas! He is using traditional, modern, and state-of-the-art methods to help us better understand the breeding behavior and requirements of nesting terns and gulls in Cuba.
Interested in connecting with the SWG and its members? Please take advantage of the many avenues for communication described in the newsletter, including their Facebook group, and if you have seabird news to share, let us know! We would love to feature your work in the next issue!
Lastly, the SWG expects that the group will continue to thrive with the support, dedication, and ideas of new members. The SWG welcomes everyone – from experienced researchers to citizen scientists and casual seabird spotters.If you have any questions or are interested in joining, do not hesitate to contact them!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Red-shouldered Blackbird
It takes two! Duetting male and female Red-shouldered Blackbirds make beautiful music together. And it is quite impressive for this Cuban endemic because not all species of songbirds can sing duets with their mates.
Amazing duetting ability aside, you may be wondering if this endemic bird is not in fact the Red-winged Blackbird, one of the most abundant birds in marshes across North America. The two species are not the same but are each other’s closest relative! Differences in the two species’ songs and the coloration pattern of females helped confirm that they are different species.
Male Red-shouldered Blackbirds look very much like male Red-winged Blackbirds—all black with a slight bluish gloss and scarlet shoulder patch edged with yellow. The females, however, are different—not streaked with brown like female Red-wings but solidly black, like the male, but lacking the colorful epaulet. Juvenile males have a reddish-brown patch and are overall dull black.
The Red-shouldered Blackbird can be found in western and central Cuba, and the Isle of Pines in swamps and marshes with tall vegetation like cat-tails and bulrushes. It breeds from April to August. The female builds the cup-shaped nest in which she lays 2-3 bluish-white eggs with brown and pale purple spotting. Both parents feed the chicks and defend their nesting territory.
In the non-breeding season they also venture out of the marshes and into nearby uplands, pastures, and agricultural fields foraging for insects, small vertebrates, fruits, and seeds. Outside the breeding season, they usually form large mixed flocks with Cuban Blackbirds, Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds, and Greater Antillean Grackles.
Red-shouldered Blackbird can be difficult to tell apart from several other black birds in Cuba. Both sexes of Tawny-shouldered Blackbird have a yellow-orange shoulder, though the shoulder color is sometimes only visible in flight. It also has a forked tail and shorter bill and the song is different. The Shiny Cowbird lacks a shoulder patch, has a purplish gloss, and a shorter and stouter bill than Red-shouldered Blackbird. The Cuban Blackbird is larger and more robust, and without color patches on its wings.
The song is not musical, described as a repeated shrill screeching “o-wi-hiiii,” similar to that of the Red-winged Blackbird but higher-pitched and shorter. It is sung by both sexes, sometimes in duet. The call is a short “chuk” or “chek,” sometimes in short series. When singing, the male lifts the feathers on his back, drops his wings, exposing the brilliant red shoulder patch, and spreads his tail.
The Red-shouldered Blackbird is called “Chirriador” meaning “screecher” in Cuba and also “Mayito de Cienaga” which means “marsh blackbird.”
When foraging for the young, the males and females provide food at similar rates and the overall breeding system is monogamous. This contrasts with the polygynous breeding system (one male pairing with 2 or more females) of the Red-winged Blackbird.
The Red-shouldered Blackbird is not globally threatened but has a restricted and fragmented distribution in Cuba. Further fragmentation or loss of its habitat may have disastrous effects on the population. It is therefore important that we protect and maintain this endemic bird’s existing habitat on the island. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Aliya Hosein for the text!
Colour in the Red-shouldered Blackbird
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of Red-shouldered Blackbird
The song of the Red-shouldered Blackbird is a shrill “Shuh-reee-eee.”
