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Birds Native to Caribbean Shores

Many types of birds feed, breed or visit the shores of the Caribbean on their way somewhere else. Some of them are world travelers, some stay in one hemisphere or continent. Many birds who live and nest in coastal areas are nonpasserines, which means they're not songbirds. There are about 98 nonpasserine families.

Wood Ducks and Others
- A male Wood duck
  
  The flamingo can be found in the Caribbean and as far away as Africa. It is fond of feeding in soda lakes. The Greater Flamingo wades in shallow water and when it sees prey, such as shrimp from which it gets its pink color, it dips its head and sucks in the water through its bill. The shrimp is collected on comb-like plates in the bill and the water drains out. Flamingos nests are a muddy mound built in the lake.
  
  The wood duck can be found in Cuba. The male has a metallic green-orange color with a white and black crested head and red eyes. Unlike most ducks, it nests in trees.
Great Blue Heron to Ringed Billed Gull
- Great Blue Heron
  
  The Great Blue Heron also can be seen near lakes or marshes and over the open water in Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean. Its diet includes fish, frogs, mice, gophers and other small mammals. There is an all white population of Great Heron found only in the Caribbean and Southern Florida.
  
  The Double-Crested Cormorant shares much of the Great Blue Heron's habitat. During the breeding season it forms large colonies on the coast.
  
  The Ring-Billed Gull has a pearl gray back and a black band on its bill. It's seen on the coast in the Bahamas and the North Caribbean, where it eats fish, shellfish and even carrion. The sexes look alike.
Roseate Tern and Brown Noddy
- During its breeding season, the Roseate Tern has a pinkish tinge on its usually white plumage. It plunges into the ocean to look for fish, and great nesting colonies can be found on offshore islands, sandbanks or shingle beaches.
  
  The Brown Noddy flies all over the tropical zones of the world, including the Caribbean, and dips into the water to catch fish and squid close to the ocean's surface. Sometimes it'll even sleep on water, but it usually comes ashore to rest. It's a dark brown bird with some white on the top of its head. The name comes from its courtship ritual, when both birds nod to each other.
The Orinoco Saltator
- Among passerines, the Orinoco Saltator, a species of the cardinal, also is found on the Caribbean coast and in Venezuela. It's named after the Orinoco River in Venezuela.

Animals & Science