Current view: Text account
Site description (2007 baseline):
Site location and context
Located approximately half-way between St. Kitts and Nevis, uninhabited Booby Island is a mix of dense, brushy vegetation and rocky outcroppings. The shoreline of this circular islet is composed of large rocks which almost immediately meet a steep hillside.
Booby Island is the only recorded breeding location within the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis for a number of species. In May 2004, the following species were recorded: Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus (2 pairs), Laughing Gull Larus atricilla (125 pairs), Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii (6 pairs), Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus (60 nests), Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata (225 nests), and Brown Noddy Anous stolidus (8 pairs). No other avian surveys of the site are known. Booby Island meets the Caribbean Important Bird Area Criteria for Bridled Tern (1 % = 120) and Laughing Gull (1% = 150).
Non-bird biodiversity: Nothing recorded.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Booby Island is unprotected and appears to be the property of the Federation. There is no easy boat access to the island; visitors must swim onto the rocks. Fisherfolk are reported to collect seabird eggs at this site, especially those of Laughing Gulls. No mammals were recorded during the one survey of the island.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Booby Island (St Kitts and Nevis). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/booby-island-iba-st-kitts-and-nevis on 23/12/2024.
