Shiny Cowbird

Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)

Shiny Cowbird

Order : Passeriformes
Also known as Passerine’s or perching bird’s. Any member of the largest avian order which includes more than 5,700 species, more than half of all living birds. Passerines are true perching birds with four toed feet, three toes facing forward and one larger toe facing backwards.

Family : Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)
The Icteridae is a family made up of 88 species of diverse songbirds from across the Americas including blackbirds, grackles, orioles, cowbirds, meadowlarks, and oropendolas. The majority of Icterids have black in the plumage with yellow also being a predominant colour in many species. Males are usually decidedly larger than females.

Name : Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)
Length 18 - 20 cm (7 - 8 in)
Local Names : Lazy bird, Blackbird’s cousin.

Originally from South America, this species is considered a rather recent arrival to the West Indies. The male is black with a strong violet gloss, the female a greyish brown with the juvenile being similar to the female. The song is a series of loud, musical whistles and a melodious warble and also soft unmusical call notes.The Shiny Cowbird is omnivorous it’s diet consisting of insects and seeds. It is a bird of open countryside and suburban areas and may roost colonially with Grackles. The Cowbird is parasitic, the female laying her eggs in the nests of other, usually smaller species. The foster parents are left to rear the young Cowbird, quite often at the expense of their own young.



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Bird identification images

Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) female

Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) juvenile

Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) male

Palm Tanager

Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum)

Palm Tanager

Order : Passeriformes
Also known as Passerine’s or perching birds. Any member of the largest avian order which includes more than 5,700 species, more than half of all living birds. Passerines are true perching birds with four toed feet, three toes facing forward and one larger toe facing backwards.

Family : Tanagers (Thraupidae)
The Tanagers are a large group of over 200 species of songbirds of new world forests and gardens mainly in the tropics. Many are brightly coloured. They range in size from 10 - 20 cm ( 4 - 8 in ), and most are arboreal, living in trees, undergrowth and shrub. The diet consists mainly of fruit, though some species eat insects.

Name : Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum)
Length : 17cm ( 7 in )

Closely related to the Blue-grey Tanager, the Palm Tanager is a dull olive green all over with yellowish wing coverts and dark primaries. It is a bird of cultivated land and suburban areas, though tends to feed at higher levels, often in Palm trees foraging among the palm leaves for insects, or taking berries and fruits from other trees. The nest is usually built in Palm trees, but may also be placed under the eaves of houses.



#Palm Tanager #Thraupis palmarum #Tanagers #Thraupidae #Passeriformes #perching birds #songbirds #arboreal birds #birds #birds of Tobago #birds of Trinidad & Tobago


Bird identification photos

House Wren

House Wren

Order : Passeriformes
Also known as Passerine’s or perching birds. Any member of the largest avian order which includes more than 5,700 species, more than half of all living birds. Passerine’s are true perching birds with four toed feet, three toes facing forward and one larger toe facing backwards.


Family : Wrens (Troglodytidae)
A new world family compromising about 59 species of which only one (Troglodytes troglodytes) has spread to old world regions where it is simply known as the Wren. Wrens are generally small, inconspicuous birds except for their comparatively loud songs. They are insectivorous, with short wings and often upturned tails.


Name : House Wren (Trogloytes aedon)
Length : 12 - 13 cm ( 4½ in )

As it’s name suggests this little Wren is often found around houses and gardens in search of insects and spiders which form it’s main diet. The nest is built in tree holes and crevices or similar man made structures, lined with soft materials where the female lays up to 6 eggs, though the nest may be parasited by the Shiny Cowbird, norally at the expense of the House Wrens own eggs or chicks. The House Wren ranges from Canada to Tierre del Fuego, usually inhabiting suburban areas, woodland and forest edges, especially where thick undergrowth is present.


#House Wren #Trogloytes aedon #Wrens #Troglodytidae #Passeriformes #perching birds #songbirds #birds #birds of Tobago

Bird identification photos

Blue - gray Tanager

Blue - gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)

Blue - gray Tanager

Order : Passeriformes
Also known as Passerine’s or perching bird’s. Any member of the largest avian order which includes more than 5,700 species, more than half of all living birds. Passerine’s are true perching birds with four toed feet, three toes facing forward and one larger toe facing backwards.

Family : Tanagers (Thraupidae)
The Tanagers are a large group of over 200 species of songbirds of new world forests and gardens mainly in the tropics. Many are brightly coloured. They range in size from 10 - 20 cm ( 4 - 8 in ), and most are arboreal, living in trees, undergrowth and shrub. The diet consists mainly of fruit, though some species eat insects.

Name :Blue - gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)
Length : 17cm ( 7 in )
Local Names : Blue jean

The Blue-gray Tanager ranges from Mexico south to northern Brazil and northern Bolivia. There are a number of races namely T. e. herlepschi endemic to Tobago, T. e. neosophila with a violet shoulder patch occurring in Trinidad, Venezuela, eastern Columbia and northern Brazil. T. e. mediana of the southern Amazon basin which has a white wing patch, and T. e. cana of the northern Amazon has a blue shoulder. Overall the Blue-gray Tanager is has a pale blue grey head and underparts, with darker blue upperparts. The bill is short, the lower mandible with white towards the base. Sexes are similar. They inhabit gardens, open countryside light woodland and forest edges, their diet consisting of fruits, insects and some nectar. Breeding is mainly during March and July, the nests are usually high up in a tree, occasionally being parasited by the Shiny Cowbird. They are usually seen in pairs or small groups, and may also be seen with Palm Tanagers.

#Blue - gray Tanager #Thraupis episcopus #Tanagers #Thraupidae #Passeriformes #Blue jean #birds #songbirds #tropical #birds of Tobago

Bird identification pictures