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CUBA
07 - 20 February 2003
by Philip Unitt
We left San Diego by van at 6 AM on 7 February. Bob Parks drove
most
of our group to the Los Angeles airport, where we arrived around 8:30,
thanks
to being able to drive in carpool lanes the whole way. Our flight
was
a charter on TACA, the airline of central America. Security in LA
was
a trial; we had to go through the whole inspection procedure twice,
including
the shoe check. I got so frazzled I dropped my boarding pass in
the
trash! (Recovered safely after about 10 minutes of panic.) The
flight
to Havana was uneventful, and we landed about 7 PM. Clearing
customs
in Cuba took about 2 hours standing in line. At least there was a
television
in the waiting area--broadcasting speeches by Hugo Chavez and Fidel
Castro!
Welcome to Cuba!
Finally we made it to the front of the line; a rather surly agent named
Vladimir
didn't like the looks of my sunscreen-stained passport and gave me the
once-over.
But we all made it through with no problems and retrieved our
luggage.
As soon as we left the terminal we were met by Elio Cordero, the guide
for
our tour provided by Havanatur, a state-run tour company, and by Andrea
Holbrook,
the Florida-based American tour operator. A bus was waiting too,
which
took us to the Hotel Telégrafo in downtown Havana, a 45-minute
drive
away. After dark we couldn't see much of Havana. Once we
arrived,
we learned that the next leg of our journey was rescheduled; our flight
to
Cayo Coco, the next stop on our itinerary, was now leaving at
dawn.
So it was a short night.
On 8 February we arose before dawn and met the remaining 4 people of
our
group who for various reasons weren't on the flight from Los Angeles,
plus
Arturo Kirkconnell, our bird guide and coauthor of the Field Guide to
the
Birds of Cuba. We were driven to another airport and took off,
heading
east along Cuba's north coast.
Arturo began regaling us with tales right away, including the story of
the
recent discovery of a potoo in Cuba (first specimen taken by a farmer
who
struck the roosting bird over the head with a stick). The Common
Potoo
is known from Jamaica and Hispaniola, but this is the first evidence of
a
potoo on Cuba since an unconfirmed sight report in the middle of the
19th
century! Flying along the north shore of Cuba, we could see many
tiny
cays, scattered over the shallow sea. We landed at Cayo Coco
about
8:30 and were met by our bus and driver Jose A. Quesada, who drove us
across
the island to our hotel. Cayo Coco is one of the larger cays off
Cuba's
north coast and largely covered in woodland about 20 feet high, except
where
it has been cleared for hotels.
The island is being developed for tourism; in fact, it is a
"concentration
camp for tourists," a place of self-contained resorts where tourists
come
for sun and fun and beach without mixing with the locals. All the
workers
at the hotels are bused in and out each day. A little taste of
apartheid
under communism.... Our birding today took us to some woodland
near
the hotel where the highlight, and one of the first birds we saw was
the
Zapata Sparrow, subspecies varonai endemic to Cayo Coco and discovered
only
in the 1970s. Its size, shape, behavior, and head markings all
recalled
the Green-tailed Towhee.
We also did some water birding, in the afternoon finding a lagoon
filled
with herons and shorebirds including a few Roseate Spoonbills.
Many
lagoons had only a few birds, so we were glad to find one with a
lot.
In the late afternoon we drove to Cayo Guillermo, just west of Cayo
Coco,
the site for the Bahama Mockingbird. Arturo amazed us by
insisting
it was at this spot when at first all we saw were lots of Northern
Mockingbirds,
yet the Bahama soon emerged from the thick brush, only a few feet away
from
a Northern! We finished the day with nearly 70 species, a great
start
to the trip.
On the morning of 9 February we drove east, from Cayo Coco over a
bridge
to Cayo Romano and north to the lighthouse on Cayo Paredon Grande, the
site
for the Cuban Gnatcatcher and Thick-billed Vireo. We all saw the
gnatcatcher
very well, and very close. The vireos were more difficult, and
not
all of us had good views. But a Cuban Green Woodpecker and La
Sagra's
Flycatcher helped make this a good birding spot regardless.
Boldly
patterned in green, red, yellow, black and white, the Cuban Green
Woodpecker
is spectacular, and its scientific name is one of my world-wide
favorites:
Xiphidiopicus percussus. We stopped at the bridge between Cayo
Coco
and Cayo Romano to check for Lesser Black-backed Gull--one of Cuba's
few
had been seen here. But the only gulls were a few Ring-billed and
Laughing.
