The

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

form part of a unique

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

due to Bermuda's isolation from the mainland of North America. The wide range of

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

species and the islands form a distinct

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

, the Bermuda subtropical conifer forests.

Setting

Located 900 km off the American East Coast, Bermuda is a crescent-shaped chain of 184 islands and islets that were once the rim of a volcano. The islands are slightly hilly rather than having steep cliffs, with the highest point being 79m. The coast has many bays and inlets, with sandy beaches especially on the south coasts. Bermuda has a semi-tropical climate, warmed by the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

current. Bermuda is very densely populated. Twenty of the islands are inhabited. Wildlife that could fly to the island or were carried there by winds and currents formed the species. There are no native

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s other than

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

s, and only two

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s, but large numbers of birds, plants, and insects. Once on the island, organisms had to adapt to local conditions, such as the humid

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

, lack of fresh water, frequent storms, and salt spray. The area of the islands shrank as water levels rose at the end of the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided by ...

, and fewer species were able to survive in the reduced land-area. Nearly 8,000 different species of flora and fauna are known from the islands of Bermuda. The number is likely to be considerably higher if all

microorganism A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

s, cave-dwellers and deep-sea species were counted. Today the variety of species on Bermuda has been greatly increased by introductions, both deliberate and accidental. Many of these introduced species have posed a threat to the native flora and fauna because of

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

and interference with habitat.

Plants

Over 1000 species of

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...

are found on the islands, the majority of which are introduced. Of the 165 native species, 17 are endemic. At the time of the first human settlement by shipwrecked English sailors in 1593, Bermuda was dominated by forests of Bermuda cedar ('' Juniperus bermudiana'') with

mangrove swamp Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangroves cannot withstand fre ...

s on the coast. More deliberate settlement began after 1609, and colonists began clearing forests to use for building and shipmaking, and to develop agricultural cultivation. By the 1830s, the demands of the

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

industry had denuded the forests, but these recovered in many areas. In the 1940s the cedar forests were devastated by introduced

scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...

s, which killed roughly 8 million trees. Replanting using resistant trees has taken place since then, but the area covered by cedar is only 10% of what it used to be. Another important component of the original forest was Bermuda palmetto (''

Sabal bermudana ''Sabal bermudana'', commonly known as the Bermuda palmetto or bibby-tree, is one of 15 species of palm trees in the genus ''Sabal'' and is endemic to Bermuda although reportedly naturalized in the Leeward Islands. It was greatly affected by the ...

''), a small

palm tree The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

. It now grows in a few small patches, notably at Paget Marsh. Other trees and shrubs include Bermuda olivewood ('' Cassine laneana'') and Bermuda snowberry ('' Chiococca alba''). The climate allows for the growth of other palms such as royal palm (''

Roystonea ''Roystonea'' is a genus of eleven species of monoecious palms, native to the Caribbean Islands, and the adjacent coasts of the United States (Florida), Central America and northern South America. Commonly known as the royal palms, the genus wa ...

'' spp.) and coconut palm ('' Cocos nucifera''), although the lack of very warm temperatures does not usually allow coconuts to fruit properly. Bermuda is the farthest north location in the Northern Hemisphere where coconut palms will grow naturally. Remnant patches of mangrove swamp can be found around the coast and at some inland sites, including Hungry Bay Nature Reserve and Mangrove Lake, Bermuda. These were important for moderating the effects of storms and providing transition habitats. Here black mangrove ('' Avicennia germinans'') and red mangrove (''

Rhizophora mangle ''Rhizophora mangle'', the red mangrove, is distributed in Estuary, estuarine ecosystems throughout the tropics. Its Vivipary, viviparous "seeds", in actuality called propagules, become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree. Th ...

'') are the northernmost mangroves in the Atlantic. The inland swamps are particularly interesting as mangroves thrive in salty water; in this case, the saltwater arrives through underground channels rather than the usual tidal wash of coastal mangrove swamps. Areas of

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

marsh include Devonshire, Pembroke, and Paget marshes. Bermuda has four endemic

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s: Bermuda maidenhair fern ('' Adiantum bellum'')
Bermuda Shield Fern
('' Thelypteris bermudiana''), Bermuda cave fern ('' Ctenitis sloanei'') an
Governor Laffan's fern
(''

Diplazium laffanianum ''Diplazium'' is a genus of ferns that specifically includes the approximately 400 known species of twinsorus ferns. The Greek root is ''diplazein'' meaning ''double'': the indusia in this genus lie on both sides of the vein. These ferns were e ...

