ST. LUCIA PARROT   Amazona versicolour             Endemic to St. Lucia.

Local Name:   Jacquot

Length:  42–46cm (16.5–18 in).  Like other members of the parrot family, its feathers are mainly green, with iridescent patches of bright red and blue on the edges of its wing. It also has splashes of dark red on its chest and light blue on the top of the head. The St. Lucia Parrot is perhaps one of the most colourful of the entire genus of Amazona parrots, hence the species name versicolour.  It is one of the largest birds in St. Lucia.

The St. Lucia parrot is the national bird of Saint Lucia.  Affectionately known locally as “Jacquot,” it is the best known St. Lucian endemic bird species.

A few years ago, the St. Lucia Parrot was in danger of becoming extinct. Jovicich (1976) concluded in his unpublished report entitled “Amazona versicolour, study of the Saint Lucia Parrot,”that Saint Lucia’s remaining Amazona versicolour population of 150 +/- 25 is fast approaching extinction in the wild…and considering the overall trend of man’s simplification of Saint Lucia’s ecology, it is certain that Amazona versicolour will not escape oblivion.” Another ornithologist, David Jeggo (1980), commenting on the island’s conservation program: “The future of the Saint Lucia parrot lies in the continuation of conservation measures.  It is possible that if the long term effects of Hurricane Allen [1980] are limited, the parrot may not only flourish in the reserve and surrounding forest, but extend its range into the patchy secondary forest which it formerly inhabited.”  Now, there are about 800 +/-25 parrots living in our rain forest.

There are several reasons why the parrot population has increased.  Perhaps the most important is that in 1979, the parrot was made the National Bird of St. Lucia. In addition, nature conservation policies adopted by the Forestry Department have resulted in a remarkable change in the fortunes of the forest reserves and Saint Lucia Parrot.  The Department’s Environmental Education Campaign has ensured that public concern for the St. Lucia Parrot has reduced the incidence of deforestation, hunting and other illicit activities in the forest reserves to near zero and provides a springboard for protection and conservation of our national bird.

The parrots’ habitat is primarily moist forest in the mountains, but it can also occur in the secondary forest and cultivated areas.  They travel considerable distances to feed in the forest canopy on a wide variety of fruits (including awali, mangoes, wild passion fruit, etc.), seeds, flowers and sometimes insects.  The parrots roost deep in the forest, flying out to the edges to forage during the day, where they can be seen in the Quilesse, Edmund Forest, Millet and Castries Waterworks Reserve.

The breeding season is primarily from February to May. The parrots nest in cavities of tall trees (gommiere, chataniere and others) where the adult female lays two (occasionally three) white eggs deep inside a hollow tree trunk

Did you know?

Parrots usually mate for life.  If one of the pair dies, it may be years before the survivor finds another mate.  Parrots do not sing.  They fly to their feeding grounds early in the morning and return home late in the afternoon.  As they fly, their loud screeching echoes through the forest making them very easy to identify.

ST. LUCIA PEWEE  Contopus oberi           Endemic to St. Lucia

Local Names:  Gobe-Mouche, or Pin Kaka

Length:  15cm (5.75 in).  Our pewee is a small flycatcher (hence the local name Gobe-Mouche), with dark olive-brown upperparts and reddish-brown underparts.  It is a very timid bird that is often seen in openings in the forest understory where they sally for insects. The call is an emphatic rising pree-e-e and a high-pitched peet-peet-peet.

The St. Lucia Pewee is a very common bird that can be found in a wide range of forested areas from the coast to the interior of St.Lucia. Most St. Lucians may have known the St. Lucia Pewee as Gobe-Mouche or Pin Kaka. Its habitat is primarily moist forest at high altitude but less commonly in lower altitude and dry areas.  They generally occur in the forest understory.

The nest is a cup made of leaves, lichens and moss placed on a branch.  The female lays two dark cream-coloured eggs, heavily spotted with brown.  The breeding season is May and June.

Formerly, the St. Lucia and Puerto Rican Pewees were considered races of Lesser Antillean Pewee.  However, obvious genetic and morphological differences have caused ornithologists to assign full species status to both pewees.  We accept St. Lucia Pewee as a full endemic although The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6^th edition, January 2007 has not yet done so.

ST. LUCIA WARBLER   Dendroica delicate Endemic to St. Lucia

Local Names:  Chic-chic, Sequia Ba bad

Length:  12.5cm (5 in).  This is one of two St. Lucian endemic warblers. It can be distinguished by its bluish-grey upperparts; yellow throat and breast; yellow eyebrow stripe; and black crescent below the eye. The voice is a loud trill, variable in pitch and speed. They occupy a wide range of forested habitats, primarily at middle and high elevations. They feed actively, gleaning insects and spiders from leaves and twigs.

St. Lucia Warbler is a very common year-round resident in the Quilesse, Edmund Forest, Millet, Union and Castries Waterworks Reserve, and also on western and eastern coasts of St. Lucia.

The nest is a finely woven cup built in a tree or dense thicket from 0.2m to over 6m above the ground.  The breeding season is from March to June, when the females lay three to four white eggs, flecked with reddish-brown spots.

SEMPER’S WARBLER  Leucopeza semperi           Endemic to St. Lucia; perhaps extinct

Local Name:  Pied-blanc  (“white-foot”)

Length:  14.5cm (5.75 in).  Semper’s Warbler is one of two warblers endemic to St. Lucia. 

According to Raffaele et al, the adult Semper’s Warbler has nearly uniform dark grey upperparts (gun-metal blue-gray¹) and whitish underparts (pale silver below, with faint eyebrows…a touch of sienna along the division between the darker flanks and the lighter belly, giving the undersides a curious tritone effect¹), with long, pale legs and pale feet. The bill is strikingly long and thick for such a small bird, with a noticeable curve to the upper mandible.¹  Although nothing is known about its feeding habits, the size and shape of the bill suggests that it [forages] on the ground for large invertebrates.¹  The immature bird’s upperparts, including rump, are grey washed with olive-brown and brownish-buff below.  A soft tuck-tick-tick-tuck scolding call is the only vocalization ever described.  Its song, nesting habits and juvenile plumage are unknown.

The bird was first collected for science in 1876 by St. Lucian clergyman and amateur ornithologist, Reverend John E. Semper, and Philip Lutley Sclater.  Sclater wrote the description and named the bird in honour of Semper (Boelens and Watkins, 2003).  The warbler was apparently fairly common in the 19^th century, known from the undergrowth of montane virgin forest with a heavy understory of ferns, and elfin forest.  By the late 1920s, it was already quite scarce.  Now it is extremely rare and perhaps extinct.  The last certain report was in 1961, by Stanley John (who, among others, said that it pumped its tail up and down when perched, and sometimes quivered its wings when flushed¹), along the eastern coast near the village of Louvet, though there are unconfirmed sightings in 1965, 1989², 1995 and 2003.  Most reports are from the ridge between Piton Flore and Piton Canarie.  The cause of its possible extinction is unknown, but the mongoose (introduced to control ship-borne rats), which probably preyed on adults, nestlings and eggs; also habitat destruction almost certainly played a role.

¹ Weidensaul 2002

² On Gros Piton by Donald Anthony, wildlife biologist, St. Lucia Forestry Department. 

ST. LUCIA BLACK FINCH          Melanospiza richardsoni               Endemic to St. Lucia

Local Name:  Moisson Pied-blanc

Length:  13–14cm (5–5.5in).  The St. Lucia Black Finch can easily be mistaken for the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, Loxigilla noctis at first glance.  However, the male black finch does not have a patch of red on its throat like the bullfinch. The female can be recognized because the top of the head is grey, not brown as the bullfinch.  Also, both male and female have pink legs and they bob their tails vertically.  The vocalization is a burry tick-zwee-swisiwis-you with the accents on the second and last notes.   At a distance, the song sounds similar to that of Bananaquit.

The St. Lucia Black Finch is often found in pairs in both moist and semi-arid forest to 700m (2300ft).  Like most finches, the black finch eats seeds and berries as well as some fruits.  The breeding season is from November to June.  The female usually lays two white eggs with evenly spaced brownish-red spots.   The nest is loosely constructed of twigs, rootlets, ferns and leaves, with an oval side entrance, usually built in a shrub or small palm up to 3m (10ft.) above the ground. 

The bird was first described as Loxigilla richardsonii by Charles B. Cory in 1886 from a specimen purchased by W. B. Richardson* who claimed to have seen a live bird.   The specimen was purchased from a man who declared that the bird “lived in the forest.”

*A U.S. professional bird collector working in the Neotropics in late 1800s and early 1900s.

ST. LUCIA ORIOLE   Icterus laudabilis                   Endemic to St. Lucia

Local Name:  Carouge

Length:  20–22cm (8–8.5 in).  The St. Lucia Oriole belongs to the family Icteridae, the same family as the Carib Grackle or Merle, Quiscalu lugubris.   The adult is black except for the lower back, rump, shoulder and lower belly which are rich orange or orange-yellow.  The adult female is similar to the male, but orange-yellow is duller; the immature is mostly greenish with a blackish throat.

