Celebrating Anguilla's Seabirds

World Seabird Day 2022

Brown Noddy Nest

On July 3, 2022 the birding community will celebrate the 5th annual World Seabird Day. It is a day scientists have chosen to highlight the continuing conservation threats to seabird populations around the world.

Seabirds are a group of birds that are known to live the majority of their life on the sea, returning to land only to breed.

Beginning in April each year, some 17 species of seabirds return to Anguilla’s shores to begin their breeding season. For the most part they are found on our offshore cays where their colonies exist in either local, regional, or in some cases, global, significance.

However some, like Least Terns, nest on our Salt Ponds. In fact, a little over 1% of the world population of this species nests here. Their presence gives 11 of our main island wetlands the distinction of Important Bird Area (IBA) status.

Least Tern Family With Newly Hatched Chicks

Although I will highlight our offshore cays in future newsletters, I feel compelled to share just how amazing these locations are. Long time readers might recall my extensive post about Scrub Island located to the east of the main island. If you missed it, you can catch up here. Scrub is significant in that it is the only spot where Roseate Terns nest in Anguilla.

Royal, Sandwich & Roseate Terns Scrub Island

The other three major nesting sites include Sombrero, Prickly Pear East & West, and Dog Island. All three have their own special charm with Sombrero being some 35 miles north of the main island.

Dog and the Prickly Pear Cays are the most accessible and both have been restored in the sense that the invasive rodent populations have been carefully removed, providing a safe habitat for our amazing seabirds to raise their young.

Masked Booby and Chick Dog Island

Following is a list of species that nest on Anguilla.

1. Magnificent Frigatebird

2. Brown Booby

3. Masked Booby

4. Red-billed Tropicbird

5. White-tailed Tropicbird

6. Brown Pelican

7. Audubon’s Shearwater

8. Least Tern

9. Royal Tern

10. Sandwich Tern

11. Roseate Tern

12. Roseate Tern

13. Brown Noddy

14. Sooty Tern

15. Bridled Tern

16. Common Tern

17. Laughing Gull

Some of the less common visitors include Lesser and Greater Black-backed Gulls. I was also able to report the presence of an Iceland Gull here many years ago.

Over the course of our newsletters we will take a closer look at some of these species and their habitats. But for today’s purpose, just sit back and enjoy the incredible beauty that is Anguilla’s Seabird population via our YouTube companion reel!