Caribbean Birding Trail

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You are here: Home / Trinidad and Tobago / Tobago / Little Tobago

Little Tobago

  • About Little Tobago
  • The Birds
  • How to Get There

Little Tobago, also known as Bird of Paradise Island, is located about 3 km (1.5 mi) off of the coast of the village of Speyside, Tobago. This mountainous little island was a cotton plantation in the late 1700s known for yielding more cotton per acre than anywhere else in Tobago.

Little Tobago
Little Tobago (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

After the collapse of the cotton industry in Tobago, the island was mostly abandoned until 1898 when Sir William Ingram purchased the island. He imported and introduced a colony of 24 pairs of Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea apoda) from Aru Island, New Guinea in 1909, where they stayed until 1963 when a hurricane wiped out much of the population (the last Bird of Paradise was seen in 1982). After Sir William passed away, his heirs returned the island to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago on the condition that it be maintained as a bird sanctuary.

Today it is the main nesting area for the Red-billed Tropicbird in Tobago, and one of the Caribbean’s important seabird sanctuaries.

Soaring Red-billed Tropicbirds
Soaring Red-billed Tropicbirds (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

The semi-deciduous forested island is full of rugged, picturesque scenery, vegetated with Latina Palms, Slippery Elms, and cacti.

Semi-deciduous Vegetation of Little Tobago
Semi-deciduous Vegetation of Little Tobago (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

All the boats coming to the island dock at a small beach facing mainland Tobago, from which several trails cut uphill to a gazebo offering gorgeous views of the island’s rocky coastline. The trails are relatively easy to trek and are great for observing birds and the other fauna of the island (like hermit crabs, anoles, and spiders).

Trapdoor Spider
Trapdoor Spider on Little Tobago (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

Just up from the jetty sits a wooden structure slated to hold a museum at some point in the future:

Building across from the jetty on Little Tobago
Building across from the jetty on Little Tobago (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

Little Tobago has been a bird sanctuary ever since and is uninhabited except for one of the Caribbean’s largest seabird colonies, including impressive flocks of terns, boobies, frigatebirds, and tropicbirds. 

Brown Booby
Brown Booby (Photo by Faraaz Abdool)

More than 50 species of birds make the island their home, including Audubon’s Shearwaters, Brown Boobies, Red-footed Boobies, Brown Noddies, Laughing Gulls, Red-billed Tropicbirds, and Sooty Terns. Of these, approximately 30 species nest on the island.

Red-billed Tropicbird
Red-billed Tropicbird (Photo by Faraaz Abdool)
Sooty Tern
Sooty Tern (Photo by Faraaz Abdool)
Laughing Gulls feeding in a sargassum patch
Laughing Gulls feeding in a sargassum patch (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

One of the best places to view the seabirds who call Little Tobago home is from the overlook on top of the hill, which also has a little gazebo to shelter from the sun.

Little Tobago Lookout
Little Tobago Lookout (Photo by Joanne Husain)
View from the overlook at the top of Little Tobago
View from the overlook at the top of Little Tobago (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

Other important birds include the Trinidad Motmot and Tobago Greenlet, two of Trinidad and Tobago’s endemic species.

Trinidad Motmot
Trinidad Motmot (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

Feral chickens brought to the island by the previous resident caretaker, who wasn’t able to round up his private flock before leaving the island, can also be spotted in the bush.

Feral Chickens
Feral Chicken (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

Most people visit the island as part of a glass-bottom boat tour, but birdwatchers can also arrange specialist tours with Tobago’s eco-oriented tour companies.

Glass-bottom Boat
Glass-bottom Boat (Photo by Alison Ollivierre)

There are no facilities on Little Tobago, so bring water and snacks with you.

Little Tobago

Trinidad & Tobago Sites

Asa Wright Nature Centre

Brasso Seco Paria Village

Kilgwyn Swamp

Little Tobago



Trinidad and Tobago Tour Operators

  • Avifauna Tours
  • Eureka Natural History Tours
  • Faraaz Abdool, Independent Guide
  • Nanan’s Caroni Bird Sanctuary Tour Operators and Bird Watching Expeditions
  • Nature Lovers
  • To and Fro Tours
  • Zee Birding Tours and Nature Hikes

Recommended Field Guides

Birds of Trinidad and Tobago by Martyn Kenefick, Robin Restall, and Floyd Hayes

A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago by Richard ffrench

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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