In the afternoon we went to an excellent birding spot nearer the hotel:
Cueva
del Jabali. The woods right around the parking lot were very
active,
with birds coming to fruiting Bursera trees, great for the
Stripe-headed
Tanager, Red-legged Thrush, Oriente Warbler, Cuban Vireo, Gray Catbird,
Parula
and Black-throated Blue Warblers. An Ovenbird strolled by on the
ground,
but the target was the Key West Quail Dove: Arturo had seen one fly in
front
of the bus as we drove up. I spied a narrow opening through the
woods
and decided to watch for a minute.
Shortly, I got the impression of movement deep in the shade. I
put
my binoculars up, and was startled to see the brilliant white
contrasting
malar stripe on the otherwise dark body of the Key West Quail
Dove!
Unfortunately, no one else could see it well as it retreated deeper
into
the forest. Even the hotel grounds here were worth birding,
featuring,
among others, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (one still quite juvenile, even
in
February), Cuban Emeralds, and Yellow-throated and Cape May Warblers
(including
one male already largely in breeding plumage, with a little chestnut
even
on the throat).
In the evening, Arturo got out his spotlight and we went searching for
the
noctural West Indian Whistling Duck--easily found swimming in a small
flock
right among the cabins of the hotel that had been built over the
water.
Evidently the ducks roost by day, hidden in the mangroves. We
also
searched that evening for the Chuck-will's-widow, but the spotlight
revealed
the deep red eyeshine and broad white tail band of a Greater Antillean
Nightjar
perched well up in a tree!
After birding around the hotel grounds on the morning of the 10th (lots
of
Greater Antillean Orioles, now split from the Black-cowled), we drove
across
the causeway south from Cayo Coco toward the mainland. This was
our
chance to see Greater Flamingos, and we saw a small group of about 4
not
far from the road, along with Reddish Egrets, Tricolored Herons, and
Belted
Kingfishers. Once on the main island of Cuba, we headed east but
stopped
in the early afternoon at a large lake near the town of
Morón.
Of note here were soaring Anhingas, a rather distant Snail Kite, an
Osprey,
the trip's only Northern Harrier, and a Pied-billed Grebe on its nest.
The drive to Camagüey took most of the rest of the
afternoon.
The hotel in that city was in the middle of town, where the streets are
so
narrow the city has quite the medieval air. Our heaviest rain of
the
trip happened that afternoon, and brought out the Cave Swallows,
recently
returned spring migrants, circling around the buildings. The
hotel
in Camagüey was much closer to "real" Cuba than Cayo Coco;
musicians
played in the hotel's dining room, then peddled their CDs. At 9
PM
the band was the opening act for a water ballet in the hotel's swimming
pool.
Yes, it was staged for tourists, but the Cubans seemed to be genuinely
enjoying
themselves.
11 February was a critical birding day for us. We arose before
dawn
to drive toward the small town of Najasa. We arrived at sunrise
in
a palm savanna alive with birds: the hooting of Plain Pigeons, the
cawing
of Palm Crows, and the parrotlike jabbering of Cuban Crows vied for our
attention
simultaneously. Before we could all get on a Cuban Pygmy Owl, a
flock
of Cuban Parakeets distracted us, then Arturo heard the call of one of
the
critical birds for the area: Fernandina's Flicker. We spotted it
at
some distance, got the scope on it, then it came in closer giving us
all
good views of its totally barred buff-and-black plumage. Since I
was
a teenager, seeing the illustration in Bond's Birds of the West Indies,
the
ever so alliterative Fernandina's Flicker has been one of my favorite
birds.
A short hike to a pond yielded our first good view of the Great Lizard
Cuckoo,
the size of a Roadrunner, plus our first view of the exquisite Cuban
Tody,
patterned in green, white, and red, with a blush of blue on the
cheeks.
We drove up to the faunal reserve of La Belén and picked up the
reserve's
ecologist, Armando.
We ended up at the reserve's headquarters for lunch, being greeted by a
flock
of Cuban Parakeets in the surrounding trees. We also saw our
first
pair of Cuban Parrots here. After lunch I suggested we practice
our
newly acquired skills at identifying Cuba's many black birds:
Tawny-shouldered
Blackbirds, Cuban Blackbirds, and Shiny Cowbirds were all coming to
horse
corrals within the reserve. (The reserve was once quite the
luxurious
villa--the playground of prerevolution aristocracy or Communist Party
élite--or
both? Now the reserve was struggling to attract tourist dollars
as
well as to produce some honey.) Arturo spied another Cuban Pygmy Owl,
and
we all got terrific views through the scope.