St. Lucia Oriole is an uncommon species that can be found in both rainforest and in fairly dry scrubby areas near the coast.  The breeding period is from April to July. The nest is a well-made basket woven of grass and fiber.  It is usually hung from large leaves, e.g. balizier, banana, coconut or palmiste.  In it the female lays three white eggs with dark brown spots.

Like most birds, the orioles are good parents feeding and protecting their young until they are ready to fly away from the nest.  In St. Lucia, orioles are susceptible to man-made and natural disasters such as hurricanes, pests and diseases, deforestation, aerial application of agricultural pesticides, hunting, etc. An additional and major threat to the oriole population is the brood parasite, Shiny Cowbird or Merle Bar Bade, which lays its eggs in the oriole nest, and is reared by the orioles instead of their own rightful young. This is a serious problem affecting the St. Lucia Oriole, and difficult to manage or control.

RUFOUS NIGHTJAR     Caprimulgus rufus otiosus            Endemic subspecies

Local Name:  Jacques-pas-papa-pouw

Length:  28cm (11 in).  The St. Lucian endemic subspecies of Rufous Nightjar* is a medium-sized bird, dark overall with some reddish-brown edges on its feathers and short, rounded wings. It is nocturnal (active mainly during the night) hence the name “nightjar.” The voice is vigorous and loud, seemingly recalling its local name of Jacques-pa-papa-pouw.  The call is most often heard at dusk and only during the breeding season, which is May and June. The nest is a scrape on the ground in which it usually lays two white eggs with light brown spots.

There was a time when this nightjar was considered a full endemic species called St. Lucia Nightjar Caprimulgus otiosus. However, it was merged with C. rufous, Rufous Nightjar, following Robbins and Parker (1997).

The Rufous Nightjar is endangered in St. Lucia.  Its population is now very small due to loss of habitat and predation by dogs, cats, mongooses and pigs. It is nocturnal, occurring in the northeast from Grand Anse south to Dennery, and also Anse La Raye. Coincidentally, the places where the nightjar is now found are also places where there is a high concentration of the deadly Fer-de-lance, a conservation blessing that we should appreciate. 

*Etymology: night + jar: from the whirring noise made by the male’s wings during courtship display.

LESSER ANTILLEAN FLYCATCHER    Myiarchus oberi sanctaeluciae       Endemic subspecies

Local Name:   Pipirite Gros Tête

Length:  19–22cm (7.5–8.5 in). This endemic subspecies can be distinguished by dark olive-grey upperparts, mostly yellow underparts from upper belly to undertail coverts, and tail feathers with reddish inner webs. The voice is a loud, plaintive whistle peeu-wheeet and also a short whistles oo-ee, oo-ee, or e-oo-ee.

Lesser Antillean Flycatcher is a rare and elusive bird in St. Lucia, primarily found in the transition forest at medium elevation and in the rainforest in the interior of the Castries Works Reserve, Quilesse, Edmond Forest and Millet areas. The local name refers to the large head (“Gros Tête” in the French Creole language) in proportion to the rest of its body.

The breeding season is from March to July.  The nest is made of loose plant fibers, feathers and plant down is built in a tree cavity, where the female lays 3 to 4 creamy buff eggs, heavily spotted and scrawled with purplish-brown and violet-grey. 

HOUSE WREN  (ST. LUCIA WREN)  Troglodytes aedon mesoleucus         Endemic subspecies

Local name:  Rossignol

Length:  11.5–13cm (4.5–5 in).  The St. Lucia Wren is considered an endemic subspecies of the House Wren.  It is a small, active brown bird with a large head relative to body size. The St. Lucia race is slightly paler below than the St. Vincent and Dominica races. The song of the wren is a bustling, gurgling warble compared to other birds. There is also a distinct variation in the dialect between the St. Lucia race and that of the other islands. This provides good grounds for elevating the St. Lucia subspecies to full species status.

The breeding season is May to August.  The female lays two to six whitish eggs, heavily speckled brownish-red.

Similar to all of St. Lucia’s endemic birds, the wren is threatened by the loss of its forest habitat.  It is now confined to the northeast coast of St. Lucia and Gros Piton.  The decline of its population is also related to predation by rats, mongooses, etc. Brood parasitism by the Shiny Cowbird is also a major threat to the wren’s survival.

