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List of birds of Puerto Rico facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Puerto Rico is a beautiful group of islands in the Caribbean, and it's home to many different kinds of birds! This list tells you about all the bird species that have been seen here. The main island of Puerto Rico is the biggest, but there are also smaller islands like Vieques, Culebra, Mona, Monito, and Desecheo, plus over 125 tiny islands and cays.

As of July 2022, about 385 different bird species have been recorded in Puerto Rico. Some of these birds are just visiting, like the 201 "accidental" species that don't usually live here. Sadly, two species have disappeared from Puerto Rico (they are "extirpated"), and one is believed to be completely "extinct."

Seventeen bird species are "endemic," which means they are found only in Puerto Rico and nowhere else in the world! Many non-native birds also live here; 43 species were brought to the islands by humans. You might also see many parrots, finches, and waxbills flying around that probably escaped from pet homes. For example, a study in 2018 found at least 46 types of parrots on the island, with some even starting families here! About 120 species of birds actually breed in Puerto Rico, while most of the others come to the islands to spend the winter.

This list follows the order used by bird experts from the American Ornithological Society. The names of the birds and their families also come from these experts.

Here are some special tags you'll see next to the bird names to tell you more about them:

  • (A) Accidental - This bird rarely or accidentally visits Puerto Rico.
  • (E) Endemic - This bird lives only in Puerto Rico.
  • (Ex) Extirpated - This bird used to live in Puerto Rico but no longer does, though it can be found elsewhere.
  • (I) Introduced - This bird was brought to Puerto Rico by humans.

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

This family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are great at living in water! They have webbed feet, flat bills, and special feathers that shed water easily because of natural oils.

Guineafowl

Guinea fowl
Helmeted guineafowl

Order: Galliformes   Family: Numididae

Guineafowl are African birds that eat seeds and build their nests on the ground. They look a bit like partridges but have heads without feathers and gray, spotted feathers.

New World Quail

Order: Galliformes   Family: Odontophoridae

New World quails are small, plump birds that live on land. They are not closely related to the quails from other parts of the world, but they look and act similarly.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

This family includes quails, partridges, and pheasants. These birds live on land and vary in size. They generally have plump bodies and broad, short wings.

Flamingos

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are tall, social wading birds, usually about 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) tall. They live in both the Western and Eastern parts of the world. Flamingos filter their food, like tiny shellfish and algae, using their unique beaks, which they use upside down!

Grebes

Podilymbus-podiceps-001
Pied-billed grebe, also known as zaramago in Spanish.

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-sized birds that dive in freshwater. They have lobed toes, which make them excellent swimmers and divers. However, their feet are set far back on their bodies, so they are quite clumsy on land.

Pigeons and Doves

Columba livia
Rock pigeon, a common bird in Puerto Rico's cities.

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with sturdy bodies, short necks, and thin bills.

Cuckoos

Anu preto 130506
Smooth-billed ani, a bird you can find in cities.

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

This family includes cuckoos and anis. These birds come in different sizes, with slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. Some cuckoos are known for laying their eggs in other birds' nests.

Nightjars and Allies

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized birds that are active at night. They usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Their soft feathers are colored to blend in with tree bark or leaves, helping them hide.

Potoos

Order: Nyctibiiformes   Family: Nyctibiidae

Potoos are large birds that are related to nightjars. They are active at night and eat insects. They don't have the bristles around their mouths that true nightjars have.

Swifts

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives flying. They have very short legs and almost never land on the ground. Instead, they perch on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings that look like a crescent moon or a boomerang.

Hummingbirds

Rubythroathummer65
Ruby-throated hummingbird, a bird that sometimes visits Puerto Rico by accident.

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are tiny birds famous for hovering in the air by flapping their wings super fast. They are the only birds that can fly backward!

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Moorhen.slimb.750pix
Common gallinule, often seen at the botanical garden of the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras.

