Origin of the bird fauna of the West Indies

Abstract

Although our knowledge in ornithology of the West Indies (which include the Antilles, Cayman and Swan Islands, St. Andrew and Old Providence, and the Bahama Islands) far surpasses that in any other natural science, there has been no comprehensive zoogeographic study of the bird life of the region. During the present century, many important data have been gathered, chiefly through taxonomic research and fieldwork, enabling us to understand more clearly the relationships of a number of West Indian genera and species and forcing us to revise our concepts of their origin.