WHITE-BREASTED THRASHER   Ramphocinclus brachyurus sanctaeluciae

Local Name:  Gorge Blanc

Length:  23–25cm (9–10 in).   The upperparts are dark brown with contrasting white underparts and long, slightly down-curved bill.  It often droops its wings and may twitch or flick its wings when excited or curious.  The immature bird is dark brown, developing a creamy white patch on the breast as it ages.  This subspecies is endemic to St. Lucia.

The White-breasted Thrasher is very rare and critically endangered, restricted to the northeast coast from Prasline in the east to Petite in the north. The global population is just 1250 breeding adults, 80% of which live in coastal scrub and dry woodland along the northeast side of St. Lucia. The habitat is dense thickets of semi-arid, wooded stream valleys and ravines. It is now on the IUCN Red List* as a result of habitat destruction due to resort development, urbanization and charcoal burners.  Other threats include rats, mongooses, and Boa Constrictors which prey on juveniles.  Young thrashers spend much time on the ground before fledging; they are noisy and attract terrestrial predators.  White-breasted Thrashers primarily forage on the ground, tossing aside leaf litter in search of small invertebrates.  They feed to a lesser extent on berries, fruits, small lizards and tree frogs. 

The White-breasted Thrasher is the only member of its genus.  It is a Lesser Antillean Regional Endemic; St. Lucia and Martinique comprise its entire range; Ramphocinclus brachyurus sanctaeluciae (St Lucia) and Ramphocinclus brachyurus brachyurus (Martinique).

*IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) Red List (a list of species most at risk of extinction).

SCALY-BREASTED THRASHER   Margarops fuscus schwartzi                  Endemic subspecies

Local Name:  Grieve

Length:  23cm (9 in). Scaly-breasted Thrasher is a very shy bird distinguished by white underparts heavily scaled with greyish brown from throat to belly, a single whitish wingbar, black bill, yellow-brown iris, and tail tipped with white. It may be confused with Pearly-eyed Thrasher which is larger with a large, yellowish bill, no wingbars and different belly pattern.

Scaly-breasted Thrasher is common year-round in St. Lucia where it can be found in both moist and semi-arid forest and woodlands.  The nest is a rough cup-shape, built in a tree, in which the female lays two or three greenish-blue eggs.  The breeding season is May and June.  The schwartzi subspecies is endemic to St. Lucia.

GRAY TREMBLER  Cinclocerthia gutturalis macrorhyncha           

Local Name:  Trembleur

Length:  23–26cm (9–10 in.) The Gray Trembler has dark grey upperparts, pale, whitish underparts with whitish throat.  Some individuals are greyish-beige below. The iris is yellow.  The bill is very long and slightly down-curved near the tip. It characteristically droops its wings and trembles when searching for insects in cracks in tree bark and other vegetation.  Vocalizations include wavering whistled phrases, harsh scold and call notes.

Gray Trembler occurs at all elevations and can be seen in both moist and semi-arid forest and woodlands in St. Lucia. It is a Lesser Antillean Regional Endemic;  St. Lucia and Martinique comprise its entire range: Cinclocerthia gutturalis macrorhyncha (St. Lucia);  Cinclocerthia gutturalis gutturalis (Martinique).

PEARLY-EYED THRASHER  Margarops fuscatus klinikowski                     Endemic subspecies

Local Name:  Gross Grieve

Length:  28–30cm (11–12 in). This is the largest thrasher on the island. The upperparts are light brown; the underparts are white, streaked with brown.  It can be distinguished from the Scaly-Breasted Thrasher by its white eye, yellowish bill and large white patches on the tail tip.   Forest Thrush is darker brown, has yellow skin around the eye, yellow legs and lacks tail spots.  Pearly-eyed Thrasher’s vocalization is a series of one- to three-syllable phrases (e.g. pio-tareeu-tsee) with fairly lengthy pauses separating them.  It often sings well into the day and during clear nights.  It also has many raucous call notes, including a guttural craw-craw and a harsh chook-chook.

Pearly-eyed Thrasher is a common resident in St Lucia where it occurs in the rainforest areas.   It is an aggressive bird, often seen in confrontation with the St. Lucia Parrot for nesting cavities and is also known for taking the eggs and young of other birds.  The klinikowski subspecies is endemic to St. Lucla.