We still had not seen one of the critical birds for the day and stopped
to
pick up Arturo's friend Pedro, who had been studying the Giant Kingbird
in
the area. After another hour in the afternoon sun searching for
it
fruitlessly, we headed toward the best spot, just outside the town of
Najasa
itself. It was a bit of a hike in, as the dirt road couldn't
accommodate
the bus and a couple of gates were locked. But once we got to the
edge
of the forest, we spotted the Giant Kingbird immediately, on the top of
the
tallest trees, as befits the world's largest flycatcher. The
Giant
Kingbird, preferring tall gallery forest, has suffered much from
habitat
loss and is now rare and restricted to Cuba.
Before leaving Camagüey in the morning, some of us looked one last
time
from the rooftop of our downtown hotel, seeing the Cave Swallows and
Cuban
Martins circling the old stone buildings. A scope view of a
perched
female Cuban Martin allowed us to study the unstreaked belly
distinguishing
her from the female Purple Martin (passes through Cuba later in the
spring).
12 February was mostly a driving day, heading west across the flat
expanse
of central Cuba toward the town of Trinidad, one of Cuba's oldest.
Arriving here, Elio took us on a tour of the old city's center, where
some
buildings have been restored as museums. The "Museo Romantico" is
one
of these, where we saw the opulence--and garish taste--of the Spanish
aristocracy
on display. The town is a tourist center: 2 or 3 blocks are
devoted
to sellers of souvenirs and handicrafts. The town is also a
center
of Santería, the Afro-Cuban religion. We passed an open
house
where a loud ceremony was underway (for the benefit of tourists?), and
some
of our group visited a Santería priest/fortune-teller than
evening.
The vicinity of our hotel in Trinidad yielded a few birds in the
morning,
but we were soon on the road to the west again. We made a few
stops,
scanning the skies for the White-collared Swifts Arturo knew to be in
the
area, but we actually spotted the birds through the window of the
moving
bus. At our second stop we finally got a good view of these
magnificent
large swifts, black with a broad white collar. A day of driving
is
a good place to mention the Cuban countryside: lots of sugarcane fields
and
cattle pastures with Cattle Egrets and Smooth-billed Anis in them but
not
much else.
The rural areas are strikingly clean, with little of the litter one
would
see in similar areas of Mexico. Accentuating the cleanliness is
the
complete lack of commercial advertising, just the occasional billboard
with
a communist slogan, an exhortation to conserve energy (all oil must be
imported),
or the message "consume only what is necessary." Communism does have
some
benefits! The highways were almost devoid of traffic; if we
wanted
to stop for a bird, we could stop the bus in the middle of the road
with
no concern about blocking it. Horse-drawn carts were just as
frequent
as motor vehicles in some areas; in the one issue of the newspaper
"Granma"
I read, a government minister was urging agricultural use of oxen as a
measure
to conserve on scarce imported oil. I wonder, though, why Cuba
does
not follow the lead of Brazil and convert sugar cane into ethanol,
thereby
creating an indigenous source of energy?
In the afternoon of the 13th, we arrived on the east shore of the Bay
of
Pigs, having lunch at Cueva de los Peces, a sinkhole several hundred
yards
from the beach but that communicates with the sea, so that colorful
tropical
ocean fish can be seen easily through the clear water of the
sinkhole.
This was a good birding spot, offering us a male Black-throated Blue
Warbler
(Arturo said that they sometimes filch food from the buffet).
Here
we got our first view at a Cuban Trogon, Cuba's national bird,
brilliantly
colored and boldly patterned in green, blue, red, and white. The
Cuban
Trogon's tail feathers are shaped strangely, with flaring tips that
give
the tail a ratcheted appearance.
Later in the afternoon we checked into our hotel at Playa Larga, near
the
head of the Bay of Pigs, and met Osmani, a ranger in the nearby
national
park, our local guide, and a friend and protegé of
Arturo's.
Then we walked a road through some nearby woodland, ending up at a
swampy
spot where Osmani had seen the Bee Hummingbird. After some
waiting
and watching, the hummingbird arrived. Unexpectedly for the
world's
smallest bird, it habitually perches atop tall trees, and this is what
it
did initially, singing a high-pitched trill, a noise that could easily
be
mistaken for an insect.
But after a short time it came down to eye level, and we all got superb
views
of it, seeing the green of the upperparts and flanks turn to blue, and
the
red gorget that tapers to a point much as in Costa's Hummingbird.
