Two Rare Birds For August

Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
Photograph by Sahara Moore

It has been an uneventful birding year in Barbados thus far but the month of August gave it just a little spark with two rare birds.  The first one, a Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), was seen by Ed Massiah on August 1, in the parish of St. Philip.  These birds, though common in other islands of the Caribbean, are considered rare to ours, even though around 2008 a pair successfully nested and raised chicks at Walkers, St. Andrew, now Walkers Reserve. 

Black-necked Stilts look like birds on stilts. They are between  13.5-15.5” in length, with long pink legs, black upperparts, and white underparts.  The last Black-necked was recorded on May 1, 2013, at Chancery Lane’s swamp.

The other rare bird seen was a Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus).  This species has become a yearly visitor to our island.  This one was spotted in the parish of St. Lucy on August 19.  Ibis is known for its decurved bill.  Glossies are 22-25” in length.  Adults are mostly dark with iridescent green and reddish tones, with a very thin white border surrounding the dark facial skin.  Immatures are a duller brown.

As we approach the end of August and the birds begin to arrive we will be on the lookout for more rare birds.