Cuban Endemic’s

Apr 28, 2016 | Birding, Travel

Cuban Endemics

The main purpose of our trip to Cuba was to find and identify the endemic birds on the island of Cuba and outlying Cays.  Endemic is defined as ” native or restricted to a certain country or area”.  Our group saw 24 of the 26 possibilities.  We did not see the Cuban Kite and Greater Antillean Nightjar.

I was able to photography many of the species but not all that we saw.  The Bee Hummingbird is so small and quick that they are almost impossible to photograph.  The day we got great views of the Gundlach´s Hawk, I did not have my long lens on the camera and missed a great shot.

Cuba’s 26 endemic species as identified in the Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba,
Cornell Press, 2000 and 2011

  1. Common Black Hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus
  2. Cuban Kite, Chondrohierax wilsoni critically endangered
  3. Gundlach´s Hawk, Accipiter gundlachi vulnerable
  4. Zapata Rail, Cyanolimnas cerverai endangered
  5. Blue-headed Quail Dove, Starnoenas cyanocephala vulnerable
  6. Gray-headed (Grey-fronted) Quail Dove, Geotrygon canicep vulnerable
  7. Cuban Parakeet, Aratinga euops vulnerable
  8. Bare-legged Owl, Gymnoglaux lawrencii.Otus lawrencii
  9. Cuban Pygmy-Owl, Glaucidium siju
  10. Bee Hummingbird, Mellisuga helenae vulnerable
  11. Cuban Trogon, Priotelus temnurus
  12. Cuban Tody, Todus multicolor
  13. Cuban Green Woodpecker, Xiphidiopicus percussus
  14. Fernandina´s Flicker, Colaptes fernandinae vulnerable
  15. Zapata Wren, Ferminia cerverai
  16. Cuban Gnatcatcher, Polioptila lembeyei
  17. Cuban Solitaire, Myadestes elisabeth
  18. Cuban Vireo, Vireo gundlachii
  19. Oriente Warbler, Teretistris fornsi
  20. Yellow-headed Warbler, Teretistris fernandinae
  21. Zapata Sparrow, Torreornis inexpectata vulnerable
  22. Cuban Blackbird, Dives atroviolacea
  23. Cuban Grassquit, Tiaris canora
  24. Red-shouldered Blackbird, Agelaius assimilis
  25. Cuban Oriole (Black-cowled Oriole), Icterus dominicensis
  26. Greater Antillean Nightjar, Caprimulgus cubanensis

 

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