Birds and Insects

Puerto Rico [1] is a bird-watcher’s paradise, but the one endemic bird you probably won’t see is the Puerto Rican parrot. Although once prolific throughout the island, the endangered bird’s population is a mere 35 or so that live in the wild today because of the loss of habitat to development. They are found in the Caribbean National Forest.

In 1987 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a program to raise Puerto Rican parrots in captivity and release them into the Caribbean National Forest in hopes of building up the population. Unfortunately, success has been stymied by hurricanes and predators, primarily the red-tailed hawk. But the efforts continue, and today there are about 150 living in captivity in aviaries in Luquillo [2] and Bosque Estatal Río Abajo.

It’s highly unlikely a visitor to El Yunque [3] will see a Puerto Rican parrot, but just in case, keep your eyes peeled for a foot-long, bright green Amazon parrot with blue wingtips, white eye rings, and a red band above its beak. When in flight, it emits a repetitive call that sounds like a bugle.

Other species of birds found in more plentiful numbers in Puerto Rico [1] include sharp-skinned hawks, broad-wing hawks, bananaquits, Puerto Rican todies, red-legged thrushes, stripe-headed tanagers, brown pelicans, lizard cuckoos, elfin woods warblers, hummingbirds, and nightjars, which nest silently on the ground by day and fly in search of prey at night.

At dusk, many of Puerto Rico’s wilderness beaches come under attack by sand fleas, also called no-see-ums: vicious, minuscule buggers that have a fierce bite. If they attack, your best defense is to pack up as quickly as possible and call it a day.