Celebrating Bahamian Bird Life - The Bahamas National Trust
Celebrating Bahamian Bird Life - The Bahamas National Trust
Celebrating Bahamian Bird Life - The Bahamas National Trust
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<strong>Celebrating</strong><br />
<strong>Bahamian</strong><br />
<strong>Bird</strong> <strong>Life</strong><br />
he <strong>Bahamas</strong> has much more to offer than sun, sea<br />
and sand, including forests, reefs, marine life—and<br />
more than 300 species of spectacular birds!<br />
More than a hundred of these breed<br />
in the islands and are either permanent<br />
residents or summer visitors.<br />
Another 169 are migrants that either<br />
pass through the <strong>Bahamas</strong> or winter<br />
here. And 45 are vagrants that have<br />
occurred only occasionally.<br />
A few species, such as the Double<br />
Crested Cormorant, Yellow-throated<br />
Warbler and American Kestrel, fall<br />
into more than one category having<br />
both wintering and permanent popu-<br />
Tlations on our islands.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bahama Yellowthroat,<br />
Bahama Swallow and Bahama Woodstar<br />
are the only extant species endemic<br />
to the Bahama Islands (i.e.<br />
they breed only here). A fourth endemic<br />
species, Brace’s Emerald, is<br />
now extinct—known only from a single<br />
specimen collected in 1877.<br />
Many breeding seabirds (terns,<br />
gulls, tropicbirds, shearwaters and<br />
boobies) are spring and summer residents<br />
– rarely being seen in other<br />
seasons.<br />
What follows in this publication<br />
are birds which many of us see<br />
every day in our gardens, local lakes<br />
and seashores as well as a close up<br />
look at our endemic birds.<br />
IMPORTANT<br />
COMMON BIRDS<br />
1 Bahama Swallow:<br />
Tachycineta cyaneoviridis<br />
(Threatened<br />
endemic species)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bahama Swallow<br />
has a slender body<br />
with pointed wings<br />
and deeply forked<br />
tail. <strong>The</strong> upperparts<br />
are dark greenish at<br />
the head turning to a<br />
violet blue with<br />
white underparts.<br />
Adept aerialists,<br />
swallows dart to<br />
catch flying insects<br />
and can often be<br />
seen perched on in<br />
long rows on wires<br />
and high branches.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are common<br />
summer residents<br />
on Grand Bahama,<br />
Abaco and Andros<br />
but uncommon on<br />
New Providence.<br />
<strong>The</strong> movements of<br />
this species are<br />
poorly understood.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y nest in tree<br />
cavities in the pine<br />
barrens and probably<br />
remain in their<br />
breeding range<br />
throughout the winter,<br />
moving from the<br />
pine woods to more<br />
open habitats.<br />
2 Bahama Woodstar:<br />
Calliphlox evelynae<br />
(Endemic)<br />
This is the only<br />
species of hummingbird<br />
on New Provi-<br />
Bananaquit (left), Bahama Yellowthroat (right) Continued on page 2
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 7-10 AM<br />
THE RETREAT, VILLAGE ROAD<br />
Caribbean Endemic <strong>Bird</strong> Festival – 2003<br />
Sponsored by the Society for the<br />
Conservation and Study of Caribbean<br />
<strong>Bird</strong>s (SCSCB), the Caribbean<br />
Endemic <strong>Bird</strong> Festival runs from Earth<br />
Day on 22 April for one month.<br />
<strong>Bird</strong>ers, <strong>Bird</strong>ing Groups and Clubs<br />
and environmental agencies are all<br />
participating around the Caribbean<br />
basin. As we are considered part of<br />
the Greater Antilles, the <strong>Bahamas</strong><br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong>’s ornithology group will<br />
join the festival for the second consecutive<br />
year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> has three endemic<br />
bird species, <strong>The</strong> Bahama Woodstar<br />
Hummingbird, the Bahama Swallow<br />
and the Bahama Yellowthroat. Of the<br />
three, only the hummingbird is easily<br />
found on New Providence and this<br />
bird will be featured at <strong>The</strong> Retreat,<br />
Village Road on Saturday, May 3 on<br />
the 7am walk through the garden<br />
scheduled as part of the Endemic <strong>Bird</strong><br />
Festival activities. Following this will<br />
be a presentation on endemic birds<br />
found throughout the Caribbean.<br />
Coffee and refreshments will be available.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event finishes at 10am. A<br />
donation of $1 per adult is requested,<br />
Continued from page 1<br />
dence and most of the family<br />
islands. It is relatively uncommon on<br />
Abaco, Andros and Grand Bahama<br />
where Cuban Emerald Hummingbirds<br />
also occur. It has greenish upper<br />
parts, a white chest and rufous<br />
lower underparts. Adult males have<br />
iridescent violet throat feathers<br />
which are strikingly beautiful when<br />
seen in the sunlight but appear<br />
black when seen from a distance.<br />
Females and immatures have white<br />
throats. Males have forked tails and<br />
females have a rounded one. <strong>The</strong><br />
Bahama Woodstar feeds on nectar<br />
found in flowers and also on minute<br />
insects. <strong>The</strong>y are common wherever<br />
flowers are found in gardens, woods,<br />
coppice or open country. When<br />
feeding they hover in front of each<br />
flower in turn maintaining themselves<br />
stationary on wings that move so<br />
fast as to be invisible and probe for<br />
insects and nectar.<br />
children are free but must be accompanied<br />
by an adult.<br />
As the <strong>Bahamas</strong> can boast only<br />
three endemic bird species, other<br />
local birds found on New Providence<br />
will be highlighted at the Festival.<br />