The
Bee Hummingbird's bill is quite short and held remarkably wide open
when
the bird sings. The Cuban Emerald, Cuba's other hummingbird, is
not
large, but when one perched near the Bee Hummingbird it dwarfed
it!
It was one of the highlights of the whole trip, and I was gratified
that
it had put on such a show for our participants, for most of whom the
Bee
Hummingbird was the most wanted bird.
On the morning of the 14th we headed back south along the east shore of
the
Bay of Pigs and a short distance inland to the area of Bermeja, where
several
trails crisscrossed the forest. This was excellent for landbirds:
Cuban
Trogons, Cuban Todies, a pair of Fernandina's Flickers, many North
American
warblers. The latter often flocked with the area's resident
warbler,
the Yellow-headed.
After birding, we stopped in the nearby town of Playa Girón to
visit
the museum commemorating Cuba's victory at the Bay of Pigs in
1962--Playa
Girón was the site of the landing of the CIA-trained
counterrevolutionaries.
We paid our $2 to read the anti-American propaganda and see the
American=-made
weapons seized from the invaders. The event has left a far bigger
impression
on Cuban history than it has on American. The museum featured the
dismal
conditions in the Bay of Pigs region before the revolution and
highlighted
the revolution's positive achievements: improved health care,
eliminating
illiteracy, and improved rural housing. The last is ongoing: 2
years
ago a hurricane destroyed many houses in the area (and decimated the
population
of the Bee Hummingbird). In the heat of the afternoon we returned
to
the hotel, but I noticed that Parula, Yellow-throated, Myrtle, and
Prairie
Warblers continued to feed in the tree outside my cabin, and that a
pair
of Zenaida Doves could be seen well on the ground nearby.
The 15th was devoted to one of the high points of the trip, the boat
excursion
through the Zapata Swamp. It was the better part of an hour's
drive
to the park office where we met the boats. We approached the
swamp
from the north, then, once we had apportioned our group among two
boats,
headed down the channel. The birding was great, with many water
birds
(more Green Herons than you have ever seen before, lots of Purple
Gallinules),
a Snail Kite, great views of Cuban Green Woodpeckers and even a Cuban
Pygmy
Owl. Passengers in one of the boats (not mine) saw a Zapata
Sparrow.
We took the opportunity to scrutinize the waterthrushes along the
channel,
seeing the characters and behaviors distinguishing them as Louisiana.
At the point where the man-made channel joined the river, we got out
and
walked a short distance to the edge of a large sawgrass marsh.
This
was the habitat for the Zapata Wren, not only a species but genus of
wren
found only in the Zapata Swamp. We found one in one of the clumps
of
shrubbery at the edge of the marsh. The bird sang loudly but was
difficult
to see as it would not leave the cover of its shrub. Ultimately,
however,
all of us got a good view of this bird that in plumage looks rather
like
a large House Wren with a thick bill but in behavior and nest
architecture
recalls a Marsh Wren. On the way back from the Zapata Swamp we
stopped
at a roadside refreshment stand from which we could see Antillean Palm
Swifts
flying up into the palm-thatch roof of a bohio--a traditional small
Cuban
country house.
We had still not seen two of the critical species of the Bay of Pigs
area,
so on 16 February we returned to Bermeja with instructions to ignore
all
birds flying around in trees and instead to focus completely on the
shyest
terrestrial birds of the deep forest: the quail doves. First,
Arturo
and Osmani heard the call of the Gray-headed Quail Dove and tried to
walk
around it so as to nudge the bird toward the rest of the group.
We
all had to look through 50 layers of twigs. After a few minutes I
spotted
it: pale gray head contrasting with dark purplish upperparts.
Though
we saw it several times, not all of the group could get onto it, and
finally
it wandered off through the dense vegetation.
Then the story was repeated a few minutes later with one of the most
difficult
of Cuba's endemic birds: the magnificent Blue-headed Quail Dove.
It
got up on a branch about 5 feet off the ground but allowed only a few
seconds'
view both there and on the ground before retreating again in the dense
undergrowth.
The afternoon was easier birding: a wetland near Playa Larga, a spot
where
Arturo and Osmani had seen Gundlach's Hawk, a rare island derivative of
Cooper's
Hawk. We saw the Gundlach's Hawk only at a distance (the way
closer
was blocked by water), but this was a birdy spot with Cuban Parrots, a
Solitary
Sandpiper, and our first view of the rufous phase of Cuba's endemic
subspecies
of the Kestrel, among others.
