This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds.
This region is notable not just for the high number of endemic species, but for endemism in higher-level taxonomic groupings too. This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds.
The following families are endemic to the region:
In addition to genera in the families above, the following genera are endemic to the region:
Six genera found only on Hispaniola:
Five genera found only on Jamaica:
Six genera found only on Cuba:
One genus found only on Puerto Rico:
One genus found only on the Bahamas:
The following genera are confined to the Lesser Antilles:
In addition in the following genera, a high proportions of the member species are endemic to the west Indies:
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008) |
Birdlife International has defined a number of Endemic Bird Areas in the West Indies.
025 | Cuba |
026 | Bahamas |
027 | Jamaica |
028 | Hispaniola |
029 | Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands |
030 | Lesser Antilles |
They have also defined the following secondary areas:
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008) |
Common name | Binomial | Family | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cuban kite | Chondrohierax wilsonii | Accipitridae | Sometimes considered a subspecies of hook-billed kite. | |
Gundlach's hawk | Accipiter gundlachi | Accipitridae | ||
Cuban black hawk | Buteogallus gundlachii | Accipitridae | ||
Zapata rail | Cyanolimnas cerverai | Rallidae | ||
Grey-fronted quail-dove | Geotrygon caniceps | Columbidae | ||
Blue-headed quail-dove | Starnoenas cyanocephala | Columbidae | ||
Cuban parakeet | Psittacara euops | Psittacidae | Extirpated from Isla de la Juventud | |
Bare-legged owl | Margarobyas lawrencii | Strigidae | ||
Cuban pygmy owl | Glaucidium siju | Strigidae | ||
Cuban nightjar | Antrostomus cubanensis | Caprimulgidae | ||
Bee hummingbird | Mellisuga helenae | Trochilidae | World's smallest bird. | |
Cuban trogon | Priotelus temnurus | Trogonidae | ||
Cuban tody | Todus multicolor | Todidae | ||
Cuban green woodpecker | Xiphidiopicus percussus | Picidae | ||
Fernandina's flicker | Colaptes fernandinae | Picidae | ||
Giant kingbird | Tyrannus cubensis | Tyrannidae | ||
Cuban martin | Progne cryptoleuca | Hirundinidae | Probably winters somewhere in South America, though this is not confirmed.[1] | |
Cuban crow | Corvus nasicus | Corvidae | ||
Zapata wren | Ferminia cerverai | Troglodytidae | ||
Cuban gnatcatcher | Polioptila lembeyei | Polioptilidae | ||
Cuban solitaire | Myadestes elisabeth | Turdidae | ||
Cuban vireo | Vireo gundlachii | Vireonidae | ||
Yellow-headed warbler | Teretistris fernandinae | Parulidae | ||
Oriente warbler | Teretistris fornsi | Parulidae | ||
Cuban grassquit | Tiaris canorus | Thraupidae | ||
Zapata sparrow | Torreornis inexpectata | Passerellidae | ||
Red-shouldered blackbird | Agelaius assimilis | Icteridae | ||
Cuban blackbird | Dives atroviolaceus | Icteridae | ||
Cuban oriole | Icterus melanopsis | Icteridae |
Common name | Binomial | Family | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hispaniolan mango | Anthracothorax dominicus | Trochilidae | ||
Ridgway's hawk | Buteo ridgwayi | Accipitridae | ||
Hispaniolan lizard cuckoo | Coccyzus longirostris | Cuculidae | ||
Bay-breasted cuckoo | Coccyzus rufigularis | Cuculidae | Dominican Republic endemic. | |
Ashy-faced owl | Tyto glaucops | Strigidae | ||
Least poorwill | Siphonorhis brewsteri | Caprimulgidae | ||
Hispaniolan nightjar | Antrostomus ekmani | Caprimulgidae | ||
Hispaniolan emerald | Riccordia swainsonii | Trochilidae | ||
Hispaniolan trogon | Priotelus roseigaster | Trogonidae | ||
Broad-billed tody | Todus subbulatus | Todidae | ||
Narrow-billed tody | Todus angustirostris | Todidae | ||
Antillean piculet | Nesoctites micromegas | Picidae | ||
Hispaniolan woodpecker | Melanerpes striatus | Picidae | ||
Hispaniolan pewee | Contopus hispaniolensis | Tyrannidae | ||
White-necked crow | Corvus leucognaphalus | Corvidae | Extirpated from Puerto Rico. | |
Golden swallow | Tachycineta euchrysea | Hirundinidae | Extirpated from Jamaica. | |
La Selle thrush | Turdus swalesi | Turdidae | ||
