Our Appropriate National Bird
Faraaz Abdool speaks in defence of the Cocrico which has flourished alongside Tobago’s development. What better credentials for a national bird?
Trinidad and Tobago is a unique and gifted nation. We are arguably the only country in the world with two national birds. Others have additional birds as national symbols, as do we, in the form of “the hummingbird”; 366 species of these glittering gems are scattered across the Americas, eighteen of which can be found on our islands. On our Coat of Arms, the Scarlet Ibis is prominently featured opposite the Rufous-vented Chachalaca, two national birds for two islands in one nation. As national birds, both creatures are supposed to enjoy a degree of protection and veneration. Yet one of these has drawn the ire of many; an issue which is as complex as our history.
A pair of
young Cocrico prepare for a night's rest on a secure branch. Photo by Faraaz Abdool
Known worldwide as the Rufous-vented Chachalaca, we learned about it as the “Cocrico” in schools. Both chachalaca and cocrico are onomatopoeic names, meant to replicate the raucous sound the bird makes. According to the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, the designation of this bird as the national bird of Tobago was made as it was a “native of Tobago…but is not found on Trinidad.” On the official website for the National Birds of T&T, there is a photo of a Scarlet Ibis, but none of the Cocrico. Two grossly outdated “alternative” names are offered for the Cocrico on this website: “Red-tailed Guan” and “Rufous-tailed Chachalaca.”
These subtle actions do little to elevate the standing of the Cocrico among locals, and recently a prominent public official insisted that this “awful, unacceptable bird” should be removed from our Coat of Arms. He continued that the Cocrico is a “destructive pest” with “no redeeming features” - a fact that our current Prime Minister addressed in August 2024 with the sterling advice to “shoot three-quarter of them.” It is, however, illegal to kill the Cocrico given its status as national bird.
It is difficult to spend time on Tobago and not encounter the Cocrico, so there is some level of empathy for those who have their crops raided and sleep-in Sundays ruined by these very social birds. As with all things, we must look into the past for some level of rational understanding regarding our present situation. Surely, before the arrival of humans, there was equilibrium. An over-preponderance of any species - especially on an island - would spell disaster. Given that the Cocricos have exploded in population, what caused this? And are we the authors of our own annoyance?
A
Rufous-vented Chachalaca's life begins as a vulnerable chick, completely
reliant on its parents and older siblings to care for and protect it. Photo by Faraaz Abdool Many
birding tourists who visit Tobago are eager for a good look at a handsome adult
Rufous-vented Chachalaca, key field marks involve the rufous tips to their tail
feathers, as well as their grey head and conspicuous red wattle under the
chin. Photo by Faraaz Abdool 
Unable to fly, this Cocrico was shot by a hotelier on Tobago, a consequence of
"pest" mentality forming part of societal norms. Photo by Faraaz Abdool 
Unlike the mud-probing, crustacean-devouring Scarlet Ibis on Trinidad, the Cocrico feeds on a variety of fruits, shoots, and leaves. In its usual, pristine forest habitat, food availability is seasonal. During the wet season, fruit consumption peaks, this decreases during the leaner, drier months. One of the major alterations we have made to their habitat is clearing areas for agriculture. The plants we care for also produce fruit for much of the year, if not all year - giving the Cocricos access to energy-rich food on a near-permanent basis. Has this altered their viability to produce brood after brood of healthy offspring? At this point, we are not sure. What can be said with certainty, however, is that one is much more likely to encounter greater numbers of this species in human-altered and second growth habitats than within the untouched Main Ridge Forest Reserve.
When Hurricane Flora barrelled into Tobago in 1963, many of the rainforest’s birds spilled out into the lowlands in search of food. The Cocrico was no different, and due to the abandonment of farms which allowed for the proliferation of second growth species like palms and cecropia trees - these birds increased significantly in number. After people returned to farming their lands, the Cocrico remained where the food was.
Further to the habitat alteration, there is another card we have played. In the natural balance of predator and prey, the presence of predators is key to ensuring that the prey animals do not balloon out of control. Snakes - most notably Red-tailed Boa - are responsible for feeding on a wide variety of avian and mammalian life on Tobago. There are no venomous snakes on the island, and these large constrictors are currently the prime threat for those living life as a Cocrico. Our track record with serpentine encounters, however, leaves much to be desired. Few of us can speak of leaving a snake in peace. The largest of these need the most food, these unfortunately also spark the most panic in the uninformed, and thus typically result in a drawn machete and a decapitated snake. Fewer snakes on the island means fewer mouths hungry for Cocrico.
A
Red-tailed Boa slowly recovers after being bludgeoned and left for dead by a
road maintenance crew within the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. Photo by Faraaz Abdool
While there are still boa constrictors on Tobago, the specialist bird-eater from the island has been completely exterminated. Farmers from the hill forest knew this bird well as the famed “chicken hawk.” This is not the hawk that is still found on the island - the mighty Great Black Hawk - a black, hulking hawk with a white rump and long legs. Birds make up only around 12% of the Great Black Hawk’s diet, its preference is largely for reptiles and amphibians.
The “chicken hawk” that farmers grew to dislike with great enthusiasm was the Ornate Hawk-Eagle, a much larger and much more powerful predator that historically prowled the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. Birds account for more than 60% of the Ornate Hawk-Eagle’s diet - some of which inevitably ended up being domestic chickens. Consequently, farmers retaliated, and today there are no more Ornate Hawk-Eagles on Tobago.
We have systematically decimated the natural measures that were in place for millennia that kept the population of the Cocrico in check, while at the same time expanding the available habitat for the existing population. It is no surprise that there are large numbers of these very successful birds throughout the island. Their existence in our national symbolism tells a story, but we may need to rewrite the plot.
The
Ornate Hawk-Eagle is one of the most beautiful birds of prey on Earth, but has
been exterminated from Tobago. Photo by Faraaz Abdool
References:
https://newsday.co.tt/2025/01/20/tobago-business-chamber-remove-awful-cocrico-from-coat-of-arms/
https://foreign.gov.tt/about/trinidad-tobago/national-symbols/national-bird/
Iliff, M. J. (2020). Ornate Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.orheag1.01
ffrench, Richard. A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago, Third Edition, Cornell University Press, 2012.
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