The Coat of Arms of Trinidad and Tobago was designed by a committee formed in 1962 to select the symbols that would be representative of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The committee included noted artist Carlisle Chang and the late designer George Bailey. The shield has the same colours (black, red, and white) of the nation's flag and carry the same meaning. The gold ships represent the Santa Maria, Nina, and Pinta: the three ships Christopher Columbus used on his journey to the "New World." The two birds on the shield are hummingbirds. Trinidad is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Hummingbird" because more than sixteen different species of hummingbird have been recorded on the island. The two larger birds are the Scarlet Ibis (left) and the Cocrico (right), the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Below these birds is our nation's motto, "Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve."

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