Two New Species for the Island and the Region

The digital camera has fundamentally transformed modern ornithology and birding. This crucial role was underscored by the recent addition of two new bird species to the island and region's avian checklist, directly facilitated by photographic documentation. These two additions took the island's count to 286 species. (Clements)

A photograph by Michael St. John of the island and region's first Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Our first bird, a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminate), was also a first for the West Indies. It was discovered by Michael St. John on June 11, 2025, at a private site in St. Lucy. Initially misidentified as a Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) —a species commonly seen on the island—the bird’s true identity was later confirmed by renowned birder and co-author of the Lynx Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies, Anthony Levesque of Guadeloupe, after he spotted a photo on eBird. This medium-sized shorebird is native to the Old World, breeds in eastern Siberia, and winters mainly in Australasia, following migration routes that span the Pacific. How it ended up in the Caribbean, gracing our beautiful island, remains an unsolved mystery.

The juvenile female Pallid Harrier, seen and photographed by Dr. John Webster
 in 2014, correctly identified in 2025

The second new bird proved to be even more remarkable. First sighted and photographed by Dr. John Webster on December 26, 2014, it was initially identified on eBird as a Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus). Years later, the identification came into question when Paul Buckley (author of Birds of Barbados- an annotated checklist) noted its unusual appearance and sought further expertise. He sent John's images to the renowned Finnish ornithologist and field guide author Dick Forsman (author of The Raptors of Europe and the Middle East: A Handbook of Field Identification). Upon examining the photographs, Dick Forsman definitively identified it as a juvenile female Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus). This species of raptor is native to eastern Europe and Central Asia, with its wintering grounds primarily in Africa and South Asia. Its confirmed presence in Barbados made not just a first for the island and the region but all of the Americas. 

These two remarkable sightings underscore how digital photography, paired with expert insight, is reshaping our understanding of bird vagrancy—not only in Barbados, but across the globe. They also highlight the value of contributing rich data to our eBird.org checklists, including detailed descriptions, photos, and audio. Once again, Barbados shines as a hotspot for exceptionally rare bird species, which can change a casual birding outing into an unforgettable adventure.

Stay safe and enjoy your birding!

A New Avian Species Record for Barbados – Audouin's Gull

When people ask about the unique birding experience in Barbados – a country with just one endemic bird, limited native nesters, and fewer woodlands or wetlands – I often compare it to a box of  Cracker Jacks. Just like those surprise-filled snacks, birding here is full of unexpected treasures. Or, as a birding Forrest Gump might say, "Birding in Barbados is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you'll find."

Audouin's Gull between two Laughing Gulls ay Pile Bay

On June 20th, I made a brief stop at the Pile Bay fishing complex in St. Michael, and stumbled upon an unexpected treasure! A pale-looking gull perched on a buoy, noticeably larger than the surrounding Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla), caught my eye. Initially, I thought it might be a Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus), a yearly visitor to Barbados. However, its size seemed off - bigger than the Laughing Gulls but smaller than the Lesser Black-backs. Because of its pale back, black bill mark, and size, I leaned towards a Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis), but doubt lingered.  I Shared a photo with our local birding group, and received an unexpected response from our resident expert, Ed Massiah: "Audouin's Gull!". While thrilled, he emphasized the need for a live sighting to confirm the identification due to my photo quality, which was a cell phone shot on my camera display.  On hearing that I sent the photo to Nigel Lallsingh, a friend in Trinidad who is familiar with the species after discovering the first record for Trinidad (and the entire Western Hemisphere) in 2016.  His reply was – "Looks like a second-winter Audouin's Gull!" Later that day, Ed saw the bird and confirmed it to be an Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii)! This incredible sighting did not only marked the 283rd recorded avian species for Barbados (Clements) but also a historic first sighting of the species for the entire West Indies!

About the Audouin's Gull

Audouin's Gulls

Audouin's Gulls are medium-sized gulls, measuring about 17-24 inches (44-60 cm) in length with a wingspan of up to 4.5 feet (142 cm). Adults have a light grey body with a paler white head. Their light gray wings have black tips and lack the white spots common in many other gulls. They boast a dark red bill and dark gray legs. Juveniles have a mottled brown body with a distinct white rump patch.  These birds are primarily coastal, inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea. They winter along the southern and western African coasts and the Iberian Peninsula.

This unexpected encounter perfectly exemplifies the thrill of birding in Barbados. You never know what fascinating feathered wonder you might find next! 

Stay safe and enjoy your birding!

A New Avian Species Record for Barbados – White-tailed Hawk

Yesterday, April 30, a new avian species was added to Barbados’ checklist. The bird was not only a mega-rarity for the island but also for the region. The bird in question was a White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus), observed soaring high above St. Philip by young birder Jason Moore. I photographed it and was quickly identified by expert birder Ed Massiah from the photograph. Interestingly this may be the same unidentified raptor photographed in January in the same parish. This sighting represents the second record for the region, with the first being in St. Vincent in June 1964 (Gochfeld et al., 1973).

White-tailed Hawks are large and stocky birds, measuring approximately 17 - 24 inches (44 - 60 cm) in length, with a wingspan of up to 4.5 feet (142 cm). Adult White-tailed Hawks are predominantly gray above with a rufous chest and a white belly, while juveniles are a darker brown with streaking. Their range extends from southern Texas in the United States southward through Central and South America to central Argentina and Trinidad, where they are considered “very rare visitors” (Birds of Trinidad & Tobago by Kenefick et al.).

This sighting of the White-tailed Hawk in Barbados underscores the island's potential for unexpected avian visitors and will no doubt keep us local birders on our toes. 

Stay safe and Enjoy Your birding!

