Information on the Jamaican Bird

The Jamaican national bird is the doctor bird, according to Jamaicans.com. The doctor bird is one type of hummingbird species. The doctor bird is commonly called the swallowtail hummingbird. The origin of the name of the doctor bird has been disputed over the years. Some people believe that the back crest and tail resembles the clothing worn by doctors in the olden days. Other people believe its name came from the way the bird extracts nectar from flowers with its bill. The scientific name for the doctor bird is Trochilus polytmus.

  1. Size

    • The swallowtail hummingbird is one of the largest hummingbirds, reaching lengths up to 15 cm, according to Arthurgrosset.com. However, the average size of the swallowtail hummingbird is 10 cm. Half of the length of this bird is made up by its tail, according to Factolex.com. These birds can weigh up to 9 grams.

    Characteristics

    • The head and neck of the swallowtail hummingbird is a deep violet-blue color, according to Arthurgrosset.com. The rest of the doctor bird's body is a bronze-green color. This bird has a bill that is black and curved. The tail of the bird is a deep blue color and forks into two separate pieces.

    Habitat

    • The bird lives in a variety of environments including forests, savannas, gardens and parks in cities, according to Arthurgrosset.com.

    Geography

    • The bird is found in Jamaica, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, according to Arthurgrosset.com. The doctor bird usually lives at elevations between 0 and 1,500 meters above sea level. They are also found in large numbers in the Caatinga and Cerrado areas of Brazil, according to Factolex.com.

    Diet

    • The hummingbird eats nectar and also chases other hummingbirds away from its feeding area extremely aggressively, according to Arthurgrosset.com.

    Characteristics

    • The doctor bird has iridescent feathers unlike any other bird species, according to the Government of Jamaica. Male doctor birds have extremely long tails that trail behind them when they fly.

    Considerations

    • Superstition surrounds the doctor bird, according to the Government of Jamaica. The Arawaks believed that the doctor bird had magical powers and called it the god bird because they thought it was a reincarnation of dead souls. They soon developed a folklore song that went, "Doctor Bud a cunny bud, hard bud fe dead." The doctor bird belongs to the apodiformes order, trochilidae family and the eupetomena genus, according to Birdsisaw.com.