Snow-white tropicbirds ride a clifftop breeze, tail streamers fluttering above a glittering ocean; iridescent hummingbirds zip like winged jewels between the scented blooms of your beachfront resort; mysterious hoots and whistles from the forest canopy hint at rare parrots, owls and trogons hiding among the greenery.
These alluring sights and sounds are just some of the feathered delights awaiting any visitor to the Caribbean. Indeed, it might surprise the nonbirding holidaymaker to learn that the archipelago is also one of the world's great ornithological hotspots. This is not just down to numbers – although a total of over 700 recorded species is not to be sniffed at: it's more about uniqueness. At least 176 of these species are endemic to the Caribbean; in other words, they occur nowhere else on the planet. Among them are at least 110 species that occur on just one island. The others comprise a cross-section of species from the American mainland,
