Magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens
Key marks: Long, angled wings spanning 2.2–2.4 m and a forked tail. Males are all black with a red throat pouch; females have a white breast; young birds have a white head (Wikipedia).
Sea and shore
Over the water and on the beach
From the dive boat and the West End beaches
Birders have logged 33 species at the eBird hotspot on Sandy Bay Beach, on the West End: among them the magnificent frigatebird, brown pelican and royal tern over the water, great blue, little blue and yellow-crowned night herons and snowy and great egrets on the shore, two hummingbirds, the Yucatan and mangrove vireos, and North American warblers such as the American redstart and northern parula (eBird).
Brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
Key marks: The smallest pelican, 1–1.5 m long with a 2–2.3 m wingspan: silvery grey above with a dark neck and a white head washed yellow in breeding plumage. It dives bill-first from 18–21 m up to catch fish (Wikipedia).
Royal tern Thalasseus maximus
Key marks: A large tern, 45–50 cm, with a long bright-orange bill, black legs, pale grey back and a forked tail. In breeding plumage it has a black cap with a crest; out of season the forehead turns white and only the crest stays black (Wikipedia (ES)).
Yellow-crowned night heron Nyctanassa violacea
Key marks: About 55–70 cm. A black head with white cheeks and a pale yellow crown stripe; it eats mostly crabs and crayfish (Wikipedia).
Where to look
Watch the sky above the dive boat for frigatebirds, and the beach and docks at dawn or dusk for herons and pelicans.
Hummingbirds
Two hummingbirds
In the gardens behind the beach
Green-breasted mango Anthracothorax prevostii
Key marks: A hummingbird of about 10–12 cm with a slightly curved bill. Males are glossy green with a black stripe down the throat and breast and wine-red to magenta outer tail feathers; females are white below with a dark central stripe (Wikipedia (ES)).
Canivet’s emerald Cynanthus canivetii
Key marks: A tiny hummingbird, about 8–9 cm. Males are green with a red, black-tipped bill and a long, deeply forked blue-black tail; females have a black upper bill and a shorter tail with white tips (Wikipedia).
Credits
Bird photo credits
Reference photos and their sources
There are no photos of Roatán’s birds in this guide yet. The frigatebird is a reference photo taken elsewhere, credited below; the other birds link to photos online.
| Species | Photographer | Licence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnificent frigatebird | Andrew Turner from Washington, DC, United States | CC BY 2.0 | Wikimedia Commons |