Of the birds that are on this island of Hispaniola, which are not found in Spain nor raised there.

Translated by Yuming Ren ’21

There are many types of parrots on this island, including the green ones, of a similar size to or bigger than pigeons (those that have a fringe of white feathers at the base of the beak), and others that are also green and of the same size but with that same fringe in a crimson red. There are other smaller ones called xaxabes, with long tails and red elbows and wingpits, and all the rest of the body green. There are others of different types in this and the other islands, but because there is much more quantity and diversity of these parrots in the Mainland, more will be said about them in that part; because in this island there really are not many of them nor are they that different from those mentioned above. It is true that there are some little birds that are all green, no bigger than the little goldfinches of Castile, but those, although green, are not parrots. I believe there are more than a hundred or more parrots of different plumages in the Mainland, and all or the majority of them are very consistent in their shape, except in their size and the color of their feathers; but they are very similar to one another in the beaks and in the clumsiness and shape of the feet. In this island there are some birds as black as very fine black velvet; they are so small that I have not seen any smaller than them in the Indies, save for the one called the mosquito bird, which is so small that the bulk of its body is smaller than the tip of a thumb. This one I have not seen in this island, but they tell me that there are some here, and that is why I will say no more of it, so as to say more when I discuss the Mainland, where I have actually seen it. There are other birds of many colors that sing very well and have different voices and ways of singing, but because this is enough on the subject, I will speak of some birds in particular, those that are more notable and worthy of committing to memory.