Caribbean Birding Trail

Know the Caribbean, Bird by Bird

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      • Anguilla
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You are here: Home / Bahamas / Cat Island

Cat Island

  • About Cat Island
  • The Birds

Cat Island is another long, thin island with the ocean to the east and the bank or shallow side on the west side. One road runs the length of the island. Two airports service Cat Island, Arthur’s Town in the north and New Bight further south.

Wetlands on Cat Island (Photo by Carolyn Wardle)
Wetlands on Cat Island (Photo by Carolyn Wardle)

The main tourist attraction is the Hermitage near New Bight, which stands on the highest point of the Bahamas, approximately 61m above sea level. Dirt roads run to the ocean side. Both sides of the island, in places, are good for shorebirds and there are ponds mainly in the north and south ends. As with so many of the islands in the Bahamas, just explore all the likely habitats as you go. Cat Island offers good undisturbed habitat.

Near the north end of the island, check out Orange Creek near Arthur’s Town at low tide. Key West Quail Doves have been located in this vicinity.

To view Gambier Lake in the south, there is a viewing point near Port Howe but you will need a scope. Port Howe is an old plantation house, now in ruin, and the surrounding area can offer some good birding.

Bahama Mockingbird (Photo by Carolyn Wardle)
Bahama Mockingbird (Photo by Carolyn Wardle)

Endemics: Bahama Woodstar and Bahama Yellowthroat.

Bahama Yellowthroat (Photo by Carolyn Wardle)
Bahama Yellowthroat (Photo by Carolyn Wardle)

Bahamian specialties: Bahama Mockingbird, Key West Quail Dove, Burrowing Owl, Zenaida Dove, West Indian Whistling Duck, Cuban Pewee, Red-legged Thrush, Thick-billed Vireo, Bananaquit, Western Spindalis, Black-faced Grassquit, Pearly-eyed Thrasher, and Greater Antillean Bullfinch.

Red-Legged Thrush (Photo by Carolyn Wardle)
Red-Legged Thrush (Photo by Carolyn Wardle)

Cat Island

Bahamas Sites

  • Abaco
  • Andros
  • Cat Island
  • Crooked Island and Acklins
  • Eleuthera
  • Exumas
  • Grand Bahama
  • Great Inagua
  • Long Island
  • Mayaguana
  • New Providence
  • San Salvador

Bahamas Partners

  • Bahamas National Trust
  • Friends of the Environment (Abaco, Bahamas)
  • The Delphi Club (Abaco, Bahamas)


Bahamas Tour Operators

  • Bahamas Outdoors Ltd
  • Birds “R” Us Adventures

Recommended Field Guides

Birds of The Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands by Bruce Hallett

A Birder’s Guide to The Bahama Islands (including Turks and Caicos) by Anthony W. White

Beautiful Bahama Birds by Carolyn Wardle, Lynn Gape, and Predensa Moore

The Natural History of The Bahamas by Dave Currie, Joseph M. Wunderle, Ethan Freid, David N. Ewert, D. Jean Lodge

Natives of the Bahamas: A Guide to Vegetation & Birds of Grand Bahama by Erika (Moultrie) Gates

Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith, and Janis Raffaele

Want to know how you can be involved?

Do you know of a place that should be part of the Caribbean Birding Trail? Are you the owner of a lodge or hotel and want to attract eco-tourists? Are you a guide interested in the birdwatching market? Then, get involved with our project!

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