FOREST THRUSH  Cichlherminia lherminieri sanctaeluciae           Endemic subspeices

Local Name:  Mauvis

Length:  25–27cm (10 in).  Greyish-brown upperparts, with brown and white spots on breast, flanks and upper belly giving a scaled effect.  It can be distinguished from the Pearly-Eyed Thrasher by its smaller size, its yellow legs, bill, and bare yellow skin around eye.  It also lacks the thrasher’s white spots on the tail.  It is a shy thrush that feeds on insects and berries from ground level to the tree canopy.

Forest Thrush is a very rare bird in St. Lucia, at one time having been thought extinct on the island.  However, there have been regular sightings in the Castries Waterworks Reserve and in the Rainforest Sky Rides Park, following Tropical Storm Dean in July 2007.  Forest Thrush’s decline in St. Lucia has been attributed to habitat loss, competition with Bare-eyed Thrush, brood parasitism by Shiny Cowbird, being hunted by humans as a favored food and perhaps due to predation by mongooses and other introduced predators.  The sanctaeluciae subspecies is endemic to St. Lucia.

RUFOUS-THROATED SOLITAIRE   Myadestes genibarbis sanctaeluciae    Endemic subspecies

Local Name:  Siffleur Morne

Length:  19cm (7.5 in).  Mostly grey above, with white chin; reddish-brown throat, neck and undertail coverts; light grey breast; yellow feet; and tail with white outer feathers.

This is a favorite bird of most visitors to the dense mountain forest of Quilesse and Edmund Forest Reserves due to its song and colour.  It is a fairly common resident in St. Lucia and can be recognized by its hauntingly beautiful minor-key whistle, most often heard at dawn.  The islands of Jamaica, Hispaniola, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Vincent comprise the entire range of the species; the sanctaelucia subspecies is endemic to St.Lucia.

The breeding season is from April to August.  The nest is cup-shaped, usually constructed in a crevice and covered by vegetation or it may be located in the center of a tree fern or bromeliad.  Females lay two eggs, bluish-white or blue with white spots. 

YELLOW WARBLER   Dendroica petechia babad               Endemic subspecies

Local Name:  Sucrier Mang

Length:  11.5–13.5cm (4.5–5.25 in).  Adult male is mostly yellow overall, including patches on outer tail feathers; greenish-yellow upperparts; reddish streaks to breast and sides; head yellow but with distinct reddish-brown cap.  The adult female is similar to the male, but faintly (if at all) streaked below and lacking reddish brown on crown.

The song is variable, but typically a loud clear and rapid sweet- sweet- sweet- ti-ti-ti weet.  Call notes include a thin zeet and hard chip.

Yellow Warbler is a common resident of St. Lucia, mostly confined to mangrove and coastal scrub forests areas.  The babad subspecies is endemic to the island.

LESSER ANTILLEAN BULLFINCH   Loxigilla noctis sclateri                        Endemic subspecies

Local Name:   Pere Noir (male); Maisson (female)

Length:  14cm (6 in).  The male is black with red on throat; the female is dark grey above and light grey below.  (Beware of confusion with the endemic St. Lucia Black Finch, the male of which lacks a red throat, has pink legs, a larger bill and bobs its tail; the female has a grey crown.) The voice is a crisp trill to a harsh chuk; a thin, wiry tseep, tseep and a lengthy twitter.

The Lesser Antillean bullfinch is a very common resident; the sclateri subspecies is endemic to the island. It is found at all elevations and is frequently seen around human habitation, raiding open-air restaurant tables, feeding on food scraps, etc.

The breeding season is from February to August.  The nest is a dome constructed with a side entrance, in a low, dense bush or tree, where the female lays about four white eggs, finely spotted with red, especially at the broad end. 

CARIB GRACKLE   Quiscalus lugubris inflexirostris                      Endemic subspecies

Local Name:  Merle

Length:  26cm (10 in).  The male is entirely black with a violet, green or steel-blue sheen; yellowish-white iris and long, V-shaped tail; the female is smaller and dark grey overall.  (Similar to Shiny Cowbird, which is much smaller with a finer bill, dark brown eye; the tail is not V-shaped.) The voice is a squeaky pattern of three to seven syllables with a rising inflection; also various whistles and chuck notes.

Carib Grackle is a very common resident that typically occurs in flocks open areas, including pastures, open scrubland, agricultural fields and residential areas at lower and mid elevations.  The inflexirostris subspecies is endemic to St. Lucia.

The nest is a bulky structure of grass, plant fibers and leaves with a deep central cup and constructed in a large bushy tree or palm. The female lays three to four greenish-blue eggs with black scrawls.  May breed year-round, but primarily February to July.