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National Birds of the Caribbean

National symbols can be any variety of things used as representations intended to unite people from a particular territory by creating a visual depiction of that place, its people & culture.

As such, the national bird of a territory is the official bird of used to symbolize it.

Anguilla

Bird: Zenaida Dove

#FunFact: This bird is called the 'Turtle Dove' and lays eggs in pairs. It was elected as the national bird of Anguilla in 1993.

Of the 5,234 Anguillians that voted, 3,687 of them voted for the dove over the brown pelican & American kestrel.

Antigua & Barbuda

Bird: Magnificent Frigate bird

#FunFact: This is the largest species of frigate bird, but its legs are so short that it can't walk.

The island of Barbuda, the smaller of the two islands, is home to the largest colony of them in the Western Hemisphere.

Aruba

Bird: Prikichi (Brown-throated Parakeet) & Shoco (Burrowing Owl)

#FunFact: Technically, as of 2017, the Prikichi is the national bird of Aruba. However, in 2012, the Shoco was made the national animal. Both are endemic to Aruba; meaning found nowhere else globally.

The Bahamas, not Bahamas

Bird: West Indian Flamingo

#FunFact: These birds are actually born grey & turn pink due to their diet. The Bahamas is home to the single largest colony of the bird in the world on Great Inagua.

It's found naturally on most major Bahamian islands.

Barbados

Bird: Brown Pelican

#FunFact: It is found throughout the Americas, though very rarely seen in Barbados.

They once thrived on a small island that existed off Barbados called Pelican Island. It was was reclaimed apart of the Bridgetown Deep Water Harbour development.

Belize

Bird: Keel-billed Toucan

#FunFact: Locally, it is referred to as the 'Bill bird'. It is found throughout the forests of Belize. Its bill is approximately 8 inches long and that makes it almost a third of the entire length of the toucan’s body.

Bermuda

Bird: Bermuda Petrel

#FunFact: Locally referred to as the cahow, this bird was thought to be extinct for ~3 centuries.

It was rediscovered in Bermuda in 1951 on the 8th of January. It is featured on the territory's currency.

Bonaire

Bird: West Indian Flamingo

#FunFact: Like Inagua in The Bahamas, Bonaire is an important breeding site for it & the flamingos breed exclusively in the Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary in the south of the island.

It is shared with The Bahamas as a national bird.

British Virgin Islands

Bird: Mourning Dove

#FunFact: This bird can eat up to 20 percent of their body weight per day. Males can be larger than females and are slightly brighter in color. They also have a bluish crown and a rosy breast.

Cayman Islands

Bird: Grand Cayman Parrot

#FunFact: Thousands of this bird call the largest Caymanian island, Grand Cayman, home.

It is actually one of two subspecies of the Cuban Parrot. The other being the Cayman Brac Parrot, found on the island of Cayman Brac.

Cuba

Bird: Cuban trogon

#FunFact: Also called the tocororo, the Cuban trogon is endemic to the island of Cuba and is found in its forests.

The name tocororo comes from the sound the bird makes. Its feathers feature the three colours of the Cuban flag.

Curaçao

Bird: Troupial

#FunFact: It is one of many New World birds, meaning found only in the Western Hemisphere. It is also the national bird of Venezuela.

Dominica

Bird: Imperial amazon

#FunFact: It is more commonly referred to as the sisserou & is featured on Dominica's flag. It is endemic to the island of Dominica. It being featured on the flag, makes the flag 1 of 2 nat'l flags in the world to have the colour purple on it.

Dominican Republic

Bird: Cigua Palmera (Palmchat in English)

#FunFact: This bird is endemic to the Dominican Republic and found in great numbers on Saona Island. They are known to build very large nests on the branches of palm trees.

Grenada

Bird: Grenada dove

#FunFact: This is the only bird found on the island of Grenada that is the endemic to the island. It is critically endangered due to habitat loss and it believed that only ~100 of these birds remain in the wild.

