Unsuspecting locals and tourists are once again being harassed by those annoying ching chings as they walk by their nesting zones.

But what do we really know about these birds?

“The name ching ching is the local name for a bird referred to as the Greater Antillean grackle,” said Stuart Mailer, a field officer with the National Trust for the Cayman Islands. “They often breed in pairs, small groups and large colonies.

“There are seven subspecies, each restricted to one island or island group,” he said. “They differ in size, bill size, and colour tone.

And perhaps the piece de resistance:

“Grand Cayman has its own endemic subspecies found naturally nowhere else in the world.”

Mr. Mailer said a different endemic subspecies lives on Little Cayman and used to also be found on Cayman Brac, but it has become locally extinct.

The species also occur in Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica (where it is called a cling cling) and Puerto Rico, Mr. Mailer said.

Birds of the Cayman Islands by author Patricia Bradley states that the grackles breed from March to July after prolonged nest building

“Once a nest is in place and in use, it is too late to do anything until the young have left the nest, as they have legal protection in Cayman,” said Mr. Mailer. “Many birds (and many other wild animals) are aggressive in defending their offspring from perceived threats. It is an instinctive behaviour that increases the chance of survival of the young.”

‘Entirely Caymanian’

He said that the birds are entirely Caymanian and that they “do not migrate from anywhere; they live, breed and die here.”

“The only way to avoid getting attacked by the grackle,” Mr. Mailer said, “is to keep a distance from the nest.

“I think it is wise to wear protection,” he added, such as a hard hat, safety goggles, gloves and long-sleeve shirts when crossing a nest.

“Not only do they attack people,” he said, “but also dogs and cats, and other birds that they think are too close to the nest...”