This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds.
Patterns of endemism This region is notable not just for the high number of endemic species, but for endemism in higher-level taxonomic groupings too. This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds.
Family-level endemism
The following families are endemic to the region:
Palmchat, a passerine family (Dulidae), containing a single species found only on Hispaniola. the todies, a family (Todidae) with five species, found only on the Greater Antilles. the Cuban warblers, a passerine family (Teretistridae), containing two species on Cuba the Hispaniolan tanagers, Phaenicophilidae, a passerine family, containing 4 species in 3 genera on Hispaniola the Puerto Rican tanager, a passerine family (Nesospingidae), containing a single species found only on Puerto Rico the chat-tanagers (Calyptophilidae) a passerine family, containing 2 species found only on Hispaniola the spindalises, a passerine family (Spindalidae), with 4 species found only on the Greater Antilles and nearby islands
Genus-level endemism
In addition to genera in the families above, the following genera are endemic to the region:
Riccordia, with six species, the blue-headed hummingbird, Puerto Rican emerald, Cuban emerald, Hispaniolan emerald, and the extinct Brace's emerald & Gould's emerald Margarops, with one species, the pearly-eyed thrasher Priotelus, with two species, the Cuban trogon and Hispaniolan trogon Melopyrrha, with four species, the Puerto Rican bullfinch, Cuban bullfinch, Greater Antillean bullfinch, and the extinct St. Kitts bullfinch
Six genera found only on Hispaniola: Nesoctites, with one species, the Antillean piculet (also monotypic within the subfamily) Dulus, with only one species, the palmchat (also monotypic within the family) Phaenicophilus, with two species, the black-crowned tanager and grey-crowned tanager Xenoligea, with one species, the white-winged warbler Microligea, with one species, the green-tailed warbler Calyptophilus, with two species, the western chat-tanager and eastern chat-tanager
Five genera found only on Jamaica: Trochilus, with two species, red-billed and black-billed streamertails Loxipasser, with one species, the yellow-shouldered grassquit Euneornis, with one species, the orangequit Nesopsar, with one species, the Jamaican blackbird
Six genera found only on Cuba: Ferminia, a genus with only one species, the Zapata wren Cyanolimnas, with one species, the Zapata rail Margarobyas, with one species, the bare-legged owl Starnoenas, with one species, the blue-headed quail-dove (depending on classification, the genus may also be monotypic to the subfamily level) Torreornis, with one species, the Zapata sparrow Xiphidiopicus, with one species, the Cuban green woodpecker
One genus found only on Puerto Rico: Gymnasio, with one species, the Puerto Rican owl (formerly also found in the Virgin Islands, but now likely extirpated there) One genus found only on the Bahamas:
Nesophlox, with two species, the Bahama woodstar and Inagua woodstar
The following genera are confined to the Lesser Antilles: Ramphocinclus, with a single species, the white-breasted thrasher Cinclocerthia, with two species, the gray trembler and the brown trembler Allenia, with one species, the scaly-breasted thrasher Loxigilla, with two species, the Lesser Antillean bullfinch and the Barbados bullfinch
In addition in the following genera, a high proportions of the member species are endemic to the west Indies:
Endemic Bird Areas Birdlife International has defined a number of Endemic Bird Areas in the West Indies.
025 Cuba 026 Bahamas 027 Jamaica 028 Hispaniola 029 Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 030 Lesser Antilles
They have also defined the following secondary areas:
List of species Species endemic to Cuba
Common name Binomial Family Status NotesCuban kiteChondrohierax wilsoniiAccipitridae Sometimes considered a subspecies of hook-billed kite.Gundlach's hawkAccipiter gundlachiAccipitridaeCuban black hawkButeogallus gundlachiiAccipitridaeZapata railCyanolimnas cerveraiRallidaeGrey-fronted quail-doveGeotrygon canicepsColumbidaeBlue-headed quail-doveStarnoenas cyanocephalaColumbidaeCuban parakeetPsittacara euopsPsittacidaeExtirpated from Isla de la JuventudBare-legged owlMargarobyas lawrenciiStrigidaeCuban pygmy owlGlaucidium sijuStrigidaeCuban nightjarAntrostomus cubanensisCaprimulgidaeBee hummingbirdMellisuga helenaeTrochilidaeWorld's smallest bird.Cuban trogonPriotelus temnurusTrogonidaeCuban todyTodus multicolorTodidaeCuban green woodpeckerXiphidiopicus percussusPicidaeFernandina's flickerColaptes fernandinaePicidaeGiant kingbirdTyrannus cubensisTyrannidaeCuban martinProgne cryptoleucaHirundinidaeProbably winters somewhere in South America, though this is not confirmed.Cuban crowCorvus nasicusCorvidaeZapata wrenFerminia cerveraiTroglodytidaeCuban gnatcatcherPolioptila lembeyeiPolioptilidaeCuban solitaireMyadestes elisabethTurdidaeCuban vireoVireo gundlachiiVireonidaeYellow-headed warblerTeretistris fernandinaeParulidaeOriente warblerTeretistris fornsiParulidaeCuban grassquitTiaris canorusThraupidaeZapata sparrowTorreornis inexpectataPasserellidaeRed-shouldered blackbirdAgelaius assimilisIcteridaeCuban blackbirdDives atroviolaceusIcteridaeCuban orioleIcterus melanopsisIcteridae
