Digital Tobago - Avifauna A-Z : Introduction

The Avifauna A - Z is a growing library of the different species of birds captured by pixels. It is presented simply as a reference guide to the birds one might encounter if in Tobago, or for further reading for those who wish to know a little about the birds mentioned throughout the wildlife section of this site.

The pages are laid out in a straight forward manner where at the top of the page the Order to which the bird belongs is given such as;

Order : Passeriformes followed by a brief description of similarities between the orders members. This is followed by the birds family ;

Family : Honeycreepers (Coerebidae) Where the scientific name is given in brackets. This is followed by the individual species account ;

Name : Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) with a description of the bird in question. A thumbnail index has been included and arranged alphabetically by family, so if you have seen a bird but are not sure what it�s called, this may be the best place for you to start.

This first listing covers 54 of over 200 different resident or migratory species that occur in Tobago from the small Ruby-topaz Hummingbird (8 - 9 cm ) to the stately Great Blue Heron (106 - 132 cm ). About 100 species breed in Tobago including some rare and endangered species such as the Yellow-brested Flycatcher, and interestingly about 25 species that can be found in Tobago do not occur in the sister Isle of Trinidad which lies about 35 Km to the south. There is only one species considered by some to be endemic to Tobago, that being a specific race of the Blue-gray Tanager ( T. e. herlepschi) while the national bird of Tobago is the Rufus-vented Chachalaca.

Due to it�s size and slow development, Tobago offers comparatively easy access to various habitats from coastal waters and Mangrove forest to Tropical Rain forest, each habitat having it�s own unique birds, and each sharing the wider ranging birds that live or visit the Island.

The information presented here has been researched by my own observations in the field along with invaluable information from the following sources :

Macmillan Birds of Trinidad & Tobago (second Edition)

� Richard ffrench and Roger Neckles

Collins Field Guide Birds of the West Indies

� James Bond

Macmillan Birds of the Eastern Caribbean

� Peter Evans

Encyclopaedia Encarta� Microsoft Corporation

Encyclopaedia Britannica� Britannica.com Inc

Nationmaster.com

My Tobago.info

Tobago Heritage

Audubon Society

Bananaquit

This Popular little Honeycreeper is often seen around gardens and hotel grounds and is well know for it�s love of sugar, frequently delighting many visitors with it�s bold chatty approach and bright plumage.

Osprey

Magnificent Frigatebird

Both resident (Magnificent Frigatebird) and migratory (Osprey) birds share Tobago�s air space, shorelines, and arboreal habitats, with differing levels of tolerance being displayed by various species

Copper-rumped Hummingbird

Hummingbirds range throughout the Americas and are the only bird that can fly backwards. Some species like the Copper-rumped Hummingbird can be quite aggressive in defence of their territories