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

This is a large family of small to medium-sized birds like rails, crakes, and coots. They usually live in thick plants near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are often shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs and long toes, perfect for walking on soft, uneven ground. They tend to have short, rounded wings and are not very strong fliers.

Limpkin

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Aramidae

The limpkin is a unique bird that looks like a large rail. However, its bones show it's more closely related to cranes.

Stilts and Avocets

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

This family includes avocets and stilts. Avocets have long legs and long, upward-curved bills. Stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

Oystercatchers

Haematopus palliatusPCSLB
American oystercatcher, a bird that breeds and can be found along almost any coast.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

Oystercatchers are large, noticeable, and noisy birds that look like plovers. They have strong bills that they use to smash or pry open shellfish.

Plovers and Lapwings

Charadrius vociferus 01362t
Killdeer, a bird that breeds in Puerto Rico.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

This family includes plovers and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short thick necks, and long, usually pointed, wings. They live in open areas worldwide, mostly near water.

Jacanas

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Jacanidae

Jacanas are wading birds found in tropical areas around the world. You can spot them by their huge feet and claws, which let them walk on floating plants in the shallow lakes they love.

Sandpipers and Allies

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

This is a large and varied family of small to medium-sized shorebirds, including sandpipers, curlews, and snipes. Most of these birds eat small bugs they find in mud or soil. Different leg and bill lengths allow many species to feed in the same places, especially on the coast, without competing for food.

Skuas and Jaegers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Skuas and jaegers are generally medium to large birds, often gray or brown with white marks on their wings. They nest on the ground in cooler parts of the world and travel long distances.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Flying Laughing Gull
Laughing gull, the most common gull (gaviota) in Puerto Rico.
SootyTernLordHoweIsland
Sooty tern, this bird nests in the Culebra National Reserve.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. They are usually gray or white, often with black markings on their heads or wings. They have longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are known for diving to catch fish, while skimmers have a unique lower bill that lets them skim the water for small fish.

Tropicbirds

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slim white birds that live over tropical oceans. They have very long central tail feathers. Their long wings and heads have black markings.

Southern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

Storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds. They are related to petrels and eat tiny sea creatures and small fish from the water's surface, often while hovering. Their flight is fluttery, sometimes like a bat.

Northern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

These storm-petrels look and act much like the southern storm-petrels. However, genetic differences show they belong in their own family.

Shearwaters and Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

This group includes medium-sized "true petrels." They have nostrils that are joined together and a long outer primary feather (a main flight feather).

Storks

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, heavy wading birds with long legs, long necks, and strong, long bills. They have wide wingspans. Unlike herons and spoonbills, storks don't have special "powder down" feathers to clean off fish slime. They also don't have a voice box, so they are mute.

Frigatebirds

Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are black, or black and white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colorful throat pouches that can inflate. They cannot swim or walk well and can't take off from a flat surface. They have the largest wingspan compared to their body weight of any bird, allowing them to stay in the air for more than a week!

Boobies and Gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

This family includes gannets and boobies. Both are medium-large seabirds that live near coasts and dive headfirst into the water to catch fish.

Cormorants and Shags

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

This family includes cormorants and shags, which are medium to large seabirds that eat fish. Most have dark feathers, some are black and white, and a few are quite colorful.

Pelicans

Brown-Pelican-Ponce-Inlet-FL
Brown pelican, a protected bird often seen along Puerto Rico's coasts.

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are very large water birds with a special pouch under their beak. Like other birds in their group, they have four webbed toes.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Cattle Egret
Cattle egret (garza in Spanish), a common bird in Puerto Rico's countryside, often seen near cows.

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

This family includes bitterns, herons, and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns are usually shorter-necked and more secretive. When they fly, these birds pull their necks back, unlike storks or ibises.

Ibises and Spoonbills

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

This family includes ibises and spoonbills, which are large birds that live on land and wade in water. They have long, wide wings and are strong fliers. Surprisingly, for their size, they are also very good at soaring high in the air.

New World Vultures

Flying Turkey Vulture with Wings Held Upward
The turkey vulture, which might have been introduced to Puerto Rico, lives in the southwestern part of the island, especially in the Guánica State Forest.

