List of birds of Trinidad and Tobago
Common name Binomial Status
Tropical screech-owl Megascops choliba Trinidad only
Spectacled owl Pulsatrix perspicillata Trinidad only
Mottled owl Ciccaba virgata Trinidad only
Ferruginous pygmy-owl Gaucidium brasilianum Trinidad only
Burrowing owl Athene cunicularia Trinidad only - rare/accidental
Striped owl Asio clamator Tobago only
Stygian owl Asio stygius Trinidad only - one occurrence
Short-eared owl Asio flammeus Trinidad only - rare/accidental
Owls
Order : Strigiformes Family : Strigidae The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey . They have large forward-facing eyes and ears , a hawk-like beak , and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk .
A total of 485 species of birds have been confirmed on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. There are few places in the world where so many bird species can be seen in such a small area, many of them unique, very rare, or of particular interest. They range from the many species of hummingbird to the cave-dwelling oilbird (which uses echo-location to fly in the dark) and the spectacular scarlet ibis. The islands are within a few miles of Venezuela, and the species are therefore typical of tropical South America. However, the number of species is relatively low compared to the mainland, as would be expected on small islands. The resident breeding birds are augmented in the northern winter by migrants from North America, although the variety of migrant passerines is very limited compared to Central America. Except as an entry is cited otherwise, the list of species and the status of each are as determined by the Trinidad & Tobago Bird Status & Distribution Committee (TTBSCD) as of March 2019. The list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families, and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) are those of the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society. Species in the list are common on both main islands except as indicated otherwise. Many are also present on other, small, islands which are usually not named in the list. Tobago has only about half the number of bird species of Trinidad, but 27 species and one subspecies have occurred only on the smaller island. Some of the smaller islands off Tobago, such as Little Tobago, have important seabird breeding colonies.