Beautiful Birds of the Caribbean

Bananaquits are small birds known for their colorful black, white, and yellow plumage. They are agile and energetic with acrobatic skills when it comes to feeding. Their diet consists mainly of nectar, which they skillfully acquire using their curved bills to get the sweet fluid from flowers.

Brown boobies are interesting seabirds. They amuse with acrobatic plunge dives for fish. These seabirds have dark brown and white plumage with yellow webbed feet.

Brown pelicans are striking birds with dark, gray plumage, white necks, and notable throat pouches. They mostly hunt for fish, diving from great heights to snatch the fish from the water. These birds inhabit coastal regions.

Caribbean flamingos are known for their striking pink plumage acquired by their diet of algae and small crustaceans. They are a celebrated symbol of Caribbean wildlife. Caribbean flamingos are highly social and often live in large colonies, where they engage in various social interactions, including bickering and squabbling. They thrive in lagoons, estuaries, and coastal wetlands, where they use their unique bills to filter food from the water.

Common ground doves have plain gray-brown backs and pinkish underparts. They inhabit coastal habitats and feed mostly on seeds. They give off mournful cooing. These are tiny doves with short, round wings, short tails, and short, thin bills. They are stocky, with short legs, and they shuffle as they walk.

Great egrets are large white birds with S-curved necks They thrive in wetlands and marshes. These birds are adept hunters, feeding on fish as well as frogs, insects, small reptiles, and crustaceans.

Green herons are recognizable for their gray-green back and chestnut-brown heads. These are small birds with dagger-like bills and have a distinctive "skeow" call, especially when alarmed. They are very adaptable wetland birds inhabiting shallow waters like in swampy thickets. Green herons are carnivores dining on fish, insects, amphibians, crayfish, invertebrates, earthworms, leeches, dragonflies, grasshoppers, small rodents, lizards, snakes, frogs, and tadpoles.

Killdeer are shorebirds found throughout the Caribbean. These are members of the plover family and inhabit dry habitats. These birds are known for their distinctive calls that mimic their name. They are skilled swimmers. Their brownish tails are long, pointed, and slender and black at the tip, with a white terminal band. Killdeer enjoy feeding on insects but will also eat grasshoppers, beetles, earthworms, snails, caterpillars, insect larvae, spiders, earthworms, centipedes, and crayfish.

Palmchats are small, long-tailed passerine birds endemic to Hispaniola.  They have olive-colored upper feathers and buff-white underparts with brown streaks. Palmchats thrive in woodlands, plantations, and city parks. They are known for their sociable behavior and often feed in groups. Their diet primarily consists of berries, fruits, and flowers, making them herbivorous. The palmchat is recognized as the national bird of the Dominican Republic.

Royal terns live in sheltered areas with shallow water like estuaries, bays, lagoons, and sandy beaches. These birds are social, often gathering in colonies for nesting and resting. Royal terns inhabit coastal areas and are often seen resting on beaches in groups. They have a black cap on their head and a long, slender bill, which aids in their fishing technique. Royal terns are carnivores and eat fish, squid, shrimp, and crabs.

Birds with an unusual name, ruddy turnstones, are known for their chestnut and black plumage and orange legs. They inhabit the coastlines. These adept medium-sized shorebirds know how to flip rocks and shells to uncover food.

Yellow-crowned night herons inhabit the coastal regions of the Caribbean. They have gray bodies, yellow legs, and red eyes. These birds love to fish for crabs and fish. It is their presence that maintains the balance of aquatic life.