Bird Talk - Erika Gates
Proud to be Bahamian
By Erika Gates
Jun 30, 2007 - 2:38:39 PM

Summertime is a great time to get to know our Bahamian Bird Species. It is a time when spring migrants have passed through on their way to their North American or Canadian breeding grounds and fall migrants on their way to their wintering grounds have not arrived yet. So we can concentrate on the “locals”.

Amongst over 200 bird species on Grand Bahama, there are 18 species that do not occur in the United States, Canada or Europe. I would like to introduce you to three uniquely Bahamian species, called endemics, meaning that they only occur in the Bahamas and no other place on earth!

I am sure that, if we could translate their enchanting song into words they would join us in the slogan of the upcoming annual Independence Celebration: “We are proud to be Bahamians”!

Not only local Birdwatchers enjoy these Bahamian Specialities, but visitors come from as far away as California, Canada or Europe and ask the local experts to take them to the habitat, where these Bahamian species live, feed and raise their young ones.

The Bahama Yellowthroat   (Geothlypis rostrata) occurs on Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera and Cat Island, it is rare on New Providence and Andros.

Like in many bird species, the male is more showy than the female by displaying a black mask across his face, giving him the appearance of a bandit!   The yellow across his chest and belly is also much brighter than that of the female. Their thin, sharp and pointed beaks indicate that they are insect eaters. They love to forage in the underbrush for spiders and along wetlands for mosquitos. You can recognize them by their melodic song from far away throughout the forest: “wichity, wichity, wichity, wichity”. They also have a call or warning note, a fairly loud and gruff “check”. If you respond to their call with a lisping sound like “pssh..pssh”, they will often respond by flying up closer to you to investigate the intruder!

The Bahama Woodstar Hummingbird (Calliphlox evelynae) is one of two native hummingbird species on Grand Bahama Island. The other one is the larger Cuban Emerald, truly reflecting the sunlight like a precious gem. Bahama Woodstar males show off a ruby-pink throat, called a gorget, and have a forked tail while the female has a rounded tail like a skirt. She is adorned with a white band around her neck resembling a pearl necklace. As nest builders, hummingbirds are artists. It is the female that builds a cup-like structure out of plant material, held together with spider webs and adorned on the outside with mosses, pieces of bark and lichens. She lines the inside cozily with downy feathers or animal hair. The female also takes the responsibility of incubating the eggs and feeding and raising the young. While she is a devoted single parent, the male is busy flashing his more coulourful plumage and doing aerial acrobatics to attract a new mate!

The Bahama Swallow (Tachycineta cyaneoviridis) represents the third endemic species on Grand Bahama, Andros and Abaco. Its habitat is the Bahamian Pineforest and because of development and loss of habitat it has become threatened. They are secondary cavity nesters, meaning they use cavities in trees that have been hollowed out by Woodpeckers. It is important that we do leave dead tree trunks standing as the dying wood is more suitable for Woodpeckers to chisel out nesting cavities. Swallows nest on Grand Bahama between April and August as there will be sufficient insects to raise their young during the rainy season. They are voracious insect eaters and catch all their meals in flight. A recent study of the Bahama Swallow by Cornell University here on Grand Bahama, has resulted in man-made nesting boxes throughout Grand Bahama Island, to facilitate additional breeding sites for this declining bird. Cornell University’s Ornithological Department is the foremost authority on birds worldwide and we were excited that they chose the Bahama Swallow for their study.    

Erika Gates – Bird Talk: owner of Kayak Nature Tours (one of the first Eco-Tour businesses in The Bahamas); co-founder of the Ecotourism Association; a published writer; and a Cacique award winner! Her column Bird Talk will enlighten and educate us about birds of The Bahamas, as well as the importance of Ecology. Erika can be reached at gbntours@hotmail.com or (242) 373-2485

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