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Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Bahama Yellowthroat Gerlinde Taurer ©Anthony Hepburn Website

The Bahamas is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago’s land area and 88% of its population. The archipelagic country consists of more than 700 islands and 2,400 cays and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, and is located north of Cuba and northwest of the island of Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands, southeast of the US state of Florida, and east of the Florida Keys. Only 30 of the islands are inhabited. The islands cover 470,000 km2 (180,000 square miles) spread out over some 800 km (500 miles) of the Atlantic Ocean. Their total land area is, however, just over 10,000 km2.. The largest island is Andros and the other main inhabited islands are New Providence, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Rum Cay, Long Island, San Salvador Island, Ragged Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma, Berry Islands, Mayaguana, the Bimini islands, Great Abaco and Great Inagua. The most populous islands are New Providence, where Nassau, the capital and largest city, is located; and Grand Bahama, home to the second largest city of Freeport. The population of the islands is around 415,000 people, with around two thirds living in the capital.

All the islands are low and flat, with ridges that usually rise no more than 15 to 20 metres (49 to 66 feet). The highest point in the country is Mount Alvernia (formerly Como Hill) on Cat Island at 210 feet. The country contains three terrestrial ecoregions: Bahamian dry forests, Bahamian pine mosaic, and Bahamian mangroves.

Mangrove by Storr’s Lake, San Salvador Island – ©James St. John, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The climate is mostly tropical savannah climate  with a hot and wet season and a warm and dry season. The low latitude, warm tropical Gulf Stream, and low elevation give The Bahamas a warm and winterless climate. The Bahamas are often sunny and dry for long periods, and average more than 3,000 hours or 340 days of sunlight annually. Tropical storms and hurricanes occasionally impact the islands. Much of the natural vegetation is tropical scrub and cactus and succulents are common in landscapes.

Tourism as an industry accounts for about 70% of the Bahamian GDP and provides jobs for about half of the country’s workforce. It has around six million visitors, mainly on cruises. After tourism, the next most important economic sector is banking and offshore international financial services, accounting for some 15% of GDP. It was revealed in the Panama Papers that The Bahamas is the jurisdiction with the most offshore entities or companies in the world. An estimated 80% of the Bahamian food supply is imported. Major local crops include onions, okra, tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit, cucumbers, sugar cane, lemons, limes, and sweet potatoes.

Birding the Bahamas

Owing to its vast geographic coverage, including large expanses of deep-water ocean, the Bahamas chain is comprised of many vegetative zones – pine forest, arid coastal scrub, tropical hammock (or coppice); and mangrove estuary. Long known for endless ribbons of pink sand beaches, vast coral reef systems, and relaxed, island atmosphere – the Bahamas hosts a wide variety of migratory and resident bird species.

Bahamas Endemics and Specialty Species – Nearly 400 species have been recorded in the Bahamas – 109 breed in the islands (including five endemic species) and are either summer visitors or residents, 169 are migrants that pass through as transients and some stay on as winter residents – many are vagrants that have only occurred a few times.

Other species of note in the Bahamas are Western Spindalis, Bahama Mockingbird, Key West Quail-Dove and White-cheeked Pintail. Its thousands of square miles of deep-water ocean – situated relatively close to small, uninhabited rocks and islets – makes much of the Bahamas prime nesting grounds for passing pelagics.

Nesting Frigates, Catto Cay, San Salvador Island – ©James St. John, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

In Spring and Summer one could expect to see White-tailed Tropicbird, Brown Booby, Brown Noddy, Magnificent Frigatebird and various species of tern, including Bridled, Sooty, and Roseate. Although the Bahamas is not known for its waders, due to the absence of fresh water lakes and streams, it hosts significant numbers of wintering Piping Plover.

Migration Highlights – It’s orientation to continental North America puts the Bahamas within the primary movements of both northbound and southbound migration routes to and from the eastern United States. Warblers, waders and gulls make up the bulk of the migratory species list. The most noteworthy of these is the endangered Kirtland’s Warbler.