Some of these include the Red-legged<br />
Thrush, Ground Dove, Bananaquit,<br />
Northern Mockingbird, Bahama<br />
Mockingbird, White-crowned Pigeon and<br />
the Caribbean Dove. <strong>The</strong> island of Abaco<br />
will be featuring the Bahama Parrot during<br />
Festival Month.<br />
Coinciding with Caribbean<br />
Endemic <strong>Bird</strong> Festival Month is a visit<br />
to Nassau of members of the board of<br />
the SCSCB. Directors from Jamaica,<br />
Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Cuba,<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> and the United States<br />
will be exhibiting posters and other<br />
material of their own endemic bird<br />
species so this is an excellent opportunity<br />
to learn more about birds of<br />
other Caribbean island nations.<br />
For more information about the<br />
Caribbean Endemic <strong>Bird</strong> festival contact<br />
Mrs. Carolyn Wardle at 362-1574<br />
or the <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> at<br />
393-1317.<br />
3 Bahama Yellowthroat: Geothlypis<br />
rostrata (Endemic)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Yellowthroat is a relatively large<br />
slow moving warbler with a heavy<br />
bill. This bird has a black mask, gray<br />
cap, and yellow throat, breast and<br />
upper belly. <strong>The</strong> female lacks a black<br />
mask but has a whitish eye ring and<br />
eyebrow stripe. It is a common permanent<br />
resident on Abaco, Grand<br />
Bahama, Eleuthera and Cat Island. It<br />
is uncommon on Andros and rare on<br />
New Providence.<br />
4 Red-legged Thrush: Turdus<br />
plumbeus<br />
Approximately 10 inches long the<br />
Red-legged Thrush is a striking bird.<br />
It is predominantly grey in colour<br />
darker on the upperparts and<br />
lighter on the underparts. <strong>The</strong> bill is<br />
reddish and there is a bright red<br />
ring around the eye. <strong>The</strong> legs are of<br />
<strong>The</strong> threat of long term population<br />
declines of neotropical migrant<br />
songbirds, shorebirds,<br />
seabirds, and wading birds is well<br />
known. Although the factors that<br />
cause declines are complex there is a<br />
broad consensus among scientists<br />
that habitat loss and degradation are<br />
the major factors affecting breeding<br />
grounds, migratory stopovers and<br />
pathways and wintering areas.<br />
In February, 2002 the BNT entered<br />
into a three year partnership<br />
with <strong>Bird</strong><strong>Life</strong> International to coordinate<br />
the Important <strong>Bird</strong> Areas (IBA)<br />
Programme for the <strong>Bahamas</strong>. IBA is a<br />
global effort to identify areas that are<br />
most important for maintaining bird<br />
populations and focus conservation<br />
efforts at protecting those sites. <strong>The</strong><br />
programme is supported by a grant<br />
from the John D. MacArthur Foundation<br />
and other partners in the<br />
Caribbean including Jamaica, Cuba,<br />
Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.<br />
An essential step in conserving<br />
bird habitats is the identification of<br />
those places that provide the greatest<br />
habitat value and support significant<br />
populations of an exceptional<br />
diversity of birds. <strong>The</strong>se Important<br />
<strong>Bird</strong> Areas (IBAs) are essential<br />
strongholds of avian abundance and<br />
diversity.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> held their first national<br />
IBA workshop last April at <strong>The</strong><br />
Continued on page 4<br />
2 B a h a m a s N a t i o n a l T r u s t<br />
BNT initiates Important<br />
<strong>Bird</strong> Area programme<br />
for the <strong>Bahamas</strong><br />
Retreat, BNT headquarters. Invited<br />
were representatives of government<br />
agencies concerned with wildlife<br />
conservation, local ornithologists,<br />
and scientists conducting avian research<br />
in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>. Over 20 participants<br />
from the US, New Providence,<br />
Exuma, Grand Bahama, Abaco<br />
and invited representatives from<br />
<strong>Bird</strong><strong>Life</strong> Partners Jamaica and the<br />
Dominican Republic came together<br />
to identify key Important <strong>Bird</strong> Areas<br />
in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>. On the first day in a<br />
rapid assessment the group recognized<br />
90 sites in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>. <strong>The</strong><br />
second day was devoted to applying<br />
the IBA criteria and 45 sites were<br />
identified as being vital to maintaining<br />
bird populations and diversity of<br />
habitats in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
This published listing of <strong>Bahamian</strong><br />
IBAs will become a blueprint<br />
for <strong>Bird</strong> Conservation in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
Further work will continue<br />
over the next three years: undertaking<br />
conservation feasibility assessments<br />
for the highest priority site,<br />
initiating conservation and sustainable<br />
use activities at the highest priority<br />
sites and identifying information<br />
gaps and filling them through<br />
monitoring and surveying activities.<br />
Important <strong>Bird</strong> Areas is an important<br />
effort being undertaken with<br />
global, national and local support to<br />
conserve birds and their habitat in<br />
our country.<br />
Pictured from left: Eric Carey, Department of Agriculture; Erica Gates, Grand Bahama;<br />
Neil McKinney, BNT Ornithology Group; Lynn Gape, BNT Education Officer;<br />
Colin Higgs, Ambassador of the Environment; William Hayes, Loma Linda;<br />
Paul Dean, BNT Ornithology Group; David Wege, <strong>Bird</strong><strong>Life</strong> International.
One might ask, “Why all this<br />
fuss over birds?” <strong>Bird</strong>s can be<br />
used as indicators to assess<br />
the health of our environment. <strong>Bird</strong>s<br />
have been used to monitor the environment<br />
throughout history. Aristotle<br />
in 340 BC, described how the behavior<br />
of cranes could be used to<br />
forecast the weather,<br />
while fisherman from<br />
the 17th century<br />
through today use<br />
flocks of seabirds as<br />
reliable indicators of<br />
healthy fish concentrations.<br />
<strong>Bird</strong>s are one of<br />
the best and in some<br />
cases the only monitors<br />
of environmental<br />
change. Serving as<br />
natural “biomonitors”<br />
conservation biologists and ornithologists<br />
(scientists who study<br />
birds) have used changes in bird<br />
populations and communities and<br />
changes in bird behaviour and reproductive<br />
ability to:<br />
• examine the long term effects of<br />
habitat fragmentation and introduced<br />
species<br />
• monitor water quality<br />
• indicate the health of marine fishery<br />
stocks, and<br />
• identify environmental pollutants<br />
such as organochlorines, heavy<br />
metals and radionuclides.<br />
It is easy to see why we can use<br />
birds as indicators of changes in our<br />
environment:<br />
1) <strong>Bird</strong>s are easy to study. Many<br />
species are easily identified, detected<br />
and return to traditional<br />
breeding sites yearly, so large<br />
amounts of data can be reliably<br />
gathered from scientists and a<br />
concerned public alike. <strong>The</strong><br />
longest running data gathered on<br />
wildlife populations over time<br />
comes from Audubon’s Christmas<br />
<strong>Bird</strong> Count, providing nearly<br />
100 years of data on changes in<br />
WHY<br />
<strong>Bird</strong>s are an ecological litmus-paper<br />
because of their<br />
rapid metabolism and wide<br />
geographic range, they reflect<br />
changes in the environment<br />
quickly, they warn of things<br />
out of balance sending out<br />
signals wherever there is<br />
deterioration in the ecosystem.<br />
– Roger Tory Peterson<br />
North America’s bird populations.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong><br />
<strong>Trust</strong> Ornithology Group began<br />
participating in the Christmas<br />
<strong>Bird</strong> Count in 1994 and have recently<br />
begun a Christmas Count<br />
on Grand Bahama. <strong>The</strong> group<br />
hopes to one day have Christmas<br />
Counts on all the<br />
major islands in the<br />
<strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
2) <strong>Bird</strong>s are well<br />
known organisms.<br />
Because the biology,<br />
ecology, behaviour<br />
and evolutionary<br />
histories of<br />
many birds have<br />
been studied extensively,<br />
scientists<br />
have a foundation<br />
on which to ask the most pertinent<br />
questions, base hypotheses,<br />
obtain answers and cultivate solutions.<br />
This background knowledge<br />
reduces risk of misinterpretation,<br />
allowing scientists to use<br />
<strong>Bird</strong>s?<br />
birds, sensitive to stresses in a<br />
predictable ways, as a proxy<br />
measure of environmental<br />
change. Furthermore this background<br />
knowledge yields cost effective<br />
research, since studies<br />
using other groups of animals often<br />
requires several years of basic<br />
data gathering before monitoring<br />
can begin.<br />
3) <strong>Bird</strong>s integrate and accumulate<br />
environmental stresses over time<br />
because they are usually high in<br />
the food chain and have relatively<br />
long life spans. Thus birds<br />
can be indicators of unexpected<br />
environmental problems, as<br />
when declining numbers and<br />
breeding successes of birds such<br />
as the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus),<br />
Osprey (Pandion<br />
haliatus), and Brown Pelican (Pelicanus<br />
occidentalis) revealed that<br />
DDT was a pollution hazard.<br />
4) <strong>Bird</strong> populations and communities,<br />
and bird behaviour and reproductive<br />
success often reflect<br />
closely the stability of an ecosystem.<br />
Thus long-term monitoring<br />
programmes such as Audubon’s<br />
Christmas <strong>Bird</strong> Count, Audubon<br />
and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s<br />
joint <strong>Bird</strong>Source and Project<br />
Feeder Watch and other<br />
banding and monitoring projects<br />
help to reveal declines in population<br />
numbers and changes in<br />
species ranges resulting from human<br />
induced causes, providing<br />
information crucial to land management<br />
decisions.<br />
5) <strong>Bird</strong>s hold widespread interest.<br />
Nearly 60 million birders in North<br />
America have made birding the<br />
second most popular outdoor activity<br />
after gardening, spending<br />
billions of dollars on birding supplies.<br />
Volunteer birders participating<br />
in citizen science programs<br />
(i.e. Christmas <strong>Bird</strong> Count,<br />
Important <strong>Bird</strong> Areas program)<br />
form a powerful resource from<br />
which to gather data about population<br />
trends over a broad geographical<br />
range.<br />
Interested in learning more about birds?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> Ornithology Group would<br />
be delighted to help you learn. This active group of BNT<br />
volunteers is excited about birds. Organized in 1993 as<br />
a sub-group of the BNT’s Wildlife Committee the<br />
Ornithology Group organizes monthly walks to different<br />
areas of New Providence as well as several family island<br />
field trips throughout the year. Each year in December<br />
the group participates in the Audubon Christmas Count<br />
and has played an important role in the continued surveying<br />
of the bird life of Harrold and Wilson Pond<br />
<strong>National</strong> Park.<br />
How can you join? Anyone with a desire to learn about birds and who is willing to become a<br />
member of the <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> can join this group. (A pair of binoculars and a willingness to get<br />
up early in the morning are also helpful!) For more information contact, the <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> at<br />
393-1317.<br />
3 C e l e b r a t i n g B a h a m i a n B i r d l i f e
Continued from page 2<br />
course red. <strong>The</strong> tail is dark grey<br />
with white tips to the outer feathers.<br />
This species<br />
is common<br />
on the<br />
northern islands<br />
and<br />
can be seen<br />
on lawns<br />
and in gardens<br />
as well as more natural areas.<br />
5 Smooth-billed Ani: Crotophaga ani<br />
<strong>The</strong> Smooth-billed Ani is a longtailed,<br />
glossy black cuckoo. Distinguished<br />
from other<br />
black<br />
birds by<br />
its extraordinary<br />
bill, deep<br />
at the<br />
base, the<br />
ridge of the culmen high and thin.<br />
Common throughout the <strong>Bahamas</strong><br />
