The three Cayman Islands-Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac-a dependent territory of the UK, lie at the extreme north-west end of the Caribbean island chain, 208 km from Jamaica (EBA 027) and 240 km from Cuba (EBA 025; also for map). Grand and Little Cayman are similar low-lying islands with extensive wetlands of mangrove swamps and associated coastal lagoons and ponds, while on Cayman Brac the wetlands are minimal, and dry forest and scrub are the dominant vegetation types. The Cayman Islands have been identified as a Secondary Area on account of one endemic extinct species (Grand Cayman Thrush Turdus ravidus, not recorded since 1938) and the presence of four other restricted-range species (Vitelline Warbler Dendroica vitellina, Thick-billed Vireo Vireo crassirostris, Yucatán Vireo Vireo magister and Jamaican Oriole Icterus leucopteryx) which also occur in nearby EBAs and Secondary Areas. Although none of these species is considered threatened, habitats on the Cayman Islands are becoming fragmented owing to the growth of tourism and associated facilities; this is especially the case on Grand Cayman, but more recently also on Little Cayman (Bradley 1995). The widespread but threatened West Indian Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arborea (classified as Vulnerable) breeds on all three islands, while the Cuban Parrot Amazona leucocephala (Near Threatened) has two endemic subspecies on the islands'caymanensis on Grand Cayman and hesterna on Cayman Brac.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Endemic Bird Area factsheet: Cayman Islands. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/eba/factsheet/313 on 23/11/2024.