


Top 20 Most Common Bird in Saint Andrew
Perched in Saint Andrew, Jamaica, an area renowned for its lush topography with mountainous terrains, are 20 common bird species. Ranging from the extravagant Doctor Bird to the elusive Jamaican Owl, these species display unique features enhancing their survival in varied ecosystems. With vibrant colors, distinct melodies and extraordinary hunting techniques, Saint Andrew's avian population is truly a spectacle of Caribbean biodiversity.

Most Common Bird

1. Jamaican Woodpecker
Size: 10–11 inches (25–28 cm). The top of head and nape of neck are brilliant red, while the remainder of the head is white. The mantle, back and wings are black, narrowly barred with white. The breast and abdomen are yellowish-brown, with an orange patch in centre of lower abdomen. The tail is black. The red on the head of the female covers only a portion of the crown, but also extends to the nape of the neck.


2. Red-billed Streamertail
The adult male measures 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) without the 'streamers'. With the streamers, it measures 10 inches (25 cm). The crown and tail are black. The feathers at the nape of the neck form tufts. The body is a bright iridescent green. The bill is red with a black tip. The 'black-billed' streamertail is identical in every respect except for the colour of the bill, but is a slightly smaller bird. The female's crown, neck and back are pale green. The lores are pale brown, the wings dark brown, and the tail black with outer feathers tipped with white. The underparts are white. The bill has a dark brown upper mandible and pinkish-brown lower mandible.


3. White-chinned Thrush
The white-chinned thrush (Turdus aurantius) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.


4. Bananaquit
The bananaquit is a common bird found in tropical forests, woodlands, and home gardens where they primarily feed on nectar and fruit. There are over 40 known subspecies endemic to specific regions with noticeable differences in appearance. The exact taxonomic placement of Coereba flaveola is a subject of much debate among ornithologists, with some suggesting it should be split into at least three different species.

5. Black-faced Grassquit
A male black-faced grassquits is around 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weighs approximately 10 g (0.35 oz). It has a short conical black bill, a black head and breast with an olive green back. Females and immature birds have dull olive-grey upperparts and head, and paler grey underparts becoming whiter on the belly. Males on the South American mainland have more extensively black underparts, shading to a grey belly. The male has a display flight in which he flies for short distances, vibrating his wings and giving a buzzing dik-zeezeezee call.


6. Loggerhead Kingbird
This large kingbird measures 23 cm (9.1 in) long. It is dark grey above and white below. The head is black while the throat and cheeks are white. Like many kingbird species, the loggerhead possesses an orange or yellow crown patch, but it is well concealed and rarely visible in the field. The tail is squared and ends with a buffy-white band.


7. American Redstart
The american Redstart is a small warbler that can be seen in a wide range of habitats. This energetic and acrobatic bird fans its tail, exposing bold, brilliant plumage that startles its prey. The male often mates with two females at the same time, "owning" two territories that are located near each other. Much more than any warbler, it behaves like a flycatcher, catching its prey in mid-air.

8. Zenaida Dove
The coastal pigeon (Zenaida aurita) is a species of pigeon birds. It occurs in Central America and some Caribbean islands. Its existence is not considered to be endangered. However, the coastal pigeon is now extinct on the Florida Keys, which used to be part of its distribution area.

9. Black-throated Blue Warbler
The adult male has white underparts with a black throat, face and flanks. The upperparts are deep blue. The immature male is similar, but with greener upperparts. The female has olive-brown upperparts and light yellow underparts with darker wings and tail, gray crown and brown patches on the cheek. Both sexes have a thin pointed bill and small white wing patches which are not always visible. Like many other warbler species, it has colorful plumage during the spring and summer.


10. Turkey Vulture
The turkey Vulture is a common sight, especially around roads, where they keep a sharp eye out for roadkill. Seeing these large birds in the sky can often make you take a second look to see if it’s an eagle or a hawk. Here’s one quick way to tell the difference. When in flight, a turkey Vulture will circle unsteadily, with its wings lifted to make a V shape. Though they are not appreciated, they do the dirty work of the animal kingdom by cleaning up the countryside as they scavenge.

11. Jamaican Euphonia
The Jamaican euphonia (Euphonia jamaica) is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae. It is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest.


12. Northern Mockingbird
The northern Mockingbird is able to mimic the sound of more than 30 bird species, but this master mocker has also been known to imitate the sounds of a whistle, frog call, or a dog's bark. The mimicry keeps other birds out of the mockingbird's territory, but it also plays an important role in courtship - the male with the best mimicking skills is the most attractive to females. You will often hear this mockingbird singing on moonlit nights. Widespread throughout the US, the northern Mockingbird is a state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

13. Jamaican Oriole
The Jamaican oriole (Icterus leucopteryx) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae.


14. White-winged Dove
The medium-sized, distinctively patterned white-winged Doves practically live on Saguaro cactus, consuming its nectar, pollen, fruit, and seeds. In fact, they are so dependent on this plant that they match their migration schedule to its fruiting schedule. White-winged Doves were heavily hunted in Texas in the 20th century and their population dropped from 12 million to fewer than 1 million by 1939. Since then proactive hunting management and the species ability to adapt to urban living has helped their numbers rebound.

15. Jamaican Spindalis
The Jamaican spindalis (Spindalis nigricephala) is a species of bird formerly in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to Jamaica.


16. Jamaican Vireo
The Jamaican vireo (Vireo modestus) is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae. It is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.


17. Arrowhead Warbler
The arrowhead warbler (Setophaga pharetra) is a species of bird in the family Parulidae. It is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.


18. Black-and-white Warbler
The black-and-white warbler is 11 cm (4.3 in) to 13 cm (5.1 in) in length with a mass of 8 g (0.28 oz) to 15 g (0.53 oz) grams. Wingspan ranges from 7.1-8.7 in (18-22 cm). True to their name, black-and-white warblers are black and white in colour. Both sexes have black and white crowns with a white eyebrow, black streaking on a white belly, black wings with two white wing bars, a black tail, a black-and-white streaked back, streaky undertail coverts, and grey-black legs and feet. Breeding males have a black-and-white streaked throat and black cheek, while females have a grey cheek and a white-cream coloured throat and sides. First fall males are very similar to adult females in colour and patterning, while first fall females resemble to adult females but with less streaking and a more noticeable buffy wash. Juveniles are heavily spotted, and are similar to first fall individuals otherwise. This species is 12 cm (5 in) long and weighs 11 g (0.39 oz). The summer male black-and-white warbler is boldly streaked in black and white, and the bird has been described as a flying humbug. Each wing is black with two white wing bars. Female and juvenile plumages are similar, but duller and less streaky than males. This warbler can be confused with the blackpoll warbler (Setophaga striata). The blackpoll warbler is also black and white in its summer plumage, but has a solid black cap. The black-and-white warbler can also be confused behaviourally with the pine warbler (Setophaga pinus) and yellow-throated warbler (Setophaga dominica).


19. Prairie Warbler
These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive upperparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot below it. These birds have black legs, long tails, two pale wing bars, and thin pointed bills. Coloring is duller in female and immatures.


20. Orangequit
The orangequit (Euneornis campestris) is a species of passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae and is the only member of the genus Euneornis. It is endemic to Jamaica where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. The Orangequit's breeding season is between the months of April and June. The species will build nests out of grass and plant fiber and place them in trees almost six meters above the ground. The female will typically lay 2-4 eggs at a time and will incubate. The appearances differs according to their sex and age.
