Booby Cay (22196)
Bahamas, Caribbean
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Booby Cay
Central coordinates: Latitude: 22.3215, Longitude: -72.7178
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 18
Area of KBA (km2): 23.38846
Protected area coverage (%): 2.09
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Booby Cay is an uninhabited island located off the northeastern end of Mayaguana. It encomposes about 75 hectares and is approximately one and a half hours by boat from Abraham's Bay, Mayaguana. The northwestern shoreline is comprised of sandy beach, dips in the centre of the cay forms lakes which shrink and grow in water level and salinity according to rainfall and the extreme southeast portion has inpenetrable vegetation.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: In 1997, Sprunt confirmed that Brown Boobies were nesting on Booby Cay. There are reports of a non-breeding resident flock of Greater Flamingos also residing on this cay. During December 1997, Bendon while on an Iguana research trip saw a flock of about 80 flamingos on a beach and in the shallow water at Booby Cay. Non-bird biodiversity: There is an endemic race of Rock Iguana on Booby Cay. In March 1997, Bendon visited this site and reported a healthy population of about 200 of these iguanas surviving in wild.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Booby Cay has scrubland coppice of seagrape, seven year apple, prickly pear and Turks Cap cacti plus many other species of shrubs and vines. Buttonwoods and other wetland plant species abound near the ponds providing food for all species of fauna that exits there. The cay has no human habitation but has been used to graze goats by persons living on mainland Mayaguana.
Land use: not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 32 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 32 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 32 | |
| Forest | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Predation of nest and birds by introduced predators such as cats and goats.
Additional information
References: White, A.W. 1998b. A Birder's Guide to the Bahama Islands (Including Turks and Caicos). American Birding Association. Colorado Springs, CO. 302pp. Bainton, Aileen M. and Anthony W. White. 2006. A Bibliography of Birds, Ornithology and Birding in The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands. Media Enterprises Ltd. Nassau, Bahamas. 96pp. John Bendon. 1997. Moon Over Mayaguana: Return to Booby Cay