The habitats of the Caribbean

The deep water beyond the edge of the continental shelf, where the seabed drops away to hundreds or thousands of metres. That edge is the boundary with Coastal waters and shelf; reef and seagrass always lie inside it. The water is warm, clear and poor in food; drifting sargassum weed and places where predators drive fish to the surface are the oases. Black-capped Petrel forages here, far from its breeding grounds in the mountains of Hispaniola, alongside Sargasso Shearwater, Wilson's Storm Petrel, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Masked Booby and Red-billed Tropicbird.

To the species

The open water above the continental shelf, from the surf to the edge where Open ocean begins. Where the seabed becomes decisive, with reef or seagrass, the place belongs to Coral reef or to Seagrass beds and shallow bays; whatever dries out belongs to the coast. Broad shelves lie around Cuba and Trinidad, where river water makes the sea turbid and rich in food. Here hunt the birds seen from any quayside: Brown Pelican plunges onto shoals of sardines, Magnificent Frigatebird snatches fish from the surface, and Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern and Laughing Gull fish close inshore.

To the species

Shallow, clear sea water over a bottom built up by corals, from the reef flat behind the surf to the fore-reef slope dropping into the depths. Where the bottom is sand with seagrass, Seagrass beds and shallow bays begins; water over bare sand or silt belongs to Coastal waters and shelf. Reefs fringe much of the islands, with long barrier reefs along Andros and the Cuban cays and fringing reefs around Bonaire and the Lesser Antilles. Birds use the reef as a fishing ground: Brown Noddy, Bridled Tern and Roseate Tern pick small fish from the surf, Brown Booby dives into the channels and Osprey hunts over the clear water.

To the species

Shallow, sheltered sea with a sandy bottom covered in seagrass, above all turtle grass, Thalassia testudinum, in bays, behind reefs and on the extensive banks. The tidal range in the Caribbean is small; whatever does dry out belongs to Tidal flats and mudbanks and the reef structure itself to Coral reef. The Great Bahama Bank and the Gulf of Batabanó south of Cuba are the largest examples. Here birds wade and dive: Reddish Egret stands in the shallows, Red-breasted Merganser winters here, and Least Tern and Osprey fish over the beds.

To the species

Beaches of coral or volcanic sand with the beach ridge and low dunes behind, up to where scrub or forest forms a closed canopy. Bare rock and limestone terraces belong to Rocky shore and limestone cliffs, muddy sand exposed at low tide to Tidal flats and mudbanks. On the ridge grow creeping salt-tolerant plants such as beach morning glory, Ipomoea pes-caprae, with seagrape, Coccoloba uvifera, behind. Sanderling and Ruddy Turnstone forage along the tideline, Wilson's Plover and Least Tern nest on open sand, and Piping Plover winters on quiet Bahamian beaches.

To the species

Shores of bare rock, from low limestone terraces to sheer cliffs above the surf. Where sand covers the rock, Sandy beach and dunes begins, and small rocky islets offshore belong to Rocky islet and coral cay. Many coasts are lined with jagged coral limestone eaten away by salt and surf, the diente de perro of Cuba and the ironshore of the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. On the volcanic Lesser Antilles and on Tobago the cliffs drop straight into the sea. Red-billed Tropicbird and White-tailed Tropicbird nest in holes and on ledges in the cliffs; on the rocks of the splash zone Ruddy Turnstone and Spotted Sandpiper forage.

To the species

Bare flats of mud or silty sand that are exposed at low tide. Loose dry sand belongs to Sandy beach and dunes, where trees take hold Mangrove begins, and evaporated flats with a salt crust behind the shore belong to Saline lagoon and salt pan. Because the tide is small here, the flats are mostly narrow or lie in bays and river mouths, as in the Gulf of Paria along Trinidad and on the inner side of Andros. They are the main feeding ground for wintering and passage shorebirds: Short-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper and Willet. On Trinidad Scarlet Ibis also feeds here.

