Roatan is a small and beautiful Caribbean island located north of Honduras. It is surrounded by the spectacular Mesoamerican coral reef and it has a wide variety of ecosystems, which serve as a home for resident birds and as a resting and feeding site for migratory birds.
The first bird record for the Bay Islands was made in 1887 and to date, a total of 262 different species of birds have been documented. If you are interested in seeing some of the most beautiful birds of Roatan, do not hesitate and book a birdwatching tour with us.
COMMON RESIDENT BIRDS (31)
- Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
- White-crowned Pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala)
- Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
- Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina)
- White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
- Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani)
- Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii)
- Canivet’s Emerald (Cynanthus canivetii)
- Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
- Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
- Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)
- Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
- Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
- Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
- Great Egret (Ardea alba)
- Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
- Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
- Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
- Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
- Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
- Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
- Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
- Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus)
- Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons)
- Yellow-naped Parrot (Amazona auropalliata)
- Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)
- Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus)
- Mangrove Vireo (Vireo pallens)
- Yucatan Vireo (Vireo magister)
- Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
- Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)
UNCOMMON RESIDENT BIRDS (10)
- Caribbean Dove (Leptotila jamaicensis)
- Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris)
- Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
- Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
- Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
- White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
- Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
- Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis)
- Yellow-lored Parrot (Amazona xantholora)
- Northern Potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis)
COMMON MIGRATORY BIRDS (68)
- Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)
- Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus)
- Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)
- Mangrove Cuckoo (Coccyzus minor)
- American Coot (Fulica americana)
- Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
- Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
- Sanderling (Calidris alba)
- Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
- Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
- Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
- Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
- Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
- Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
- Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
- Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
- American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
- Merlin (Falco columbarius)
- Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
- Greenish Elaenia (Myiopagis viridicata)
- Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris)
- Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
- Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis)
- White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)
- Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons)
- Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
- Purple Martin (Progne subis)
- Gray-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea)
- Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
- Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
- Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus)
- Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
- Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
- Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum)
- Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)
- Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)
- Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
- Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)
- Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina)
- Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
- Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)
- American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
- Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina)
- Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)
- Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)
- Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea)
- Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca)
- Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
- Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)
- Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)
- Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
- Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica)
- Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)
- Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)
- Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
- Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
- Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)
- Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
- Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
- Dickcissel (Spiza americana)
- Sora (Porzana carolina)
- Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
- Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica)
UNCOMMON MIGRATORY BIRDS (75)
- Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
- Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata)
- American Wigeon (Mareca americana)
- Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
- Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
- Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
- Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
- American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
- Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
- Lesser Nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis)
- Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
- Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
- American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica)
- Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
- Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda)
- Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
- White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)
- Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
- Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
- Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
- Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
- Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
- Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata)
- Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
- Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus)
- Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus)
- Least Tern (Sternula antillarum)
- Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
- Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)
- Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
- Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
- Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra)
- Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)
- Red-footed Booby (Sula sula)
- Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)
- Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)
- Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum)
- American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
- Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
- White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)
- Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)
- Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)
- Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata)
- Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona)
- American Pygmy Kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea)
- Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus)
- Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima)
- Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)
- Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)
- Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
- Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
- Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)
- Couch’s Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii)
- Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus)
- Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
- Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea)
- Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)
- Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
- Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva)
- Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
- Veery (Catharus fuscescens)
- Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus)
- Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)
- Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens)
- Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)
- Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)
- Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis)
- Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
- Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)
- Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)
- Swainson’s Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii)
- Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa)
- Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)
- Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)
RARE BIRDS (78)
- Ruddy Ground Dove (Columbina talpacoti)
- Ruddy Quail-Dove (Geotrygon montana)
- Antillean Nighthawk (Chordeiles gundlachii)
- Short-tailed Nighthawk (Lurocalis semitorquatus)
- Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)
- Chuck-will’s-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis)
- Black Swift (Cypseloides niger)
- White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora)
- Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)
- Limpkin (Aramus guarauna)
- Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia)
- Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)
- Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)
- Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus)
- Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
- Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
- Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
- Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
- Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)
- Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis)
- Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri)
- Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)
- American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
- Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)
- Bare-throated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum)
- Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)
- Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
- Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
- Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
- Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus)
- Plumbeous Kite (Ictinia plumbea)
- Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
- Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris)
- Central American Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps)
- Smoky-brown Woodpecker (Dryobates fumigatus)
- Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus)
- Bat Falcon (Falco rufigularis)
- White-fronted Parrot (Amazona albifrons)
- Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
- Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
- Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis)
- Piratic Flycatcher (Legatus leucophaius)
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus)
- Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana)
- Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)
- Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
- Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus)
- Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis)
- House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
- Spot-breasted Wren (Pheugopedius maculipectus)
- Black Catbird (Melanoptila glabrirostris)
- Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi)
- Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
- House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
- Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
- Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
- Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)
- Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
- White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
- Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
- Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)
- Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
- Montezuma Oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma)
- Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus)
- Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla)
- Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia)
- Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)
- Vitelline Warbler (Setophaga vitellina)
- Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)
- Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
- Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)
- Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
- Blue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina)
- Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula)
- Rufous-necked Wood-Rail (Aramides axillaris)
- Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus)
- Yucatan Woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus)
- Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)