Order: Cathartiformes   Family: Cathartidae

New World vultures are not closely related to vultures from other parts of the world, but they look similar because they adapted to the same lifestyle. Like other vultures, they are scavengers, meaning they eat dead animals. Unlike Old World vultures, which find food by sight, New World vultures have a good sense of smell to find carcasses.

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

The family Pandionidae has only one species: the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large bird of prey that specializes in eating fish. You can find them all over the world.

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

RedtailedHawk23
Red-tailed hawk, known as guaraguao in Puerto Rico.

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

This family includes hawks, eagles, and kites. These birds of prey have very large, powerful, hooked beaks for tearing meat from their prey. They also have strong legs, powerful talons (claws), and excellent eyesight.

Barn-Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with big heads and a special heart-shaped face. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons.

Owls

Asio-flammeus-001
Short-eared owl, found in the southwestern town of Cabo Rojo.
Megascops nudipes-Mucarito-Screech Owl of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican owl, found in the western town of Aguada.

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are usually solitary birds of prey that are active at night. They have large eyes that face forward and good hearing. They also have a beak like a hawk and a clear circle of feathers around each eye, called a facial disk.

Todies

IMG 2932crop-puerto-rican-tody
Puerto Rican tody, an endemic bird known as San Pedrito (little Saint Peter).

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Todidae

Todies are a group of small forest birds found only in the Caribbean. These birds have colorful feathers and look like kingfishers, but they have flattened bills with jagged edges. They eat small prey like insects and lizards.

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and short tails.

Woodpeckers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues for catching insects. Some have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while others have only three toes. Many woodpeckers tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Falcons and Caracaras

Americankestrel65
American kestrel, known as halcón común (common falcon) in Puerto Rico.

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

This family includes falcons and caracaras, which are birds of prey active during the day. They are different from hawks and eagles because they kill their prey with their beaks instead of their talons.

Cockatoos

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Cacatuidae

Cockatoos share many features with other parrots, like their curved beak and feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward. But they are special because of their often amazing movable crests (feathers on their heads).

New World and African Parrots

Amazona vittata
Puerto Rican parrot, an endemic species and one of the 10 most endangered birds in the world.

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae

Parrots have strong, curved bills, stand upright, and have strong legs with clawed feet (two toes forward, two backward). Many parrots are very colorful. They range in size from about 3 inches (8 cm) to 3 feet (1 meter) long. Most of the more than 150 species in this family live in the Americas.

Tyrant Flycatchers

Tyrannus dominicensis
Gray kingbird, known as pitirre, a name that sounds like its call.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are birds found throughout North and South America. They look a bit like flycatchers from other parts of the world, but they are stronger and have tougher bills. They don't have the fancy songs of other songbirds. Most of them are quite plain in color. As their name suggests, most of them eat insects.

Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small to medium-sized birds. They are usually greenish and look like New World warblers, but they have heavier bills.

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, and jays. Corvids are larger than average songbirds, and some of the bigger species are very intelligent.

Swallows

Hirundo-rustica-001
Barn swallow, species from this family are known as golondrinas in Puerto Rico.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

Swallows are built for catching food in the air. They have slender, streamlined bodies, long pointed wings, and short bills with wide mouths. Their feet are made for perching, not walking.

Waxwings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are birds with soft, silky feathers and unique red tips on some of their wing feathers, which look like sealing wax. These birds live in northern forests and eat insects in summer and berries in winter.

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Mimus-polyglottos-001
Northern mockingbird, commonly known as ruiseñor in Puerto Rico.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Mimidae

This family includes thrashers and mockingbirds. These birds are famous for their amazing voices and their ability to copy many different bird calls and other sounds they hear outside. They usually have dull gray and brown feathers.

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings and mynas are small to medium-sized birds from the Old World with strong feet. They fly strongly and directly and often live in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark with a metallic shine.