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 Red-shouldered Blackbird with his red-yellow wing patches he looks very similar to the closely related Male Red-winged Blackbird. (Photo by Jan Hansen Macaulay Library-ML188770901)This female Red-shouldered Blackbird looks very different to the female Red-winged Blackbird. She is solidly black and not streaked with brown like her relative. (Arturo Kirkconnell Jr. Macaulay Library-ML90702281)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: In keeping with our theme “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” our activity today involves providing water for birds in your outdoor space! You can’t have a bird-friendly garden without a spot for the birds to drink from, bathe in or just cool themselves down on a hot day. Like humans, all birds need a reliable source of clean water. Follow our instructions and you can make your own bird bath using materials from around your house and yard. You will need:
an old garbage bin lid, flower pot drip tray or serving tray
rocks or pebbles
any size and color tomato cage
wire cutters
As this activity involves using wire cutters you will need to ask an adult to help you.
Once you have made your bird bath make sure that you follow our “Keeping your bird bath safe for the birds & you” tips. By frequently changing the water and keeping your bird bath clean you should be able to provide a place for the bird in your garden to enjoy and for you to enjoy the birds!
Enjoy this video of a Red-shouldered Blackbird in the wild!
Cuba—definitely on the bucket list of most birders and indeed world travelers! Read all about The Caribbean Birding Trail tour that took place in January 2016. The exciting trip took in many birding and cultural highlights including a trip to the The Zapata Peninsula, which many wonderful birds were seen including endemics such as the Cuban Black Hawk and today’s featured bird Red-shouldered Blackbird. Find out more here:
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Hispaniolan Spindalis
What’s that colorful sunset spot in the tree?? Why it’s the Hispaniolan Spindalis!
Males of this species are unmistakable. They sport a black head with two bold white stripes, one above the eye and another at the ‘malar’ or mustache region. They have a rich yellow nape and breast, fading to a gray belly. Their bright yellow contrasts with an olive back patch and crimson-chestnut breast spot, sometimes with a charcoal center. They have striking black wings and tail feathers, edged white with a rusty shoulder patch. Sometimes their mandarin orange rump feathers will peek through their primaries.
Females don’t boast quite as bright of a suit. Instead they flaunt a subtle beauty, with an overall olive-brown coloration to their feathers and fine streaking on the breast. Their wings and tail feathers are edged a soft yellow, giving a slight glow about them. At first, they may be more difficult to recognize, but both males and females have a similar small, gray bill with a hook on the end.
Both young males and older females can have an intermediate look. Males in the first year will start to molt in some of those black head feathers and bright body feathers, but usually in a patchier, teenage punk kind of way. Older females will also have some male characteristics, like a brighter chest or bolder wing feathers, but will not have as much coloration as younger males.
For such a colorful bird, the male Hispaniolan Spindalis isn’t much of a singer. They give a thin, high-pitched whistle “tsee” or a rapid “tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi.” Often they’ll whistle these high pitched notes from atop a tree or within a dense thicket. Females even have their own soft response, that sounds like a jumble of notes.
The Hispaniolan Spindalis was formerly considered part of the Stripe-headed Tanager complex, which included Western Spindalis, Puerto Rican Spindalis, and Jamaican Spindalis. Recently, they were split up into the four species that we know today. And they were even given their own unique avian family, Spindalidae, separating them from other tropical tanagers and creating another endemic bird family for the Caribbean!
Look for them in a variety of wooded habitats from sea level to 2,500 m in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Though they seem especially abundant in montane habitats in evergreen pine and broadleaf forests, they may wander down to lower elevation habitats during the non-breeding season usually in search of more fruits! They are primarily frugivores, feeding on a variety of tropical fruit, flowers, seeds, and leaf greens; though they may expand their palette to include insects during the breeding season. Usually they prefer to forage in small groups of 3-4 birds; though with an abundance of ripe fruit you’ll sometimes see more birds join the flock!
Breeding season is usually May – June. Pairs will build a small cup nest out of dry grasses and place it about 1.5 m up in a tree or shrub. The female lays 3 whitish eggs with brownish spots. Her more camouflaged plumage helps with avoiding predators during incubation and feeding the chicks in the nest.
