List of birds of Vieques
This is a list of birds recorded in the island of Vieques. Vieques is an island municipality of Puerto Rico located off the east coast of the main island of Puerto Rico, south of Culebra island and west of the Virgin Islands. It has a total area of 348.15 km2, of which only 135 km2 is land area. On May 1, 2001, the western end of Vieques National Wildlife Refuge was established and on May 1, 2003, the same day as the exit of the U.S. Navy from the island, the eastern end of the refuge was established.
There are a total of 142 species recorded from the island of Vieques. Some species, such as the Puerto Rican parrot, have been extirpated from the island but are, nonetheless, included in this list. Extinct species are not included in this list.
This list presents the following information for each species: common and scientific name of each species, preferred habitat, breeding status in Vieques and frequency of occurrence for each season. Tags are used to describe this information for each species.
Taxonomy
This list's taxonomic treatment and nomenclature follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 5th edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced, stray and extirpated species are included in the total species counts for Vieques.The following tags have been used to describe the frequency of occurrence of each species in Vieques.
- Abundant – a species that is commonly encountered in Vieques
- Common – a species that commonly occurs in Vieques
- Uncommon – a species that occurs uncommonly – it is present but rarely seen in Vieques
- Occasional – a species that may not occur every year
- Rare – a species that has been reported once or twice
- Thorn scrub
- Inhabited areas
- Mangrove lagoons
- Dry forest
- Shoreline
- Moist forest
- Breeder
- Probable breeder
- Non-breeder
- Winter visitor
- Migrant
- Stray
Grebes
Grebes are small to medium-large 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.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| Pied-billed grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | ML | B | u | u | u | u |
Tropicbirds
Order: PhaethontiformesFamily: PhaethontidaeTropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their long wings have black markings, as does the head.
Boobies
Order: SuliformesFamily: SulidaeThe sulids comprise the gannets and boobies with only boobies occurring in Vieques. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| Brown booby | Sula leucogaster | Sh | NB | u | u | u | c |
Frigatebirds
Order: SuliformesFamily: FregatidaeFrigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black or black-and-white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colored inflatable 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.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| Magnificent frigatebird | Fregata magnificens | Sh | NB | c | c | c | c |
Pelicans
Order: PelecaniformesFamily: PelecanidaePelicans are very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak Like other birds in the order Pelecaniformes, they have four webbed toes.
Bitterns, herons and egrets
Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Ardeidaes.
The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more secretive. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.
Flamingos
Order: PhoenicopteriformesFamily: PhoenicopteridaeFlamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.
Ducks, geese and swans
Order: AnseriformesFamily: AnatidaeAnatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, bills which are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils.
Osprey
Order: AccipitriformesFamily: PandionidaeThe family Pandionidae contains only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.
Hawks, kites and eagles
Order: AccipitriformesFamily: AccipitridaeAccipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons and keen eyesight.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| Red-tailed hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | IA | B | u | u | u | u |
Falcons
Order: FalconiformesFamily: FalconidaeFalconidae 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 talons.
New World quails
Order: GalliformesFamily: OdontophoridaeThe New World quails are small, plump terrestrial birds only distantly related to the quails of the Old World, but named for their similar appearance and habits.
Rails, gallinules and coots
Order: GruiformesFamily: RallidaeRallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.
Oystercatchers
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: HaematopodidaeThe oystercatchers are large, obvious and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
Stilts and avocets
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: RecurvirostridaeRecurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.
Lapwings and plovers
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: CharadriidaeThe 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.
Sandpipers, curlews, stints, godwits, snipes and phalaropes
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: ScolopacidaeScolopacidae is 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 these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of legs and bills enable multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.
Gulls, terns and skimmers
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: LaridaeLaridae is a family of medium to large seabirds and includes gulls, kittiwakes, terns and skimmers. They are typically gray or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with gray 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 known to live in excess of 25–30 years.
Pigeons and doves
Order: ColumbiformesFamily: ColumbidaePigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Budgerigars, parakeets and parrots
Order: PsittaciformesFamily: PsittacidaeParrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak. Their upper mandibles have slight mobility in the joint with the skull and they have a generally erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two to the back.
Cuckoos
Order: CuculiformesFamily: CuculidaeThe family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites.
Typical owls
Order: StrigiformesFamily: StrigidaeThe typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.
Nightjars
Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: CaprimulgidaeNightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically colored to resemble bark or leaves.
Swifts
Order: ApodiformesFamily: ApodidaeSwifts are small birds which spend 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 which resemble a crescent or boomerang.
Hummingbirds
Order: TrochiliformesFamily: TrochilidaeHummingbirds 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.
Kingfishers
Order: CoraciiformesFamily: AlcedinidaeKingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| Belted kingfisher | Megaceryle alcyon | ML | WV | u | u | u | u |
Woodpeckers and sapsuckers
Order: PiciformesFamily: PicidaeWoodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.
Tyrant flycatchers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: TyrannidaeTyrant flycatchers are Passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, but are more robust and have stronger bills. They do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of the songbirds. Most, but not all, are rather plain. As the name implies, most are insectivorous.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| Caribbean elaenia | Elaenia martinica | TS | B | c | c | c | c |
| Puerto Rican flycatcher | Miarchus antillarum | MF | PB | u | u | u | u |
| Gray kingbird | Tyrannus dominicensis | TS/IA | B | a | a | a | a |
| Loggerhead kingbird | Tyrannus caudifasciatus | DF | B | u | u | u | u |
Swallows and martins
Order: PasseriformesFamily: HirundinidaeThe family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.
Mockingbirds and thrashers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: MimidaeThe mimids are a family of passerine birds that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers and the New World catbirds. These birds are notable for their vocalization, especially their remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. The species tend towards dull grays and browns in their appearance.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| Northern mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | TS/IA | B | c | c | c | c |
| Pearly-eyed thrasher | Margarops fuscatus | TS/IA | B | c | c | c | c |
Starlings
Order: PasseriformesFamily: SturnidaeStarlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are medium-sized passerines with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.
Estrildid finches
Order: PasseriformesFamily: EstrildidaeThe estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colors and patterns.
Whydahs
Order: PasseriformesFamily: ViduidaeThe Viduidae is a family of small passerine birds native to Africa that includes indigobirds and whydahs. All species are brood parasites, which lay their eggs in the nests of estrildid finches. Species usually have black or indigo predominating in their plumage.
Vireos
Order: PasseriformesFamily: VireonidaeThe vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are typically greenish in color and resemble wood warblers apart from their heavier bills.
New World warblers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: ParulidaeThe New World warblers are a group of small often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal, but some are more terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores.
Tanagers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: ThraupidaeThe bananaquit is a small passerine bird. It has a slender, curved bill, adapted to taking nectar from flowers. It is the only member of the genus Coereba and is normally placed within the family Thraupidae.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| Bananaquit | Coereba flaveola | TS/IA | B | a | a | a | a |
Fringilline finches, cardueline finches and allies
Order: PasseriformesFamily: FringillidaeFinches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.
American sparrows, towhees and juncos
Order: PasseriformesFamily: EmberizidaeEmberizidae is a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with distinctively shaped bills. In Europe, most species are called 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.
Blackbirds, meadowlarks, cowbirds, grackles and orioles
Order: PasseriformesFamily: IcteridaeThe icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World and include the grackles, New World blackbirds and New World orioles. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red.
Sparrows
Order: PasseriformesFamily: PasseridaeSparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small plump brownish or grayish birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.
| Common name | Species | Habitat | Breeding status | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| House sparrow | Passer domesticus | IA | B | u | u | u | u |