Streamertail (Black-billed)

Streamertail (Black-billed)

Trochilus scitulus

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

467 Verified sightings at Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park From 2019 to 2026
467 In 1 park
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Streamertail (Black-billed)

The black-billed streamertail (Trochilus scitulus) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to eastern Jamaica. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC), BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World, and the Clements taxonomy treat the black-billed streamertail and red-billed streamertail (Trochilus polytmus) as separate species. However, the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society treats them as subspecies of the "streamertail" under the binomial T. polytmus. The two species (or subspecies) interbreed in their narrow contact zone.

The species as defined by the IOC is monotypic, with no subspecies being recognised. The male black-billed streamertail is 22 to 24 cm (8.7 to 9.4 in) long including the 10 to 13 cm (3.9 to 5.1 in) tail streamers and weighs 4.0 to 5.8 g (0.14 to 0.20 oz). The female is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs 3.5 to 5.5 g (0.12 to 0.19 oz). Both sexes have a black bill. The male has a dull black to blue-black crown; it and the nape form a deep velvety black crest. The rest of its upperparts... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:08

Jamaica · 2018

© Nick Komar · XC426023 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:12

Jamaica · 2010

© Richard C. Hoyer · XC48118 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park 🇯🇲 Jamaica
~40%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Streamertail (Black-billed) in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Streamertail (Black-billed) sighting in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 467 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 91 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Streamertail (Black-billed) in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park?

May and August–December

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Streamertail (Black-billed) in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park on a given day, against about 30% in April, the lowest month. June has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Streamertail (Black-billed)?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Streamertail (Black-billed) sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Streamertail (Black-billed)?

Only Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park, in our data

Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Streamertail (Black-billed) sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Streamertail (Black-billed) sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Streamertail (Black-billed) is recorded against all the birds logged in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (467 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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