The living aviary of the Caribbean
More than 170 bird species are found nowhere else on Earth — from the cloud-forest orioles of the Lesser Antilles to the parrots and hummingbirds of the Greater Antilles. This reference documents the region’s endemic birds and the conservation work around them.
Species that live nowhere else
Evolved in isolation across the Greater and Lesser Antilles, the Bahamas and the islands of the southern Caribbean.
Montserrat Oriole
VulnerableIcterus oberi · Montserrat
A black-and-gold forest oriole found only on a single Lesser Antillean island.
Hispaniolan Parrot
VulnerableAmazona ventralis · Hispaniola
The “cotorra” of Hispaniola — a green Amazon parrot with a white forehead.
Red-billed Streamertail
Least ConcernTrochilus polytmus · Jamaica
Jamaica’s “doctor bird” — a hummingbird with long black tail streamers.
Rose-throated Parrot
Near ThreatenedAmazona leucocephala · Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman
A white-fronted Amazon native only to the Bahamas, Cuba and the Caymans.
West Indian Whistling-Duck
VulnerableDendrocygna arborea · Greater Antilles & Bahamas
The largest and rarest of the whistling-ducks, a Caribbean wetland specialist.
Purple-throated Carib
Least ConcernEulampis jugularis · Lesser Antilles
A large dark hummingbird with iridescent purple throat and green wings.
Climate change & Caribbean birds
Rising seas, warming oceans and intensifying hurricane seasons are reshaping the archipelago’s forests, wetlands and coasts — and the birds that depend on them. How a changing climate affects Caribbean species, and what conservation responses look like.
Read the overviewBird & nature tourism
Community-led birding tourism gives habitat protection a local economic value across the islands. An overview of Caribbean avitourism — where the endemics are, and how nature travel supports their conservation.
Explore the topic
Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival
Each year from April to May, communities across the Caribbean mark the region’s endemic birds with guided walks, school programmes and festivals. It is the longest-running region-wide bird celebration in the West Indies.
170+
Endemic species
20+
Islands & territories
Journal of Caribbean Ornithology
The region’s peer-reviewed ornithological record — originally published as El Pitirre — has documented West Indian bird research for decades. An overview of the journal’s history and the science of Caribbean ornithology.
About the journalCaribbean birds: frequently asked questions
How many bird species are endemic to the Caribbean?
More than 170 bird species are found only in the Caribbean — one of the highest concentrations of single-region endemic birds anywhere in the world, spread across the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, the Bahamas and the southern Caribbean islands.
What is a Caribbean endemic bird?
An endemic is a species that occurs naturally in one place and nowhere else. Caribbean endemics range from single-island specialists such as the Montserrat Oriole and Grenada Dove to birds shared across several islands, like the Rose-throated Parrot.
Which is the most famous Caribbean bird?
Among the best known are Jamaica’s Red-billed Streamertail — the “doctor bird” and the island’s national bird — the Hispaniolan Parrot or “cotorra”, and the Palmchat, the national bird of the Dominican Republic.
Why are so many Caribbean birds threatened?
Small island ranges, habitat loss, introduced predators, hurricanes and a changing climate combine to put pressure on species that often have nowhere else to go. Several Caribbean endemics are among the rarest birds on Earth.
When is the best time to see Caribbean birds?
Resident endemics can be found year-round, while the northern-winter months add large numbers of migratory warblers, shorebirds and waterfowl from North America.
What is the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival?
It is a region-wide annual celebration of the Caribbean’s endemic birds, held from late April to late May across more than 20 islands and territories with walks, school programmes and community events.