Birds of Cuba

Red-legged Thrush - Cueva de los Peces, CU Picture
Red-legged Thrush - Cueva de los Peces, CU
Cuban Pygmy-owl - Santo Tomas, CU Some owls are daytime hunters and this Cuban Pygmy-Owl is one of them. They are for certain some of the mast amazing little raptors, but there is no doubt, they are proficient hunters. This particular bird was on the the road into Santo Tomas from Playa Larga in the Zapata Swamp. Adrian Cobas was our guide for this trip rounding out a amazing number of endemic species for Cuba and the Zapata
Cuban Pygmy-owl - Santo Tomas, CU
Cuban Trogan - Cueva de los Peces, CU The Cuban Trogon is the national bird with many of the locals mentioning the colors matching the Cuban Flag. This beautifully colored bird was hawking for insects along the entrance to the Cueva de los Peces (cave of fishes.) Trogons always remind me of little robots with the mechanical movement of their heads while they search the area for their next meal. Then, all of a sudden, they dash off in a flurry of floppy wings to their food and the next perch. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cuban Trogon - Cueva de los Peces, CU
Zapata Sparrow - Santo Tomas, CU We put eyes on one more bird that can only be found on the island of Cuba thanks to our Guide Adrian Cobas. There are three distinct populations of the Zapata Sparrow, with the largest area being in the Zapata swamps of Cuba where the birds was first found. The second is a couple of Cayes on the north side of the island and the third is on the southern tip of Cuba. These birds are endangered like most of the endemics, due to habitat loss and introduced species. We got a quick glimpse of this bird in the canal just outside of Santo Tomas. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Zapata Sparrow - Santo Tomas, CU
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Cuban Bullfinch - Santo Tomas, CU
Zapata Wren - Santo Tomas, CU Part of the excitement of birding other countries is going in search of the extremely rare species. In this case, the Zapata wren is only found one one place in the world and that is the Zapata Swamp on the southern side of Cuba. Our guide Adrian took us by pole boat to a location in the swamp where they can be found. The bird was only revealed to science in 1926 and was named for one of its discoverers, Fermin Cervera. It is now considered endangered due to introduced predator species and drainage for agriculture. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Zapata Wren - Santo Tomas, CU
Turkey Vulture - Santo Tomas, CU I always thought vultures were a dessert type of bird, but I guess thats what watching too many cartoons can do! These not so pretty birds were hanging out in the early morning sun on a coconut palm in the village of Santo Tomas, Cuba. Most vultures wait on hill sides until the thermals start so they don't have to spend so much energy on getting into the air, but when you live in the swamp, sometimes a palm tree is the tallest thing around. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Turkey Vulture - Santo Tomas, CU
Cuban Parakeet - San Thomas, CU In the early morning hours we traveled to San Thomas, Cuba to start our trek by pole boat into the Zapata Swamp. We were in search of endemic species that can only be found in the swamp but first we had a quick look around the small pueblo that Adrian Cobas, our guide, grew up in. He quickly spotted some of the Cuban parakeets on the other side of town where there was a small flock sunning themselves in the early light at the very tops of the trees along with some of the Cuban Parrots. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cuban Parakeet - Santo Tomas, Cuba
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Bee Hummingbird - Playa Larga, CU
Prothonotary Warbler - Playa Larga, CU I have always thought that these little birds were one of the most attractive of the warblers. This one was in the back 40 of Casa Ana in Playa Larga, checking in on the nectar feeders. I did a little research into the unusual name of this bird and have found a blog on 10,000 birds in relation, that is quite interesting. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Prothonotary Warbler - Playa Larga, CU
Cuban Emerald - Playa Larga, CU We stayed at the most amazing location in Playa Larga, Cuba in our search for the Bee Hummingbird. Our hosts at Casa Ana were amazing and they had one of the best back yard set ups for local species, including this very cooperative Cuban Emerald. There were several of these brilliant green hummingbirds but they were hard to capture on the wing. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cuban Emerald - Playa Larga, CU
Cuban Pewee - Playa Larga, CU One the way out of the Zapata Swamp National Park we stopped to look at a flycatcher that was hawking low to the ground. One of the first things I noticed was the crescent-shaped, eyering which is the positive indicator for this bird. This flycatcher is also found in the Bahamas and has several subspecies which live in Cuba. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cuban Pewee - Playa Larga, CU
American Flamingo - Laguna Los Caballos, CU During our visit to Zapata Swamp National Park, we were very happy to see a good deal of American Flamingos with these three adults flying by as we stood on the look out. The black contrast of their wings is amazing as they fly by honking like geese. I am so happy to have seen these magnificent tropical waders. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
American Flamingo - Laguna Los Caballos, CU
American Flamingo - Playa Larga, CU This was one of my bucket list birds! The colorful water waders are a common resident of the Zapata Swamp in the southern part of Cuba near the Bay of Pigs. During the winter months the birds will number in the thousands. Watching these beautiful birds feed in the shallows is a real treat. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
American Flamingo - Playa Larga, CU
Great Lizard Cuckoo - Varadero, CU There is something about a bird with a big tail that bounces through the trees. I love cuckoos and this guy was no exception. There was a bit of a call when I first came up on him in the Varahicacos Ecological Reserve. He wanted to get a better look at me getting a better look at him, and all of sudden, he was three maybe four bounces and he disappeared. This species is found only on the islands of Cuba and The Bahamas. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Great Lizard Cuckoo - Varadero, CU
