Birds main page Gruiformes Family: Aramidae - Limpkins Family: Heliornithidae - Sungrebes Family: Rallidae - Rails, Gallinules and Coots Passeriformes Family: Coerebidae - Bananaquits Family: Cotingidae - Contingas Family: Dendrocolaptidae - Woodcreepers Family: Formicariidae - Antbirds Family: Fringillidae - Finches, Seedeaters and Grosbeaks Family: Furnariidae - Ovenbirds Family: Hirundinidae - Swallows Family: Icteridae - American Orioles Family: Mimidae - Mockingbirds Family: Motacillidae - Pipits and Wagtails Family: Parulidae - Wood Warblers Family: Pipridae - Manakins Family: Sylviidae - Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers Family: Tersinidae -Swallow Tanagers Family: Thraupidae - Honeycreepers and Tanagers Family: Troglodytidae - Wrens Family: Turdidae -Thrushes Family: Tyrannidae - Tyrant Flycatchers Family: Vireonidae - Peppershrikes and Vireos

Family: Aramidae - Limpkins
This single-species family can be found in freshwater marshes and swampy woodland. Resembles ibises, can be distinguished in flight from ibises by their crane like wing action, a slow downbeat and a jerky upward stroke.

Family: Heliornithidae - Sungrebes
The family is represented in the New World by only one species.

Family: Rallidae - Rails, Gallinules and Coots
Most species have fairly long bills with very long toes adapted to walking on floating vegetation. They frequently flick their short upturned tails.

Family: Coerebidae - Bananaquits
With over 30 races, this family is found in a variety of habitats over a wide area. Its short legs and strong toes enable it to cling to vegetation at any angle, often hanging upside down to feed, probing into flowers for nectar or piercing both flowers and fruit with its sharp, slightly decurved bill. It is classified as an energetic and extremely active species.

Family: Cotingidae - Cotingas
They vary in appearance and size, though most members are characterized by their rounded wings, short legs and broad bills slightly hooked at the tip. They habitually turn their heads curiously from side to side while otherwise motionless on a perch. Their food includes both fruits and insects. They are found in the canopy of forest trees.

Family: Dendrocolaptidae - Woodcreepers
This family superficially resembles woodpeckers in that they habitually climb tree trunks supported by their stiff tails. Instead of boring holes however, they explore the wood for insects with their long, slightly curved bills. They are generally brown in colour with streaked heads. They inhabit forests, including mangroves.

Family: Formicariidae - Antbirds
This family has a diverse number of species which may be found in every type of habitat in our islands. Most of the species are small, many are crested, the sexes are usually dissimilar. They are almost entirely insectivorous. They attract attention with their chuckling or high-pitched whistling calls.

Family: Fringillidae - Finches, Seedeaters and Grosbeaks
These are mostly nondescript birds with the males being generally more brightly coloured than females. The bill is short and conical, adapted to the main diet of seeds. The song of many species is attractive and musical, leading to a great demand locally for the best songsters as cage-birds. They occur in open areas and light woodland. They are fairly conspicuous and several species habitually flock together.

Family: Furnariidae - Ovenbirds
These are small brown birds usually with some rufous colouring in their plumage. They are most diverse in habitats and habits. They inhabit from hill forest to mangrove swamps and forage on the ground or amidst undergrowth. They nest in large complicated structures built of sticks.

Family: Hirundinidae - Swallows
The members of this family are characterized by their short necks, slender bodies and long pointed wings. Several species are gregarious, roosting and breeding in colonies. They inhabit open country where they feed entirely on insects caught on the wing.

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Family: Icteridae - American Orioles
These birds form a heterogenous family, of which the most notable common characteristic is the long, conical bill. Medium to large size, most are mainly black, often with varying amounts of yellow or red. For many of the species, the sexes are similar in plumage, but the female is noticeably smaller.

Family: Mimidae - Mockingbirds
This family consists of thrush-like birds with long tails and rounded wings. The bill is fairly long and usually decurved. The song is conspicuous and usually musical. Mockingbirds feed on or near the ground, taking insects and small fruits.

Family: Motacillidae - Pipits and Wagtails
The birds of this family usually inhabit open areas. They are mostly terrestrial and feed on insects and walk or run about busily, bobbing their heads and frequently wagging their tails. Their flight is strong and undulating.

Family: Parulidae - Wood Warblers
These are small, thin-billed birds. Most flit restlessly about outer branches of trees feeding on small insects and berries. Their breeding plumage is brilliantly patterned, mostly yellow, black or white.

Family: Pipridae - Manakins
These are small forest birds usually with short wings and tails, and short, broad-based bills. They feed mainly on fruits taken on the wing. The ready availability of fruit year-round in the tropics enables manakins to spend much of their time on other activities. Manakins are noted for their elaborate courtship displays, which vary considerably within the family.

Family: Sylviidae - Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers
This family frequents the undergrowth and low branches in the forest and second growth. They are small, inconspicuous, wren-like birds with a very long thin bill. They also possess a long narrow tail which it flicks loosely as it moves restlessly among the foliage somewhat in a manner of certain antbirds. They are insectivorous.

Family: Tersinidae - Swallow - Tanagers
The single species of this family is characterized by its short legs, long wings and short, wide, flat bill. It feeds partly on fruit but also on insects, catching them rapid in flight like a swallow.

Family: Thraupidae - Honeycreepers and Tanagers
These small to medium sized birds are noted for their brightly coloured plumage. They are widespread in the forest areas and savannah edges, often associating in small, loose flocks.

Family: Troglodytidae - Wrens
They are small and cryptically coloured with short rounded wings, stumpy tails and slender, straight or slightly curved bills. They inhabit undergrowth and low vegetation and are more commonly heard than seen. They are insectivorous foraging among foliage.

Family: Turdidae - Thrushes
These are medium sized birds with fairly long, sharp bills and generally sober plumage. The songs of several species are conspicuously musical. They do not seem to be as aggressive as Mockingbirds.

Family: Tyrannidae - Tyrant Flycatchers
These species also show great diversity in habitats and habits. They are small or medium sized with nondescript dull green plumage. Many members of this family are recognised by their upright, alert posture at a perch. They feed on fruit and included in their diet is reptiles, rodents or small birds. Their song is not very developed.

Family: Vireonidae - Peppershrikes and Vireos
Birds of this family are small and extremely non-descript greenish yellow birds with rather long, slightly hooked bills. They frequent the more open woodlands and deciduous forests, being found mainly in the lower branches of trees and dense thickets. The song of most species is a musical but monotonous phrase, by which they can be identified more readily than by their appearance, which is well camouflaged amidst thick foliage.

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