Rare Cruise Visitor a First for Barbados

As thousands of visitors sail into our beautiful island via cruise ships, they're contributing to a neglected aspect of Barbados’ birdlife: pelagic birding, which is the spotting of birds that spend most of their life far out to sea. Just last month, a keen-eyed guest aboard a cruise ship added three bird species of this type to the 2024 bird checklist. These were the Red-footed Booby (Sula sula), Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra), and Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster).

Gray-breasted Crake photo by Cindy Johnson

A checklist with images, posted on ebird.org by Cindy Johnson, a cruise ship guest, amazed local birders on February 8th. The bird in the image was not pelagic, but a Rail, like our Common Gallinule, that lives in marshes and mangroves. This bird was small, with a grey chest, greyish brown upperparts, and barred underparts. It was a Gray-breasted Crake (Laterallus exilis), a bird found in Trinidad, Central and South America. We may never find out how the bird got on the ship, but Cindy wondered if it came from Iles de Salutes, French Guiana, or the Amazon river ports - likely previous stops for her ship. Her sighting is the first record of this species in Barbados.  

This is not the first time a new or rare bird species seen on the island was credited as ship-assisted and most likely will not be the last. Thanks to keen birders like Cindy this Gray-breasted Crake’s voyage even though left several questions unanswered is a step in helping scientists understand these all too common events.  Sop Birders stay vigilant, continue to share your sightings, and enjoy your birding.

Another New Bird Species for Barbados

This year has been full of amazing bird sightings on the island, with a new record of House Swift (Apus nipalensis) and some other rare species, like Garganey (Spatula querquedula) and Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea), and we are only halfway through the year, with the fall migration just beginning. The surprises continued yesterday, July 20th, when a new birder made a remarkable discovery. Michael St. John was exploring a private marsh in the north of St. Lucy parish when he spotted and photographed a strange raptor that turned out to be a young Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis). He said the bird stayed in the area for hours, diving and catching prey.

Mississippi Kites are small birds of prey, measuring 12 to 15 inches (30–37 cm) and having a wingspan of about 3 feet (91 cm). Young ones have brownish feathers with a striped tail. They nest mostly in the central and southern U.S., especially along the Mississippi River and the Great Plains, but they travel in large groups to South America during the fall.

We don’t know how this bird got here, but we do hope it sticks around for a while.

Two New Birds for Barbados

Birding in Barbados is always a surprise, like opening a box of Cracker Jacks. You never know what kind of gift you will discover, and sometimes it could be something amazing. That's what happened a few days ago when birders found two amazing gifts in the box: a new bird and a new subspecies for the island.

Strange Swift

On June 3rd, I went to the Ermy Bourne Highway, St. Joseph, with my son Jason and two Canadian birders, Richard and Tammy Mckay. We were searching for Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger), the only swifts that visit our island annually. These swifts are generally black in color, as the name suggested, so imagine our surprise when we saw one with a white rump and a white patch under the neck.  Not knowing what type of swift it was, help was sought from the wider birding community, including world-renowned swift experts Gerald Driessens (Author of Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World) and Justin Jansen (Naturalis Biodiversity Center) to identify it. This bird sparked a lot of interest and discussion among the community with some thinking it might be either a Little Swift (Apus affinis), which lives in Africa and southwestern Asia, or a House Swift (Apus nipalensis), which is found in Japan, Nepal, and Southeast Asia. Either way, it would be a first record for the island. I will keep you posted.

Cayenne Tern by Michael St. John

The second bird was seen by the sharp eyes of birder Michael St. John at Long Beach, Christ Church on June 6th. He was watching and photographing some terns feeding on bait fish just offshore when he noticed a bird he didn’t recognize. The bird had a black crest, white rump, and tail, yellowish bill, and was generally pale in color. It was identified as a Cayenne Tern (Thalasseus eurygnath), a South American sub-species of Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis). While Sandwich Terns are rare visitors to Barbados, this sub-species have never been recorded here before. This was another first for the island.

Two new birds for the island are so exciting. Let’s keep our eyes open for more surprises. Stay safe and enjoy your birding.

Snail Kite - A New Bird Species For Barbados

Juvenile Snail Kite

Barbados has recorded its 273^rd bird species - a Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)(Clements Checklist v2019 / Avibase) . The juvenile bird was seen and recorded on video at Bay Street, St. Michael by a resident, who shared the video with local birders.  I visited the area on the 8^th and had no problem locating the bird, which was very tolerant of pedestrian traffic.  What was even more surprising than finding this bird was seeing what it was eating.  As its common name suggested this bird feeds mainly on snails,  an aquatic species of snail called Apple Snails to be exact, a snail not common to our island, if present at all.

Top of eaten Blackback Land Crab

underneath eaten Blackback Land Crab

The bird was feeding on Blackback Land Crabs (Gecarcinus lateralis) and as the images above shows, was efficiently doing so.

The Snail Kite is a medium-sized hawk about 14 - 19” (36 - 48 cm) in length with a long, broad, and rounded wings which are 39–47” (99–120 cm) in width. It has a long, squared-off tail, synonymous with kites, and a dark tipped very hooked beak.  Females and Juveniles, like this one, shows dark brown upperparts, while it is heavily streaked underneath, with the adult female having more of a white base, a field marking being a super bright supercilium or eye brow, while the juvenile base color is more yellowish.  The legs are mainly yellow.  The male Snail Kite is a striking fellow, dark grey all over, with red eyes, bill base, and legs.

This bird most likely arrived from South America, which is the closest range of these birds to Barbados, but there is also a Caribbean breeding population in Cuba and also one in Florida, USA.

We will continue to monitor and document this bird, another first for Barbados, and give updates on any changes.

Stay safe and enjoy your birding.