This species is confined to the Bahamas and Greater Antilles. It is broken up into three groups.
- Loggerhead Group - Five races on the Bahamas, Cuba, Isle of Pines, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands
- Puerto Rican - One race (T. c. taylori) on Puerto Rico and Vieques Island
- Hispaniolan - One race (T. c. gabbii) on Hispaniola
This bird shows the dark tip to the tail characteristic of Puerto Rican and Hispaniolan birds. The populations
in the Loggerhead group have a distinct white tip to the tail. Puerto Rican birds further differ from Hispaniolan
birds in having a notched tip to the tail (seen in this photo) rather than square, and lacking any rusty edges
in the tail.
Interestingly, this individual seems to show a brownish band across the chest which is supposed to be more typical
of Hispaniolan birds.
Based on differences in plumage, morphometrics and vocalizations, these three groups have been proposed as representing
three separate species (Garrido et al. 2009. Wilson Jour. Ornith. 121(4):703-713) [PDF]
Digiscoped with Panasonic DMC-LZ5 | Nikon FieldScope III | 30XWA | hand-held (no adapter)