Birding Jamaican Style

Despite its sometimes roguish image Jamaica is beautiful, accessible and safe (yes safe!) for a birdwatching holiday, with a range of locations as inebriating as Jamaican rum.

Between the Blue Mountains and Port Antonio you can usually see almost all of the Jamaican endemics. Your comfortable base for your birdwatching holiday is Hotel Mocking Bird Hill in Port Antonio, on the northeast coast of Jamaica, itself a fine bird watching location.

You may find 265 different species of birds with over 20 endemic to Jamaica on a birdwatching vacation in Jamaica. Jamaica has 28 endemic birds more than any other Caribbean island - in fact Jamaica has the highest number of endemics for any island of its size - even more than neighbouring Cuba, an island 10 times larger.

Our bird names are intriguing: there are Sad Fly Catchers, “Doctorbirds” - because their long tails resemble the tailcoats once worn by medical men - Chestnut Bellied Cuckoos: the "Old Man Bird" and the smaller Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo: "Old Woman Bird", Hopping Dicks, Auntie Katie, Big Tom Fool and the Duppy Bird to name a Few.

Many of the Jamaican endemics can be viewed on property at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill , which is particularly known as one of the best places to see the Black-billed Streamertail Hummingbird.

You will discover 40 different birds on the hotel's property alone, of which 2 are on the endangered list: the Ring- tailed pigeon and the Black -billed Streamertail. A further two are listed on the international rare list, the Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo and the Rufous tailed flycatcher.

Local experts can be arranged to accompany you during you birdwatching vacation in Jamaica. The guides generally have to be booked prior to your arrival so please mention this request at the time of making your reservation. Average cost for a guide per day : US$ 125.00

Complete bird watching tours can be booked through Jamaica Explorations, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill's tour service.

List of Birds Sighted at Hotel Mockingbird Hill

Jamaican Endemics Full Species				Comments
No.	Bird Name	Scientific name	Endangered/ Rare	"What a wonderful place. In 2 days I was able to see all of the Jamaican endemics but 2 (the Jamaican Pewee and the Red-billed Streamertail (which is not found in this area but was easily seen on the eastern part of the island.)  Considering that this was November and none of the birds were singing I considered this to be a feat. The birds that I did not see on the property were seen on the road to Ecklesdown. (The hotel arranged for a driver and birding guide for me.) The Hotel is charming and relaxing and the food is of gourmet quality. Flowering trees surrounding the pool were filled with hummingbirds and many of the endemics were spotted while relaxing with a cool drink. I strongly recommend this place."
1.	Ring-tailed Pigeon	Columba caribbaea	Endangered
2.	Jamaican Parakeet	Aratinga nana
3.	Chesnut-bellied Cuckoo	Hyetinis pluvialis	Rare
4.	Jamaican Owl	Pseudoscops grammicus
5.	Jamaican Mango	Anthracothorax mango
6.	Black-billed Streamertail	Trochilus scitulus	Endangered
7.	Jamaican Tody	Todus todus
8.	Jamaican Woodpecker	Melanerpes radiolatus
9.	Sad Flycatcher	Mysiarchus barbirostris
10.	Rufous-tailed Flycatcher	Myiarchus validus	Rare
11.	Jamaican Becard	Pachyrampus niger
12.	Jamaican Crow	Corvus jamaicensis
13.	White-chinned Thrush	Turdus aurantius
14.	Jamaican Euphonia	Euphonia jamaica
15.	Jamaican Stripe-headed Tanager	Spindalis nigricephalus
16.	Orangequit	Euneornis campestris
17.	Jamaican Oriole	Icterus leucopteryx
18.	Jamaican Elenia
Subspecies
1.	Northern Patoo	Nyctibius (j.) jamaicensis
2.	Bananaquit	Coereba (f.) flaveola
Other Subspecies
1.	Caribbean Dove	Leptotila j. jamaicensis
2.	Common Ground Dove	Columbina passerina jamaicensis
3.	Vervain Hummingbird	Mellisuga m. minima
4.	Loggerhead Kingbird	Tyrannus caudifasciatus jamaicacensis
5.	Greater Antillean Bullfinch	Loxigilla violaceus ruficollis
6.	Greater Antillean Grackle	Quiscalus niger crassirotris
Other Species Northern Mockingbird Worm-eating Warbler Ovenbird Grey King Bird White Crowned Pigeeon Northern Parula Warbler American Redstart Black-throated Green Warbler Turkey Vulture Black-throated Blue Warbler Greenrumped Parrotlet Ruddy Quail Dove Prairie Warbler Cape May Warbler (migrant) Stolid Flycatcher Black and white Warbler (migrant) Blackpoll Warbler Mourning Warbler (migrant)