TSAF's Trinidad Tour

Thursday, March 20, 2025

TSAF’s Trinidad Tour

Today’s special animal friends are found in Trinidad, where my friend Cherisse, a native of that island, will be visiting next week, while I will be here with the forestry and soil tests. The island of Trinidad is much more than half of the country of Trinidad and Tobago, which is located where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, just 6.8 miles off the coast of Venezuela on the shoulder, as it were, of South America. I would be nervous about being so close to Venezuela, and I hope Cherisse and her family will have a safe trip.

The national bird of Trinidad and Tobago is the scarlet ibis, Eudocimus ruber. This insanely red bird has pigment-based coloration, like flamingos and roseate spoonbills, rather than optical-effects coloration like hummingbirds and birds of paradise. Scarlet ibis get their color from the pigment astaxanthin, which is found in the shrimp and other shellfish it eats. The redness takes a while to develop, and juveniles have mottled white and neutral colors.

They are very gregarious, living in family flocks of thirty or more, and sometimes gathering in thousands when feeding conditions are ideal. They are numerous across a wide range in northern South America and in the Caribbean. It is a species of Least Concern.

Another attractive Trinidadian bird is the Tufted Coquette, Lophornis ornatus, a tiny hummingbird that is also found on the nearby mainland in countries such as Guyana and Suriname. They are less than three inches long and weigh up to 2.3 grams. They feed on nectar and a few bugs in both open countryside and cultivated areas, including domestic gardens. Their coloration is fantastically silly, see video:

The ocelot, Leopardus pardalis, is also native to Trinidad, where it is the largest predatory mammal. Ocelots are a species of Least Concern with a large range on the South American continent. The Trinidadian population is the subject of study and special concern by Carnivores.org due to its isolation.

Ocelots are nocturnal, solitary, and very territorial. Males and females meet only to mate. Females give birth to a single kitten every two years at most. This very low birthrate is a major reason the ocelots of Trinidad are vulnerable to habitat loss and illegal hunting.

The ruby topaz hummingbird, Chrysolampis mosquitus, does not have silly coloration but is simply beautiful. Unlike most hummingbirds, they have a short bill, but they still eat nectar from flowers: just flowers with a wide, shallow opening.

In addition to a fine array of animals, Trinidad and Tobago also has lots of lively culture, influenced by people from Africa, South America, India, Europe, and East Asia: