Top 20 Most Common Bird in Puerto Rico

The tropical, diverse habitat of Puerto Rico supports a rich array of bird species. The 20 most common ones exhibit fascinating characteristics, from distinct melodies to vibrant plumage. Their adaptations, whether for island living or species survival, captivate both local and visiting bird-watchers. This guide will introduce you to these magnificent avian inhabitants of Puerto Rico.

Most Common Bird

Bananaquit

1. 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.
Greater Antillean Grackle

2. Greater Antillean Grackle

The greater Antillean Grackle is a large, noisy, some might say obnoxious inhabitant of many habitats except woodland areas. It prefers to live in heavily settled areas and enjoys the company of humans. It eats seeds and insects but loves a small lizard as well as human scraps too.
Grey Kingbird

3. Grey Kingbird

The grey Kingbird is known for its long beak and loud calls. This species has developed large populations in Florida where it can be found in marsh and savanna ecosystems. The grey Kingbird likes to sit on tall, exposed perches in order to watch for insects, lizards, and any potential threats to its territory.
White-winged Dove

4. 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.
Zenaida Dove

5. 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.
Black-faced Grassquit

6. 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.
Northern Mockingbird

7. 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.
Pearly-eyed Thrasher

8. Pearly-eyed Thrasher

The white-eyed thrush (Margarops fuscatus) is a species of bird in the spot thrush family (Mimidae).
Scaly-naped Pigeon

9. Scaly-naped Pigeon

The scaly-naped pigeon is a large slate grey pigeon (14–16 in), with maroon coloured plumage around the neck. The plumage on the species' nape appears scaly, explaining both the common and scientific names of the species. There is a bare patch of skin which surrounds the birds red eyes; this patch tends to be reddish in males and more yellow in females. The legs and the base of the bill of the species are red, while the remainder of the bill is light coloured.
Red-legged Thrush

10. Red-legged Thrush

This large thrush measures 27 cm (11 in) and weighs approximately 75 g (2.6 oz), depending on subspecies. It is mainly bluish-grey above and lighter-grey below with a white and black throat with a striped appearance. The legs, bill and eye ring are bright orange-red. There is notable variation in plumage between the subspecies.
Puerto Rican Woodpecker

11. Puerto Rican Woodpecker

The Puerto Rican woodpecker has a black body and a bright red throat and breast. It has a white patch that runs across the head from eye to eye. Its flanks and lower body have a light tangerine coloration. As with the majority of birds sexual dimorphism is present in this species. The males' throat and breast are more brightly colored than the females' with females tending to be all-around duller in coloration. There is also a substantial (~18%) difference in bill length between sexes. Also males are slightly bigger than females. Its average weight is 56.0 grams. Its body length varies between 23 and 27 centimetres.
Puerto Rican Spindalis

12. Puerto Rican Spindalis

The Puerto Rican spindalis exhibits sexual dimorphism with males being brightly colored and females being dully colored. Males are green colored above with an orange neck and chest. They have a black head with two white stripes running across it, with one above and one below the eyes. The tail and wings are gray to black with small white stripes at the tips. In contrast, the female is a dull olive-green color with slightly noticeable white stripes. Sexual dimorphism is also noticeable in weight and size. Females are slightly heavier but smaller in length than males. The male's weight ranges from 22.5 to 37.0 grams with an average of 30.8 grams while the female's ranges from 28.0 to 41.1 grams with an average of 33.5 grams. The length of the male's wings ranges from 82 to 88.5 mm with an average of 85.2 mm while the female's range from 80 to 85.5 mm with an average of 82.6 mm. The length of the male's tail ranges from 59 to 68 mm with an average of 63.3 mm while the female's range from 56 to 65.5 mm with an average of 60.6 mm.
Common Ground Dove

13. Common Ground Dove

The common ground dove is North America's smallest dove and is one of the world's smallest by mass. This species ranges from 15–18 cm (5.9–7.1 in) in length, spans 27 cm (11 in) across the wings and weighs 26–40 g (0.92–1.41 oz). The common ground dove has a yellow beak with a black tip. Feathers surrounding the beak are pink in colour. The feathers on the head and the upper breast have a scale like appearance. The tail feathers are very short and similar colour to the back. The plumage on the back of the bird is brown. The coverts and wing feathers are also brown but have black spotting on them. The common ground dove has chestnut primaries and wing borders, which can only been seen when the bird is flying. The common ground dove shows some sexual dimorphism in their plumage. The males have slate gray feathers on the top of their heads and pink-gray colouration on their belly. Females on the other hand are more gray than their male counterparts and are more evenly coloured. The common ground dove's call can be described as soft whoops that increase in pitch. Often the call is heard in repetition, and is quite distinct. To hear the call of the common ground dove see the external links for a link to a website.
Rock Pigeon

14. Rock Pigeon

The rock Pigeon is a wild ancestor of all domestic and feral pigeons, inhabiting coasts, cliffs, and caves. Pairs nest in rock crevices, often mating for life. They are known for their ability to fly very long distances to return to their homes, navigating using the sun's position and the earth's magnetic fields. Thanks to this ability, pigeons were used as messengers, particularly during World Wars I and II.
Great Egret

15. Great Egret

These tall birds are quite distinctive with their bright white feathers, black legs, and orange beaks. Great Egrets live near both fresh and saltwater, nesting high in trees to protect their eggs from predatory mammals. They are colonial nesters, living in large groups (colonies), and they find the majority of their food in the nearest body of water.
Red-tailed Hawk

16. Red-tailed Hawk

Perched high in trees, the red-tailed Hawk watches for its prey: mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, large insects, and occasionally fish. It's the most common hawk in North America. Highly territorial and monogamous, the red-tailed Hawk is relatively long-lived. Many of them die young, but those who survive can live up to 20 years.
House Sparrow

17. House Sparrow

Just as its name implies, the little house Sparrow socializes with humans more than any other bird species. Able to adapt and thrive in almost any habitat, excluding the extremes such as deserts and mountain peaks, this species was once restricted only to North Africa and Eurasia but now is found across the globe. Unfortunately, this opportunistic eater is not completely harmless—it can cause considerable damage to crops.
Puerto Rican Flycatcher

18. Puerto Rican Flycatcher

The Puerto Rican flycatcher (Myiarchus antillarum) is a tyrant flycatcher endemic to the Puerto Rican archipelago and one of the 22 species belonging to the genus Myiarchus of the family Tyrannidae.
White-winged Parakeet

19. White-winged Parakeet

The white-winged parakeet typically is 22 cm in length, and is mostly green in color. It has a trailing yellow edge on its folded wings. Its most distinguished characteristic is the white wing patches most noticed when the bird is in flight. It is closely related to the yellow-chevroned parakeet, and the two have often been considered Friends :).
Shiny Cowbird

20. Shiny Cowbird

The shiny Cowbird is named after its glossy feathers and close association with cattle. These birds are considered brood or nest parasites because they manipulate other species to incubate their eggs for them. This has caused some species' populations to suffer, especially in non-native regions where the shiny Cowbird has been introduced.
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