What is the national bird of Puerto Rico?

Does Puerto Rico have an official national bird?

As of our review, we found no enacted law declaring a national or official bird of Puerto Rico. In 2018, teacher Sugeily Ortiz of the University of Puerto Rico Elementary School put it this way before the Legislature: the national bird is one of the patriotic symbols Puerto Rico does not have. Her students then presented a proposal for schools to vote on a bird.

Several legislative efforts in favor of the tody followed, and in 2022 a bill reached Governor Pedro Pierluisi's desk. However, we found no record that it became law. If your school or project needs a precise answer, the safest wording is: the Puerto Rican Tody is the bird proposed by the Legislature, but Puerto Rico has no national bird established by law.

The UPR Elementary School students' project

In December 2018, first- and second-graders from the UPR Elementary School presented at the Capitol a project they had developed over two years. They researched endemic birds, split into three groups, and proposed three candidates for an island-wide school vote: the Puerto Rican Parrot, the Puerto Rican Tody, and the Puerto Rican Woodpecker.

Legislators Eddie Charbonier, Jesús Manuel Ortiz, and Denis Márquez committed to filing legislation to allow that vote. The case is a good model for school projects: it shows how a classroom question, backed by research, can reach public debate.

Why the Puerto Rican Tody is the leading candidate

The Puerto Rican Tody is endemic to Puerto Rico, green with a red throat and yellow sides, and lives in forests, shade-coffee farms, and other wooded habitats. It belongs to the family Todidae, which has only five species worldwide, all in the Greater Antilles. In 2022, the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society led the campaign urging the governor to sign the bill naming it the emblematic bird.

The tody already has a history as a local symbol: a 2010 article in Acta Científica documents it as the official municipal bird of Ceiba and Jayuya, and notes that Loíza was considering adopting it because its colors echo the municipal flag.

The name problem: Todus mexicanus

The Puerto Rican Tody has never lived in Mexico, yet its scientific name says mexicanus. According to the history cited in Acta Científica and in news coverage, in 1838 French naturalist René Primevère Lesson described specimens his brother said were collected at Veracruz and Tampico; those specimens probably came from Puerto Rico, and under the priority rule the name mexicanus prevailed over portoricensis.

In 2023 the Legislature passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 39, asking the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) to change the name to Todus borinquensis. The Senate approved it on October 23 (20 to 7) and the House on November 7 (42 to 0); as a concurrent resolution, it needed no governor's signature. In that debate, the name mexicanus was presented as an obstacle to naming the tody national bird.

Will the name change? What scientists say

Changing a scientific name does not depend on a legislature but on international nomenclature rules. In 2024, Thomas W. Sherry and six co-authors published an analysis of the name's history in the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and argued for changing mexicanus to borinquensis.

The same authors acknowledge strong opposition based on ICZN rules that discourage changing toponyms, meaning names based on geographic places. As of our review, we found no final ICZN decision, so the valid name remains Todus mexicanus.

What about the Reina Mora? Why it is called the national bird

The Puerto Rican Spindalis, or Reina Mora (Spindalis portoricensis), is endemic and striking: the male has a black head with two white stripes, an orange nape and chest, and a green back; the female is a plainer olive green. It eats a lot of fruit, helps disperse seeds, and is found in forests, edges, and gardens with fruiting trees across most of the island.

Some English-language websites call it Puerto Rico's 'unofficial' national bird, but we found no law, resolution, or bill designating it. The documented proposals focus on the tody, and the 2018 school project did not include it among its three candidates either. If someone says the Reina Mora is the national bird, the accurate version is: it is a beloved, iconic bird, but not an official symbol.

What is the national bird of Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico has no national bird established by an enacted law that we could verify. The Puerto Rican Tody, or San Pedrito (Todus mexicanus), is the candidate with the most legislative support: a bill declaring it the official bird reached the governor in 2022. The Reina Mora is popular but not an official symbol.

Is the Reina Mora the national bird of Puerto Rico?

Not officially. Some English-language sites call it the 'unofficial' national bird, but we found no law or resolution designating it. It is a colorful, well-loved endemic bird that eats fruit and spreads seeds.

Why is the Puerto Rican Tody called Todus mexicanus?

Because of an 1838 error: René Primevère Lesson described specimens supposedly collected in Mexico that probably came from Puerto Rico. Under the priority rule the name mexicanus stuck, even though the bird lives only in Puerto Rico.

What is Todus borinquensis?

It is the proposed scientific name for the Puerto Rican Tody, derived from Borinquen. In 2023 the Legislature passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 39 to request it from the ICZN, and a 2024 scientific paper supported it, but as of our review the valid name is still Todus mexicanus.

Which birds have been proposed as Puerto Rico's national bird?

The Puerto Rican Tody is the main proposal in the Legislature. In 2018, UPR Elementary School students proposed a school vote among three endemics: the Puerto Rican Parrot, the Puerto Rican Tody, and the Puerto Rican Woodpecker.

Does any Puerto Rico town have an official bird?

Yes. According to a 2010 article in Acta Científica, the Puerto Rican Tody is the official municipal bird of Ceiba and Jayuya, and Loíza was considering it. Other municipalities may have official birds; check with the relevant municipal legislature.