List of birds of Montserrat

This is a list of the bird species recorded in Montserrat. The avifauna of Montserrat includes a total of 117 species, of which 34 are rare or accidental. There is one endemic species, the critically endangered Montserrat Oriole, as well as an endemic subspecies of the Forest Thrush.

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families, and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of Clements's 5th edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflects this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Accidental species are included in the total species counts for Montserrat.

The following tags have been used to highlight certain relevant categories. It must be noted that not all species fall into one of these categories. Those that do not are commonly occurring, native species.

* (A) Accidental A species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Montserrat.
* (E) Endemic A species endemic to Montserrat.

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Grebes

Order: PodicipediformesFamily: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large sized freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes, and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. There are 20 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Least Grebe "Tachybaptus dominicus"
*Pied-billed Grebe "Podilymbus podiceps"

hearwaters and petrels

Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Procellariidae

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized 'true petrels', characterised by united nostrils with a medium septum, and a long outer functional primary. There are 75 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Audubon's Shearwater "Puffinus lherminieri" (A)

Tropicbirds

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings. There are 3 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Red-billed Tropicbird "Phaethon aethereus"
*White-tailed Tropicbird "Phaethon lepturus" (A)

Pelicans

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under the beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes. There are 8 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Brown Pelican "Pelecanus occidentalis"

Boobies and gannets

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Sulidae

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups comprise medium-to-large coastal sea-birds that plunge-dive for fish. There are 9 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Red-footed Booby "Sula sula" (A)
*Brown Booby "Sula leucogaster"

Frigatebirds

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large sea-birds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black and white or completely black, with long wings and deeply-forked tails. The males have inflatable coloured throat pouches. They do not swim or walk, and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan to body weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week. There are 5 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Magnificent Frigatebird "Fregata magnificens"

Bitterns, herons and egrets

Order: CiconiiformesFamily: Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large sized wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Unlike other long-necked birds suck as storks, ibises and spoonbills, members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted. There are 61 species worldwide and 11 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Gray Heron "Ardea cinerea" (A)
*Great Blue Heron "Ardea herodias"
*Great Egret "Ardea alba"
*Reddish Egret "Egretta rufescens" (A)
*Tricolored Heron "Egretta tricolor"
*Little Blue Heron "Egretta caerulea"
*Snowy Egret "Egretta thula"
*Cattle Egret "Bubulcus ibis"
*Green Heron "Butorides virescens"
*Yellow-crowned Night-Heron "Nyctanassa violacea"
*American Bittern "Botaurus lentiginosus" (A)

Ibises and spoonbills

Order: CiconiiformesFamily: Threskiornithidae

The Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers. There are 36 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Glossy Ibis "Plegadis falcinellus" (A)

Ducks, geese and swans

Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae

The family Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These are birds that are modified for an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 131 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Fulvous Whistling-Duck "Dendrocygna bicolor"
*Green-winged Teal "Anas carolinensis" (A)
*Northern Pintail "Anas acuta" (A)
*Blue-winged Teal "Anas discors"
*Northern Shoveler "Anas clypeata"

Osprey

Order: FalconiformesFamily: Pandionidae

The Pandionidae family contains only one species, the Osprey. The Osprey is a medium large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.

*Osprey "Pandion haliaetus"

Hawks, kites and eagles

Order: FalconiformesFamily: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey and include hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. There are 233 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Northern Harrier "Circus cyaneus"
*Red-tailed Hawk "Buteo jamaicensis" (A)

Caracaras and falcons

Order: FalconiformesFamily: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their feet. There are 62 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Montserrat.

*American Kestrel "Falco sparverius"
*Merlin "Falco columbarius"
*Peregrine Falcon "Falco peregrinus"

Rails, crakes, gallinules, and coots

Order: GruiformesFamily: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs, and have long toes which are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers. There are 143 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Sora "Porzana carolina"
*Purple Gallinule "Porphyrio martinica"
*Common Moorhen "Gallinula chloropus"
*Caribbean Coot "Fulica caribaea"

Oystercatchers

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Haematopodidae

The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. There are 11 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*American Oystercatcher "Haematopus palliatus" (A)

Avocets and stilts

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and the stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. There are 9 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Black-necked Stilt "Himantopus mexicanus" (A)

Plovers and lapwings

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water, although there are some exceptions. There are 66 species worldwide and 6 species which occur in Montserrat.