To the species

Forest and thicket of salt-tolerant trees in the tidal zone. Bare mudflats without trees belong to Tidal flats and mudbanks, and where the water turns fresh inland, mangrove gives way to Swamp forest and palm swamp. On the seaward side stands red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle, on prop roots, and behind it black mangrove, Avicennia germinans, with breathing roots. Mangroves are extensive along the Cuban coast and cays, on Andros and in Caroni Swamp on Trinidad. Characteristic birds are Mangrove Cuckoo, Mangrove Warbler and Clapper Rail; White-crowned Pigeon nests in colonies and in Caroni Scarlet Ibis comes in to roost.

To the species

Shallow coastal lagoons with brackish to hypersaline water and the salt pans that evaporate behind them. They connect with the sea through a channel or through the ground; isolated salt lakes inland belong to Inland brackish and saline lakes, and mud open to the tide to Tidal flats and mudbanks. They are typical of the dry islands: Bonaire, Curaçao, the Turks and Caicos, Inagua and Anguilla. American Flamingo breeds on the pans of Bonaire and Inagua; Black-necked Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper and Reddish Egret also forage here, and Snowy Plover and Least Tern nest on the dried-out margins.

To the species

Small, uninhabited islets of rock or coral sand, bare or with low salt plants and shrubs. Cays covered by mangrove belong to Mangrove, larger islands with forest to the land formations, and bare rock on the shore of a large island to Rocky shore and limestone cliffs. Such islets lie scattered across the whole region, from the cays of the Bahamas and the Pedro Cays off Jamaica to Little Tobago. Free of rats, cats and people, they are where the seabirds breed: Sooty Tern and Brown Noddy in large colonies, along with Bridled Tern, Brown Booby, Masked Booby and Red-footed Booby, while Magnificent Frigatebird patrols above the colonies.

To the species

Still fresh water with an open surface: natural lakes, ponds, sinkholes, reservoirs and fish ponds. Where reeds, sedges or floating plants cover most of the water, Freshwater marsh with reeds and sedges begins; brackish or saline water inland belongs to Inland brackish and saline lakes. Large reservoirs lie on Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico; on the smaller islands these are mostly ponds and water catchments. Least Grebe and Pied-billed Grebe dive along the edges, American Coot and Ruddy Duck swim on open water, and in winter Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup and Blue-winged Teal rest on the larger lakes.

To the species

Flowing fresh water, from fast mountain streams to slow lower reaches. Where the tide pushes in and the water turns brackish the river passes into Mangrove or Tidal flats and mudbanks; still backwaters and reservoirs belong to Lakes and ponds, and the forest along the banks to the forest formations. True mountain streams flow in the high ranges of Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the volcanic Lesser Antilles; the longest rivers are on Cuba and Hispaniola. In winter Louisiana Waterthrush and Spotted Sandpiper walk along the stones, Belted Kingfisher watches over the pools, and Green Heron hunts in the shade of the bank.

To the species

Brackish and saline lakes in the interior with no open link to the sea, fed by rain, springs and groundwater and concentrated by evaporation. Coastal lagoons and salt pans connected with the sea belong to Saline lagoon and salt pan; fresh lakes to Lakes and ponds. The best-known example is Lago Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic, which lies below sea level, with brackish Étang Saumâtre on the Haitian side; salt lakes also lie in the middle of islands in the Bahamas. American Flamingo filters the shallows, Roseate Spoonbill and Black-necked Stilt forage along the shore, and White-cheeked Pintail swims on the open water.

To the species

Open marsh of sedges, rushes, reeds and cattails on fresh water, with no trees to speak of. Where shrubs and trees take over, swamp forest and palm swamp begins; where the marsh dries out in the dry season and grass prevails, seasonally flooded savanna; where the water deepens and opens up, lakes and ponds. The largest marsh in the islands is the Ciénaga de Zapata in Cuba, with vast stands of sawgrass, Cladium jamaicense; in Trinidad the key site is Nariva. Zapata Wren and Zapata Rail live here, Red-shouldered Blackbird breeds in the reeds, and Purple Gallinule, Least Grebe and Snail Kite are common. In Trinidad, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Pied Water Tyrant and White-headed Marsh Tyrant join them.

