10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

There were three profound questions my birding group discussed while we birded Trinidad and Tobago, back in December 2012: (1) How many Bananaquits could fit on a banana? (2) 3) What was the best guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago? 2) Which hummingbird was more beautiful—Tufted Coquette or Ruby-topaz Hummingbird? (3)

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Trinidad Birds Species South America 99

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2013

The title of this post is a trick question as Trinidad and Tobago actually has two national birds, one for each of the country’s namesake islands. Trinidad is represented by the Scarlet Ibis , a beauty of a bird, resplendent in its crimson hue. the coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago. When are you going? ….

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Trinidad Birds Species Game 85

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2023

It was the first record of this species in Trinidad & Tobago and looks almost identical to our regularly seen Tropical Pewee. Summer Tanager On a boating trip to an island sanctuary on the east coast of Trinidad, we were treated to excellent views of three species of kingfisher.

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Trinidad Birds Species Blackbirds 105

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2022

As is my self-declared tradition of speaking of groups of birds within the species gamut of Trinidad & Tobago, allow me to introduce you to yet another group of three. Alas – both Trinidad and Tobago each have two Myiarchus flycatchers. Simple and straightforward enough, right? Does habitat overlap? Considerably.

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Trinidad Birds Species ALA 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2013

However the Red-breasted Blackbird ended up with its appellation doesn’t matter as much as how great a bird it is, well worth a trip to Trinidad and Tobago to see. It was on the island of Trinidad, at the Aripo Agricultural Research Station, where all of these photographs were taken. female Red-breasted Blackbird.

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Blackbirds Trinidad Costa Rica Birds 75

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2023

One of the interesting aspects of Trinidad’s nature is that both southern corners of the roughly boot-shaped island are dotted with wetlands. Trinidad’s southwestern peninsula has pockets of wet savanna that support sizeable groves of moriche palm.

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Trinidad Birds Eagles Wildlife 92

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2021

The islands and surrounding islets of Trinidad and Tobago boast an astounding list of almost 500 species of birds. The Purple Honeycreeper that is found on Trinidad is actually an endemic subspecies to the island, and has a slightly longer bill than its mainland relatives. Purple Honeycreepers.

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Trinidad Birds Species Family 105

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Having been marooned on Trinidad for the last two years, my body was aching for a change. For anyone who’s been birding in T&T, you should be able to attest to the fact that Trinidad Motmots are far easier seen on Tobago than on Trinidad. Along the trails there are many species that accompany the walker.

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Trinidad Birds Species Woodpeckers 105

Critter News

MAY 16, 2009

Three corrupt police officers in Trinidad and Tobago robbed a couple of Venezuelan wildlife smugglers and were subsequently arrested themselves. Over 1,000 animals were rescued, including 500 bull finches and 300 picoplats, The rescued wildlife also included monkeys, parrots, macaws and other species from Venezuela.

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Trinidad Wildlife Rescue Parrots 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2023

With my recent relocation to the central forests of Trinidad, I have been afforded the incredible opportunity of observing three oft-confused species in close proximity to one another. In reality these species are rarely in the same place at the same time, however! The Piratic Flycatcher is the smallest of the three, and often the most vocal.

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Trinidad Birds Species Breeding 89

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2022

While the combination of the words “coast” and “forest” may conjure images of tidal mudflats and mangroves or even coconut trees, the northern coastline of Trinidad features tropical rainforest that plunges steeply into the bejeweled waters of the Caribbean Sea. It almost looks as if the bird is underwater!

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Woodpeckers Trinidad Birds Falcons 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the smaller island of Tobago there are three species of woodpeckers and three species of woodcreepers – one of each is found on Tobago but not Trinidad. Golden-olive Woodpecker.

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Woodpeckers Trinidad Species Birds 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2021

Several tour companies and birders seeking to investigate birding in the country with the second highest bird species density in the world indicated that it may be futile to pursue a birding trip to Trinidad & Tobago given the closure of a single (and undeniably significant) lodge. Dreaming of eye-level trogons? We got you.

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Trinidad Woodpeckers Birds Species 105

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

Chacachacare (pronounced shaka-shaka-reh ) is the westernmost of the Bocas islands off the northwestern tip of Trinidad. Accessible by boat only, it takes about half an hour to get there from mainland Trinidad. Trinidad and Tobago has a wide array of different habitats, made possible by a unique rainfall distribution.

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Trinidad Birds Species Netherlands 101

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

It may seem like an unnecessarily recurring theme in my posts about birding within Trinidad & Tobago, but the more I write on the subject the more it becomes apparent that the number three must have some significance, somewhere. The three main peaks of the Trinity Hills are what gave it its name, and by extension the island of Trinidad.

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Birds Trinidad Species Tigers 105

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2021

Continuing here with the series on threes within the avian landscape of Trinidad and Tobago (in case you missed it, T&T has three each of trogons , antshrikes , spinetails , manakins , hermits , honeycreepers , and resident warblers ) we arrive at one of the more difficult species triads to encounter.

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Trinidad Birds Species Breeding 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2021

Here in Trinidad & Tobago we live up to our reputation of being a comfortable introduction to the world of Neotropical birding – we only have ten (out of a staggering three hundred) furnariids. Five of these are woodcreepers , and I spoke about them a few weeks ago. All three spinetails vocalize repeatedly.

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Trinidad Birds Litter Guyana 105

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2023

In southern Trinidad, however, there is much more at play than what is immediately discernible. Commonly domesticated, wild versions of the Muscovy Duck historically inhabited wetlands across Trinidad. These two Muscovy drakes brutally battled for about ten minutes right in front of us.

