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Palmchat | Dulus dominicus
Palmtapuit | Cigua palmera
The Palmchat is the only member of the family Dulidae and occurs only on Hispaniola. It is one of the island's commonest and noisiest birds and the national bird of the Dominican Republic. Its communal nest is distinctive: a large mass of twigs in the crown of a palm, in which several pairs each have a chamber of their own.
Voice
Very noisy, especially around the nest and in groups. A varied mix of squeaking, chattering, gurgling and whistled notes, somewhat like the chatter of starlings. In alarm a series of descending whistles, cheer-cheer-cheer.
Recording: Oscar Humberto Marin-Gomez — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · shortened to the first 60 s, mono · xeno-canto
Identification
18–20 cm, about starling-sized, with a relatively small head, a short, curved, yellowish horn-coloured bill and a fairly long tail. Upperparts olive-brown, rump greenish olive, the primaries washed yellow-green. Underparts dirty white to cream, heavily streaked brown. Iris reddish brown. The sexes are alike. Juveniles have a darker throat and a buff rump.
Confusion species
No other bird of this size on Hispaniola is so heavily streaked below. Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus, very local on Hispaniola and its offshore islands, is larger, with a white iris, a pale bill and a scaled rather than streaked pattern. Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos is grey and unstreaked, with white patches in wing and tail.
Habitat
Open and semi-open country with scattered palms: royal palm savanna, pasture, farmland, parks and gardens in villages and towns, and edges of broadleaf and pine forest. From sea level to about 1800 m; absent from closed forest and the highest peaks. It feeds mainly on berries, fruit and flowers, searched for by the group together. The nest, up to 2 m across, is usually built in a royal palm or another palm and shared by 4 to 10 pairs, sometimes many more. Breeding is mainly from March to June.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation types of the Caribbean.
Range and movements
Endemic to Hispaniola, in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, including Gonâve and Saona islands. Common across nearly the whole island, in towns as well as the countryside. Not recorded away from Hispaniola.
- Resident
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
Found in city parks, for example in Santo Domingo, and along rural roads lined with royal palms. Large bundles of twigs in a palm crown give away a nest; activity peaks early in the morning and towards evening.
Conservation status
Not threatened. The species is numerous and benefits from the open, man-made landscape with scattered palms.
Scientific name
Dulus dominicus | (Linnaeus, 1766)
Linnaeus described the species in 1766 as Tanagra dominica; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Dulus was introduced in 1816 by Vieillot. Dulus is Greek doulos 'slave, servant'; on Hispaniola the bird was called 'Esclave', for its dark colour and 'subservient' behaviour, as a counterpart to the kingbirds (Tyrannus). dominicus refers to Santo Domingo, the old name for Hispaniola, the only island where the species occurs. The specimen the first description was based on came from Hispaniola.