Guyana

Bird: Hoatzin

#FunFact: It is also known as the Canje pheasant, it hardly ever flies & only for short distances when it does. The chicks have the ability to swim, however, this skill is lost in adulthood. They are found often on the banks of the Berbice River.

Haiti

Bird: Hispaniolan trogon

#FunFact: The Hispaniolan trogon is endemic to the island of Hispaniola. It is one of only two species of the trogon bird that is found in the Caribbean. The other being the national bird of Cuba, the tocororo or Cuban trogon.

Jamaica

Bird: Red-billed streamertail

#FunFact: More commonly known as the doctor bird, the males are known for their long tails which are far longer than their actual bodies. It is endemic to the island of Jamaica.

Monsterrat

Bird: Monsterrat oriole

#FunFact: This bird is endemic to the island of Monsterrat. It is the only bird of the genus Icterus in the Caribbean to display different plumages in either gender of the bird.

Left: Male Right: Female

Puerto Rico

Bird: Puerto Rico Spindalis

#FunFact: It is also known as reina mora in Puerto Rico, where it is only found. The males and females of the bird have varying plumages.

Right: Male Left: Female

Saint Kitts & Nevis

Bird: Brown Pelican

#FunFact: Also referred to as boobies, they feed by plunge-diving from high up, using the force of impact to stun small fish before scooping them up.

It is shared with Barbados as a national bird.

Saint Lucia

Bird: St. Lucia Parrot

#FunFact: The St. Lucia parrot is endemic to the island of St. Lucia and is also known as the jacquot. Threatened by habitat loss, its numbers declined from ~1,000 in the '50s to ~150 birds in the '70s. There are now ~500 birds in the wild.

Saint Vincent & the Grenadines

Bird: Saint Vincent Parrot

#FunFact: The Saint Vincent Parrot, growing up to over a foot long, is found only on the island of Saint Vincent. It is regarded as an incredibly rare bird.

Sint Maarten

Bird: Brown Pelican

#FunFact: The brown pelican appears on both the island's flag and coat of arms.

It is shared with Barbados and St. Kitts & Nevis as a national bird.

Suriname

Bird: Great Kiskadee

#FunFact: As full grown adults, these birds are among the largest of the tyrant flycatchers growing up to almost a foot long. They are named after the sound they make.

Trinidad & Tobago

Bird: Scarlet Ibis & Rufous-vented chachalaca (Cocrico)

#FunFact: T&T is the only Caribbean territory with two national birds. The scarlet ibis is the national bird of Trinidad & the cocrico is the national bird of Tobago.

Left: Ibis Right: Cocrico

Turks & Caicos Islands

Bird: Brown Pelican

#FunFact: The brown pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican.

It is shared with Barbados, Saint Kitts & Nevis and Sint Eustatius as a national bird.

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// Sub-Thread //

...parce que je n'ai pas pu en trouver un oiseau pour le oiseau nationale de les iles de Antilles Françaises...

Les Oiseaux Spéciaux de Caraïbes Françaises

French Guiana

Bird: Cayenne Ibis

#FunFact: Though found throughout Central and South America, this bird was first described from a specimen found in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, in 1789.

Guadeloupe

Bird: Guadeloupe Woodpecker

#FunFact: Sometimes referred to as toto bwa, the Guadeloupe woodpecker is the only bird found in Guadeloupe that is endemic to Guadeloupe.

Several 1000s of the bird can be found in Basse-Terre alone.

Martinique

Bird: Blue-headed Hummingbird

#FunFact: The blue-headed hummingbird is a hummingbird that is found only on the islands of Dominica and Martinique. The males and females of the bird have varying plumages.

Left: Male Right: Female

St. Barthélemy

Bird: Pelican

#FunFact: The island of St. Barthélemy is home to many pelicans, much like St. Martin.

The pelican is featured on St. St. Barthélemy's coat of arms & is meant to represent flying between the French islands for new discoveries.

St. Martin

Bird: Antillean Crested Hummingbird

#FunFact: This is one of only two hummingbirds found on the island, but there are no endemic species of birds found in St. Martin. The males and females of the bird have varying plumages.

Left: Male Right: Female

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