except Bimini and Cay Sal, it is usually<br />
found in suburban yards and<br />
around settlements.<br />
6 Bananaquit: Corereba flaveola<br />
This small bird (4 inches long) is one<br />
of the most<br />
common resident<br />
species.<br />
It has a thin<br />
down-curved<br />
bill, conspicuous<br />
white<br />
eyebrow,<br />
black back with white underparts<br />
and a yellow rump and breast. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
feed mainly on nectar and can be<br />
found in gardens where there are<br />
flowering shrubs such as bougainvillaea<br />
and hibiscus. <strong>The</strong>y are<br />
extremely active and acrobatic as<br />
they forage often hanging upside<br />
down to feed.<br />
7 Northern Mockingbird: Mimus<br />
polyglottos<br />
About 10 inches long, the Northern<br />
Mockingbird<br />
is more common<br />
than the<br />
Bahama<br />
Mockingbird<br />
throughout<br />
the islands.<br />
Generally the<br />
Northern Mockingbirds is found in<br />
“town” while the Bahama Mockingbird<br />
is the bird of the “country”. This<br />
bird is basically grey, being darker<br />
on the back than on the underparts<br />
which are pale grey. <strong>The</strong> outer tail<br />
feathers are white and when in flight,<br />
shows a flashing dark and white<br />
wing pattern. Often seen in the garden<br />
raising its wings upward and forward<br />
in an umbrella-like fashion<br />
while on the ground. <strong>The</strong> purpose of<br />
this behaviour is to disturb insects<br />
which form part of the diet.<br />
8 Bahama Mockingbird: Mimus<br />
gundlachi<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bahama Mockingbird is slightly<br />
larger than the Northern Mockingbird<br />
with a length of 11 inches. It is<br />
brownishgrey,<br />
rather<br />
than plain<br />
grey. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
is very little<br />
white on the<br />
wings and in<br />
flight it does<br />
not show the<br />
flashing pattern of the Northern<br />
Mockingbird. It is streaked slightly<br />
on the back and shows distinct dark<br />
streaking on the flanks.<br />
9 Gray Kingbird: Tyrannus dominicensis<br />
<strong>The</strong> grey and white bird is the most<br />
common of this family in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
It is easily seen sitting on<br />
high and exposed perches where it<br />
forages for insects. Just over 9 inches<br />
long with grey on its upperparts and<br />
white on its underparts, its wings are<br />
tinged with brown and the outer<br />
fringes of the feathers are pale grey.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a dark patch behind the eye.<br />
<strong>The</strong> bill is comparatively large and<br />
dark and the legs are also dark. <strong>The</strong><br />
tail is slightly forked.<br />
In the <strong>Bahamas</strong> this bird is often<br />
called a “fighter” because of the<br />
chases between individuals and also<br />
its habit of chasing in other birds in<br />
its general area. As summer migrants<br />
Gray Kingbirds return in the spring<br />
to breed and raise their young.<br />
10 White-crowned Pigeon:<br />
Columba leucocephala<br />
This very dark grey ( looks black)<br />
pigeon gets its name from the white<br />
marking on the forehead and crown<br />
of adult birds. It is a common summer<br />
resident throughout the Bahama<br />
Islands and a few individuals remain<br />
during the winter. <strong>The</strong>y nest in the<br />
summer on remote cays, e.g. Big<br />
Green Cay<br />
and Finley<br />
Cay and fly<br />
daily to<br />
larger islands<br />
to<br />
feed on the<br />
fruit of native<br />
trees,<br />
including the fruit of the Poisonwood<br />
Tree. White-crowned pigeons are the<br />
premier game bird of the <strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
Hunting season for this bird opens<br />
on September 29 and closes on<br />
March 1.<br />
11 Eurasian Collared- Dove: Streptopilia<br />
decaocto<br />
<strong>The</strong> Eurasian Collared-Dove is a very<br />
pale grey-buff colour with a black<br />
collar. <strong>The</strong>se birds were introduced<br />
to the <strong>Bahamas</strong> in 1974 and have<br />
spread rapidly. <strong>The</strong>y are now found<br />
in settled areas throughout the<br />
northern <strong>Bahamas</strong>. <strong>The</strong> rapid spread<br />
of this introduced species prompted<br />
the <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> to recommend<br />
the Department of Agriculture<br />
add it to the Official Gamebird<br />
List. <strong>The</strong>se birds can be hunted from<br />
September 15 to March 1.<br />
12 Common Ground Dove:<br />
Columbina passerina<br />
This very small dove (6 inches long)<br />
is an abundant permanent resident<br />
throughout the Bahama Islands. It is<br />
greyish brown with intermittent<br />
black barring<br />
on the<br />
wing<br />
coverts.<br />
Adult birds<br />
have dark<br />
edges to<br />
feathers<br />
on the breast giving it a scaled<br />
effect. When disturbed the flight is<br />
usually brief and fluttering which<br />
show the reddish brown primary<br />
feathers. <strong>The</strong>se birds are usually<br />
found in small groups or pairs feeding<br />
in open areas. <strong>The</strong>y will congregate<br />
at bird feeders. Commonly<br />
known in the <strong>Bahamas</strong> as a<br />
“Tobacco Dove”.<br />
13 White-cheeked Pintail: Anas bahamensis<br />
<strong>The</strong> White-cheeked pintail is a very<br />
pretty duck. <strong>The</strong> crown and back of<br />
the head are a dark mottled brown<br />
with cheeks, chin and upper<br />
foreneck a pure white. <strong>The</strong> bill is a<br />
dark<br />
bluish<br />
gray with a<br />
brilliant<br />
red spot at<br />
the base.<br />
<strong>The</strong> body<br />
plumage is<br />
medium brown with black spotting<br />
and pointed fawn coloured tail. <strong>The</strong><br />
eyes are red to red brown and legs<br />
and feet are dark gray. <strong>The</strong> females<br />
are similar to the males only slightly<br />
smaller. <strong>The</strong>se birds are commonly<br />
seen on the Paradise Island ponds.<br />
Commonly known as the Bahama<br />
Duck or White Jaws this duck is totally<br />
protected by law (no hunting)<br />
year round.<br />
14 Common Moorhen: Gallinula<br />
chloropus<br />
This duck-like bird is commonly<br />
found in freshwater marshes and<br />
ponds. It has<br />
a black head<br />
and neck<br />
with a red<br />
forehead<br />
shield and a<br />
red bill with<br />
a yellow tip. <strong>The</strong> back is brownish<br />
olive and the underparts are slate<br />
gray with white streaking on the<br />
flanks. <strong>The</strong> legs and feet are yellow.<br />
15 Green Heron: Butorides<br />
virescens<br />
This is a small chunky heron with<br />
short legs. Adult males and females<br />
are similar with a rich chestnut<br />
coloured<br />
head, neck<br />
and chest.<br />
<strong>The</strong> back<br />
is bluish<br />
green and<br />
also shows<br />
a purplish<br />
