White-cheeked Pintail

White-cheeked Pintail
[Anas bahamensis]

Also known as the Bahama Pintail or the Bahama Duck, they're common in South America, the Carribean, and the Galápagos Islands. I spotted this adorable guy preening in the water on St. Thomas! 
White-cheeked Pintails are dabbling ducks, which means they don't dive, but feed at the surface of the water.
They are 13 - 18 inches long, with a wingspan of about 22 - 28 inches (approximation from my own sightings) They are mostly brown speckled with black, with large white cheeks, a gray bill with a red base, and a metallic-green band on their secondaries.

Carribean Hermit Crab

Carribean Hermit Crab
[Coenobita clypeatus]

Native to southern Florida, The Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, The West Indies, Venezuela, and Belize. I even saw these guys a considerable distance inland, I was surprised at how far away from the shore they will venture!
Ranging in size from a quarter of an inch long to about three inches long, (maybe even bigger!) these hermit crabs will live in stolen seashells, usually sea snails, although some hermit crabs will use bivalve shells, or hollow pieces of stone or wood. This is where they got the name "hermit" crab. They can be identified by their one large pincer, usually slightly purplish in color.

Green Iguana

Green Iguana
[Iguana iguana]

Iguana are native to Central and South America, the Carribean Islands, and even in parts of Florida, Texas, and Hawaii. They are kept as domestic pets in many parts of the world, due to their herbivorous diet and calm demeanor. A group of them is called a Lounge of Iguana. :)
I saw wild Iguana all over in my travels off the mainland; in Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curacao, and St. Thomas. Whether begging for lettuce in open eateries, to sunning in trees near the beach, I couldn't tell you how many of these guys I spotted!
Despite their name, Green Iguana come in a variety of other colors, blue, black, orange, lavender, or pink. They can grow up to 6 feet long! Distinguishing features include a row of spines down the back, a large round scale on their cheek called a subtympanic shield which covers their eardrums, and a long tail with thick black stripes.

Vervet

Vervet
[Chlorocebus pygerythrus]


Vervets are a type of African monkey that have been introduced to Barbados and St. Kitts. They are small and very friendly, intelligent and easy to train, which is why when I came out of port on St. Kitts I was entreated by several locals to hold and pet the little guys, charging a nominal fee for a photograph with them.
They have a black face with a white fringe of fur, black hands and feet, and are a brownish-gray all over. They have a long, thin, prehensile tail-- the one I was holding grasped my wrist with his, as he was examining my fingers, most likely to see if I had any sugar cane for him.

Lesser Long-Nosed Bat

Lesser Long-Nosed Bat
[Leptonycteris curasoae]

Also known as the Southern Long-Nosed Bat, these guys were one of my favorite finds in the Carribean. They are found in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Columbia, Venezuela, and in some places in Mexico and Central America. I saw them on Curaçao, in the Hato Caves, and instantly fell in love! They're about 3 inches long, and are one of the few types of bats that can see. Because of this, they don't have sonar, and their eyes are very sensitive to light. The flash of your camera can blind them! They eat fruit and pollen, and huddle together for warmth in groups of ten or fifteen. Their most distinguishing characteristic is a leaf-like flap on their noses, the feature that gives these little guys their name.

Red-Eyed Coqui

Red-Eyed Coqui
[Eleutherodactylus antillensis]


The Red-Eyed Coqui, also known as the Antillian Coqui, or Coqui Churi, is one of the most common Coqui in Puerto Rico. The Coqui are one of the most recognized symbols of Puerto Rico, they adorn everything from towels and bags to brochures and advertisements, smiling green frogs on everything!
The Red-Eyed Coqui is more beige than green, and I saw this tiny guy hopping around my hotel room, probably trying to get away from the heat, or looking for some water. As he's a tree frog, his feet aren't webbed, and he's not cut out for swimming. He was about an inch long -- at a distance, I thought he was a cricket!

