More Puerto Rico

I saved the cutest for last. Everybody’s favorite — the Puerto Rican Tody is a tiny flycatcher. One of the most colorful and sought after birds in Puerto Rico, it is thankfully one of the most common of the endemics. It is found throughout the country, but easily overlooked due to its diminutive size of about 4 inches. Its nasal zeeent is its only regular vocalization, so listen hard in every habitat. Like kingfishers and motmots of the mainland, the Puerto Rican Tody burrows into dirt banks to build its nest.

My other favorite Puerto Rican bird is not an endemic of the island — it is considered a specialty. The Antillean Crested Hummingbirds is, however, a Caribbean endemic. Found locally in eastern Puerto Rico and on the tiny island of Vieques, it stakes out a territory and sticks to it.