sheen on the upper back. <strong>The</strong> legs<br />
are yellow with the males turning a<br />
bright orange during the breeding<br />
season. <strong>The</strong> bill is yellow green at<br />
the base, dark at the tip. When excited<br />
the Green Heron sometimes<br />
displays a crown of feathers giving it<br />
a crested effect. Locally called a<br />
“Poor Joe” it is seen on the shores of<br />
lakes and marshes and in local gardens<br />
especially around swimming<br />
pools.<br />
4 B a h a m a s N a t i o n a l T r u s t
<strong>Bird</strong>s of Harrold and Wilson Pond<br />
Harrold and Wilson Pond is the largest rookery of herons and egrets on New Providence.<br />
<strong>The</strong> birds listed here either roost or feed in the ponds on a daily basis.<br />
Great Blue Heron: Ardea herodias<br />
This is the largest of the dark herons to<br />
occur in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>. It is over 3 feet in<br />
length when the neck is extended and<br />
has an impressive wingspan of 6 feet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> general appearance is grey-blue on<br />
the body and white on the head. <strong>The</strong> bill<br />
is yellowish and spear-like. When hunting<br />
for small fish<br />
or amphibians<br />
the Great Blue<br />
Heron stands<br />
or walks with<br />
the neck either<br />
hunched or<br />
partly extended,<br />
shooting out to<br />
full length<br />
when spearing<br />
prey.<br />
White Ibis: Plegadis albus<br />
Adult’s white plumage and pink<br />
facial skin are distinctive. <strong>The</strong>ir<br />
long curving bill turn brilliant red<br />
during the breeding season and<br />
contrasts with their beautiful blue<br />
eye colour. <strong>The</strong> Ibis roost in large<br />
inland rookeries with herons and<br />
egrets. <strong>The</strong>y can be recognized<br />
by their outstretched necks<br />
and black markings on<br />
their wing tips.<br />
South Ocean Road<br />
Primeval<br />
Forest<br />
To Adelaide<br />
Great Egret: Ardea alba<br />
This is a large white heron with a<br />
yellow bill and blackish legs and feet.<br />
In breeding plumage, long plumes<br />
known as “aigrettes” trail from the<br />
back extending beyond the tail. This is<br />
a common wetland bird, stalking its<br />
prey methodically along the waters<br />
edge.<br />
Least Grebe: Podiceps dominicus<br />
<strong>The</strong> Least Grebe is the smaller of the two<br />
grebes found in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>. It is about<br />
7 inches long with a thin dark bill, During<br />
the summer breeding months the<br />
plumage is<br />
dark blue and<br />
black rather<br />
than brown<br />
with a startling<br />
yellow-orange<br />
eye.<br />
Cattle Egret: Bubulcus ibis<br />
This is a small stocky white heron (length<br />
20 inches) with a large rounded head and<br />
throat feathering that extends far out on<br />
the bill. During the breeding season<br />
adults have orange-buff plumes on the<br />
crown, back and foreneck, an orange-red<br />
bill and dusky red legs, otherwise, the<br />
legs are yellow. <strong>The</strong> Cattle Egret also<br />
feeds in open grassy areas catching<br />
lizards and insects. Unlike the majority of<br />
herons and egrets whose main food<br />
source is aquatic.<br />
New Providence<br />
Snowy Egret:Egretta thula. This is a white<br />
heron with a slender black bill, yellow<br />
eyes, black legs<br />
and bright goldenyellow<br />
feet.<br />
Graceful plumes<br />
on the head neck<br />
and back ( where<br />
they curve upward)<br />
are striking<br />
in breeding adults.<br />
During high breeding<br />
plumage , the<br />
lores (area in front<br />
of the eye) turns<br />
red and the feet<br />
turn bright orange.<br />
Glossy Ibis: Plegadis falcinellus<br />
Ibises are gregarious heron-like birds.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se long-legged waders feed with<br />
long downward curving bills that are<br />
brownish-olive in colour. <strong>The</strong> breeding<br />
adult’s chestnut plumage is glossed<br />
with green or purple that looks dark at<br />
a distance.<br />
Tri-coloured Heron: Egretta tricolour<br />
<strong>The</strong> general appearance of this bird is that<br />
of a thin-long necked heron which is slate<br />
grey on the upperparts and white on the<br />
underparts.<br />
Immature<br />
birds have<br />
chestnut hindnecks<br />
and<br />
wing coverts.<br />
<strong>The</strong> legs are<br />
greenish yellow<br />
and the bill<br />
is long and<br />
slender and<br />
dark at the tip.<br />
Bonefish<br />
Pond<br />
Black-crowned Night Heron: Nycticorax<br />
nycticorax <strong>The</strong> Black-crowned Night<br />
Heron is a stocky bird and lacks the generally<br />
slim lines of herons and egrets.<br />
About 2 feet in length with comparatively<br />
short legs, adult birds are black and pale<br />
grey. <strong>The</strong> crown of the head back and<br />
inner wing feather are glossy black. <strong>The</strong><br />
black on the wings only extends as far as<br />
the wing coverts closest to the body. <strong>The</strong><br />
rest of the wing is pale grey and underparts<br />
are white. <strong>The</strong> white extends up to<br />
the sides of the head and to the forehead.<br />
Although seldom seen clearly the iris of<br />
the eyes is bright red and the legs are<br />
yellow. Immature birds are a dull greybrown<br />
on the upperparts and spotted<br />
with white. <strong>The</strong> underparts are pale grey<br />
with darker spottings<br />
and streakings.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se<br />
birds may be<br />
found in fresh<br />
water swamps<br />
and marshes. It<br />
is largely nocturnal<br />
and during<br />
the daylight<br />
hours the birds<br />
hide in thick<br />
mangroves and<br />
trees near water.<br />
Little Blue Heron: Florida caerulea<br />
Adult and juvenile birds of this species<br />
are strikingly different. Adults are dark<br />
chestnut brown on the head and neck<br />
with the rest of the body being a very dark<br />
blue-grey. <strong>The</strong><br />
legs and long bill<br />
are also blue-grey<br />
with a black end<br />
quarter on the<br />
bill. Conversely,<br />
immature birds<br />
are white with<br />
slight darkening<br />
at the wing tips.<br />
As juveniles<br />
moult into adult<br />
plumage they<br />
have a mottle<br />
appearance.<br />
Wilson<br />
Pond<br />
Harrold<br />
Pond<br />
Osprey: Pandion haliaetus<br />
A large bird of prey, some two feet in<br />
length with a wingspan of four to four and<br />
half feet. In flight it presents a brown and<br />
white pattern. <strong>The</strong> back and white upperwings<br />
are brown with white edgings to<br />
the feathers. <strong>The</strong> underparts are white.<br />
<strong>The</strong> West Indian and North American<br />
Osprey are found in the <strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> West Indian race is found year round<br />
and has a white head. <strong>The</strong> North American<br />