Palmchat | Dulus dominicus | Dulidae | ||
Flat-billed vireo | Vireo nanus | Vireonidae | ||
Green-tailed warbler | Microligea palustris | Phaenicophilidae | ||
White-winged warbler | Xenoligea montana | Phaenicophilidae | ||
Black-crowned palm-tanager | Phaenicophilus palmarum | Phaenicophilidae | ||
Gray-crowned palm-tanager | Phaenicophilus poliocephalus | Phaenicophilidae | ||
Hispaniolan spindalis | Spindalis dominicensis | Spindalidae | ||
Western chat-tanager | Calyptophilus tertius | Incertae sedis | Formerly conspecific with eastern chat-tanager. | |
Eastern chat-tanager | Calyptophilus frugivorus | Incertae sedis | Formerly conspecific with western chat-tanager. | |
Hispaniolan oriole | Icterus dominicensis | Icteridae | ||
Antillean siskin | Spinus dominicensis | Fringillidae | ||
Hispaniolan crossbill | Loxia megaplaga | Fringillidae | ||
White-fronted quail-dove | Geotrygon leucometopia | Columbidae | Dominican Republic endemic. | |
Hispaniolan parrot | Amazona ventralis | Psittacidae | Introduced to Puerto Rico. | |
Hispaniolan parakeet | Psittacara chloropterus | Psittacidae | Various feral populations exist in Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, and Florida. | |
Common name | Binomial | Family | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ring-tailed pigeon | Patagioenas caribaea | Columbidae | ||
Crested quail-dove | Geotrygon versicolor | Columbidae | ||
Yellow-billed amazon | Amazona collaria | Psittacidae | ||
Black-billed amazon | Amazona agilis | Psittacidae | ||
Jamaican lizard cuckoo | Coccyzus vetula | Cuculidae | ||
Chestnut-bellied cuckoo | Coccyzus pluvialis | Cuculidae | ||
Jamaican owl | Asio grammicus | Strigidae | ||
Jamaican poorwill | Siphonorhis americana | Caprimulgidae | Possibly extinct |
Possibly extinct, hasn't been definitively seen since 1860.[2] |
Jamaican mango | Anthracothorax mango | Trochilidae | ||
Black-billed streamertail | Trochilus scitulus | Trochilidae | ||
Red-billed streamertail | Trochilus polytmus | Trochilidae | ||
Jamaican tody | Todus todus | Todidae | ||
Jamaican woodpecker | Melanerpes radiolatus | Picidae | ||
Jamaican elaenia | Myiopagis cotta | Tyrannidae | ||
Jamaican pewee | Contopus pallidus | Tyrannidae | ||
Sad flycatcher | Myiarchus barbirostris | Tyrannidae | ||
Rufous-tailed flycatcher | Myiarchus validus | Tyrannidae | ||
Jamaican becard | Pachyramphus niger | Tyrannidae | ||
Jamaican crow | Corvus jamaicensis | Corvidae | ||
White-eyed thrush | Turdus jamaicensis | Turdidae | ||
White-chinned thrush | Turdus aurantius | Turdidae | ||
Jamaican vireo | Vireo modestus | Vireonidae | ||
Blue Mountain vireo | Vireo osburni | Vireonidae | ||
Arrow-headed warbler | Setophaga pharetra | Parulidae | ||
Jamaican euphonia | Euphonia jamaica | Fringillidae | ||
Yellow-shouldered grassquit | Loxipasser anoxanthus | Fringillidae | ||
Jamaican spindalis | Spindalis nigricephala | Spindalidae | ||
Orangequit | Euneornis campestris | Thraupidae | ||
Jamaican blackbird | Nesopsar nigerrimus | Icteridae | ||
Jamaican oriole | Icterus leucopteryx | Icteridae | Formerly found on Grand Cayman, currently extant on San Andrés. | |
Jamaican petrel | Pterodroma caribbaea | Procellariidae | Possibly extinct |
Possibly extinct; formerly would have bred on Dominica and Guadeloupe. Last specimen collected in 1879. Surveys have been conducted, though nocturnal petrels are renowned for how hard they are to study. |
Common name | Binomial | Family | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Puerto Rican amazon | Amazona vittata | Psittacidae | Currently being reintroduced to parts of the island. | |
Puerto Rican lizard cuckoo | Coccyzus vieilloti | Cuculidae | ||
Puerto Rican owl | Gymnasio nudipes | Strigidae | ||
Puerto Rican nightjar | Antrostomus noctitherus | Caprimulgidae | ||
Green mango | Anthracothorax viridis | Trochilidae | ||
Puerto Rican emerald | Riccordia maugaeus | Trochilidae | ||
Puerto Rican tody | Todus mexicanus | Todidae | ||
Puerto Rican woodpecker | Melanerpes portoricensis | Picidae | ||
Puerto Rican flycatcher | Myiarchus antillarum | Tyrannidae | ||
Puerto Rican vireo | Vireo latimeri | Vireonidae | ||