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Birds Trinidad Ducks Species 105

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

For the purpose of this post being of a reasonable length, I’m only going to touch on members of the Tyrannidae family of New World Flycatchers which can be found in the cocoa estates of Trinidad and Tobago. There are of course, many other birds which feed on flying insects, such as jacamars and trogons. Yellow-breasted Flycatcher.

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Trinidad Birds Species Family 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2021

In the southeastern end of Trinidad, the Trinity Hills rises above the mostly flat interior of the island. This trio of hills stood out to a certain lost seaman over 500 years ago – who took it as a sign of the Holy Trinity and therefore coined the name La Isla de la Trinidad.

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Trinidad Birds Species Family 105

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2023

The southern forests of the island of Trinidad are home to the much-maligned Moruga Grasshopper. International organisations have provided “assistance” to the government of Trinidad & Tobago over the years to placate residents and aggrieved farmers. But little has been said about its ecological function.

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Trinidad Birds Squirrels Species 59

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

Turns out that the Streak-headed Woodcreeper was a formerly uncommon resident of Trinidad, its range gradually increasing to cover semi-degraded and altered habitat. Four of those are resident on Trinidad, and one is found only on Tobago. This woodcreeper is restricted to mangrove forests on the west coast of Trinidad.

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Trinidad Birds Species Woodpeckers 102

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2021

Life behind a screen for this birding guide involves delving into the extensive list of birds of Trinidad & Tobago , answering questions about the birds and possible itineraries and so on. In T&T – or more specifically on Trinidad only as none of these can be found on Tobago – there are three species of resident warblers.

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Trinidad Birds Species Litter 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2022

In February 2022, the Collaborative submitted 127 checklists in 7 countries ( Costa Rica , United States , Mexico , Trinidad and Tobago , United Kingdom , and Serbia ). The first four were seen in Trinidad and Tobago and the last in China. The 2022 year list stands at 888 and the life list is now at 4,112.

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Costa Rica Trinidad Species United Kingdom 105

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

In my last post here , I spoke of a rather odd trend permeating the birdlife here in Trinidad & Tobago. Barred Antshrikes are common and widespread across both Trinidad and Tobago, in fact it is the only antshrike found on Tobago. Many species seemed to come in threes, and today I shall continue my examination of these.

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Trinidad Birds Species Bears 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2023

This time, we are back in Trinidad and have relocated to a picturesque lodge in the very heart of the island. These large raptors are actually quite rare on Trinidad but seem to be breeding nearby as one of the sightings was of a juvenile. Yes, Red-bellied Macaws not only mate on the property, but nest here too!

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Owls Birds Trinidad Barn Owls 98

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2020

This sleepy fishing village on the north coast of Trinidad should ring a bell – it boasts the densest nesting population of Leatherback Turtles in the entire western hemisphere. The mature forest deep in the hills is the single best place in the world to catch a glimpse of the critically endangered Trinidad Piping Guan.

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Trinidad Birds Turtles Species 105

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Seven hours in total, reaching halfway up the second highest peak on Trinidad, El Tucuche. Trinidad Lancehead , or Fer-de-lance. This small tanager is widely distributed across Trinidad albeit much less common than the very similar White-lined Tanager. What actually unfolded was quite different from what I had expected, however.

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Trinidad Birds Livestock Falcons 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Here in Trinidad, we routinely experience several of these migrants – most of these birds surely pass by unrecorded as not everyone is a birder and not all birders are huge fans of suffering from Warbler Neck.

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Trinidad Birds Species Cats 105

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2021

For the fifth year in a row, I was assigned the prolific and well-known Aripo Livestock Station at the foothills of Trinidad’s Northern Range. Both White-bearded and Golden-headed Manakins were calling consistently, as well as Violaceous and Trinidad Euphonias. The constant twittering of Bananaquits distracted many an ear.

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Trinidad Birds Livestock Species 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2023

Throughout the island of Trinidad they can be heard almost every night yet seeing one can prove a little tricky. This type of common bird is not what spawned this post, however. Bearing the same designation but actually commonplace is the infrequently encountered Common Pauraque.

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Birds Trinidad Species Litter 102

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2020

Out of the approximately 26 species of snipes worldwide, two have been recorded on Trinidad. On Trinidad it took me some more time until I saw my first snipe. Without the optimal view, some snipes like this one seen in February this year on Trinidad shall remain unidentified, unfortunately. Any snipe is a good snipe, they say.

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Trinidad Birds Species Welfare 111

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

It was a dreary morning, with Trinidad under watch for an incoming tropical wave. We are lucky here in Trinidad to experience migrants from both the south and the north – after we saw the elaenia we enjoyed fleeting views of a male American Redstart. The first cooperative birds of the morning were Streaked Flycatchers.

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Birds Woodpeckers Trinidad Species 122

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Add that to the fact that here in Trinidad & Tobago we’re still under a strict curfew – the earliest I’m allowed to leave home is 5am. They are resident in Trinidad and their population is slowly expanding. As a birder and photographer, I have a clear preference for arriving on location at least by dawn.

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Birds Trinidad Species Blackbirds 145

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

Trinidad and Tobago has historically had seventeen species on record, sixteen on Trinidad and six on Tobago. The diminutive but rather extravagant Tufted Coquette will likely never come to a feeder, but is perfectly content to feed on the abundance of flowering shrubs throughout forested areas on Trinidad.

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Trinidad Species Birds South America 105

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2021

Over the past few years we have been rewilding our yard here in the suburbs of the island of Trinidad. In fact it slipped me to upload this earlier as I was completely swamped with some other (bird-related) responsibilities.

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Trinidad Birds 105

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2022

A member of the “trilling” (and thrilling) subspecies group of the Long-billed Gnatwren is present throughout Trinidad, and is yet another headache-inducing species. On our way back down we managed another incredible view of another bird that is notorious for remaining obscured.

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Birds Trinidad Squirrels Species 105