Although the Hispaniolan Spindalis is still widespread and common throughout Hispaniola, it is likely starting to experience declines due to habitat loss. Protected areas, such as national parks and reserves on the island, have provided vital habitat for these stunning birds. It is important that we all do our part to learn about and protect these birds so that we can continue to enjoy them!Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Holly Garrod for the text!
Colour in the Hispaniolan Spindalis
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the calls of Hispaniolan Spindalis
The calls of the Hispaniolan Spindalis include a rapid high-pitched “tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi” as well as a single “tsee” 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!
The stunning male Hispaniolan Spindalis looks like a sunset. (photo by Dax Roman)The female Hispaniolan Spindalis looks quite different from the male and may be difficult to identify at first. (Photo by Jose M Pantaleon)Male Hispaniolan Spindalis feeding on berries. (Photo by Jose Miguel Pantaleon)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: The male Hispaniolan Spindalis is a striking bird with vivid colors of black, white, chestnut, yellow and orange!But who says you have to travel to the wet montane forests of Hispaniola to enjoy these beautiful colors? In this activity you’ll make a suncatcher—a decoration that catches rays of sunlight and casts them as rainbow hued patterns across the room.
Here is a list of materials you will need:
empty clear plastic milk jug, washed and dried
permanent markers
scissors
utility Knife
hole punch
twine, string or yarn
You can download full instructions here including a bird template for you to use. This activity involves using a knife and scissors. Make sure you have an adult to help you with the cutting.
Enjoy this short video of a male Hispaniolan Spindalis in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Puerto Rican Tanager
Usually heard before it reveals itself, the Puerto Rican Tanager or “Llorosa”, as it’s known locally, will alert all forest critters with an array of chewp or chuck calls or a longer chi-chi-chit. These small birds prefer to stay hidden in dense vegetation, often in small flocks of four to six individuals. Every now and then, one or more will hop on an exposed branch showing their somewhat somber plumage that is perfectly camouflaged for their gloomy habitat. The dusky gray-brown upper parts hide them from raptors flying above. The faintly striked whitish underparts make them hard to see against the background of the sky for predators looking up from below. The crown and face is dark, contrasting well with the all-white throat. A small white spot in the wings of adults sets this bird apart from other “little brown birds”.
Puerto Rican Tanagers used to be placed in the tanager family, giving them their name. But actually it belongs to its own family, “Nesospingidae”, of which it is the only member! Their closest relatives are the Spindalis, the Palm-tanager, Green-tailed Warbler, and White-winged Warbler.
Foraging groups sound as if they are in a feisty disagreement or upset. This gives them their Spanish name “Llorosa” (which means “tearful”). As they forage for small insects, spiders, snails, tiny vertebrates, fruits, and seeds, other bird species join them through the forest. Such gatherings are known as mixed-species flocks and attract warblers, flycatchers and other small birds that find safety in numbers.
During the breeding season, males sing a light “tsweet-tsweet-tsweet-tsweet” song. Singing males and their female mates will defend a small territory where they build a small cup-shaped nest made of plant material and lined with feathers and other soft fibers, usually at the ends of branches at heights between 2-10 meters. Females lay 2-3 eggs, white with reddish-brown blotches. Chicks are born naked after an incubation period of a couple of weeks. The young leave the nest after 2-3 weeks, but remain with the adults for several months.
The Puerto Rican Tanager is endemic to Puerto Rico. It is restricted to mountain forests 300 meters above sea level. It is believed that they ranged across the mountainous center, the Cotdillera Central, the Sierra de Luquillo, and the Sierra de Cayey. Most birds are found in subtropical wet and rain forests, and subtropical lower montane forests. The loss of 85% of the island’s forests during the early 1900s affected the Puerto Rican Tanager by fragmenting the population and reducing their range to the Maricao forest in the west, Toro Negro forest and the protected peaks of El Yunque National Forest and the Carite State Forest. Regeneration of forest in the past 20 years has seen a constant expansion into subtropical moist forest at lower elevations. It is considered as Vulnerable due to its limited distribution. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Jose Salguero-Faría for the text!
