Another of Jamaica’s endemic specie the red-billed streamertail is not just any other bird, this humble creature holds the special place of being the national bird of the land of wood and water; Jamaica. Known to science as trochilus polytmus the Jamaican red-billed streamertail goes by the moniker doctor bird. Though an encounter with this bird might prove to be a soothing elixir, the name doctor bird is not inspired by any intrinsic healing property held by the bird, instead, it is believed to be influenced by the design of coats worn by doctors in the past.
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Trochilus
Specie: Trochilus Polytmus
There is another less widely distributed bird, the black-billed streamertail, that can easily be mistaken for the red-billed streamertail. They are very similar in size, farm, and colour. However has their name suggest, they can distinguished by the colour of there bills. If you cross path with a streamertail in the Middlesex or Cornwall counties of the island, chances are that you have encountered a red-billed. Black bills are exclusive to eastern areas of the island.
The characteristic feature of the bird that inspires its name, its swallowtail, is only observed on the males of the population. Females can be identified by the lock of this feature.
