List of birds of Puerto Rico

These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, bills which are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils.

Order: Galliformes   Family: Numididae Guineafowls are a group of African seed-eating, ground-nesting birds resembling partridges, but with featherless heads and spangled gray plumage.

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres.

Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.

Order: Nyctibiiformes   Family: Nyctibiidae Potoos are a group of large near passerine birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths.

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings.

The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers.

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Aramidae The limpkin is an odd bird that looks like a large rail, but is skeletally closer to the cranes.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae The oystercatchers are large, obvious and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat.

Different lengths of legs and bills enable multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with gray or white plumage, often with black markings on the head.

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans with exceptionally long central tail feathers.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae The storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae The Procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterized by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae Storks are large, heavy, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long stout bills and wide wingspans.

Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises, and spoonbills.

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Todidae Todies are a group of small near passerine forest species endemic to the Caribbean.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues used for capturing insects.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae Tyrant flycatchers are Passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae The waxwings are a group of birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae Starlings and mynas are small to medium-sized Old World passerine birds with strong feet.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae The Thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World.

These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which breed in sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Estrildidae The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae The wood-warblers are a group of small often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Thraupidae The tanagers are a large group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World, mainly in the tropics.

As a family they are omnivorous, but individual species specialize in eating fruits, seeds, insects, or other types of food.

Helmeted guineafowl
Pied-billed grebe, commonly known as zaramago in Spanish.
Rock pigeon, a common occurrence in the urban areas of Puerto Rico.
Smooth-billed ani, a species which can be found in urban areas.
Ruby-throated hummingbird, a species which occurs accidentally in Puerto Rico.
Common gallinule, this species can be commonly seen in the botanical garden of the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras .
American oystercatcher, this breeding species can be found almost anywhere along the coast.
Killdeer, a species that breeds in Puerto Rico.
Laughing gull, the most common gull ( gaviota ) in Puerto Rico.
Sooty tern, this species nests in the Culebra National Reserve.
Brown pelican, a protected species which commonly occurs in Puerto Rico's coasts.
Cattle egret ( garza in Spanish), a common bird in Puerto Rico's rural areas, usually found on top of cows .
The turkey vulture (whose origin in the archipelago is unclear and may be an introduced species [ 10 ] ) has taken residence in Southwestern Puerto Rico, most notably in the Guánica State Forest .
Red-tailed hawk, commonly known as guaraguao in Puerto Rico.
Short-eared owl, a species found in the southwestern municipality of Cabo Rojo .
Puerto Rican owl, a species found in the western municipality of Aguada .
Puerto Rican tody, an endemic bird known as San Pedrito (little Saint Peter).
American kestrel, known as halcón común (common falcon) in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rican parrot, an endemic species and one of the 10 most endangered birds in the world.
Gray kingbird, known as pitirre , an onomatopoeic name which describes the species' call.
Barn swallow, species from this family are known as golondrinas in Puerto Rico.
Northern mockingbird, commonly known as ruiseñor in Puerto Rico.
House sparrow, a common species in Puerto Rico's urban areas.
Grasshopper sparrow, a species that commonly occurs in rice fields and pastures.
Yellow-shouldered blackbird, an endemic blackbird placed in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species in 1976.
Elfin-woods warbler, the most recently described New World warbler.