‘Pineyards’ Habitat, Lucayan National Park, Grand Bahama – ©EgorovaSvetlana, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

In 2001, on the island of Eleuthera in the Northern/Central Bahamas, local bird expert, Paul Dean of Nassau, sighted 4 Kirtland’s warblers. Long suspected to winter in Bahamian pine forest similar to it’s breeding habitat in Michigan, this discovery suggests that they prefer arid scrub coppice common to the region.

Top Sites

  • Abaco National Park

    WebpageSatellite View
    The Abaco National Park is a 25,000 acre preserve protecting the valuable breeding grounds of Amazonis leucocephala bahamensis, an endemic race of the Rose-throated Parrot (formerly Cuban Parrot), which exists on two Islands of the Bahamas – Abaco in the north and Great Inagua in the south. Interestingly enough, the parrots on Abaco nest in holes in the limestone, making them one of just five species of ground-nesting parrots in the world (The others are all from Australasia and include the flightless kakapo of New Zealand – Thanks FatBirder for setting me straight!).

  • Lake Rosa

    InformationSatellite View
    Greater Flamingo is the national bird of the Bahamas, and is readily seen in great numbers on Lake Windsor on Great Inagua.

  • Long Island

    InformationSatellite View
    Long Island is home to one of the largest regional populations of the endangered West Indian Whistling Duck. They are reported exist in smaller numbers on Andros, Abaco, Cat Island and New Providence]. West Indian Whistling Ducks inhabit remote mangrove wetlands areas, and are difficult to see due to the fact that they are nocturnal, virtually silent, and naturally secretive.

  • Northern Islands

    Two endemic sub-species of woodland warblers – Pine Warbler and Yellow-throated Warbler – inhabit the pine covered Islands of the northern Bahamas, as does the Olive-capped Warbler. The Black-cowled Oriole occurs only on Andros Island in the Northern Bahamas; it has more yellow and a stouter bill than other races of Black-cowled Oriole.
Contributors

  • Ron Pagliaro

Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 387

    (As of August 2024)

    National Bird: Caribbean Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber

Endemics

  • Number of endemics: 5

    Bahama Woodstar Calliphlox evelynae
    Bahama Yellowthroat Geothlypis rostrata
    Bahama Swallow Tachycineta cyaneoviridis
    Bahama Warbler Setophaga flavescens
    Bahama Oriole Icterus northropi
Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Bahamas , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them.

  • Wikipedia

    Annotated List
    This is a list of the bird species recorded in the Bahamas. The avifauna of the Bahamas include a total of 386 species, according to Bird Checklists of the World (Avibase) as of July 2023. Of them, seven are endemic, 21 have been introduced by humans, and 212 are rare or accidental. Two species listed are extinct (including one of the endemics) and two have been extirpated.

  • eBird

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.
Useful Reading

  • A Birder's Guide to the Bahama Islands

    | (Including Turks and Caicos) | By Anthony W White | ABA | 1998 | Spiralbound | 302 pages, Colour and b/w photos, illustrations, maps | Out of Print | ISBN: 9781878788160 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Bahemian and Caribbean Birds

    | LMH Publishing | 1995 | Hardback | Out of Print | ISBN: 9789766250768 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Birds of the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands

    | By Bruce Hallett | Macmillan Caribbean | 2006 | Paperback | 245 pages, colour photos, b/w illustrations, 1 colour & 1 b/w map | Out of Print | ISBN: 9780333937440 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Birds of the West Indies

    | By Allan R Keith, Herbert A Raffaele, James W Wiley, Janis Raffaele & Orlando H Garrido | Helm | Edition 2 | 2020 | Flexibound | 288 pages, 129 plates with colour illustrations; b/w illustrations, colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9781472979506 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • The Birds of the Southern Bahamas

    | By Donald W Buden | BOU | 1987 | Paperback | 119 pages, figs, tabs, maps | ISBN: 9780907446071 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • The Birds of the West Indies

    | By Guy M Kirwan, Anthony Levesque, Mark W Oberle & Christopher J Sharpe | Lynx Edicions | 2019 | 400 pages, 1600+ colour illustrations, 650+ colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9788416728176 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Museums & Universities

  • Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

    Journal
    The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology is a refereed scientific journal, published by the non-profit society BirdsCaribbean. JCO has now served as an important resource for ornithological research in the Caribbean for over 35 years.
Organisations

  • Andros Conservancy and Trust

    Facebook Page
    To protect, preserve, enhance, and restore the natural resources of Andros Island and its marine environment through education, conservation, and management. ANCAT envisions a future for Andros that embraces and secures our natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations.

  • Audubon

    Webpage
    The Commonwealth of the Bahamas extends 760 miles and covers 95,462 square miles between the southeastern shores of the United States and the northern shores of Haiti.

  • Bahamas National Trust

    Website
    The Bahamas National Trust is a non-profit organisation in The Bahamas that manages the country’s national parks.

  • Bahamas Protected Area Fund (BPAF)

    Facebook Page
    The Bahamas Protected Area Fund (BPAF) is a national conservation trust fund devoted to helping ensure that Bahamian marine parks will have a dedicated, sustainable source of revenue to employ staff, galvanize local community support, purchase equipment, build visitor facilities and monitor ecosystem health.

  • Bird Club Of New Providence

    Facebook Page
    Welcome to the Bird Club of New Providence's (BCNP) Facebook Group! We are a non-profit organization established to allow residents of New Providence and The Bahamas at large who are interested in birds to interact and partake in activities involving birds and their environment.

  • BirdsCaribbean

    Website
    BirdsCaribbean is a vibrant international network of members and partners committed to conserving Caribbean birds and their habitats in the insular Caribbean (including Bermuda, the Bahamas and all islands within the Caribbean basin).
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NP Abaco

    InformationSatellite View
    This was a significant addition (1994) to the Bahamian national park system, which protected enough natural habitat to ensure the survival of the endangered Bahama parrot. The park is located on the southeastern portion of Abaco, between Hole-in-the-Wall and Crossing Rocks. It encompasses 5,000 acres of pine forest.

  • NP Conception Island

    InformationSatellite View
    The Conception Island National Park lies between Cat Cays to the north and Rum Cay to the south. The vegetation consists of mangrove communities, with typical strand vegetation, and the island is visited by green turtles, sea birds and migrating birds.

  • NP IBA Inagua

    InformationSatellite View
    nagua National Park is a national park on the island of Great Inagua in The Bahamas. It was established in 1965 and has an area of 220,000 acres (890 km2). The park encloses all of Lake Rosa, the largest salt-water lake in the Bahamas where world's largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingoes can be found. The park has contributed to increasing bird populations in nearby islands such as Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Cuba, and Andros.

  • NP Lucayan

    InformationSatellite View
    The Lucayan National Park was established in March 1982. It is located between Freeport and Freetown at Gold Rock Creek and consists of 40 acres of land. The Park contains one of the longest charted underwater cave systems in the world; a unique system of elevated walkways through the last intact mangrove wetland on the southern shore of Grand Bahama, a magnificently wide unspoiled beach showcasing the tallest sand dunes on the island and a wealth of flora and fauna.

  • NR Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

    InformationSatellite View
    Though this park is mostly water, the land is a vital refuge for a small mammal called the hutia, several rare and endangered iguana species and marine birds that nest high in the bluffs. They include Audubon's shearwater, white-tailed tropicbird, brown noddy and six species of terns (bridled, least, roseate, royal, sandwich and sooty).