17 February was another driving day, as we headed from Playa Larga
northwest
toward Havana. We arrived in the city in the early afternoon, our
first
view of Havana by daylight. We did a driving tour in the early
afternoon,
then Elio led us on a walking tour through the old city in the late
afternoon.
Havana is like no place I have ever seen, more medieval than Paris with
all
its massive stone buildings, some dating from the 16th and 17th
centuries.
Most are in terrible repair, some looking as if they had been
bombed.
Some (probably fewer than 5%) have been rehabilitated into hotels, but
most
are still occupied by the locals, who have divided them into flats and
lofts.
In the morning of 18 February we hit the road again, heading west into
the
mountains of Pinar del Rio Province. We took a scenic route into
the
hills, stopping at a public orchid garden (former estate of the
aristocracy),
very nicely maintained, with a good variety of birds (Cuban Trogon,
West
Indian Woodpecker, Greater Antillean Oriole, Great Lizaard Cuckoo,
etc.).
Nearby we heard our first haunting song of the Cuban Solitaire.
We
lunched in Las Terrazas, a mountain tourist area, at a restaurant
overlooking
a lake, with more Antillean Palm Swifts flying into the palm-thatched
roof
directly over our heads. Later in the afternoon we arrived at San
Diego
de los Baños, where we stayed in a hotel on the edge of
town.
Los Baños--the baths or spa--are right next door to the hotel,
and
a couple of our participants indulged.
While we were doing our bird list that evening, one of the hotel
employees
interrupted us to notify us that the Siguapa--the Stygian Owl--was
calling
from a treetop behind the hotel. Arturo got out his spotlight and
we
saw this large dark owl--almost as large as a Great Horned--very
well.
Yet another species of owl that evening was the Lechuza--the Barn
Owl--perched
in palm trees on the hotel grounds. It turned its head to hide in
the
palm fronds when it was grilled with the spotlight.
19 February was our last full birding day. Early in the morning
we
headed into the Sierra La Güira, a short distance from San Diego
de
los Baños. The road rose steeply into the rugged limestone
mountains
with scattered groves of pines. At one point the road was so
rutted
we had to unload the passengers from the bus so Jose could navigate
with
the vehicle as unencumbered as possible. In the pine groves we
soon
found the Olive-capped Warbler, a Cuban derivative of the
Yellow-throated/Grace's
Warbler group. We continued on to Cueva de los Portales, one of
the
highlights of the trip. This cave was Che Guevara's hideout
during
the Cuban revolution and missile crisis. It has now been
converted
into a park (with cabins for tourists, big surprise) and shrine.
The
cave is surrounded by stonework (terraces, stairways, walkways, etc.)
dating
from the 1920s and now partly overgrown, making the place look like a
set
for Lord of the Rings! A creek flows through a huge natural
tunnel,
about 75 feet long and 30 feet high--a hangout for Cave Swallows.
But the key bird here is the Cuban Solitaire, whose song reverberates
against
the nearby cliffs and cave. After visiting this spot, I have no
doubt
that Cuban Solitaires select their territories on the basis of their
acoustic
qualities, rock faces that help magnify the eerie sound. Arturo
stayed
outside the cave to record the solitaires while the rest of us took a
quick
tour of the cave. I found myself in role of translator!
Fortunately,
the guide spoke slowly (Cubans can if they really want to!) and I could
understand
almost everything. When Che Guevara had his headquarters there,
the
cave was divided into offices and departments. Che's bunker is
preserved
in its original state, with his desk and, in a deep recess, bed kept
they
way they were in the early 1960s. The cave, open on two ends, is
like
a natural cathedral, with Cuban Solitaires instead of an organ for
music.
In an agricultural area nearby, we picked up the last of Cuba's endemic
species
we had not yet seen, the extremely difficult Zapata Rail
excluded.
This was the strikingly patterned Cuban Grassquit.
As soon as we got off the bus, Arturo and I saw two fly by, but the
next
few minutes' search revealed only two birds in a cage! Arturo
started
talking with the owner about the ill effects of caging birds, and
finally
she relented, releasing them (probably thinking they could be caught
easily
again once these nosy visitors left). A few minutes later, we
found
several free-flying Cuban Grassquits, coming down to bathe in water
accumulated
in some large leaves. With the last of the endemics ticked off,
we
could finally just enjoy birdwatching! We looked in some nearby
forest
with some pine leading up to an abandoned estate. This was active
(Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, more Olive-capped Warblers, female Red-legged Honeycreepers,
etc.).
Arturo recognized the song of a Black-whiskered Vireo, making an
unusually
early arrival date for this summer visitor. I was startled when a
Ruddy
Quail Dove came flying quickly by, missing me be just a few feet.
