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Site description (2006 baseline):
Site location and context
Allan's Cays Group consists of three separate cays, Allan's Cay, Southwest Allan's Cay and Leaf Cay. They are located in the northern Exuma Cays between Ship Channel Cay and Highborne Cay. There are daily power boat trips from Nassau to these cays.
There is an Audubon's Shearwater summer nesting colony on Allan's Cay. This is a noctournal species and they are known to call consistantly at night during breeding season.
Non-bird biodiversity: Rock Iguanas on Leaf Cay and SW Allans Cay are the main landbase attraction. They are fed by humans and appear tame but can be dangerous. All iguanas in The Bahamas are protected by law and may not be captured, killed or removed.
The isolation of the rocky seaward cliffs provide a nesting haven for the Audubon's Shearwaters on this site.
The shoreline of Allan's and SW Allan's Cays is comprised of mainly honeycomb limestone rock and Leaf Cay has sandy soil and beaches.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Barn Owls and wintering Peregrine Falcons are natural predators to nesting Audubon's Shearwaters on Allan's Cay. There is the constant threat of disturbance to the birds and the iguanas by commercial and private boating activity, including dogs taken ashore for exercise.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Allan's Cays (Bahamas). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/allans-cays-iba-bahamas on 23/11/2024.
