Birds of Footprints

Blue Gray Tanager

Local Name: Blue Jean
Latin Name: Thraupis episcopus

This is a popular bird, easily recognized because of its bright colour. It feeds mainly on fruits and insects. The birds in Tobago are darker and more brightly coloured than those in Trinidad.

Bananaquit

Local Name: Sugarbird
Latin Name: Coereba flaveola

Another easily recognizable bird, it is also quite noisy, with a squeaky chattering call. It feeds mostly on flowers with nectar, but can also be found feeding on sugar or syrups left out in the open, it will often enter open air restaurants to search for sweet scraps of fruits or sugar.

Tropical Mockingbird

Local Name: Dayclean
Latin name: Mimus gilvus

This bird gets its local name from its habit of being an early riser, and one of the first birds to sing in the morning, often before first light.

Blue Crowned Motmot

Local name: King of the Woods
Latin name: Momotus momota

These striking birds are unmistakeable. Unlike many species, the male and female are identical. The long central tail feathers shown here fall out shortly after the bird becomes mature.

The motmot is much more common and easily seen in Tobago than in Trinidad. The call is a deep muffled hoot. They feed on insects, small lizards and frogs, and fruit. They do not build nests, but dig tunnels in muddy banks, they may be seen close to the entrance.

These birds, although brightly coloured may go unnoticed because they sit so still. When they are disturbed or upset, the tail swings from side to side like a pendulum.

Rufous Tailed Jacamar

Local name: King Hummingbird
Latin name: Galbula ruficauda

Its local name comes from its resemblance to the hummingbirds, however, these birds are more closely related to the motmots. Like their larger cousins, they dig tunnels in banks to nest and can often be seen feeding near the edges of clearings. They feed mainly on insects, and have a swooping flight pattern.

Males have white throats, while females have cream coloured, otherwise they are identical. These birds are quite excitable but can be approached closely if the watcher moves slowly and quietly.

Rufous Breasted Hermit

Local name: (none)
Latin name: Glaucis hirsute

This hummingbird is one of the larger members of the family and is easily recognized by its downward curving beak and white tips to its tail feathers. It feeds mostly on nectar, but also on small insects and spiders.

Rufous Vented Chachalaca

Local Name: Cocrico, Tobago pheasant
Latin name: Ortalis ruficauda

As the national bird of Tobago, the Cocrico is found on the Coat of Arms of Trinidad and Tobago. Its natural habitat is the hill forests in Tobago, as well as the secondary growth of former plantations and rural areas. It is a frequent raider of cultivated land, and is considered an agricultural pest. It has an exceedingly loud and raucous call, which it uses to keep in contact with other members of its group. It is this call which gave the bird its name.

The Cocrico feeds mostly on berries, fruits and young plants. It generally does not forage in the open, but hides in the underbrush, or in trees.

Green Backed Heron

Local name: Green heron, Chuck, Gaulin
Latin name: Butorides striatus

A relative of the egrets, this bird can often be seen stalking its prey close to the water. When stalking it often stretches its body horizontally to attract less attention, a position it can keep for long periods. It is usually solitary.

Magnificent Frigatebird

Local name: Man-o'-War Bird
Latin name: Fregata magnificens

This bird is seldom seen at perch, most often seen at great heights soaring above the coastline. In flight the wings form a wide �w' shape, and the height at which it is seen can be deceiving - the bird is very large with a wingspan of between 5-7 feet, the forked tail is sometimes visible. The diet is primarily fish. Males are black all over, close up the throat patch is bright red. Females are black with a white breast (see picture).

Brown Booby

Local name: (none)
Latin name: Sula leucogaster

More common in Tobago than in Trinidad, these birds are usually further out to sea than pelicans or other seabirds. They skim over the water, searching for small fish, and will often dive quite deep to catch them. They are usually on their own, although around schools of bait they can form flocks. These usually separate after feeding.