Caribbean Birding Trail

Know the Caribbean, Bird by Bird

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You are here: Home / Turks and Caicos / Salt Cay

Salt Cay

  • About Salt Cay
  • The Birds
  • How to Get There

The small island of Salt Cay has a wealth of bird-watching opportunities. The old salinas and salt pans provide a varied habitat for waterbirds of all kinds, and at all seasons. The mangroves and recovering dry tropical forest provide habitat for both migrant and resident landbirds. Bird-watching possibilities include migrants from northern breeding areas as well as summer and resident breeders. The offshore cays, with important breeding seabird colonies, can readily be visited by boat.

Aerial View of Northern Salt Cay (Photo by Dr. Mike Pienkowski)
Aerial View of Northern Salt Cay (Photo by Dr. Mike Pienkowski)

Salt Cay does not have any paved roads, and the pace of life is beautifully slow. Meandering along “main street”, as well as the tracks around the island, you will be sharing your time not only with the birds, but with the donkeys and cattle, left behind when the salt industry ended, roaming freely on the island. The sea is an inviting turquoise, and the sand is fine and white. If you visit in the winter (January to March) there is the opportunity of close encounters with migrating Humpback Whales.

Flock of Stilt Sandpipers land in the Salinas (Photo by Dr. Mike Pienkowski)
Flock of Stilt Sandpipers land in the Salinas (Photo by Dr. Mike Pienkowski)

The Turks and Caicos Islands have nine species of endemic plants. Salt Cay has particularly fine areas of the Turks and Caicos Heather Limonium bahamense. There is a very small population of the endemic rock iguana, but this is badly affected by cats. Some of the seabird cays hold healthy populations. Great Sand Cay is a nesting area for Green and Hawksbill Turtles. For protocols for visiting this Sanctuary see Big Sand Cay, Turks & Caicos Islands Protocol for visiting.

Due to the highly seasonal nature of migratory bird life histories and rainfall, every season offers something new for birding enthusiasts. In the autumn, winter and spring months, anything goes – with the passing through and stopping-off of myriad migrating perching, shoreline and seabirds, and new species are recorded regularly. Biome-restricted and breeding species such as Antillean Nighthawk, Gray Kingbird and Whitetailed Tropicbirds are common throughout the spring and summer months. Year-round, birders can enjoy frequent sightings of birds, such as Ospreys, Flamingos and Pelicans that are rare elsewhere in the world due to habitat loss.

A guide booklet, “Bird Watching in Paradise – Salt Cay; Turks & Caicos Islands: A guide to birdwatching and heritage sites”, with full color photographs of birds, maps and guiding text, can be purchased from the National Museum gift shop and other outlets (e.g. Salt Cay Divers on Salt Cay), or from the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum (UKOTCF) as a PDF download suitable for tablets. It gives practical information such as hotels, restaurants, shops, and car and bicycle rental. The two trails are marked by numbered posts and are interpreted with full-colour laminated guides, including photos. The booklet (in hard copy or download) retails for $10, and the trail guide cards for $5 each. Part of the purchase price goes back to supporting conservation in TCI, and maintenance of the trails. There are no entrance fees for the bird trails.

Wilson’s Plover rises from the two eggs that it is still incubating so that one of its first chicks to hatch can be brooded as well (Photo by Dr. Mike Pienkowski)
Wilson’s Plover rises from the two eggs that it is still incubating so that one of its first chicks to hatch can be brooded as well (Photo by Dr. Mike Pienkowski)

 

Salt Cay

Turks & Caicos Islands

  • Grand Turk
  • Middle Caicos
  • North Caicos
  • Providenciales
  • Salt Cay
  • South Caicos

Turks & Caicos Partners

  • Overseas Territories Conservation
  • Turks & Caicos Museum


Turks and Caicos Tour Operators

We don't currently have any listings for Tour Operators in this area

Recommended Field Guides

Birding in Paradise – Providenciales by Dr. Mike Pienkowski, Ann Pienkowski, and Bryan Naqqi Manco

Birding in Paradise – Grand Turk by Dr. Mike Pienkowski, Ann Pienkowski, and Bryan Naqqi Manco

Reddish Egret hunts for fish on Red Salina at Grand Turk (Photo by Dr. Mike Pienkowski)

Birding in Paradise – Middle & North Caicos by Dr. Mike Pienkowski, Ann Pienkowski, and Bryan Naqqi Manco

Birding in Paradise – South Caicos by Dr. Mike Pienkowski, Ann Pienkowski, Catherine Wensink, and Bryan Naqqi Manco

Birding in Paradise – Salt Cay by Dr. Mike Pienkowski and Ann Pienkowski

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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Richard Hall
Richard Hall
@richhallecology

Presenting the 2nd smallest bird in the world, the Vervain Hummingbird. Weighing in at 2g & 6cm long (including that dinky, 1cm bill), this is one of the cutest birds I have ever seen. Found only in Jamaica, Haiti & the Dominican Republic. So smol! 😍 pic.twitter.com/9TsT…

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3:28 am · February 6, 2023 ·
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Richard Hall
Richard Hall
@richhallecology

A shockingly beautiful Jamaican endemic hummingbird, the Jamaican Mango transforms from looking all-black when backlit to glowing hot pink and purple with a turn of its head. The magic of hummingbird feather iridescence! pic.twitter.com/BDzl…

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3:27 am · February 6, 2023 ·
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Richard Hall
Richard Hall
@richhallecology

The enormous endemic Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo is almost twice as long as its Yellow-billed cousin, and uses its robust bill to hunt lizards in forest. In the arid shrublands of Hellshire we encountered groups of insectivorous Smooth-billed Anis with even more gigantic bills (2/2) pic.twitter.com/icHb…

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3:27 am · February 6, 2023 ·
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Richard Hall
Richard Hall
@richhallecology

I went cuckoo for cuckoos in Jamaica. One of two endemic species, this Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo gave us a show fanning its tail and giving territorial calls. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/tBbT…

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3:27 am · February 6, 2023 ·
Retweeted by Birds Caribbean
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josmar Esteban M. 🏳️‍🌈 🇻🇪 🐤🏖🏜🏝
josmar Esteban M. 🏳️‍🌈 🇻🇪 🐤🏖🏜🏝
@Esteban_birds

1/6 #ISTC20 I’m @Esteban_birds, a naturalist studying birds & integrating local communities to foster conservation strategies in Venezuela. I lead @Ave_zona & along w/ @goajiroblanco & the support of @BirdsCaribbean we're studying the importance of Coche Island for SNPL #Sesh4 pic.twitter.com/mua9…

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3:26 am · February 6, 2023 ·
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