  • NR Rand Nature Centre

    WebpageSatellite View
    The 100-acre sanctuary was the first education nature center to be established in The Islands of The Bahamas and its goal is to preserve the natural Grand Bahamian habitat as a heritage for future generations. Located only minutes from downtown Freeport, the Rand Nature center is by far Grand Bahama's most accessible nature park…

  • Parks of the Bahamas

    InformationSatellite View
    The Bahamas boasts a massive twelve ecological state-supported national parks in addition to privately owned ecological Meccas. The Bahamian nerve centre for studying ecology and mapping plans for the total enjoyment of nature`s wonders is The Bahamas National Trust first established in 1959. Its headquarters is now an 11-acre garden of rare palms and native Bahamian coppice: one of the largest private collections in the world. His Royal Highness The Prince Philip officially opened The Retreat in October 1985 and the 150-year old house in the gardens now acts as the headquarters.

  • Wetland of International Importance

    WebpageSatellite View
    Bahamas presently has just one site designated as a Wetland of International Importance, with a surface area of 32,600 hectares.
Sightings, News & Forums
Guides & Tour Operators

  • Andros Beach Club

    Local Tour Operator
    Birding tours on South Andros Island give you the opportunity to see the Great Lizard Cuckoo, Bahama mockingbird, Cave Swallow, Blackwhiskered and Thickbilled Vireos, White Crown Pigeon and the Greater Antillean Bullfinch among others.

  • Bahamas Outdoors Birding Tours

    Local Tour Operator
    Half Day or Full day tours. All tours include... Ecotour Guide, binoculars, field guides, and refreshments. Picnic lunch included with full day.

  • BirdQuest

    Tour Operator
    LESSER ANTILLES – A beautiful Caribbean island arc full of endemic birds, plus Trinidad and Bahamas extensions

  • Birding The Islands

    Tour Operator
    Here at Birding the Islands, we specialise in organising and leading birding trips through the magical islands of the Lesser Antilles and wider Caribbean region.

  • FieldGuides

    Tour Operator
    Small-group tour for four Bahamian endemics, several Caribbean endemics, a few early migrants, Kirtland's Warbler, and a sampling of West Indian butterflies; fun, exciting birding at a relaxed pace.

  • Grand Bahama Nature Tours

    Local Tour Operator
    The Stripe-headed Tanager is one of the coulourful Bahamian specialities that visitors delight in observing

  • International Field Studies

    Tour Operator
    Open to US citizens and Non-US citizens. English speaking proficiency required.

  • Local Birding Guides

    Webpage
    A number of expert guides can be found throughout our islands, including Certified Bahamas Birding Tour Guides with decades of experience. They can lead you to the best birdwatching areas on half-day or full-day birding tours, giving you the opportunity to add some new unique species to your life list.

  • Rockjumper

    Tour Operator
    The Bahamas - Birding the Lucayan Archipelago(8 days)

  • William Suárez Birding Tours

    Local Tour Operator
    ​A relaxing, all inclusive short birding tour to the Bahamas that includes the endemic Bahama Woodstar, Bahama Swallow, Bahama Yellowthroat, Bahama Warbler plus some Cuban species such as Cuban Parrot, Cuban Emerald, La Sagra's Flycatcher, Cuban Pewee and more!​​​​​​
Trip Reports

  • 2015 [04 April] - Jesse Fagan - Abaco, Eleuthera, Andros and the Kirtland's Warbler

    Report
    ...It all started on the island of Abaco with a visit to Abaco Island National Park and our first Cuban Parrots perched in the pine trees and a Bahama Yellowthroat skulking in the understory. Bahama Palm Shores was also very good for parrots and West Indian Woodpecker, but lunch at Pete's Pub and "sittin' on the dock of the bay" in Cherokee Sound were also memorable.

  • 2016 [04 April] - Jesse Fagin

    Report
    This was a very successful tour to the Bahamas. It was the first time we included Andros as part of the main tour, and it went as well as expected. We saw five Bahama endemics (the five possible on our tour route), plus a host of Caribbean regional endemics...