*American Golden-Plover "Pluvialis dominica"
*Black-bellied Plover "Pluvialis squatarola"
*Semipalmated Plover "Charadrius semipalmatus"
*Wilson's Plover "Charadrius wilsonia"
*Killdeer "Charadrius vociferus" (A)
*Snowy Plover "Charadrius alexandrinus" (A)

andpipers and allies

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Scolopacidae

The Scolopacidae are a large diverse family of small to medium sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. There are 89 species worldwide and 19 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Wilson's Snipe "Gallinago delicata"
*Short-billed Dowitcher "Limnodromus griseus"
*Whimbrel "Numenius phaeopus"
*Upland Sandpiper "Bartramia longicauda"
*Greater Yellowlegs "Tringa melanoleuca"
*Lesser Yellowlegs "Tringa flavipes"
*Solitary Sandpiper "Tringa solitaria" (A)
*Spotted Sandpiper "Actitis macularia"
*Willet "Catoptrophorus semipalmatus"
*Ruddy Turnstone "Arenaria interpres"
*Red Knot "Calidris canutus"
*Sanderling "Calidris alba" (A)
*Semipalmated Sandpiper "Calidris pusilla"
*Western Sandpiper "Calidris mauri"
*Least Sandpiper "Calidris minutilla"
*White-rumped Sandpiper "Calidris fuscicollis"
*Pectoral Sandpiper "Calidris melanotos"
*Stilt Sandpiper "Calidris himantopus"
*Ruff "Philomachus pugnax" (A)

Gulls

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large birds seabirds and includes gulls and kittiwakes. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. There are 55 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Laughing Gull "Larus atricilla"

Terns

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Sternidae

Terns are a group of generally general medium to large sea-birds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species now known to live in excess of 25 to 30 years. There are 44 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Royal Tern "Sterna maxima" (A)
*Common Tern "Sterna hirundo" (A)
*Forster's Tern "Sterna forsteri" (A)
*Bridled Tern "Sterna anaethetus" (A)
*Brown Noddy "Anous stolidus"

Pigeons and doves

Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. There are 308 species worldwide and 7 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Rock Pigeon "Columba livia"
*White-crowned Pigeon "Patagioenas leucocephala" (A)
*Scaly-naped Pigeon "Patagioenas squamosa"
*Eurasian Collared-Dove "Streptopelia decaocto" (A)
*Zenaida Dove "Zenaida aurita"
*Common Ground-Dove "Columbina passerina"
*Bridled Quail-Dove "Geotrygon mystacea"

Cuckoos and anis

Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Unlike the cuckoo species of the Old World, North American cuckoos are not brood parasites. There are 138 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Yellow-billed Cuckoo "Coccyzus americanus" (A)
*Mangrove Cuckoo "Coccyzus minor"
*Smooth-billed Ani "Crotophaga ani"

Nightjars

Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills that usually nest on the ground. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves. There are 86 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Antillean Nighthawk "Chordeiles gundlachii" (A)
*Chuck-will's-widow "Caprimulgus carolinensis" (A)

wifts

Order: ApodiformesFamily: Apodidae

Swifts are small aerial birds, spending the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. There are 98 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Black Swift "Cypseloides niger"

Hummingbirds

Order: TrochiliformesFamily: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards. There are 337 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Purple-throated Carib "Eulampis jugularis"
*Green-throated Carib "Eulampis holosericeus"
*Antillean Crested Hummingbird "Orthorhyncus cristatus"

Kingfishers

Order: CoraciiformesFamily: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. There are 93 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Belted Kingfisher "Ceryle alcyon"
*Ringed Kingfisher "Ceryle torquatus" (A)