Species endemic to Hispaniola
Common name Binomial Family Status NotesHispaniolan mangoAnthracothorax dominicusTrochilidaeRidgway's hawkButeo ridgwayiAccipitridaeHispaniolan lizard cuckooCoccyzus longirostrisCuculidaeBay-breasted cuckooCoccyzus rufigularisCuculidae Dominican Republic endemic.Ashy-faced owlTyto glaucopsStrigidaeLeast poorwillSiphonorhis brewsteriCaprimulgidaeHispaniolan nightjarAntrostomus ekmaniCaprimulgidaeHispaniolan emeraldRiccordia swainsoniiTrochilidaeHispaniolan trogonPriotelus roseigasterTrogonidaeBroad-billed todyTodus subbulatusTodidaeNarrow-billed todyTodus angustirostrisTodidaeAntillean piculetNesoctites micromegasPicidaeHispaniolan woodpeckerMelanerpes striatusPicidaeHispaniolan peweeContopus hispaniolensisTyrannidaeWhite-necked crowCorvus leucognaphalusCorvidaeExtirpated from Puerto Rico.Golden swallowTachycineta euchryseaHirundinidaeExtirpated from Jamaica.La Selle thrushTurdus swalesiTurdidaePalmchatDulus dominicusDulidaeFlat-billed vireoVireo nanusVireonidaeGreen-tailed warblerMicroligea palustrisPhaenicophilidaeWhite-winged warblerXenoligea montanaPhaenicophilidaeBlack-crowned palm-tanagerPhaenicophilus palmarumPhaenicophilidaeGray-crowned palm-tanagerPhaenicophilus poliocephalusPhaenicophilidaeHispaniolan spindalisSpindalis dominicensisSpindalidaeWestern chat-tanagerCalyptophilus tertiusIncertae sedisFormerly conspecific with eastern chat-tanager.Eastern chat-tanagerCalyptophilus frugivorusIncertae sedisFormerly conspecific with western chat-tanager.Hispaniolan orioleIcterus dominicensisIcteridaeAntillean siskinSpinus dominicensisFringillidaeHispaniolan crossbillLoxia megaplagaFringillidaeWhite-fronted quail-doveGeotrygon leucometopiaColumbidaeDominican Republic endemic.Hispaniolan parrotAmazona ventralisPsittacidaeIntroduced to Puerto Rico.Hispaniolan parakeetPsittacara chloropterusPsittacidaeVarious feral populations exist in Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, and Florida.
Species endemic to Jamaica
Common name Binomial Family Status NotesRing-tailed pigeonPatagioenas caribaeaColumbidaeCrested quail-doveGeotrygon versicolorColumbidaeYellow-billed amazonAmazona collariaPsittacidaeBlack-billed amazonAmazona agilisPsittacidaeJamaican lizard cuckooCoccyzus vetulaCuculidaeChestnut-bellied cuckooCoccyzus pluvialisCuculidaeJamaican owlAsio grammicusStrigidaeJamaican poorwillSiphonorhis americanaCaprimulgidae Possibly extinctPossibly extinct, hasn't been definitively seen since 1860.Jamaican mangoAnthracothorax mangoTrochilidaeBlack-billed streamertailTrochilus scitulusTrochilidaeRed-billed streamertailTrochilus polytmusTrochilidaeJamaican todyTodus todusTodidaeJamaican woodpeckerMelanerpes radiolatusPicidaeJamaican elaeniaMyiopagis cottaTyrannidaeJamaican peweeContopus pallidusTyrannidaeSad flycatcher Myiarchus barbirostrisTyrannidaeRufous-tailed flycatcherMyiarchus validusTyrannidaeJamaican becardPachyramphus nigerTyrannidaeJamaican crowCorvus jamaicensisCorvidaeWhite-eyed thrushTurdus jamaicensisTurdidaeWhite-chinned thrushTurdus aurantiusTurdidaeJamaican vireoVireo modestusVireonidaeBlue Mountain vireoVireo osburniVireonidaeArrow-headed warblerSetophaga pharetraParulidaeJamaican euphoniaEuphonia jamaicaFringillidaeYellow-shouldered grassquitLoxipasser anoxanthusFringillidaeJamaican spindalisSpindalis nigricephalaSpindalidaeOrangequitEuneornis campestrisThraupidaeJamaican blackbirdNesopsar nigerrimusIcteridaeJamaican orioleIcterus leucopteryxIcteridaeFormerly found on Grand Cayman, currently extant on San Andrés.Jamaican petrelPterodroma caribbaeaProcellariidaePossibly extinctPossibly extinct; formerly would have bred on Dominica and Guadeloupe. Last specimen collected in 1879. Surveys have been conducted, though nocturnal petrels are renowned for how hard they are to study.
Species endemic to Puerto Rico
Common name Binomial Family Status NotesPuerto Rican amazonAmazona vittataPsittacidaeCurrently being reintroduced to parts of the island.Puerto Rican lizard cuckooCoccyzus vieillotiCuculidaePuerto Rican owlGymnasio nudipesStrigidaePuerto Rican nightjarAntrostomus noctitherusCaprimulgidaeGreen mangoAnthracothorax viridisTrochilidaePuerto Rican emeraldRiccordia maugaeusTrochilidaePuerto Rican todyTodus mexicanusTodidaePuerto Rican woodpeckerMelanerpes portoricensisPicidaePuerto Rican flycatcherMyiarchus antillarumTyrannidaePuerto Rican vireoVireo latimeriVireonidaeAdelaide's warblerSetophaga adelaidaeParulidaeElfin woods warblerSetophaga angelaeParulidaePuerto Rican spindalisSpindalis portoricensisSpindalidaePuerto Rican tanagerNesospingus speculiferusNesospingidaePuerto Rican bullfinchMelopyrrha portoricensisThraupidaeYellow-shouldered blackbirdAgelaius xanthomusIcteridaePuerto Rican orioleIcterus portoricensisIcteridae
Other insular endemics of the West Indies