Yellow Warbler (Golden Warbler) - Varadero, CU There are many versions of this little yellow warbler. This so happens to be the version that lives in the mangroves from Florida south to Columbia, including a good portion of the Caribbean islands. The chestnut cap is the trademark of the
Yellow Warbler (Golden Warbler) - Varadero, CU
La Sangra's Flycatcher - Varadero, CU There are 13 different types of flycatchers on Cuba with one of them being a resident bird who is only found there and the surrounding islands including the Florida Keys. Long Key is where I saw my first La Sangra's in the mangroves. This bird was fly-catching off one of the resort fences just outside of the mangroves. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
La Sangra's Flycatcher - Varadero, CU
Turkey Vulture - Varadero, CU There is one bird that is nearly unmistakable in flight and that is the Turkey vulture. You can tell from three things almost immediately. The first is the white trailing edge along the whole wing edge. There are very few birds with this configuration of white. The other is the
Turkey Vulture - Varadero, Cuba
Cuban Green Woodpecker - Varaderos, CU I was told by a friend that this was a must see bird for Cuba. They great little personalities and they are striking with the red head on the green back. This bird was keeping an eye on a Cuban Black Hawk that was making some serious noise from a light above them. They kept an eye until the wondering raptor flew off. This was taken just at the edge of Varahicacos Ecological Reserve at the edge of a mangrove swamp. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cuban Green Woodpecker - Varaderos, CU
Smooth-billed Ani - Jaguey Grande, CU There are two species of Ani in Central America and the Caribbean with this Smooth-billed version the only one of the two on Cuba. They are very social birds usually seen flying in family groups from one location to the next. They look like they might be related to the Corvid family but they are more closely related to the Cuckoos. The very flexible tail certainly suggests they have one trait in common. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.comPicture
Smooth-billed Ani - Jaguey Grande, CU
Cuban Emerald - Varadero, CU There were quite a few of these gems floating around the resort but there were at least 4 making good use of the flowering Bottlebrush. The first thing you notice in flight is the forked tail which is somewhat visible here but there are no other major distinguishing features save the white spot behind the eye. There are only two native hummingbirds in Cuba with the other being the smallest bird in the world, the Bee Hummingbird. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cuban Emerald - Varadero, CU
White-crowned Pigeon - Varadero, CU This tropical pigeon is very shy and hard to get a close enough to get a good photo. This bird was feeding on the fruit at the top of this tree on the top of the only rise for a very long distance. I always find it interesting that the body shapes of the pigeons are very similar but there is such a broad range of color configurations. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
White-crowned Pigeon - Veradero, CU
Gray Kingbird - Varadero, CU One of the more common flycatchers on the Varadero peninsula the Gray Kingbirds and is also one of the most conspicuous. If there was ever one of them there was a pair, hawking from the tree tops. These birds are summer residents in Cuba making the rest of the Caribbean and the northern portion of South America as their winter grounds. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Gray Kingbird - Varadero, CU
Turquoise-browed Motmot - Laguna de Apoyo, MS-NI This amazingly colored bird is the National bird of Nicaragua. The racket tail is the dead give away with only other species of Motmot possibly giving some chance of mis-identification. The motmot is named for the sound that it makes while sitting waiting for its dinner. This bird was with a mate moving from perch to perch after flying out to collect an insect on the wing. This was particularly close to the laguna, but they are found almost everywhere in the country. This particular bird is missing one of its
Mourning Dove - Varadero, CU
Greater Antillean Grackle - Varadero, CU This is the only blackbird in Cuba with the
Greater Antillean Grackle - Varadero, CU
Cape May Warbler - Varadero, CU Cuba is a natural stop on the way through for a great many birds while travelling north and south to summering and wintering grounds. The Varadero Peninsula is the furthest north you can go on the island before traveling over the gulf of Mexico. This stripped, rutsy-cheeked islander was in the larger tree in and around Varahicacos Ecological Reserve. A neat fact about this bird is that they have a tubular tongue and drink nectar. I have even seen a very off track bird in BC chase off hummingbirds to defend the flowers they need to keep their energy up. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cape May Warbler - Varadero, CU
Palm Warbler - Varadero, CU Palm Warbelers are quite easy to identify with the pumping of the tail and the time they spend on the ground. They remind me more of pipits than warblers. The palm is also told in the breeding colors by the rust cap and yellow in the lores (eyebrow) and front. This bird is just coming into the breeding colors as you can see the faint yellow on his belly. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Palm Warbler - Varadero, CU
Cuban Black Hawk - Varadero, CU The Cuban Black Hawkis somewhat of a specialist in that they are beachcombers. The are typically found only in the coastal areas of Cuba hunting mostly crabs. This particular bird was very vocal after snatching some prey from the mangrove swamp and perching on this light. Most of the other prey birds seemed weary of this predator including a pair of Cuban Green Woodpeckers just below him. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cuban Black Hawk - Veradero, CU