Jamaica has about 200 resident bird species with more endemic bird species than any other Caribbean island. Of these, 25 species and 21 sub-species are found nowhere else.

High on the list of bird sightings is the national bird, the Red-billed streamertail Humming Bird, affectionately called the Doctor Bird or Swallow Tail Humming Bird (Trochilus Polytmus)and lives only in Jamaica. The male Doctor Bird is vividly colored in a shimmering blue-green coat with a lengthy, scissors-shaped sweeping tail. Its habitat is diverse, ranging from sea level to Blue Mountain Peak.

Other treats are sighting of Jamaica’s two endemic parrots, the Yellow-billed parrot and the Black-billed parrot. These strikingly colorful birds are mostly found in the Cockpit Country.

Wetlands and river banks attract large numbers of wading birds, and waterfowl, and Jamaica in this regard is no exception. Jamaica’s largest wetland, the Great Morass’, can be found near to the town of Black River. The birds here include Egrets, Blue herons, Brown pelicans, Tricolored herons, Gull-billed terns, Least terns and Black-necked stilts.

Beyond the dazzling assortment of birds, there is a lot more to Jamaica’s wildlife. Snakes, lizards, frogs, the coney, iguana and the crocodile were on the island long before the early Spanish settlers arrived. The snakes, lizards and frogs of Jamaica are harmless. Five species of snakes are all land dwellers and are very rarely seen. The largest is the Yellow Snake, sometimes growing to lengths of up to 15 feet.

Lizards are much easier to find as many live around houses and gardens, feeding on insects. The Anole lizard can change color according to its emotions, from brilliant green to dark brown. Croaking lizards make loud noises, and their feet have sucking pads that enable them to climb walls and cling upside down on ceilings.

The coney (closely related to the rat and resembling a large brown guinea pig) and the iguana have not survived quite as well as the lizards, as they have fallen prey to the ferocious mongoose, a relative newcomer brought into Jamaica from India to control field rats. Now only very few coneys and iguanas remain, and the latter are mostly confined to areas within the John Crow Mountain Range.

Jamaica also has over one hundred different kinds of butterflies, but the most colorful and flamboyant of them is the famous Papilio homerus, the yellow and black swallowtail butterfly. This is the largest of all swallowtail butterflies in the Americas. Its wing span is sometimes over six inches and its color combinations are striking. It has been sighted in the Cockpit Country and in regions of the Blue Mountains.

There are 25 species of harmless bats. Rat Bats, as Jamaicans call them live in caves and in wooded areas feeding on fruit and insects. There is one large bat, however, that feeds on fish and it can sometimes be seen near the water surface at Kingston Harbour searching for food.

Additionally, there are over a dozen different kinds of small frogs. Some live in trees or in water and feed on insects. Fireflies, too, are of interest and there are over fifty species on the island. The largest is a click beetle called the peenie wallie. Its bright, flashing light is sometimes easily detectable in dimly lit areas.

The American crocodile, which is said to be harmless, continues to be a source of intrigue. This reptile, whose adult size can reach up to seven or eight feet lives mostly in wetlands on the island's South Coast, is said to be shy an inoffensive unless threatened. A few hundred crocodiles remain in the swamps of the Black River and elsewhere, and they are now protected by law from hunters. The manatee, or sea cow, also survives on Jamaica's South Coast, though their numbers have become alarmingly few in recent times. These large walrus-like aquatic creatures weigh hundreds of pounds and can be very docile. It is estimated that just under fifty still exist.

*Source: "Jamaica, Flora and Fauna" , published by The Jamaica Tourist Board. Information provided by the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the OAS.