Colour in the Puerto Rican Tanager
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of Puerto Rican Tanager
The call of the Puerto Rican Tanager is a harsh “chuck” or “chewp” often given in a chattering series of 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!
A male Puerto Rican Tanager, with his pale lower mandible. (Photo by Benny Diaz Macaulay Library-ML593336721)
A female Puerto Rican Tanager with an all black bill, you can also see small white spot at base of primaries present on adult birds. (Photo by Gabriel Lugo)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Let’s celebrate dads AND endemic birds! Father’s Day is this weekend on June 18th and we’ve got you covered. We have an endemic bird-themed Father’s Day Cards to download and color! This is a fun activity for people of all ages to celebrate the father figure in their life. With a cute bird-themed picture for you to customise, our card also features a beautiful drawing of today’s endemic bird – the Puerto Rican Tanager – along with some interesting facts!
Please download and print our card template (letter size will work best but A4 will be ok too). It’s best to use card stock, but regular printer paper will do just fine. Once printed, fold in half horizontally (so the short sides touch) and write your own special message on the inside! Don’t forget to colour in the pictures on the front and on the back. Or if you are feeling really creative be inspired by one our featured birds and draw your own greeting card! You could use this blank template.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Puerto Rican Tanager foraging in the wild!
The T-shirt designed for the 2022 Joint BirdsCaribbean AOS meeting was beautiful! It featured the endemic birds of Puerto Rico, the location for the meeting, including today’s Endemic Bird of the Day! The idea to create this T-shirt was conceptualized by Gabriel Lugo, past president of the Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña, Inc. (SOPI) and Tour Guide for Wildside Nature Tours. In partnership with renowned Cuban artist and friend of BirdsCaribbean, Arnaldo Toledo, the pair created this timeless piece that will undoubtedly be a source of pride for all Puerto Ricans and friends of Puerto Rico. Read more about the process of designing the T-shirt here:
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Palm Crow
A crow that lives on palm trees? Well, yes…, but the name can be misleading. Palm Crow (Corvus palmarum) can also be found in high-elevation pine forests, lowland and swampy forests, dry plains, and cultivation areas. Restricted to the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, there is a recent proposal for separating them into two different species. This could have a profound effect on its conservation status, given that the Cuban subspecies is very rare and confined to just a few localities.
This bird is one of the four resident species of crows in the Caribbean. All of them show the classic black plumage with purple-blue iridescence, that people associate with crows and their spooky reputation. They are gregarious, often found in small flocks. Cuban Crow and Palm Crow are almost indistinguishable, a fact that poses an identification challenge for every birder.
Fortunately, they have unique vocalizations. The song of the Palm Crow is a harsh nasal “craaa, craaa,” that resembles the North American Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus), while the song of the Cuban Crow resembles parrot calls or a gobbling turkey. The Palm Crow also has the well-developed nasal bristles covering nostrils that distinguishes crows from other small blackbirds. The Cuban subspecies is slightly smaller and duller than the one living in Hispaniola.
The Palm Crow’s short, stout, sharp-pointed black bill allows it to devour a variety of food items from fruits to invertebrates. Another important clue for identifying this species is that it can be found frequently feeding on the ground, sometimes near roads, contrasting with its other Caribbean relatives that rarely leave the tree tops.
We know very little about the Palm Crow´s natural history, especially its breeding biology. Pairs build the typical crow nest consisting of a platform made of sticks and lined with dry grasses and other soft materials, located among tree branches or at the base of palm fronds (here is where its name comes from!). They are presumably solitary nesters that defend an exclusive territory, but small groups of up to six individuals can be seen together when mobbing or harassing potential predators away. In Cuba, the breeding season takes place from March through July, and they usually lay three to four pale green eggs spotted in brown and dark olive.