Tyrant flycatchers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, but are more robust with stronger bills. They do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of the songbirds. Most, but not all, have plain colouring. As the name implies, most are insectivorous. There are 429 species worldwide, all found only in the Americas and 3 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Caribbean Elaenia "Elaenia martinica"
*Lesser Antillean Flycatcher "Myiarchus oberi"
*Gray Kingbird "Tyrannus dominicensis"

wallows and martins

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Hirundinidae

The Hirundinidae family is a group of passerines characterized by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Their adaptations include a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and short bills with wide gape. The feet are designed for perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base. There are 75 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Caribbean Martin "Progne dominicensis"
*Barn Swallow "Hirundo rustica"

Mockingbirds and thrashers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Mimidae

The mimids are a family of passerine birds that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. These birds are notable for their vocalizations, especially their ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. Their colouring tends towards dull greys and browns . There are 35 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Brown Trembler "Cinclocerthia ruficauda"
*Scaly-breasted Thrasher "Allenia fusca"
*Pearly-eyed Thrasher "Margarops fuscatus"

Thrushes and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Turdidae

The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs. There are 335 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Forest Thrush "Cichlherminia lherminieri"

Vireos

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Vireonidae

The vireos are a group of small to medium sized passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are typically greenish in colour and resemble wood warblers apart from their heavier bills. There are 52 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in Montserrat.

*Black-whiskered Vireo "Vireo altiloquus"

New World warblers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Parulidae

The New World warblers are a group of small, often colourful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal, but some are terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores. There are 119 species worldwide and 13 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Northern Parula "Parula americana"
*Yellow Warbler "Dendroica petechia"
*Cape May Warbler "Dendroica tigrina" (A)
*Yellow-throated Warbler "Dendroica dominica" (A)
*Prairie Warbler "Dendroica discolor" (A)
*Blackpoll Warbler "Dendroica striata"
*Black-and-white Warbler "Mniotilta varia"
*American Redstart "Setophaga ruticilla"
*Prothonotary Warbler "Protonotaria citrea" (A)
*Ovenbird "Seiurus aurocapilla"
*Northern Waterthrush "Seiurus noveboracensis"
*Louisiana Waterthrush "Seiurus motacilla" (A)
*Hooded Warbler "Wilsonia citrina" (A)

Bananaquit

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Coerebidae

The Bananaquit is a small passerine bird. It has a slender, curved bill, adapted to taking nectar from flowers and is the only member of the genus "Coereba" (Vieillot, 1809) and is normally placed within the family Coerebidae, although there is uncertainty whether that placement is correct.

*Bananaquit "Coereba flaveola"

Tanagers

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Thraupidae

The tanagers are a large group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World, mainly in the tropics. Many species are brightly coloured. They are seed eaters, but their preference tends towards fruit and nectar. Most have short, rounded wings. There are 256 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Scarlet Tanager "Piranga olivacea" (A)
*Antillean Euphonia "Euphonia musica"

Buntings, sparrows, seedeaters and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Emberizidae

The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill. In Europe, most species are named as buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as Sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns. There are species 275 worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Black-faced Grassquit "Tiaris bicolor"
*Lesser Antillean Bullfinch "Loxigilla noctis"

Troupials and allies

Order: PasseriformesFamily: Icteridae

The icterids are a group of small to medium, often colourful, passerine birds restricted to the New World and include the grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. Most species have black as the predominant plumage colour, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. There are 98 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Montserrat.

*Carib Grackle "Quiscalus lugubris"
*Montserrat Oriole "Icterus oberi" (E)

ee also

*List of birds
*Lists of birds by region

References

*cite book
title=Birds of the World: a Checklist
first= James F.
last = Clements
publisher = Cornell University Press
date = 2000
id = ISBN 0934797161
pages = 880
*Evans, Peter (1990) "Birds of the Eastern Caribbean", Macmillan.
*cite web
last = Lepage
first = Denis
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =
url = http://www.bsc-eoc.org/avibase/avibase.jsp?region=ms&pg=checklist&list=clements
title = Checklist of birds of Montserrat
format =
work = Bird Checklists of the World
publisher = Avibase
accessdate = 26 April
accessyear = 2007
*Raffaele, Herbert; Wiley, James; Garrido, Orlando; Keith, Allan & Raffaele, Janis (2003) "Birds of the West Indies", Christopher Helm, London.