To the species

Forest and palm stands on ground wet or flooded most of the year, with fresh to slightly brackish water. Where salt water feeds the trees it is mangrove, which belongs to the coast; where the trees drop out and reeds and sedges remain, freshwater marsh with reeds and sedges. In Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe Pterocarpus officinalis, with its plank buttresses, forms such forest behind the mangrove; in Trinidad, Nariva holds palm swamp of moriche, Mauritia flexuosa, and royal palm. At Zapata the marsh breaks up into islands of swamp forest. West Indian Whistling Duck rests in such woodland by day, Northern Waterthrush winters there, and Red-bellied Macaw, Sulphury Flycatcher and Fork-tailed Palm Swift live in the Nariva palms.

To the species

Grassy plains that flood in the rainy season and dry out in the dry season. The difference from freshwater marsh with reeds and sedges is that water does not stand here all year and grasses and low sedges prevail instead of tall reeds; with savanna and open grassland it shares the openness, but that stays dry all year. In Cuba such savannas lie on low plains with poorly drained soils; in Trinidad the Aripo Savanna is the best-known example. In the wet season American White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Fulvous Whistling Duck and Limpkin feed on the flooded grass, in the dry season Sandhill Crane and Eastern Meadowlark, and in Trinidad Savanna Hawk hunts overhead.

To the species

Lowland grassland with scattered palms, shrubs or trees, kept open naturally by poor soil, fire or drought. Where it floods in the rainy season it becomes seasonally flooded savanna; where shrubs close in, thorn scrub and cactus scrub; where people manage it as cattle pasture, pasture and small-scale farm mosaic. Cuba has the largest savannas, among them those on white sand in Pinar del Río and on the Isla de la Juventud, where the barrel palm, Colpothrinax wrightii, stands out; on Hispaniola and Trinidad they are smaller. Sandhill Crane and Eastern Meadowlark walk here, Burrowing Owl nests in the ground, and Killdeer, Grasshopper Sparrow and Cuban Grassquit forage. In Trinidad Fork-tailed Flycatcher is a conspicuous visitor.

To the species

Grassland high in the mountains, where cold, wind and fire keep the trees at bay. Where shrubs gain the upper hand it passes into montane scrub; where the pines close into forest, into pine forest; lower down into savanna and open grassland. In the Caribbean this is above all a formation of the Cordillera Central of Hispaniola, with open grasslands around Valle Nuevo and on the summits near Pico Duarte, where nights can bring frost. The grass often grows among scattered pines, Pinus occidentalis. Rufous-collared Sparrow and Antillean Siskin pick seeds from the ground, Golden Swallow hawks low over the slopes, and Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel watch for prey.

To the species

Dry scrub of thorny shrubs, agaves and columnar cacti where rain is scarce and the dry season long. Where trees close into a canopy it passes into dry deciduous forest; right by the sea, where salt wind shapes the growth, into coastal and beach scrub. It is characteristic of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, with the divi-divi, Libidibia coriaria, bent over by the trade wind, and of southern Hispaniola around Lago Enriquillo and the south coast of eastern Cuba near Guantánamo. On the ABC islands Bare-eyed Pigeon, Brown-throated Parakeet, Tropical Mockingbird, Yellow Oriole and Crested Caracara live here; on Hispaniola Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo and Flat-billed Vireo, and near Guantánamo Cuban Gnatcatcher and Oriente Warbler.

To the species

Low scrub sheared by salt wind just behind the beach and on coastal limestone, with sea grape, Coccoloba uvifera, buttonwood, Conocarpus erectus, and tough herbs. The bare sand in front belongs to sandy beach and dunes; where the growth rises and closes into a canopy, coastal woodland begins; inland, beyond the reach of salt, thorn scrub and cactus scrub. It is widespread in the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the cays off northern Cuba, such as Cayo Coco. There Cuban Gnatcatcher, Zapata Sparrow and Bahama Mockingbird live; Thick-billed Vireo, Bahama Woodstar, Black-faced Grassquit and Zenaida Dove are further typical residents.

