BIRDS of Jamaica.

[mountaingal]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Originally posted by SueSumba:
[qb]
can yu poas a pictra of "ol man bird" - heard it - never seen it.[/qb]

found it - kind of - on a stamp. the old man bird is a kind of cuckoo, called the chestnut-bellied cuckoo (Hyetornis pluvialis). I think the white under the beak looks like a beard, why it may be called old man bird. apparently known also as the "rain bird" because it calls just before the rain starts.



go here to hear what the bird sounds like (it's the first button)

http://birds.cornell.edu/LNS/CommercialProductns/international/jamaica.html

[britisha]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Originally posted by mountaingal:
[qb]yes, the one and only, CG!

the last of the easy ones here:

[/qb]

So which one is this MG? A town mi baawn, mi nuh know dese birds too well...unless ashamedly to say, Missa Jancroh. Town didn't have too many trees and shrubbery for these beautiful birds to nest in nar nuttn fi dem eat. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] .

[mountaingal]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

cho, tap pull me leg, britisha. you no reckanize de national symbol, de dacta bird?

alos known as the scissors tail or streamer tailed hummingbird...

[britisha]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Originally posted by mountaingal:
[qb]cho, tap pull me leg, britisha. you no reckanize de national symbol, de dacta bird?

alos known as the scissors tail or streamer tailed hummingbird...[/qb]

I was right, I was right!! Mi nain too sure so mi ashamedly asked. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[bandido1]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Originally posted by mountaingal:
[qb]another endemic bird, the Jamaican tody:

[/qb]

This is a very educational post MG. Love it!

BTW - This one is the famous Robin Redbreast?

[mountaingal]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

yes bandi, the tody is sometimes called the Jamaican robin redbreast.

i'm totally enjoying looking up Jamaican birds [img]/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

am trying to keep the photos small so as not to eat up space.

[mountaingal]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

here's the kling-kling, one of the blackbirds mentioned in the letter to the editor above. It's official name is the greater antillean grackle, Quiscalus niger, and it is found all over the Caribbean

[mountaingal]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

PETCHARIES, also called kingbirds

the grey kingbird, tyrannus dominicensis

the loggerhead kingbird,Tyrannus caudifasciatus jamaicensis, which has some brown coloring and a more pronounced crest than the grey petchary

petcharies or kingbirds known as "tyrant" flycatchers (eating insects while flying), because of their aggressiveness in face of perceived danger. they'll take on birds bigger than themselves. the name petchary refers to the sound these birds make.

[britisha]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Thanks for this educational thread. Keep it going MG. Tonks.

[Q3210]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Mtn.gal, nice feathers you have there [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
Where`s a picture of the most famous of all Jamaican songbirds? The one that imitates almost any sound? And it`s not the parrot, black or yellow bill.

[mountaingal]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

nice lickle challenge you pose me, Q. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Okay, if it imitates other birds, then chances are it's a mockingbird.

Mockingbirds are famous for their vocal abilities. Males sing an almost endless variety of songs while perched or in flight. They have an especially soft and tender “whisper song.”

But mockingbirds are known best of all for their talents as mimics. They can imitate other birds, barking dogs, even the notes of a piano. So expert are they that an electronic analysis can’t even tell which is the original!

From the Portland Bight (in Clarendon) Web site, I see reference to the Bahamian mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii), aka the Spanish Nightingale as an endemic subspecies. Here's a picture of it.

In Jamaica Talk the mockingbird is also called the Jamaican Nightingale.

[mountaingal]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Here's a look at the savannah blackbird, aka the smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani). Note that it has a bigger, more humped beak than the kling-kling. The savannah blackbird is related to cuckoo, and like all cuckoos, flies in a straight line.

[Q3210]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Indeed Mountain G, very good.
Another songster is what I knew back in the hills of St. Ann was called the Aunty Kati. An orange yellow plumage and could they sing.
The correct name could be some sort of a `warbler`.

But I love our Nightingales and like the petcharry and loggerhead they are ferocious defenders of their territory, diving on poor johncrow`s bald head, picking it.

Do you know of the sea-bird that has that sleek look and flies above all but does not dive in the water? They take away what other birds catch.

[mountaingal]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

Originally posted by Q3210:
[qb]Do you know of the sea-bird that has that sleek look and flies above all but does not dive in the water? They take away what other birds catch.[/qb]

i'll have to take a guess and say it's the Magnificent Frigate bird, Fregata magnificens magnificens, also known as the "Man o' War". Here's a description:

They feed on flying fish, squid, jellyfish, fish scraps and baby turtles. Because their feathers are not waterproof, they cannot dive for fish so they take them by dipping their long bills into the surface of the water. They are also kleptoparasites, stealing food from other birds that they chase until they are forced to drop whatever they have in their mouths.

and here's a couple of pictures:


you a birder, Q? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] I'll get back to you on the warbler.
[img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[kiwifruit]

Re: BIRDS of Jamaica.

(((Mountaingal)))) What a beautiful topic! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I'm glad I came in to have a peep [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I just luuurve the little Tody!! so cute [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]