Natural history of Trinidad and Tobago hummingbirds to the primitive cave-dwelling oilbird (that uses sonar to fly in the dark) to the spectacularly beautiful scarlet ibis. The islands are within a few miles of Venezuela, and the species are therefore typical of tropical South America. However, the variety (although quite exceptional for such a small geographic area) is somewhat impoverished compared to the mainland, as would be expected with small islands. The resident breeding birds are augmented in the northern winter by migrants from North America. Tobago has only about half the number of bird species of Trinidad, but about 22 birds have been reported only
Natural history of Trinidad and Tobago unconfirmed if it is breeding in the wild. Three are possibly occasional waifs to Trinidad from the nearby continent with no verified local breeding populations). Crocodiles and alligators (Crocodylia): 4 species recorded in total for the country (two are known to be native and breeding on Trinidad, with one of those breeding in Tobago, while the other 2 were occasionally historically recorded as waifs). Legless lizards (Amphisbaenia): 2 species from Trinidad only. Lizards (Sauria): 31 confirmed records for the country in total (2 of those not yet 'officially' documented). (Of the 31 confirmed records, 27 are from Trinidad, with at