Doctor Bird

noun DOC-tor BIRD ˈdɑkta bɜːd

Also spelled doctor bird, swallow-tail hummingbird

The red-billed streamertail — Jamaica's national bird — a dazzling green-and-black hummingbird whose male sports two long, elegant tail streamers that trail behind it in flight. Found nowhere in the world but Jamaica, the doctor bird is a proud national symbol, woven into folklore, song, and the everyday delight of seeing it hover at a flower. Its curious name is variously explained, but its beauty is not in doubt, and it flits through the island's imagination as a jewel of the native world.

  • Di doctor bird flit from flower to flower inna di garden.

    The doctor bird flits from flower to flower in the garden.

  • Di doctor bird a Jamaica national bird.

    The doctor bird is Jamaica's national bird.

  • Yuh cyaa mistake di doctor bird long tail feather.

    You can't mistake the doctor bird's long tail feathers.

Said to be named 'doctor' for its long tail streamers, likened to the coat-tails of old-time doctors, or for the way it 'lances' flowers with its bill. Endemic to Jamaica and declared the national bird.

A cherished national symbol, appearing on the Jamaican dollar and in folklore.