Great Egret

Great Egret
[Ardea alba]

Great Egrets are highly widespread and partially migratory, throughout most of the warmer temperate and more tropical regions of six continents. In North America they can be found as far north as some southern parts of Canada.
Great Egrets are 39 inches with a wingspan of about 51 inches. Distinguished by their long necks, yellow bills and dark legs. A group of egrets is called a 'heronry', but don't confuse them for Herons! Great White Herons look very similar: look for the buffy tan or yellowish legs on a Heron to make sure you're not confusing him for a Great Egret. 

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican
[Pelecanus occidentalis]

This approx. 50 inch long member of Pelicaniformes is actually the smallest of all Pelicans. Even so, he is an impressive sight to see! I recognized him instantly when I saw him fly off some rocks and past our ship in port at St. Kitts.
Common along both coasts and down into the Carribean, I'm surprised I hadn't seen this conspicuous fellow before my trip to the West Indies. Brown Pelicans  can be found as far south as the mouth of the Amazon river... looks like I need to plan a trip to South America!
Pelicans are one of the easiest birds to identify. The long bill with pouch below are obvious and unmistakable. They are distinguished from other Pelicans by their brown or silvery-gray body and wings. They have an enormous wingspan of about 80 inches, so you'll be sure not to miss a flock of these guys in their steady, graceful single file flight.

Black-Faced Grassquit

Black-Faced Grassquit
[Tiaris bicolor]

Common throughout the Carribean and along the coasts of Columbia and Venezuela. At first I thought these guys were House Sparrows, that's how common they were. Only when I noticed their finchlike bills and lack of telltale sparrow markings (wingbars and such) did I realize my mistake!
Their mannerisms are similar to Emberizidae, they hop around in low grass just like a House Sparrow, but are actually related to finches, and the family resemblance is certainly there!
They are about 4 inches long with a wingspan of about 6 to 7 inches. A drab olive-gray all over, the males have distinctly olive green backs and wings. They have dark, conical finchlike bills and dark eyes.

Troupial

Troupial
[Icterus icterus]

The Troupial is the national bird of Aruba, and that is where I met my brightly-coloured oriole friend. It is also the national bird of Venezuela -- one day I may have to go visit to meet his Venezuelan counterparts!
Common in northern South America, Troupials can also be found on Aruba, Curaçao, and Isla Margarita. They have also been introduced to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and Bonaire. Troupials are nest pirates, chasing other birds away and eating the eggs! They are obligate nest pirates, which means they're one of the only kinds of birds that never make their own nests, much preferring a pre-warmed seat and an omelette.
They are 6-8 inches, with a wingspan of 11-13 inches (approximation from my own sightings) Several things make Troupials easy to identify. They have bright, bright orange bellies, black heads and black wings with a striking white stripe. Conical black beaks, yellow eyes, and, the most unique part of a Troupial: they have a patch of blue skin around the eye that has no feathers.

Magnificent Frigatebird

Magnificent Frigatebird
[Fregata magnificens]


I was in awe when I first saw these giant seabirds circling high above me. Sinister and angular, they looked almost like Pterodactyls!
Common in the Carribean and Florida as well as along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Ecuador. Pictured left is a female, with distinctive white chest. Males are all black, and, during mating season have a bright red throat pouch that inflates. Also known as a Man O'War, Magnificent Frigatebirds are aerial pirates, often chasing down and attacking smaller seabirds in midair to steal their catch of fish!
These guys are enormous, 40 inches long with a 90 inch wingspan! Easily identified by their slow, ominous circling, angular wings, hooked but almost gull-like beak, and split tails.

Bananaquit

Bananaquit
[Coereba flaveola]


This hummingbird-esque passerine is the reason I started this blog, so it's only suitable that my inaugural entry features this adorable little guy.
Common in South America, Mexico, and the Carribean, I spotted my first bananaquit on Aruba. Nicknamed the "sugar bird" for their love of sweets; (in fact, a local guide told me they were called "sugarquits") I saw him at a bar on the beach, stealing sugar granules from a cup at the service station, and poking his little beak into a bottle of Bailey's!
They range in size from 3 to 5 inches depending on subspecies. Wingspan is 5 to 7 inches. Easy to identify due to their bright yellow bellies, curved dark beaks, white eyebrow and bright red or pink gape.