To the species

Dense, low growth of tough, small-leaved shrubs and young trees on high ridges and slopes, often after fire or where the wind is strong. The difference from cloud forest and elfin woodland is that those form a closed, mossy dwarf forest, whereas this is a more open and drier thicket; with montane meadow and highland grassland it shares the altitude, but there grass prevails. It is most extensive on Hispaniola, in the Cordillera Central and the Sierra de Bahoruco; on other high islands it occurs only in small patches. On Hispaniola dense mountain thickets are the domain of Eastern Chat-Tanager, Western Chat-Tanager and Green-tailed Warbler, and Rufous-collared Sparrow and Hispaniolan Spindalis occur regularly.

To the species

Low forest in which most trees stand bare through the dry winter months. Where more rain falls and the canopy stays largely green, semi-evergreen and moist forest takes over; where the trees break up into cacti and thorny shrubs, thorn scrub begins. Forest among cone hills and sinkholes counts as limestone karst forest. Dry forest grows in the rain shadow of the mountains: around Guánica in southern Puerto Rico, in Jamaica's Hellshire Hills, in south-western Hispaniola and on the low Lesser Antilles. Gumbo-limbo, Bursera simaruba, with its red, peeling bark, is typical. Puerto Rican Nightjar nests on the leaf litter; Adelaide's Warbler, Least Poorwill and Flat-billed Vireo are at home here.

To the species

Taller, fuller forest than dry deciduous forest: some trees drop their leaves in the dry season, but the canopy stays largely green. Where rain falls all year and hardly anything stands bare, it passes into lowland rainforest. This was once the most widespread forest of the Greater Antilles and has largely been cleared; remnants survive on hills, around swamps such as the Ciénaga de Zapata in Cuba and in reserves. Mahogany, Swietenia mahagoni, grows among palms and lianas. It is core habitat for Cuban Trogon, Cuban Tody, Blue-headed Quail-Dove and Gundlach's Hawk; in winter Ovenbird and Black-and-white Warbler search the leaf litter and the trunks.

To the species

Evergreen, tall and layered forest of the lowlands and lower slopes, with no dry season to speak of. Semi-evergreen and moist forest does have a dry spell with some trees bare; higher up, where trees grow shorter and tree ferns plentiful, montane rainforest begins. It is most extensive on Trinidad and Tobago, in the Northern Range and on the Main Ridge. It also grows on the wet windward side of the high Lesser Antilles, in eastern Cuba and, as tabonuco forest named after Dacryodes excelsa, at the foot of El Yunque in Puerto Rico. Trinidad has Crested Oropendola, Channel-billed Toucan and Golden-headed Manakin, Trinidad Motmot lives on Tobago too, and Puerto Rican Amazon belongs in the tabonuco forest.

To the species

Wet forest on mountain slopes, lower and denser than the lowland rainforest below, rich in tree ferns, palms and epiphytes. The boundary with cloud forest and elfin woodland lies where trees grow gnarled and short in near-constant cloud and moss covers everything. It grows in Jamaica's Blue Mountains, the Cordillera Central and Bahoruco on Hispaniola, Haiti's Massif de la Hotte, Cuba's Sierra Maestra, the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico, where the palm Prestoea montana clothes whole slopes, and the volcanoes of Dominica, St Lucia and St Vincent. Here live Hispaniolan Trogon, Ring-tailed Pigeon and Rufous-throated Solitaire, and, each on its own island, Imperial Amazon and St. Vincent Amazon.

To the species

The forest of the highest ridges and summits, where cloud and wind prevail almost all year. Compared with montane rainforest below, it is lower, with gnarled, crowded stems and a canopy sometimes only a few metres high; mosses, bromeliads and orchids clothe everything. Where the growth becomes lower and more open still, it is montane scrub. Elfin woodland stands on the summits of the Luquillo Mountains and the Cordillera Central of Puerto Rico, on the highest ridges of the Blue Mountains and of Hispaniola, and on the volcanoes of the Lesser Antilles. Elfin Woods Warbler is named after it; on Hispaniola La Selle Thrush and Western Chat-Tanager live in cloud forest, and Bicknell's Thrush winters there.