Crows are the quintessential “spooky” birds, considered omens of bad luck when seen. But we can change that undeserved reputation to omens of habitat quality and protection. Half of our Caribbean crows are threatened, and Palm Crow, even though it is not globally threatened, is protected and considered Endangered in Cuba. The forests they inhabit are being lost to agriculture and human development all across their range. Even in Hispaniola, where they are more common and widespread, their numbers have decreased recently. A lack of long-term data on population trends hinders us from making a clear assessment of the species’ status.
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the calls of Palm Crow
The calls of the Palm Crow are a flat, harsh “raaah.”
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
A Palm Crow in Cuba. (Photo by Arturo Kirkconnell Jr.)
A Palm Crow on Hispaniola. You can see the well-developed nasal bristles on it stout beak. (Photo by Aiden Place, Macaulay Library, ML37309361)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: This year the theme for the festival is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life.” Birds need water just as much as we do. Water is important both for drinking and as a source of food for birds. It also keeps birds clean and cool on hot days when they take a splish-splash in a puddle, gutter, or backyard bird bath. Many birds also rely on wetland habitats, such as our ponds, salinas, marshes, mangroves, rivers, and coastal waters. With growing human populations and relentless development, there are growing demands for water and continued destruction of our remaining wetlands.
Pollution, erosion, and prolonged droughts are also directly impacting the quantity and quality of water resources and habitats available both for our birds and ourselves!
How much do you know about saving water and making sure we don’t waste this precious resource? Test you knowledge in our ‘Water IQ’ quiz. If you need some help with the answers you can search online- you could try here as a starting point for tips of water conservation.
Completed the quiz? You can check your answers here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Palm Crow in Cuba. You can hear the birds rasping calls to each other in the background.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Rufous-throated Solitaire
The Rufous-throated Solitaire (Myadestes genibarbis) is a beloved songster of wet montane forests. It is found only on the following islands: Jamaica, Hispaniola, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent, each with its own subspecies. Across these islands this bird is more commonly heard than seen. It is always a delight to anyone on the trails to hear its melodic and hauntingly beautiful song.
Its song consists of a series of clear and somewhat inharmonious flute-like whistled notes. The first note is low, second high, third low, interspersed with a ringing double note; or sometimes as “twuit, toi, tu-tu-tu-tu”. Calls include a single long “toot” like a distant car horn!
You’ll find this bird hidden in the canopy of humid montane forests. If you’re lucky enough to see it, the first thing you’ll notice is its brilliant brick-red throat with overall gray plumage—slate-gray above and paler gray below. It has a white crescent below the eye, a white-flecked face, and whitish chin and mustache separated by a dark malar (stripe from the beak down the cheek). The lower belly and vent are tawny, bill black, and legs yellow. The sexes are similar. Juveniles are dark with orange-buff spots and streaks above.
The Rufous-throated Solitaire forages up in the forest canopy, but it may occasionally feed in low vegetation. It feeds on small fruits and insects and travels alone or in mixed-species flocks. Insects are taken via aerial sallies, gleaning and hawking, and also by pouncing on insects on the ground from a perch.
In the Dominican Republic and Jamaica it is a partial altitudinal migrant. It moves to lower altitudes in colder weather and ascends to the higher highlands as temperatures rise.
The breeding season takes place from March to August in the DR and Jamaica, May in Haiti and May to July in the Eastern Caribbean. The nest is cup-shaped and usually placed in a crevice, creeper, in the center of a tree-fern or bromeliad, or tree hole. The female lays 2-3 eggs, bluish-white or blue with reddish-brown spots.
The species is not globally threatened but in Haiti its numbers are much reduced due to habitat loss. It would be a shame to lose this gorgeous bird and not hear its melodious forest song so we should support local initiatives to protect its habitats. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Aliya Hosein and Lisa Sorenson for the text!