race is found from August to May<br />
with distinguishable head feathers that<br />
are darker on the crown and a well<br />
marked brown streak running through the<br />
eye to the rear of the head. Ospreys,<br />
known as a<br />
“fish hawk”<br />
or “sea<br />
hawk” may<br />
be seen<br />
along<br />
coastal<br />
areas and<br />
near lakes<br />
where they<br />
hunt for fish.<br />
Harrold and<br />
Wilson Pond –<br />
New Protected<br />
Areas on New<br />
Providence<br />
IBA DEMONSTRATION<br />
SITE<br />
To the south of the City Dump, bordered<br />
by Sir Milo Butler Highway, is<br />
one of the best birding areas on New<br />
Providence – Harrold and Wilson<br />
Pond. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong><br />
Ornithology Group began monitoring<br />
the areas birdlife in 1994 which assisted<br />
the <strong>Trust</strong> in putting together a proposal<br />
to government to have the area<br />
placed under protection as a <strong>National</strong><br />
Park. In April 2002, this area along<br />
with nine others was added to the<br />
<strong>National</strong> Park System of the <strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
Over 100 species of birds have<br />
been identified, falling roughly<br />
into four categories: year round<br />
residents of the <strong>Bahamas</strong>,<br />
neotropical migrants which<br />
stop over on the flight between<br />
their nesting and wintering<br />
grounds, migrants which fly<br />
south to the <strong>Bahamas</strong> for the<br />
winter, and summer migrants<br />
which come north from South<br />
America and the Caribbean to<br />
breed in <strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
Mixed species of herons,<br />
egrets and cormorants have established<br />
the largest rookery on<br />
New Providence on Harrold<br />
Pond islets. At sunset they present<br />
a striking sight as they<br />
stream into their roosts by the<br />
hundreds. <strong>The</strong> globally endangered<br />
Bahama Swallow has also<br />
been sighted in this wetland<br />
area.<br />
Establishing the <strong>Bahamas</strong>’<br />
first Watchable Wildlife Pond<br />
here will bring in situ conservation<br />
to the greatest number of<br />
<strong>Bahamian</strong>s. This will result in<br />
tangible benefits ranging from<br />
biodiversity conservation, ecotourism<br />
opportunities, an outdoor<br />
classroom for educators,<br />
and an area of open green space<br />
which can help to bring about<br />
heightened awareness as to the<br />
value of wetlands for wildlife<br />
and people.<br />
5 C e l e b r a t i n g B a h a m i a n B i r d l i f e
Abaco <strong>National</strong> Park<br />
IBA Demonstration Site Size: 20,500 acres<br />
Location: South Eastern portion of Great Abaco between Hole in the Wall and Crossing Rocks<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> identified the<br />
need for a <strong>National</strong> Park in Abaco to protect<br />
the northern habitat and breeding<br />
area of the endangered in an official proposal to<br />
the <strong>Bahamas</strong> Government “<strong>The</strong> Development of<br />
a <strong>National</strong> Park System for the Commonwealth<br />
of the <strong>Bahamas</strong>.” In 1986, Dr. Rosemarie Gnam,<br />
then a doctoral candidate conducted a census<br />
of the Bahama Parrot in Abaco. Her results indicated<br />
a population of 1,500 birds and the <strong>Bahamas</strong><br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> realized that the Bahama<br />
Parrot had reached the point where human action<br />
would determine its ultimate survival.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bahama Parrot Conservation Committee,<br />
a multi-agency committee comprised of <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong>, Department of Lands &<br />
Surveys, <strong>The</strong> Ministry of Agriculture, Friends of<br />
the Abaco Parrot, and Friends of the Environment<br />
was formed and signed a memorandum of<br />
understanding with RARE Center for Tropical<br />
Conservation. <strong>The</strong> Committee met with outstanding<br />
success: 8,000 Bahama Parrot Posters<br />
were distributed throughout the country, 27,750<br />
school children were addressed, Quincy, the<br />
committee’s Bahama Parrot Mascot became a<br />
recognized and loved figure and 6,000 people<br />
wore Bahama Parrot T-Shirts and pledged support<br />
for the Conservation Campaign. Outstanding<br />
community support and an unheard of level<br />
of support from the local business community<br />
all contributed to the success of the campaign.<br />
On May 9, 1994, the <strong>Bahamas</strong> Government<br />
signed a 99 year lease with the <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong><br />
<strong>Trust</strong> declaring some 20,500 acres in<br />
South Abaco inclusive of 5,000 acres of forested<br />
land where the most endangered<br />
populations of Bahama<br />
parrots remain, a national<br />
park. Upon signing the lease,<br />
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham<br />
commented that there<br />
was no way that he could ignore<br />
the over 800 letters that<br />
had been written to the Minister<br />
of Agriculture by school children requesting<br />
that a park be established in Abaco as a<br />
home for Quincy, the Bahama Parrot.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Abaco <strong>National</strong> Park was a significant<br />
addition to the <strong>National</strong> Park system of the <strong>Bahamas</strong><br />
and was the first major park to be created<br />
in over 20 years. <strong>The</strong> Abaco <strong>National</strong> Park<br />
renders the habitat of the Abaco Parrot inalienable<br />
and conserves it in perpetuity. <strong>The</strong> Park<br />
also protects an extensive tract of Caribbean<br />
Pine, a species of great historical value to <strong>The</strong><br />
IBA’s have a unique power to<br />
unite people, communities and<br />
organizations in proactive bird<br />
conservation one place at a time.<br />
– <strong>National</strong> Audubon Society<br />
<strong>Bahamas</strong>. No other national park protects such<br />
a large tract of this species and the ecosystem it<br />
supports. <strong>The</strong> Caribbean Pine is one of the most<br />
favoured trees for silviculture. Seeds generated<br />
in the Abaco <strong>National</strong> Park could be used to establish/re-establish<br />
pine forests in other<br />
parts of the <strong>Bahamas</strong> as well as other<br />
parts of the world.<br />
<strong>The</strong> area is known<br />
feeding area of the White<br />
Crowned Pigeon, the most<br />
popular game bird of <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Bahamas</strong>. Conservation of<br />
this area is vital the<br />
species and promotes the<br />
stability of its population<br />
in the northern <strong>Bahamas</strong>.<br />
An extensive tract of<br />
mixed broad leaf coppice<br />
is protected in the Abaco<br />