Thrushes and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of birds mostly found in the Old World. They are plump, soft-feathered, small to medium-sized birds that eat insects or sometimes everything. They often feed on the ground, and many have beautiful songs.

Old World Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large group of small birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small tree-dwelling birds that eat insects. These birds vary a lot in how they look, but most have weak songs and harsh calls.

Weavers and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Ploceidae

Weavers are small birds related to finches. They eat seeds and have rounded, cone-shaped bills. Most of them live in Africa, but some are in tropical Asia. Weavers get their name because many species build large, woven nests. They are social birds and often nest in groups.

Indigobirds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Viduidae

This family includes indigobirds and whydahs, which are small birds native to Africa. All species in this family are "brood parasites," meaning they lay their eggs in the nests of other finches. These birds usually have black or indigo colors in their feathers.

Waxbills and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Estrildidae

Waxbills are small birds from the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are social birds that eat seeds and have short, thick, but pointed bills. They are similar in shape and habits but have many different feather colors and patterns.

Old World Sparrows

Passer domesticus2
House sparrow, a common bird in Puerto Rico's cities.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Sparrows are small birds. Generally, they are small, plump, brownish or grayish birds with short tails and strong, short beaks. Sparrows eat seeds, but they also eat small insects.

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating birds that are small to medium-large. They have strong, usually cone-shaped beaks, which can be very large in some species. All finches have twelve tail feathers and nine primary flight feathers. These birds have a bouncy flight, flapping and then gliding with closed wings, and most sing well.

  • Puerto Rican euphonia, Chlorophonia sclateri
  • Yellow-fronted canary, Crithagra mozambica (I) (A)
  • Red siskin, Spinus cucullatus (I)
  • Island canary, Serinus canaria (I)

New World Sparrows

GrasshopperSparrow23
Grasshopper sparrow, a bird often found in rice fields and pastures.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

Until 2017, these birds were part of a different family. Most of them are called sparrows, but they are not closely related to the Old World sparrows. Many of these birds have unique patterns on their heads.

Puerto Rican Tanager

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Nesospingidae

This bird was once thought to be a type of tanager, but in 2017, experts decided it belonged in its very own family!

Spindalises

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Spindalidae

The birds in this small family are native to the Greater Antilles islands. They were also once classified as tanagers but were given their own family in 2017.

Troupials and Allies

Yellow-shouldered Blackbird
Yellow-shouldered blackbird, an endemic blackbird that was listed as an endangered species in 1976.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful birds found only in the Americas. They include grackles and orioles. Most species have black as their main feather color, often brightened with yellow, orange, or red.

New World Warblers

Elfin-woods warbler perched on a tree branch
Elfin-woods warbler, the most recently discovered New World warbler.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

Wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful birds found only in the Americas. Most live in trees, but some spend more time on the ground. Most birds in this family eat insects.

Cardinals and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

Cardinals are a family of strong, seed-eating birds with powerful bills. They usually live in open woodlands. Males and females often have different feather colors.

Tanagers and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Thraupidae

Tanagers are a large group of small to medium-sized birds found only in the Americas, mostly in tropical areas. Many species are brightly colored. As a family, they eat many different things, but individual species might specialize in eating fruits, seeds, insects, or other foods.

Images for kids

  • White.cheeked.pintail.750pix

    White-cheeked pintail, a species which can be found on the salt flats of Vieques.

  • Anas discors0

    Blue-winged teal, this non-breeding species may be found in both the north and south regions of the main island.

  • Oxyura jamaicensis FWS

    Ruddy duck, this breeding species is typically found in Puerto Rico's northern coastal areas.

  • GreaterYellowlegs23

    Greater yellowlegs, a common occurrence, except in summer, at the island of Culebra.

  • Ruddy turnstone

    Ruddy turnstone, a non-breeding species commonly found near coastal waters.

  • Calidris-alba-001

    Sanderling, a non-breeding species commonly found near bodies of water.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Aves de Puerto Rico para niños

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List of birds of Puerto Rico Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.