The red-billed streamertail hummingbird, affectionately called the Doctorbird, is the beloved national bird of Jamaica. In fact, this particular hummingbird has never been documented in any other habitat! With its brilliantly iridescent plumage and distinctive tail feathers, it has been the subject of local lore since the island was populated by the Arawak Indians. 

So what’s with the name? There is still no single, definitive answer to this question. One commonly accepted theory is that the elongated tail feathers resemble the tails on the black coats worn by doctors in colonial times, the crest of feathers on the head recalling a top hat. My favorite story, however, goes like this: the Arawaks observed this beautiful hummingbird traveling from flower to flower, appearing to inject life-giving medicine to the plants. The bird was considered a messenger from the gods, bringing the gift of medicine to the physical world. Thus it became a sacred icon, and to this day, it is still considered bad luck to kill or even harm a Doctorbird.

It’s an image of national pride that can be spotted on signs all across Jamaica, and was even used as the logo of (the now-defunct) Air Jamaica. For me personally, the Doctorbird has been an enduring and comforting symbol of home, and it is still a treat for me to spot them flitting among the fruit trees of my family’s garden.

We have chosen the doctorbird as our market’s sacred icon because we believe we are also sharing life-giving medicine with our community in the form of delicious things. We have chosen Pittsburg as our home, and with Doctorbird Market, we are investing in our community so that nobody needs to leave Pittsburg in order to live deliciously!