Adelaide's warbler | Setophaga adelaidae | Parulidae | ||
Elfin woods warbler | Setophaga angelae | Parulidae | ||
Puerto Rican spindalis | Spindalis portoricensis | Spindalidae | ||
Puerto Rican tanager | Nesospingus speculiferus | Nesospingidae | ||
Puerto Rican bullfinch | Melopyrrha portoricensis | Thraupidae | ||
Yellow-shouldered blackbird | Agelaius xanthomus | Icteridae | ||
Puerto Rican oriole | Icterus portoricensis | Icteridae | ||
Common name | Binomial | Family | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Species endemic to the Bahamas | ||||
Bahama woodstar | Nesophlox evelynae | Trochilidae | ||
Inagua woodstar | Nesophlox lyrura | Trochilidae | ||
Bahama swallow | Tachycineta cyaneoviridis | Hirundinidae | ||
Bahama nuthatch | Sitta insularis | Sittidae | Possibly extinct following Hurricane Dorian | |
Bahama oriole | Icterus northropi | Icteridae | ||
Bahama yellowthroat | Geothlypis rostrata | Parulidae | ||
Bahama warbler | Setophaga flavescens | Parulidae | ||
Species endemic to Grenada | ||||
Grenada dove | Leptotila wellsi | Columbidae | National bird of Grenada. | |
Species endemic to Dominica | ||||
Imperial parrot | Amazona imperialis | Psittacidae | National bird of Dominica. | |
Red-necked amazon | Amazona arausiaca | Psittacidae | ||
Species endemic to St. Lucia | ||||
St. Lucia amazon | Amazona versicolor | Psittacidae | ||
St. Lucia oriole | Icterus laudabilis | Icteridae | ||
Semper's warbler | Leucopaza semperi | Parulidae | After not being reliably reported since 1961, some have speculated that Semper's warbler is already extinct. | |
St. Lucia warbler | Setophaga delicata | Parulidae | ||
St. Lucia black finch | Melanospiza richardsoni | Fringillidae | ||
Species endemic to St. Vincent | ||||
St. Vincent amazon | Amazona guildingii | Psittacidae | ||
Whistling warbler | Catharopeza bishopi | Parulidae | ||
Species endemic to Guadeloupe | ||||
Guadeloupe woodpecker | Melanerpes herminieri | Picidae | ||
Species endemic to Barbuda | ||||
Barbuda warbler | Setophaga subita | Parulidae | ||
Species endemic to Barbados | ||||
Barbados bullfinch | Loxigilla barbadensis | Thraupidae | ||
Species endemic to Montserrat | ||||
Montserrat oriole | Icterus oberi | Icteridae | ||
Species endemic to Martinique | ||||
Martinique oriole | Icterus bonana | Icteridae | ||
Species endemic to San Andrés | ||||
San Andres vireo | Vireo caribaeus | Vireonidae | ||
Species endemic to Trinidad | ||||
Trinidad motmot | Momotus bahamensis | Momotidae | ||
Trinidad piping guan | Pipile pipile | Cracidae | ||
Common name | Binomial | Family | Distribution | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antillean palm-swift | Tachornis phoenicobia | Apodidae | Jamaica, Cuba, and Hispaniola | ||
Vervain hummingbird | Mellisuga minima | Trochilidae | Hispaniola and Jamaica, occasional vagrant to Puerto Rico. | ||
Plain pigeon | Patagioenas inornata | Columbidae | Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Hispaniola. | ||
Tawny-shouldered blackbird | Agelaius humeralis | Icteridae | Cuba and Haiti, occasionally a vagrant to the United States. | ||
Greater Antillean elaenia | Elaenia fallax | Tyrannidae | Hispaniola and Jamaica. | ||
Stolid flycatcher | Myiarchus stolidus | Tyrannidae | Hispaniola and Jamaica. | ||
Palm crow | Corvus palmarum | Corvidae | Hispaniola and Cuba. | ||
Rufous-throated solitaire | Myadestes genibarbis | Turdidae | Dominica, Hispaniola, Jamaica, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, and Martinique, though the St. Vincent subspecies is sometimes classified as its own species. | ||
Bahama mockingbird | Mimus gundlachii | Mimidae | Bahamas, Jamaica, Cuba, and Turks and Caicos. | Occasional vagrant to the United States. | |
Greater Antillean bullfinch | Melopyrrha violacea | Thraupidae | The Bahamas, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Turks and Caicos. | ||
Cuban bullfinch | Melopyrrha nigra | Thraupidae | Cuba and Grand Cayman | Grand Cayman subspecies sometimes considered a distinct species |
Common name | Binomial | Family | Distribution | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lesser Antillean swift | Chaetura martinica | Apodidae | Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent. | Possible records from Nevis. | |