<strong>National</strong> Park. This habitat/ecosystem<br />
is important<br />
for many reasons including<br />
its historical value<br />
to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> and the<br />
biodiversity it supports.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Abaco <strong>National</strong><br />
Park also holds great potential<br />
for ecotourism. <strong>The</strong><br />
park is easily accessible<br />
and the supporting tourism<br />
infrastructure in<br />
Abaco (hotels etc) lends<br />
itself to the development<br />
of nature tourism activities.<br />
According to a survey<br />
conducted by U.S. Fish<br />
and Wildlife 77 million U.S.<br />
residents16 years<br />
and older participated<br />
in wildlife<br />
related activities in 1996.<br />
<strong>The</strong> survey also indicates<br />
that 96% of these were<br />
interested in birds. Another U.S. survey on<br />
recreation and the Environment shows that<br />
54 million people took part in bird-watching.<br />
Abaco has the best birding of any island in the<br />
<strong>Bahamas</strong>. It is possible to see more <strong>Bahamian</strong><br />
specialties on Abaco than on any other island. A<br />
visiting birder, with a good guide can see Bahama<br />
Parrots, West Indian Woodpeckers, Bahama<br />
Swallows, Bahama Yellowthroats, Loggerhead<br />
Kingbirds, Olive-capped Warblers and<br />
Bahama Mockingbirds. <strong>Bahamian</strong>s who are willing<br />
to learn about birds and the other flora and<br />
fauna of the park, as well as take tour guide<br />
training have a great economic opportunity<br />
awaiting them in Abaco.<br />
<strong>The</strong> establishment of a site support group<br />
for the Abaco <strong>National</strong> Park,<br />
conducting surveys of<br />
birdlife in the park and<br />
the annexation of the<br />
Hole-In-the-Wall area to<br />
the present park are<br />
major goals for<br />
this area under<br />
the IBA Programme.<br />
Abaco<br />
<strong>National</strong> Park<br />
6 B a h a m a s N a t i o n a l T r u s t
Inagua <strong>National</strong> Park<br />
An Important <strong>Bird</strong> Conservation Success Story<br />
IBA Demonstration Site Size: 183,740 acres<br />
Location: Covering most of Great Inagua island in the southern <strong>Bahamas</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Inagua <strong>National</strong> Park, is<br />
about one hours drive from<br />
Matthew Town and covers 287<br />
square miles of Great Inagua (almost<br />
half of the island). <strong>Bird</strong> life dominates<br />
the park and the flamingo, the<br />
national bird of the <strong>Bahamas</strong> is its<br />
star attraction. Inagua <strong>National</strong> Park<br />
is the site of the largest breeding<br />
colony of West Indian Flamingos in<br />
Mr. Henry Nixon, Warden of the Inagua <strong>National</strong> Park, completed<br />
the Ministry of Tourism’s <strong>Bird</strong> Tour Guiding Course<br />
and is recognized as a certified <strong>Bird</strong>ing Tour Guide.<br />
the world. Today the population<br />
numbers approximately 50,000 after<br />
having made a 40-year journey back<br />
from the edge of extinction.<br />
As early as 1905, concern for the<br />
West Indian Flamingo in the<br />
Caribbean was intense. In that year,<br />
at the first annual meeting of the <strong>National</strong><br />
Audubon Society, a plea was<br />
made to the <strong>Bahamas</strong> government<br />
for the establishment of legal protection<br />
for the flamingo. Almost immediately<br />
the Wild <strong>Bird</strong>s Protection Act<br />
was passed. As Audubon records<br />
show, it was the first time in<br />
recorded history that special protection<br />
for the flamingos had been proposed<br />
and then established by law.<br />
By the 1950’s a close working relationship<br />
had been established between<br />
the <strong>National</strong> Audubon Society<br />
and the <strong>Bahamas</strong>. Concerned with<br />
the sudden decline in the flamingo<br />
population during the early years of<br />
that decade, Audubon sent its then<br />
research director, Robert Porter<br />
Allen to Inagua in an attempt to prevent<br />
the birds fast approaching extinction.<br />
Bob Allen began his search for<br />
flamingos in the spring of 1950. He<br />
searched all of the places where<br />
flamingos were rumored<br />
to nest in<br />
the Caribbean.<br />
Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican<br />
Republic –<br />
always arriving too<br />
late and finding<br />
many of them already<br />
in the pot.<br />
Allen reported that<br />
fifteen colonies had<br />
been abandoned in<br />
the Caribbean in<br />
the last 35 years.<br />
Everywhere flamingos<br />
were being<br />
crowded out by hu-<br />
doned colonies elsewhere in the<br />
Caribbean might one day be replenished.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Society for the Protection<br />
of the Flamingo in the <strong>Bahamas</strong> was<br />
formed, made up of a number of<br />
American and <strong>Bahamian</strong> Conservationists.<br />
Allen saw to it that the new<br />
society appointed Sam Nixon the<br />
first flamingo warden on Great Inagua,<br />
with the <strong>National</strong> Audubon Society<br />
providing money for his salary<br />
and equipment. Later in 1952,<br />
Nixon’s brother Jimmy became his<br />
assistant. Allen designed and built<br />
the little camp on Long Cay and<br />
named it for Arthur Vernay, the first<br />
President of the new Society. It became<br />
the Nixon’s up-country home<br />
during the nesting season and<br />
Allen’s headquarters on each of his<br />
many trips to Great Inagua.<br />
Out of these trips came Allen’s<br />
Monograph (1956) that is the basis<br />
of much of our knowledge of the<br />
“Caribbean” flamingo’s natural history.<br />
Allen’s research in the field also<br />
stimulated conservationists to provide<br />
for the species’ protection. By<br />
an odd twist of fate, it is not direct<br />
human persecution that is a major<br />
threat to Great Inagua’s flamingos,<br />
but the marauding wild pigs that<br />
were introduced by early settlers<br />
and feed on the birds’ eggs and the<br />
young. <strong>The</strong> Nixon’s constant vigilance<br />
(as well as their hankering for<br />
roast pork) have done much to neutralize<br />
the threat.<br />
Another positive step was the<br />
creation of the Bahama<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong><br />
by an Act<br />
man populations.<br />
But stories still persisted<br />
about a great<br />
colony in the inhospitable wilds of<br />
Great Inagua.<br />
Allen arrived in Inagua in the<br />
spring of 1952 and was put in touch<br />
with Sam Nixon, the best hunter and<br />
guide on Inagua. <strong>The</strong> two men –<br />
sturdy, resourceful and adventurous<br />
hit it off. Nixon took Allen in a shallow<br />
bottomed boat to the Upper<br />
Lakes of Inagua where the long chain<br />
of disappointments finally ended.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y found more than a thousand<br />