To the species

Forest of needle-leaved trees, often open, with grasses, ferns or shrubs beneath and maintained by fire. Not altitude but tree species defines this formation: pine forest at the same height as montane rainforest or dry deciduous forest belongs here, even where broadleaved trees grow up beneath. Caribbean pine, Pinus caribaea, grows on Grand Bahama, Abaco and Andros; in Cuba pine forest stands on poor sandy soil in the west and on the Isla de la Juventud, and Pinus cubensis on serpentine in the east; on Hispaniola Pinus occidentalis covers the higher mountains. Bahama Nuthatch and Bahama Warbler are tied to it, Olive-capped Warbler and Pine Warbler live here, and on Hispaniola Hispaniolan Crossbill feeds on pine seed.

To the species

Forest on bare, weathered limestone, where sinkholes, cone hills and sheer-sided mogotes shape the land and soil lies only in cracks and hollows. That sets it apart from dry deciduous and semi-evergreen forest, which are defined by rainfall: here the rock decides, with dry forest on the ridges and tall forest in the moist sinkholes, often side by side. Major karst areas are Jamaica's Cockpit Country, the northern karst belt of Puerto Rico, Los Haitises in the Dominican Republic and the mogotes of Viñales in Cuba. Cockpit Country is a stronghold of Jamaican Crow, Black-billed Amazon and Yellow-billed Amazon; Los Haitises is a core area for Ridgway's Hawk, and Cuban Solitaire sings on the Cuban mogotes.

To the species

Low to medium-height forest just behind the beach or on coral limestone by the sea, shaped by salt, wind and sand. Where the growth stays low and open it is coastal and beach scrub, where trees stand with their roots in tidal water it is mangrove; coastal woodland stands dry behind the high-water line under a closed canopy. Sea grape, Coccoloba uvifera, and the poisonous manchineel, Hippomane mancinella, set the scene on almost every island from the Bahamas to Tobago, though much has vanished under hotels and roads. White-crowned Pigeon eats fruit here, Zenaida Dove searches the ground for seeds, Mangrove Cuckoo and Black-whiskered Vireo breed, and for migrants it is often the first cover after the sea crossing.

To the species

Sheer rock walls, gorges and scree slopes inland, often of limestone, with at most a few ferns, bromeliads and shrubs in the crevices. Walls facing the sea come under rocky shore and limestone cliffs; where the rock disappears into hollows underground, caves and sinkholes begin; where forest covers the rock, limestone karst forest. Characteristic are the mogotes of Viñales in Cuba and the steep mountain walls of the Massif de la Selle in Haiti, where Black-capped Petrel nests in burrows in the face. White-collared Swift and American Black Swift nest on ledges, often behind waterfalls, and Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel and Red-tailed Hawk use the walls as lookouts.

To the species

Caves, hollows and sinkholes, from small overhangs to deep cave systems and collapsed dolines with forest on the floor. Open rock faces in daylight belong to cliffs and rock faces, the wooded karst around them to limestone karst forest. Limestone islands such as Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas are rich in caves, often with large bat colonies. In Trinidad Oilbird breeds in colonies in dark caves in the Northern Range and flies out at night to look for fruit. Cave Swallow builds its nests in cave mouths, Ashy-faced Owl and American Barn Owl roost and breed in caves and dolines, and White-collared Swift nests in wet caves.

To the species

Large, open plots under a single crop, above all sugarcane, but also tobacco, maize and vegetables. Compared with pasture and small-scale farm mosaic it is large-scale and uniform, without hedges or scattered trees; unlike rice fields and fish ponds it is not flooded. For centuries sugarcane shaped the landscape of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Barbados; on several smaller islands cultivation has stopped and the land is growing over with scrub. The cane itself is a dense mass with little food, but along the edges and ditches and after the harvest Western Cattle Egret and Greater Antillean Grackle forage, American Kestrel hunts from posts and wires, and American Barn Owl looks for rats at night.

