Visit Montserrat | The Official Montserrat Tourism Guide

You'll hear the trills, warbles and mating calls of our birds, but against the dense leaves of the forest, these birds could be hard to spot with the naked eye. Be sure to bring your binoculars if you want to see the rare birds of Montserrat, including our endemic Oriole.

MONTSERRAT ORIOLE

This is Montserrat’s national bird which is critically endangered. Adult males are a black and yellow combination. Females and young males are yellowish green. Orioles are slim, long-tailed with a noticeable silvery-white tinge to the lower back. Found only in the rainforest and at high-altitude in elfin forest, they build their nest under the leaf of the Heliconia, the island’s National Flower.

BROWN TREMBLER

This is a medium-sized, long-tailed bird with a rich brown plumage. The long black bill is slightly down-curved and the eye is bright gold. The underparts are uniform buff brown. This bird is generally found in the Centre Hills forest and is a relative of the Thrashers, but it is solitary, quiet and shy.

FOREST THRUSH

This bird has a rich brown back, wings, neck and crown. The legs and bill are bright yellow and the bird has a very prominent circle of bare skin around the eyes. The breast and belly have a distinctive bold scaly pattern, made by feathers with brown edges and white centres. Sometimes confused with the Scaly-Breasted or Pearly-Eyed Thrashers, it makes a strange and far-crying whooping song.

BRIDLED QUAIL-DOVE

This plump bird has a white streak below the eye. The neck and upper back are iridescent dark green and purple. The back and wings are brown and the upper parts are pink-buff. The eye and beak are red, with a pale bill-tip. This bird is usually seen on the forest floor in small patches in the Woodlands area, as well as in the Centre Hills Forest.

GREEN-THROATED CARIB(SPARROW)

A small fast-moving hummingbird which looks like metallic green from a distance. Up close it has a metallic blue patch at the base of its green breast and a darker belly and tail. Its long bill is slightly down-curved but less so than in the Purple-Throated Carib. This is an active but restless bird.

PURPLE-THROATED CARIB

This is a small hummingbird, mostly black with bright green wings and tail, and an iridescent purple throat. In the light, its throat is astonishingly bright but in the shade, it often appears uniformly very dark. The bill is long and down-curved. This bird prefers the forest but is occasionally seen in open areas and woodland patches in the lowlands.

ANTILLEAN CRESTED HUMMINGBIRD

This is a tiny bird, dark green in colour with a short straight bill. Plumage is uniform but in the right light appears iridescent. The crest on the crown is striking when seen. Females are duller in colour than males, with less obvious crests, and greyish underparts. It is found in forests but also around the edges of woodland, in gardens and in farmland.

SCALY-BREASTED THRASHER (THRUSH)

This is a bird with a uniform brown on its back, head, wings and upper tail. Its eye is bright yellow and the bill is dark. The underparts are scaly-brown with a whitish pattern. It has a very distinctive single note call. Although primarily a forest bird, it is fairly common throughout Montserrat in gardens, farms and forests.

CARIBBEAN ELAENIA (PEE WHISTLER)

This is a small and nondescript bird, it is mostly olive grey, with a paler under belly. It has two whitish wing bars and an inconspicuous white crest on the top of the head. It is primarily a bird of the dry and semi-dry forest in the lower areas particularly in more open sunny patches, and on the edges of clearings. It gives a penetrating single whistle and has a cheery song phrase – chwee chee chu chu.

SCALY-NAPED PIGEON

This is a large slate-grey coloured mountain pigeon with a scaly, purple-red patch on the side of the neck, hence its name. It has a distinctive call with the last three syllables sounding like “Who are you?”

YELLOW WARBLER

This is a small to medium-sized bright yellow bird with black dots. The male has a more striking coloration. This bird favors dry forest and makes a sweet whistling call. It constructs a basket nest of grass which it attaches to the Acacia plant.

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