Flocks of yellow-billed cuckoos, which normally migrate from North to South America to escape winter, have been seen in Jamaica in recent weeks, an unusual spectacle which Terrestrial Biologist Damion Whyte believes is a result of Hurricane Delta.
“Occasionally, we would see one or two birds for the winter migration season. It seems like the regular migration was affected by Hurricane Delta, resulting in so many species being observed in Jamaica this year,” Whyte told the Jamaica Observer on the weekend.
“I have been getting reports on social media of sightings of the birds in Portmore, Spanish Town, Jacks Hill and Salt River in Clarendon. People were seeing flocks of 20 of these birds roosting and flying at their windows. Another person on Twitter posted a picture of one of the birds that died from the long trip to Jamaica,” said White, who has more than 4,000 followers on his Twitter account, roosters_world, on which he posts a wide variety of environmental developments.
He explained that the yellow-billed cuckoo, whose scientific name is Coccyzus americanus, is one of the five species of cuckoos that have been reported in Jamaica.
“It is regarded as a bird that is rarely seen or accidentally occurs in Jamaica. It is slender, with a distinct yellow bill or beak and a long tail, with distinct white spots on the underside,” Whyte stated.
The birds, he added, are occasionally confused with doves or the northern mockingbird.
One of their migration routes to South America takes them through the Caribbean. Another route sees them passing through Mexico and Central America.
Flocks of yellow-billed cuckoos, which normally migrate from North to South America to escape winter, have been seen in Jamaica in recent weeks, an unusual spectacle which Terrestrial Biologist Damion Whyte believes is a result of Hurricane Delta.
“Occasionally, we would see one or two birds for the winter migration season. It seems like the regular migration was affected by Hurricane Delta, resulting in so many species being observed in Jamaica this year,” Whyte told the Jamaica Observer on the weekend.
“I have been getting reports on social media of sightings of the birds in Portmore, Spanish Town, Jacks Hill and Salt River in Clarendon. People were seeing flocks of 20 of these birds roosting and flying at their windows. Another person on Twitter posted a picture of one of the birds that died from the long trip to Jamaica,” said White, who has more than 4,000 followers on is Twitter account, roosters_world, on which he posts a wide variety of environmental developments.
He explained that the yellow-billed cuckoo, whose scientific name is Coccyzus americanus, is one of the five species of cuckoos that have been reported in Jamaica.
“It is regarded as a bird that is rarely seen or accidentally occurs in Jamaica. It is slender, with a distinct yellow bill or beak and a long tail, with distinct white spots on the underside,” Whyte stated.
The birds, he added, are occasionally confused with doves or the northern mockingbird.
One of their migration routes to South America takes them through the Caribbean. Another route sees them passing through Mexico and Central America.