In
the late afternoon we took another walk through the woods, enjoying our
newfound
familiarity with Cuban birds for almost the last time. The
Stygian
Owl returned to its favorite perch behind the hotel, and this night we
got
out the scope, so our whole group as well as most of the hotel's
employees
could see it well. The bird averted its gaze to avoid the glare
of
Arturo's spotlight.
On the morning of the 20th some of us couldn't resist one last hour's
walk
into the forest behind the hotel. Even this was worthwhile,
because
Arturo recognized the call of a Giant Kingbird, making San Diego de los
Baños
a new site for the species. And a local resident brought us a
Great
Lizard Cuckoo he had just found, dead on the road. We headed back
to
the east, toward Havana. One stop at a large reservoir a short
distance
to the west of the city yielded a large flock of Ring-necked and Ruddy
Ducks,
the last species we added to the trip list. Knowing our hotel
rooms
would not be ready until the late afternoon, in the early afternoon we
toured
Havana's enormous botanical garden, a good birding spot as well as of
great
interest for plants. It would have been great to study the Cuban
collection
at length.
21 February was our last day. Some of our group left in the
morning;
others of us went to Cuba's Natural History Museum (in the former
U.S.
embassy) in old Havana, one block away from the oldest Spanish fort in
Cuba).
The museum had only recently moved into this building, and much work
remained
to be done. One of the museum's exhibits staff showed us their
computerized
plans for the new museum--once funds to make it possible could be
found.
A very familiar story! But it was impressive that the museum was
thinking
so ambitiously.
We bid Arturo a fond farewell and scattered across the city for our
last
afternoon. Jose and Elio drove us to the airport, and we exited
Cuba
much more smoothly than we had entered it. Just a delay in
refueling
the airplane kept us on the ground an extra hour--and delayed our
return
to Los Angeles until nearly 1 AM. The U.S. customs
inspectors
were as eager to get home as we were and delayed us hardly at
all.
Bob Parks, bless his soul, was ready and waiting for us, and drove us
back
to San Diego in the wee hours of the morning.
Though we had to make a number of midcourse corrections, the trip was
well
organized. Arturo has been leading such tours for 15 years and
knows
exactly how much time to spend in what areas to maximize chances of
seeing
the resident and endemic species. I cannot praise him highly
enough.
Our driver Jose Quesada was terrific; we should request him
specifically
for any future trip.
Cuba is not easy birding--many of the resident species are rare or
localized,
taking considerable effort to see. The legacy of being used as a
sugar
cane plantation for centuries hangs over Cuba. Only a small
fraction
of the country can be considered more or less native habitat. So
I
don't recommend Cuba to beginning birders. But it offers a unique
experience
on many levels, and the more experienced would find it very
exciting.
Sooner or later the U.S. embargo as well as communism will
collapse
and the country will change radically. The change may not benefit
the
birds. So I hope the opportunity for those of you interested in
going
will come again soon. Let me know if you are interested; there
are
several options to be considered in making another trip possible.
Common Name
Scientific Name
Days
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus
podiceps antillarum 10, 15, 18
Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata
magnificens
8, 9, 10
Neotropic Cormorant
Phalacrocorax
brasilianus mexicanus 15
Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
floridanus
8-11, 15
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga leucogaster 10, 15
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus
occidentalis ssp. 8, 9, 10
Reddish Egret
Egretta
rufescens rufescens 8, 9, 10
Tricolored Heron Egretta
tricolor
ruficollis 8-11, 14, 15, 16
Little Blue Heron Egretta
caerulea
8-11, 13, 15, 18
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula ssp. 8, 10, 11, 15, 19
Great Blue Heron Ardea
herodias
ssp. 8, 10, 11, 15
Great Egret
Ardea alba egretta 8-11, 13, 15
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis ibis every day
Green Heron
Butorides virescens virescens 8, 10, 11, 13,
15,
18
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea
violacea
14, 15
Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
hoactli
15
White Ibis
Eudocimus albus 8, 9
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus 10, 15, 18
Roseate Spoonbill
Platalea
ajaja 8, 9, 10
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes
aura aura every day
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus
ruber ruber 10
West Indian Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arborea
9
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis 20
Blue-winged Teal Anas
discors
8, 9, 15, 20
Ring-necked Duck Aythya
collaris
20
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus
serrator
10
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus ssp. 10, 11, 15
Snail Kite
Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus 10, 15
Northern Harrier Circus
cyaneus
hudsonius 10
Gundlach́s Hawk
Accipiter
gundlachi 10, 16
Common Black Hawk
Buteogallus
anthracinus gundlachii 8, 9
Broad-winged Hawk Buteo
platypterus
cubanensis 15, 16, 19
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo
jamaicensis solitudinis 11, 13-16
Crested Caracara
Caracara
cheriway cheriway 9, 10, 11
American Kestrel Falco
sparverius
sparverioides every day
Merlin
Falco columbarius columbarius 11
Peregrine Falcon Falco
peregrinus
ssp. 18
Northern Bobwhite Colinus
virginianus
cubanensis 11
King Rail
Rallus elegans ramsdeni 11
Purple Gallinule
Porphyrula
martinica 15
Common Gallinule
Gallinula
chloropus cerceris 10, 11, 13, 15, 18
American Coot
Fulica
americana americana 10, 13
Limpkin
Aramus guarauna pictus 10, 11, 15
Northern Jacana
Jacana
spinosa spinosa 11, 13, 15, 16
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus 8
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa
melanoleuca
8, 9
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa
flavipes
8, 9
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa
solitaria
solitaria 15
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis
macularia
8, 9, 10, 15
Willet
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus ssp. 8
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria
interpres ssp. 8, 9, 10
Sanderling
Calidris alba 9
Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris
pusilla
8
Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
ssp.
8, 10
Stilt Sandpiper
Calidris
himantopus 8
Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis
squatarola
8
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius
semipalmatus
8
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus ssp. 8-11, 14-16, 18
Piping Plover
Charadrius
melodus ssp. 9
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus
mexicanus
8, 9
Ring-billed Gull Larus
delawarensis
9
Laughing Gull
Larus
atricilla 8, 9, 10, 20
Caspian Tern
Sterna caspia 8
Royal Tern
Sterna maxima maxima 8-11
Domestic Pigeon
Columba
livia 10, 11, 13-15, 18
White-crowned Pigeon Columba
leucocephala
9, 14, 15
Scaly-naped Pigeon Columba
squamosa
19
Plain Pigeon
Columba inornata inornata 11
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia
decaocto
18
Mourning Dove
Zenaida
macroura macroura 9-11, 13-16, 18, 19
Zenaida Dove
Zenaida aurita zenaida 9, 10, 13-16, 18
White-winged Dove Zenaida
asiatica
asiatica 8, 10, 11, 13, 19
Common Ground Dove Columbina
passerina
insularis 8-11, 14-16, 19
Gray-headed Quail Dove Geotrygon caniceps
caniceps
16
Key West Quail Dove Geotrygon
chrysia
9, 19
Ruddy Quail Dove
Geotrygon
montana 19
Blue-headed Quail-Dove Starnoenas
cyanocephala
16
Cuban Parakeet
Aratinga
euops 11, 14
Cuban Parrot
Amazona leucocephala leucocephala 11, 13-16
Great Lizard Cuckoo Saurothera
merlini
merlini 8, 9, 11, 13-16, 18, 19
Smooth-billed Ani
Crotophaga
ani 10, 11, 13-16, 18, 19
Barn Owl
Tyto alba furcata 18
Bare-legged Owl
Gymnoglaux
lawrencii 14
Cuban Pygmy-Owl
Glaucidium
siju siju 11, 14, 15, 16
Stygian Owl
Asio stygius siguapa 18, 19
Chuck-wilĺs-widow Caprimulgus
carolinensis
15
Greater Antillean Nightjar Caprimulgus cubanensis
cubanensis
9, 15
White-collared Swift Streptoprocne
zonaris
pallidifrons 13
Antillean Palm Swift Tachornis
phoenicobia
iradii 15, 18, 19, 20, 21
Cuban Emerald
Chlorostilbon
ricordii ricordii 8-11, 13-16, 18, 19
Bee Hummingbird
Mellisuga
helenae 13, 14, 16
Cuban Trogon
Priotelus temnurus temnurus 13-16, 18, 19
Cuban Tody
Todus multicolor 11, 13, 14, 16, 19
Belted Kingfisher Ceryle
alcyon
8-11, 14, 15, 16
West Indian Woodpecker Melanerpes
superciliaris
superciliaris 11, 14-16, 18, 19
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus
varius
8, 9, 11, 13-15
Cuban Green Woodpecker Xiphidiopicus
percussus
percussus 9, 13-15, 19
Northern Flicker
Colaptes
auratus chrysocaulosus 10, 15, 16
Fernandinás Flicker Colaptes
fernandinae
11, 14, 18
Cuban Pewee
Contopus caribaeus caribaeus 8-10, 13-16, 18, 19
La Sagrás Flycatcher Myiarchus sagrae
sagrae
9, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19
Loggerhead Kingbird Tyrannus
caudifasciatus
caudifasciatus 8-11, 13-16, 18, 19
Giant Kingbird
Tyrannus
cubensis 11, 20
White-eyed Vireo Vireo
griseus
ssp. 8, 19
Cuban Vireo
Vireo gundlachii gundlachii/orientalis 8-11,
13-16,
18, 19
Thick-billed Vireo Vireo
crassirostris
crassirostris 9
Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo
flavifrons
9
Black-whiskered Vireo Vireo altiloquus
barbatulus
19
Palm Crow
Corvus palmarum minutus 11
Cuban Crow
Corvus nasicus 11, 13, 15
Cuban Solitaire
Myadestes
elisabeth elisabeth 18, 19