  • 2017 [04 April] - Mark Van Beirs

    PDF Report
    ...We found our first specialities in a stretch of disturbed shrubby woodland and these included a male Cuban Emerald, a cooperative West Indian Woodpecker, a pair of Loggerhead Kingbirds (of the distinctive Bahama race), the attractive, endemic Bahama Swallow and Grey Catbird...

  • 2019 [03 March] - Jesse Fagan

    Report
    This was another successful running of our short and fun itinerary to the Bahamas. We had awesome weather this year, and the birds didn't disappoint. We got to see all the possible endemics (including the local Bahama Oriole), several regional endemics (amazing looks at Great Lizard-Cuckoo and very cooperative West Indian Woodpecker), and, of course, wintering Kirtland's Warbler. Thanks to my fun group, and I look forward to seeing you again on another adventure.

  • 2019 [04 April] - Mark Van Biers - Hispaniola and Puerto Rico with Jamaica & Bahamas

    PDF Report
    The highlight of our recent Hispaniola and Puerto Rico endemics extravaganza was without a doubt the magnificent male Antillean Crested Hummingbird that showed so very well in a flowering tree in northeastern Puerto Rico.

  • 2023 [03 March] - Jesse Fagan

    Report
    We enjoyed visiting three of the most important islands for bird endemism, which included Abaco, Eleuthera, and Andros. On Abaco Island it is possible to see most of the endemics, like the Bahama Woodstar, yellowthroat, swallow, and warbler, and we had great looks at all four. Abaco also has several important regional Caribbean endemics that we encountered including Cuban Parrot, West Indian Woodpecker, Cuban Emerald, and Cuban Pewee. A few of these are only found in Cuba and the Bahamas. We targeted the rare Kirtland's Warbler on Eleuthera Island with great success. Our final Bahamian endemic, the Bahama Oriole, we found very close to our hotel on Andros Island. This was also bird of the trip!
Places to Stay

  • Grand Bahama Birders' B&B

    Accommodation
    Grand Bahama Birders' Bed and Breakfast offers visiting Birders to Grand Bahama a unique experience. We offer the "Garden Apartment" with two twin bedrooms and bath with shower each, a sitting room with kitchenette, coffee machine, refrigerator, microwave, and a private patio where a healthy extensive continental breakfast is being served. This is a perfect option for a couple or a family of four. ..

  • Small Hope Bay Lodge

    Accommodation
    An all-inclusive 21 room resort with cottages right on the beach. The perfect place for bird watching, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, exploring, rest, relaxation, and rediscovery. More than 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Bahamas. One hundred and nine species breed in the Bahamas, 169 species are migrants or winter here, and 45 species are vagrants. Some, like the Greater Flamingo and the Bahama race of the Cuban Parrot, can only be found in the wild on one or two of the islands

  • Tiamo Resort

    Accommodation
    Flash
Other Links

  • Bahamas wildlife (and where to find them)

    Website
    Our native animals are not relegated to the ocean, though, that too is a bucket list experience. There are few things more transformative, almost spiritual, than swimming with the sharks. Nothing makes a boating day better than dolphins in our beautiful oceans leaping out of the clear blue waters and playing and racing alongside your boat. The Bahamas is a scuba diver’s paradise, and I could go on, but more than just the ocean, we have so much more to offer.

  • Bird Watching

    Website
    Out of all the 700 islands and cays that make up The Islands of The Bahamas, Grand Bahama Island has the distinction of hosting the second highest number of native bird species. For birdwatchers and nature lovers, the island is a true mecca, a place where they can see 18 of the 28 species of Bahamian birds that are not seen in the U.S., Canada, or Europe

  • Eco-adventures

    Website
    The Bahamas has allocated an additional 58 sites for future development as National Parks, in particular the Andros Barrier Reef, third largest living coral reef in the world, and the Athol Island/Rose Island marine environment

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