flamingos “commulating” as Nixon<br />
had promised they would. <strong>The</strong> birds<br />
massed in that riotous courtship<br />
ritual of head turning, wing flicking,<br />
and exaggerated strutting that<br />
Allen called “the Flamingo<br />
Quadrille”. Here Allen realized,<br />
was a breeding population<br />
flourishing in isolation<br />
and from which long-abanof<br />
Parliament in 1959. As the official<br />
organization responsible for wildlife<br />
protection and national Park Management,<br />
the <strong>Trust</strong> took over the<br />
work of the old Society of the Protection<br />
of the Flamingo. By working<br />
closely with Morton Salt, various<br />
government agencies and the <strong>National</strong><br />
Audubon Society, the <strong>Trust</strong><br />
has helped the resident flamingo<br />
population grow from several thousand<br />
birds in 1952 to over 50,000<br />
birds today.<br />
Great Inagua<br />
7 C e l e b r a t i n g B a h a m i a n B i r d l i f e
Corporate interests and conservation can work<br />
together for the good of wildlife and economics<br />
<strong>The</strong> Inagua <strong>National</strong> Park and the<br />
bouncing back of the flamingo population<br />
is an example of how sometimes<br />
corporate interests and conservation<br />
can work together for the<br />
good of wildlife and economics. <strong>The</strong><br />
natural salt pans near Matthew Town<br />
have attracted humans for centuries.<br />
As sea water circulates through the<br />
windswept wetlands algae begins to<br />
grow darkening the salty water and<br />
hastening evaporation. Tiny brine<br />
shrimp feed on the algae and help filter<br />
the water. Many kinds of waterfowl<br />
including flamingos feed on the<br />
shrimp. <strong>Bird</strong> droppings enhance algal<br />
growth which in turn increases<br />
the number of brine shrimp. Since<br />
the Inagua <strong>National</strong> Park was formed<br />
in 1965, the BNT and Morton Salt<br />
Ltd. have maintained a constructive<br />
partnership, that has benefited the<br />
people of Inagua while saving the<br />
flamingos from extinction. <strong>The</strong> food<br />
cycle involving the algae, brine<br />
shrimp and flamingos works to<br />
everyone’s advantage. Before the<br />
salt works reservoir was enlarged.<br />
Lake Rosa (Windsor) would dry up<br />
yearly, cutting off the food supply for<br />
the birds. Limited salt production<br />
also made jobs in short supply. <strong>The</strong><br />
expansion of the reservoir was a major<br />
turning point for Inagua’s declining<br />
human and wildlife population.<br />
Today, the tradition of Nixon<br />
wardens continues. Sam’s son Henry<br />
Nixon and (until recently) grandson<br />
Randolph “Casper” Burrows patrol<br />
the park and protect the flamingos.<br />
Jimmy Nixon now 83 is semi-retired<br />
and still accompanies the wardens<br />
<strong>The</strong> Sammy Nixon <strong>Bird</strong> Group with Lynn Gape of the BNT. Group is working to<br />
improve their birding skills and are looking forward to being involved in the IBA<br />
Programme.<br />
on their patrols. <strong>The</strong> success of the<br />
Inagua <strong>National</strong> Park is evident in the<br />
repopulating of other Caribbean islands<br />
by the Inagua population. Scientists<br />
are aware of the connection<br />
between Cuba and Inagua as well as<br />
healthy flamingo colonies on the<br />
Turks and Caicos Islands and Grand<br />
Cayman as well as the repopulating<br />
of Crooked Island and Acklins Island<br />
by the Inagua flamingos.<br />
Recently as part of the <strong>Bird</strong><strong>Life</strong><br />
International Important <strong>Bird</strong>s Areas<br />
Program being implemented in the<br />
<strong>Bahamas</strong> the Inagua <strong>National</strong> Park<br />
was designated as a demonstration<br />
site and in 1997 it was identified as a<br />
Wetland of International Importance<br />
under the RAMSAR Convention. <strong>The</strong><br />
IBA park project offers Inaguans<br />
birdwatching infrastructure, training<br />
in surveying bird populations and<br />
ecotourism opportunities. Lynn<br />
Gape, BNT Education and Public Relations<br />
officer feels that, “<strong>The</strong> Important<br />
<strong>Bird</strong> Areas programme offers<br />
the <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> an excellent<br />
opportunity to expand our<br />
knowledge of the bird species that<br />
use the park, as well as involve the<br />
people of Inagua in <strong>National</strong> Park<br />
projects.”<br />
PHOTO CREDITS <strong>The</strong> <strong>Bahamas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> would like to acknowledge and thank the following photographers:<br />
Bruce Hallet, Kevin Karlson, Henry Nixon, Daniel J. Fox, Middleton Evans, David Hill, Lynn Gape, Monty<br />
Knowles, Linda Huber, Patricia Bradley, Terragua, T. Bancroft, A. Morris, Alan Chartier and Courtney Platt.<br />
8 B a h a m a s N a t i o n a l T r u s t<br />
WEST INDIAN<br />
WHISTLING DUCK<br />
REGIONAL ENDANGER<br />
SPECIES<br />
<strong>The</strong> West Indian Whistling Duck is the<br />
largest and rarest of the eight species<br />
of unique whistling ducks found<br />
throughout the world’s tropical regions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Whistling Duck is a large<br />
goose-like duck with relatively long<br />
legs that extend beyond the tail in<br />
flight. It usually reaches heights of<br />
between 19 –22 inches. <strong>The</strong> feathers<br />
on the upper part of the duck are<br />
mostly brown with pale edgings, the<br />
throat is white, but the lower neck is<br />
streaked with black. <strong>The</strong> chest is reddish<br />
and the underbelly is white with<br />
dark spots. <strong>The</strong> bill is black and the<br />
legs are dark.<br />
<strong>The</strong> West Indian Whistling Duck<br />
is nocturnal and feeds mostly in the<br />
evenings. <strong>The</strong> birds are generally seen<br />
at dusk flying in flocks to feeding on<br />
their favourite fruit from the Royal<br />
Palm. <strong>The</strong>ir diet is made up of fruits,<br />
seeds, grasses or foods crops notably<br />
rice or corn. This bird lives near both<br />
fresh and salt water lagoons, swamps,<br />
mangroves, rice fields and palm savananas.<br />
Once common and widespread<br />
throughout the West Indies, its<br />
numbers have declined throughout its<br />
range. Populations of Whistling Ducks<br />
are now widely scattered throughout<br />
most of the Caribbean. In the <strong>Bahamas</strong><br />
the species is considered rare<br />
but has been sighted the Inagua <strong>National</strong><br />
Park, Andros and Long Island.<br />
<strong>The</strong> WIWD is protected by law under<br />
the Wild <strong>Bird</strong>s Protection Act. It is<br />
against the law to hunt or harm this<br />
species in any fashion.<br />
Anyone with information on<br />
sightings of this bird should contact<br />
the BNT at 393-1317.