Red-legged Thrush Turdus
plumbeus
rubripes 8-10, 13-16, 18, 19
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis 8, 9, 11, 13-16, 19
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
orpheus
every day
Bahama Mockingbird Mimus
gundlachii
gundlachii 8
Zapata Wren
Ferminia cerverai 15
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila
caerulea
caerulea 11, 13-16, 18
Cuban Gnatcatcher
Polioptila
lembeyei 9
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor 13, 15, 16, 18
Cuban Martin
Progne cryptoleuca 11, 15, 16, 18
N. Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
ssp.
11
Cave Swallow
Pterochelidon fulva cavicola 9, 10, 13, 19
House Sparrow
Passer
domesticus domesticus 10-13, 15, 18
Zapata Sparrow
Torreornis
inexpectata varonai 8, 9, 15
Tennessee Warbler
Vermivora
peregrina 18, 20
Northern Parula
Parula
americana 9, 11, 13-16, 18, 19, 20
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica
petechia gundlachi 8
Magnolia Warbler
Dendroica
magnolia 14, 19
Cape May Warbler
Dendroica
tigrina 8-11
Black-throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens
ssp.
8, 9, 11, 13-15
Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica
coronata
coronata 8-11, 13-16, 19
Black-throated Green Warbler Dendroica virens 11, 14,
15,
18, 19
Yellow-throated Warbler Dendroica dominica
albilora
8-11, 13-15
Olive-capped Warbler Dendroica
pityophila
19
Prairie Warbler
Dendroica
discolor ssp. 8, 9, 11, 13-15
Palm Warbler
Dendroica palmarum palmarum every day
Black-and-White Warbler Mniotilta
varia
8-11, 13-15, 18, 19
American Redstart
Setophaga
ruticilla 9-11, 13-16, 18, 19
Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros
vermivorus
14, 19
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapillus ssp. 9, 14, 15, 18, 19
Northern Waterthrush Seiurus
noveboracensis
8, 9, 13, 19
Louisiana Waterthrush Seiurus
motacilla
15
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis
trichas
ssp. 8-11, 13, 15, 19
Yellow-headed Warbler Teretistris
fernandinae
14-16, 18, 19
Oriente Warbler
Teretistris
fornsi 8, 9
Stripe-headed Tanager Spindalis zena
pretrei
8, 9, 11, 13-16, 19
Red-legged Honeycreeper Cyanerpes cyaneus
carneipes
19, 20
Cuban Bullfinch
Melopyrrha
nigra nigra 8, 9, 13-16, 18, 19
Cuban Grassquit
Tiaris
canora 19
Yellow-faced Grassquit Tiaris olivacea
olivacea
8-11, 13-16, 18, 19
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus
ludovicianus
11, 19
Indigo Bunting
Passerina
cyanea 13, 19
Painted Bunting
Passerina
ciris 11
Baltimore Oriole Icterus
galbula
16
Greater Antillean Oriole Icterus dominicensis
melanopsis
8-10, 14-16, 18, 19
Red-shouldered Blackbird Agelaius (phoeniceus)
assimilis
15
Tawny-shouldered Blackbird Agelaius humeralis
humeralis
11, 13, 15, 18, 19
Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella
magna
hippocrepis 10, 11
Cuban Blackbird
Dives
atroviolacea 10, 11, 13-16, 18, 19
Greater Antillean Grackle Quiscalus niger
gundlachii/caribaeus
8-11, 14-16, 18, 19
Shiny Cowbird
Molothrus
bonariensis ssp. 11
Philip Unitt
Collection Manager
Department of Birds and Mammals
San Diego Natural History Museum