Purple-throated carib | Eulampis jugularis | Trochilidae | Antigua, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Sint Eustatius. | It has occurred as a vagrant in Barbados, Barbuda, Grenada and the Virgin Islands. | |
Blue-headed hummingbird | Riccordia bicolor | Trochilidae | Dominica and Martinique. | ||
Grenada flycatcher | Myiarchus nugator | Tyrannidae | Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. | ||
Lesser Antillean flycatcher | Myiarchus oberi | Tyrannidae | Barbuda, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. | ||
Forest thrush | Turdus lherminieri | Turdidae | Grenada, Dominica, Montserrat, and Saint Lucia. | The Saint Lucia population may be extinct. | |
White-breasted thrasher | Ramphocinclus brachyurus | Mimidae | St. Lucia and Martinique. | ||
Scaly-breasted thrasher | Allenia fusca | Mimidae | Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. | May be extirpated from Barbados, Barbuda, and Sint Eustatius. | |
Brown trembler | Cinclocerthia ruficauda | Mimidae | St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica and St. Vincent. | Extirpated from Sint Eustatius. | |
Gray trembler | Cinclocerthia gutturalis | Mimidae | St. Lucia and Martinique. | ||
Plumbeous warbler | Setophaga plumbea | Parulidae | Dominica and Guadeloupe. | ||
Lesser Antillean tanager | Tangara cucullata | Thraupidae | St. Vincent and Grenada. | ||
Lesser Antillean saltator | Saltator albicollis | Thraupidae | Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Martinique | ||
Lesser Antillean bullfinch | Loxigilla noctis | Thraupidae | Saint Barth, Saint Martin, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the British Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. | ||
Trinidad motmot | Momotus bahamensis | Momotidae | Trinidad and Tobago |
Common name | Binomial | Family | Distribution | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Puerto Rican mango | Anthracothorax aurulentus | Trochilidae | the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. | ||
West Indian whistling duck | Dendrocygna arborea | Anatidae | Primarily in the Bahamas, though significant numbers exist in northern Hispaniola, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Puerto Rico. | ||
Loggerhead kingbird | Tyrannus caudifasciatus | Tyrannidae | Hispaniola, Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico | ||
Greater Antillean grackle | Quiscalus niger | Icteridae | Hispaniola, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. | ||
Scaly-naped pigeon | Patagioenas squamosa | Columbidae | Most of the West Indies except for Jamaica. | ||
Key West quail-dove | Geotrygon chrysia | Columbidae | Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Hispaniola, and Cuba. | Formerly bred on Key West, occasional vagrant to Florida. | |
Caribbean martin | Progne dominicensis | Hirundinidae | Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and almost all of the Lesser Antilles. | Occasional vagrant to Turks and Caicos and Cuba. | |
Antillean euphonia | Euphonia musica | Fringillidae | Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and most of the Lesser Antilles. | ||
Lesser Antillean pewee | Contopus latirostris | Tyrannidae | Puerto Rico, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Lucia. | Occasional records from Saint Kitts. | |
Red-legged thrush | Turdus plumbeus | Turdidae | Hispaniola, Bahamas, Dominica, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. | Extirpated from Swan Islands. | |
Cuban amazon | Amazona leucocephala | Psittacidae | Cuba, Bahamas, and Cayman Islands. | ||
West Indian woodpecker | Melanerpes superciliaris | Picidae | Cuba, Bahamas, and Cayman Islands. | ||
La Sagra's flycatcher | Myiarchus sagrae | Tyrannidae | Cuba, Bahamas, and Cayman Islands. | Occasional vagrant to the United States. | |
Great lizard cuckoo | Coccyzus merlini | Cuculidae | Cuba and the Bahamas | ||
Cuban emerald | Riccordia ricordii | Trochilidae | Cuba and the Bahamas | ||
Cuban pewee | Contopus caribaeus | Tyrannidae | Cuba and the Bahamas | ||
Olive-capped warbler | Setophaga pityophila | Parulidae | Cuba and the Bahamas | ||
