Swallow Tail Humming Birds

Swallow-Tail Hummingbird

(Trochilus polytmus)

Photographed in the wild

Rockland’s Bird Sanctuary, Montego Bay Jamaica   Aug 2013
Ocho Rios, Jamaica   Nov 2015

The Doctor Bird is the common name for the Swallow-Tail Hummingbird, and the national bird of Jamaica. The feathers have a shimmering emerald green and black colour, a trait which is peculiar to this family of birds. The bird is able to fly backwards, thus causing the feathers to make a humming sound when it flies (giving this avian family its common name of the hummingbird).

The Doctor Bird is indigenous to Jamaica and is one of the most outstanding of the 320 species of humming birds. They are found mostly in closed forest wherever there are flowering plants. However, it can also be seen in gardens and parks. The bird's main source of nutrition is nectar from plants but it also eats spiders and insects. Doctor Birds tend to feed frequently during the day time and hibernate at night to conserve energy.

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