The Dominican Republic supports a remarkably diverse avifauna of more than 300 species. In addition to 32 endemic bird species, the country hosts an impressive assemblage of permanent resident species, overwintering migrants, and other transient species that stop to rest and refuel enroute to more southerly wintering or northern breeding areas. The island of Hispaniola's high level of endemism and its contribution to global biodiversity have earned it the highest ranking of biological importance in a worldwide assessment of bird protection priorities.
This diversity of bird species is, in part, a result of Hispaniola's complex geologic history; the island is the most geographically diverse in the Caribbean. Ranging from Pico Duarte, the highest mountain in the Caribbean, to Lago Enriquillo which is more than 40 meters below sea level, key habitats include isolated cloud forests, extensive pine stands, classic dry forest, limestone karst regions, thorn woodlands of acacia and cactus, sand dunes, mudflats, and mangrove swamps.
Many of Hispaniola's most distinctive birds are found only in the densely vegetated cloud forests where the rarest endemics include the White-fronted Quail-Dove, Hispaniolan Trogon, La Selle Thrush, Hispaniolan Highland-Tanager and both the Western Chat-Tanager and Eastern Chat-Tanager. Here too is the rare and globally vulnerable Bicknell's Thrush, an equally difficult species to find on either breeding or wintering grounds but restricted almost entirely to Dominican forests in the winter months.
Other Dominican specialties can be found a bit lower in elevation in the beautiful pine forests. Endemics include the conspicuous Hispaniolan Pewee, as well as the Antillean Siskin, Hispaniolan Palm Crow, and the Hispaniolan Crossbill.
Text courtesy http://www.caribbeanbirdingtrail.org/sites/dominican-republic
Hispaniolan Trogon © Dusan Brinkhuizen
Showing the 20 Most Recent Trip Reports Posted
Dominican Republic, May 1997, author Surfbirds Admin (added September 10, 2004)
Dominican Republic, The North Coast and the Cordillera Central, May 2003, author Surfbirds Admin (added September 10, 2004)
Dominican Republic, January - February 2004, author Surfbirds Admin (added September 10, 2004)
South-west Dominican Republic: Hispaniolan Endemics, 19th - 24th May 2004, author Surfbirds Admin (added September 10, 2004)
Dominican Republic - 16th - 23rd November 2015, author David Ousey (added November 30, 2015)
(Natura Park Beach Hotel, Bavarro.)
Dominican Republic, March 29 and April 5-7, 2009, author Jim Holmes (added May 6, 2009)
(Ebano Verde (Eastern Chat Tanager) and Los Haitises (Ridgway's Hawk))
Dominican Republic - Hispaniolan and Caribbean Endemics, 16-24 April 2011, author Latham Claflin (added May 17, 2011)
(Hispaniolan and Caribbean endemics)
Dominican Republic - March 7-14 2011, author Thea Sinclair (added March 15, 2011)
(Ebane Verde Scientific Reserve, Parque Nacional Los Haitises)
Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo and Southwest - 21st - 25th January 2013, author Joelle Buffa (added March 10, 2013)
(Hispaniolan Endemics, Chat-tanager, Ashy-faced Owl, Antillean Piculet, White-fronted Quail-Dove, Rufuous-throated Solitare, Sierra de Bahoruco )
Dominican Republic - Punta Cana - Melia Caribe - June 16-21, 2014, author Brent Steury (added June 22, 2014)
(Melia Caribe, West Indian Whistling-duck, Stolid Flycatcher, Greater Antillean Bullfinch)
Dominican Republic - February 2012, author Herve Jacob (added June 21, 2012)
Dominican Republic - May 22-26, 2012, author Stuart White (added June 17, 2012)
(This was my second birding foray to the Dominican Republic. I was intent upon seeing seven endemic species I had missed ten years ago.)
Dominican Republic - Endemics of Hispaniola Jan 17, author Rockjumper Birding Tours (link created June 13, 2017)
(Dominican Republic, Ridgway's Hawk, La Selle Thrush, Bay-breasted Cuckoo, Ashy-faced Owl, Hispaniolan Trogon, Narrow-billed Tody, Northern Potoo, Palmchat, Golden Swallow, Hispaniolan Palm Crow)
Dominican Republic - 16th November – 30th November 2010, author Richard Sutton (added July 17, 2011)
(Sierra de Bahoruco, Barahona, Grey-headed Quail Dove, Broad-billed Tody )
Dominican Republic - 29th September - 6th October 2010, author Greg Roberts (added December 5, 2010)
(Eastern and Western Chat-Tanagers)
Palmchats, Todies and Merengue: Birding the Dominican Republic, author Pat O'Donnell (added August 4, 2006)
(Oh, yes, Palmchats are just about everywhere in the DR.)
Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic Mar 16, author Ross Gallardy (link created April 4, 2016)
(Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic)
Dominican Republic - February 13th - March 1st 2010, author Keith Taylor (link created April 4, 2011)
Hispaniola (including Haiti) - 25 December 2010 – 4 January 2011, author Frank Rheindt (added April 3, 2011)
(All island endemics seen including the endemic Haitian Palm-Tanager)
Dominican Republic - Carribean Cruise from La Romana, Dominican Republic - 5th April -12th May 2009, author Mark Graham (added April 15, 2009)
(Carribean Cruise, Dominican Republic,Grenada,Dominica,Antigua,St.Maarten,Tortola)
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