Jamaica is one of the many island-nations of the Caribbean, the third in size after Cuba and Hispaniola (which contains two nations, Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Thanks to its size, its altitude range (up to 2,250 m in the Blue Mountains) and its distance from the mainland, Jamaica contains 28 endemic bird species, plus several endemic reptiles (including some beautiful Anolis lizards) and one mammal.

I visited the island to celebrate with my friend Jonathan Rossouw his 9,000 bird species seen, the youngest person ever to attain that figure. His 9K bird was the stunning Red-billed Streamertail, a gorgeous hummingbird endemic to the island, and its national bird. Jamaicans call it “doctor bird”, after  the formal tailcoats British doctors used to wear in colonial times.