Colour in the Rufous-throated Solitaire
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of Rufous-throated Solitaire
The song of the Rufous-throated Solitaire is a series of drawn out, flute-like whistled notes given at varying pitches.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
A Rufous-throated Solitaire in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Guillermo Armenteros)
A Rufous-throated Solitaire in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Guillermo Armenteros)A pair of Rufous-throated Solitaire in St. Vincent (photo by Frantz Delcroix)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Get creative and try singing (or playing a musical instrument) like a bird! Be inspired by the lovely song of today’s bird the Rufous-throated Solitaire, or one of our other featured endemic birds. You could also head outside and listen out for the sounds the birds are making and then create your own birdsong! You can download our instructions here to help you make some melodious bird-inspired tunes.
Please note that by submitting your video you give BirdsCaribbean consent to use your photos and/or videos on our website and social media accounts.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Rufus-throated Solitaire in the wild in Jamaica! You can hear it’s calls and another bird singing in the distance.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Flat-billed Vireo
There seems to be no braver small bird than the Flat-billed Vireo (Vireo nanus). It is highly territorial and will respond to any potential intruder, no matter the size, with acute shaking of its body and a harsh scolding note.
The Flat-billed Vireo is endemic to the island of Hispaniola and is locally distributed in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It is a grayish-green bird with duller, yellow-washed underparts, two bold white wing bars, and whitish eyes. It has a noticeably wide, flattened, and triangular dark gray bill.
Although the plumage is rather plain it has a very cheerful, whistling song “wi-wi-wi-wi-wi,” and a more rapid chattering “weet-weet-weet…” Like other vireos they are more often heard than seen, unless you lure it out of the dense vegetation by imitating its call.
It is a bird of dense lowland scrubby habitats— usually the thick underbrush in a dry forest on limestone floor. For this reason the Flat-billed Vireo belongs to a particular group of vireos called the “scrub vireos.” But it has also been recorded at 1,200m above sea level. It is usually seen moving low above the ground foraging for small fruits and insects; sometimes, the species even descends to the ground to feed. The Flat-billed Vireo will also catch flying insects out of the air.
This could explain an old debate, which argued that this vireo was actually a flycatcher, and should be placed in the genus Empidonax. Later on, it was finally placed in the vireo family in the genus Vireo. Like the common name implies, its peculiar flattened, broad-based bill confused ornithologists for quite some time. The specific name “nanus” depicts its already mentioned small size (dwarf).
The breeding season runs from February to June. The female lays two white, unmarked or with light gray markings at blunt end, eggs in a cup shaped nest. Nest is made of plant fibers and sometimes horsehair.
The local name “Cigüita Juliana,” as Annabelle Dod called it in the first book on the birds of the Dominican Republic (first ever written in Spanish), links its relationship with the other resident (and well known) vireo, the “Julián Chiví” (Black-whiskered Vireo), which actually has a truly onomatopoeic name.
The Flat-billed Vireo is not globally threatened but has suffered considerable loss of habitat in recent times. It is uncommon and local in its distribution. It is up to us to protect its remaining habitat by volunteering and/or donating to reforestation projects led by local environmental NGOs on Hispaniola.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Thanks to Miguel Landestoy for the text!
Colour in the Flat-billed Vireo
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of Flat-billed Vireo
The song of the Flat-billed Vireo is a cheerful repeated whistle, almost liquid-like in quality, “we-we-we-we-we…”
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!
Flat-billed Vireo perched. Note the two white wing bars and whitish eye. (Photo by Dax Roman)
Flat-billed Vireo spotted in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Francisco Alba)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: What facts can you remember about today’s endemic bird – the Flat-billed Vireo? Test your knowledge by filling in the missing words in our Flat-billed Vireo facts! We have given you all the correct words to use but can you put them into the right fact?
You can re-read the information all about this bird above, or search on the BirdsCaribbean webpages or online for more information about the Flat-billed Vireo! Then, when you have completed all the sentences, you can check your answers here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Flat-billed Vireo in the wild! In this video you can see the Vireo perched high in a tree and you can also hear its song.
