British Virgin Islands / Special Interests / Birdwatching

Around 200 species of birds come to the islands. Some of them are migratory so they are not there year round, but of course they are adapted to the different environments. There are many shore birds, including turnstones and sandpipers, which you might see twittering up and down the beaches in groups. You will definitely see pelicans, boobies and many species of gulls. If you are lucky you might see a peregrine falcon, a kestrel or an osprey, which hover on the winds and thermals in search of prey. Herons and egrets use the mangroves on the south coast to feed for small fish, standing immobile for hours on one leg while they wait in ambush.

The BVI also sees a large number of ocean-going birds which use the many uninhabited out-islands to nest undisturbed. Finally in Anegada there are flamingos. A small colony was reintroduced in 1994 and there are now reckoned to be around 100 of them.