Western spindalis | Spindalis zena | Spindalidae | Cozumel, Cayman Islands, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos | Casual vagrant to southern Florida. | |
Bridled quail-dove | Geotrygon mystacea | Columbidae | The Lesser Antilles north from Saint Lucia, as well as Puerto Rico. | ||
Green-throated carib | Eulampis holosericeus | Trochilidae | All of the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico. | ||
Antillean crested hummingbird | Orthorhyncus cristatus | Trochilidae | All of the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico. | ||
Thick-billed vireo | Vireo crassirostris | Vireonidae | Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, Tortuga Island in Haiti and Cuba. | Occasional vagrant to Florida | |
Vitelline warbler | Setophaga vitellina | Parulidae | Swan Islands and Grand Cayman. | ||
Common name | Binomial | Family | Distribution | Last Sighting | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antillean cave rail | Nesotrochis debooyi | Rallidae | Occurred on Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. | Only known from subfossil fragments. | An account from Alexander Wetmore from 1912 may refer to this bird. |
Cuban macaw | Ara tricolor | Psittacidae | Occurred on Cuba. | 1864, though may have lasted until the 1880s. | |
Guadeloupe parakeet | Psittacara labati | Psittacidae | Occurred on Guadeloupe. | Presumed to have disappeared in the late 1700s. | Since no physical evidence has been discovered, the existence of this species has been brought into question. |
Martinique amazon | Amazona martinicana | Psittacidae | Occurred on Martinique. | 1722 | Since no physical evidence has been discovered, the existence of this species has been brought into question. |
Guadeloupe amazon | Amazona violacea | Psittacidae | Occurred on Guadeloupe. | 1779 | Since no physical evidence has been discovered, the existence of this species has been brought into question. |
Puerto Rican barn owl | Tyto cavatica | Tytonidae | Occurred in Puerto Rico | Prehistoric. | May have existed until 1912. |
Andros Island barn owl | Tyto pollens | Tytonidae | Occurred in the Bahamas. | May have existed into the 16th century. | |
Cuban pauraque | Siphonorhis daiquiri | Caprimulgidae | Occurred in Cuba. | Prehistoric. | May still survive based on the fact that nightjars are notoriously hard to study. |
Brace's emerald | Riccordia bracei | Trochilidae | Occurred in the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence. | Only known from a specimen collected in 1879. | |
Gould's emerald | Riccordia elegans | Trochilidae | Most likely Jamaica or the Bahamas. | Only known from the type specimen, taken in 1860. | |
St. Kitts bullfinch | Melopyrrha grandis | Thraupidae | Occurred on Saint Kitts. | Last reliably seen in 1929. | May still survive; potential sightings have been made since the 1990s. |
Grand Cayman thrush | Turdus ravidus | Turdidae | Occurred on Grand Cayman | Last reliably seen in 1938. |
The following is a list of species endemic to the region as breeding species:
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008) |
The following is a list of species endemic to the region as non-breeding species:
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008) |
The following restricted-range species are also found in the region:
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008) |
The following seabirds are restricted to the region as breeders:
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008) |
Endemism in birds | |
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Palaearctic realm |
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Afrotropical realm |
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Indomalayan realm |
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Australasian realm |
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Oceanian realm |
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Nearctic realm |
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Neotropical realm |
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The World |
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