The Color and the Shape

Just like home, I love eating breakfast at the kitchen table, while watching the birds flitting about in their morning routine.  At home, their primary focus is the bird feeder, which is fastened to the patio railing, directly in view through the French door.  The birds rummage through the tropical bushes and fruit trees, perhaps, seeking shelter, just as much as food.  The strange songs and striking color patterns often catch my attention and, one day, I finally grabbed the Puerto Rico bird identification field guide, so that I might put some names to these faces.

Some of the most frequent and abundant visitors are the Black-faced Grassquits, whose coloration is true to their name, with the exception of the females, which are strictly olive colored.  At times, the males’ buzzy trill can be nearly deafening, like a swarm of cicadas buzzing in the heavy summer heat.  Furthermore, these little birds, which are about half the size of a House Sparrow, are quite bold, as they shoot overhead into the rafters or casually hop within a short distance of the open doorway, in spite of an audience around the patio table

Similarly, the endemic Puerto Rican Troupial makes its presence known with a loud, clear call, which sounds to me like the first three syllables of “miercoles,” Spanish for “Wednesday.”  This bird draws further attention to itself with its bright, yellow body, contrasted by its black head and wings, with a large, white stripe along each.

 

Upon flipping through the field guide, I learned that there are eight dove species in Puerto Rico, which was shocking to me, as there is only one in New England.  One of the primary hang-out spots for White-winged Doves seems to be the neighbors’ rooftop, from which I have witnessed several massive lift-offs.  True to their name, a white wing patch is clearly visible on their folded wings, distinguishing them from other doves.  The other species that I have seen most frequently is the Common-ground Dove, which is a third of the size of the White-winged Dove that is about as large as the Mourning Doves of New England.  This small bird has a speckled, black pattern on its outer wings, and is unmistakable when in flight, with its rufous-colored under-wings.

Hummingbirds also regularly visit the flowering plant pictured here, though it has been difficult to make any positive identifications, due to the speed with which their wings move, quickly carrying them from blossom to blossom.

Still, other species have been reminiscent of home, such as the Greater Antillean Grackle, which is similarly iridescent, but also spreads its tail vertically, like a fan, in a mating or territorial display.  The Yellow-winged Blackbird must be a cousin of the Red-winged Blackbird, as they sing a similar high-pitched, buzzy trill and the wing color is the only noticeable difference to me.  Often, I hear the unmistakable screeches of Red-tailed Hawks in the distance, and once, a couple soared in circles just across the street.  Turkey vultures are also quite prominent, especially in the southern dry forests, and are easily identifiable with the clear distinction between their dark brown secondaries and bright, white primaries.