To the species

Coffee or cacao grown beneath a layer of shade trees, often on mountain slopes. It differs from forest in that the understorey is a planted shrub crop and the canopy consists of planted or retained trees such as Inga; it differs from coconut, citrus and fruit plantations in that a crop grows beneath those trees. Coffee is grown in Jamaica's Blue Mountains, upland Puerto Rico, the Cordillera Central of Hispaniola and Cuba's Sierra Maestra; cacao chiefly in the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Grenada. Shade coffee keeps many forest birds: Black-throated Blue Warbler and American Redstart winter here, Bananaquit visits the flowering shade trees and Cocoa Thrush lives in Trinidad's cacao groves.

To the species

Artificially flooded fields and ponds whose water level is set by people: rice that is sown, flooded and drained again, and fish ponds that are emptied from time to time. In this they differ from freshwater marsh with reeds and sedges and from lakes and ponds, where the water follows its own rhythm. Rice is grown on a large scale in Cuba and in the Cibao valley of the Dominican Republic; fish ponds lie in Jamaica and Cuba, among other places. The alternately wet and dry land draws herons, Glossy Ibis and West Indian Whistling Duck; on passage, waders such as Lesser Yellowlegs drop in, and in autumn Bobolink comes for the rice grains.

To the species

Grazing land with scattered trees, living fences and small plots, the patchwork that makes up the countryside on many islands. Compared with sugarcane and arable fields it is small-scale and varied; unlike savanna and open grassland it is shaped by grazing, mowing and planting rather than by fire or soil. In Cuba pastures with royal palms, Roystonea regia, set the scene; on Hispaniola and Jamaica, small farms with bananas, cassava and beans on the slopes. Smooth-billed Ani and Western Cattle Egret follow the cattle, Grey Kingbird and Red-tailed Hawk hunt from posts and lone trees, Eastern Meadowlark sings in Cuban pastures, and on Hispaniola Palmchat nests communally in the royal palms.

To the species

Orchards and plantings of coconut palms, citrus, mango and other fruit, with no crop beneath. Unlike coffee and cacao plantations they lack a shrub layer under the trees; unlike coastal woodland the planting is regular and managed, even where coconut palms stand just behind the beach. Coconut groves line many coasts, citrus has been grown above all in Cuba, and bananas were long the main crop of Dominica, St Lucia and St Vincent. Ripe fruit draws birds: Hispaniolan Woodpecker pecks into oranges and is regarded locally as a pest, Scaly-naped Pigeon eats fruit, Bananaquit visits flowers and ripe fruit, and Grey Kingbird keeps watch from the treetops.

To the species

Settlements from hamlet to city with their gardens, yards, parks, cemeteries and avenues. Large open ground of transport and industry comes under harbours, airports and industry; kitchen gardens and orchards beyond the built-up area under farmland and plantations. Royal palms, mangoes, breadfruit trees and flowering ornamental shrubs shape the scene. In the palms of Hispaniola Palmchat builds its communal nests, and Antillean Palm Swift hunts around palm crowns throughout; Bananaquit, Greater Antillean Grackle, Carib Grackle and Grey Kingbird are part of the street scene in many towns. Introduced species such as House Sparrow, Eurasian Collared Dove, Rock Dove and Village Weaver follow people, and Zenaida Dove and Common Ground Dove walk the yards.

To the species

Harbours, quays, airfields, roads, rubbish tips and industrial estates: hard, open ground with little vegetation. Residential areas and gardens come under villages, towns and gardens; salt pans, even when worked, under saline lagoon and salt pan. In most harbours of the region Brown Pelican sits on the mooring posts, Magnificent Frigatebird hangs over the quay, and Laughing Gull and Royal Tern search for fish and scraps. On the grass beside runways Western Cattle Egret and Killdeer feed, and Antillean Nighthawk hunts there at dusk. Cave Swallow nests under bridges and in culverts, and Rock Dove and House Sparrow find food and nest sites.

To the species