''). The latter is extinct in the wild but is grown at

Bermuda Botanical Gardens Bermuda Botanical Gardens features of flowers, shrubs, and trees. The Botanical Gardens are in Paget Parish, Bermuda, a short drive from downtown Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasio ...

. The endemic flora of the island also include two

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

es, ten

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

. Among the many introduced species are the Casuarina (''

Casuarina equisetifolia ''Casuarina equisetifolia'', common names ''Coastal She-oak'' or ''Horsetail She-oak'' (sometimes referred to as the Australian pine tree or whistling pine tree outside Australia), is a she-oak species of the genus ''Casuarina''. The native ...

'') and Suriname cherry (''

Eugenia uniflora ''Eugenia uniflora'', the pitanga, Suriname cherry, Brazilian cherry, Cayenne cherry, cerisier carré, monkimonki kersie or ñangapirí, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to tropical South America’s east coast, ranging ...

'').

Endemic

File:Bermuda cedars (Juniperus bermudiana) in the cemetery of St. John's Church (Church of England), Pemboke, Bermuda 2016.jpg, Bermuda cedars ('' Juniperus bermudiana'') in the cemetery of St. John's Church (Church of England), Pembroke, Bermuda 2016 File:Bermuda Cedar-01.jpg, Bermuda cedar ('' Juniperus bermudiana'') Image:Bermuda Olivewood-00.JPG, Bermuda olivewood ('' Elaeodendron laneanum'') Image:Sabal-bermudana.jpg, Bermuda palmetto (''

'') Image:Bermuda Snowberry-00.JPG, Bermuda snowberry ('' Chiococca bermudiana'') Image:Hypericum macrosepalum-00.JPG, St. Andrew's cross (''

Hypericum macrosepalum ''Hypericum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae (formerly considered a subfamily of Clusiaceae). The genus has a nearly worldwide distribution, missing only from tropical lowlands, deserts and polar regions. Many ''Hy ...

'') Image:Hypericum macrosepalum-01.JPG, St. Andrew's cross leaf Image:Peperomia septentrionalis-00.JPG, Wild Bermuda pepper ('' Peperomia septentrionalis'') Image:Carex bermudiana-00.JPG, Bermuda sedge (''

Carex bermudiana ''Carex bermudiana'', the Bermuda sedge, is a sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, ...

'') Image:Carex bermudiana-01.JPG, Bermuda sedge (''

'') flower Image:Bermuda Maidenhair Fern-00.JPG, Bermuda maidenhair fern ('' Adiantum bellum'') Bermudiana (''

Sisyrinchium bermudiana ''Sisyrinchium bermudiana'', known as Bermudiana or, along with other members of the genus, as blue-eyed grass, is a flower of the genus ''Sisyrinchium'' (of the iris family) that is indigenous to the Atlantic archipelago, and British Overseas ...

'') Darrell's fleabane ('' Erigeron darrellianus'') Bermuda campylopus (moss) ('' Campylopus bermudianus'') Bermuda bean ('' Phaseolus lignosus'') Bermuda spike rush (''

Eleocharis bermudiana ''Eleocharis'' is a virtually cosmopolitan genus of 250 or more species of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἕλειος (''heleios''), meaning "marsh dweller," and χάρις (''charis' ...

'') Bermuda trichostomum (moss) (''

Trichostomum bermudanum ''Trichostomum'' is a genus of mosses belonging to the family Pottiaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Trichostomum'': *'' Trichostomum abyssinicum'' *'' Trichostomum ...

'') Governor Laffan's fern (''

'')

Native

Image:Uva de playa (Coccoloba uvifera).jpg, Bay grape ('' Coccoloba uvifera'') Image:Randia aculeata2924971286.gif, Box briar (''

Randia aculeata ''Randia aculeata'', commonly known as white indigoberry or white indigo berry, is a species in the Rubiaceae. It is a shrub or small tree that grows from 2 to 6 m tall. ''R. aculeata'' is native to Florida, Bermuda, the Bahamas, elsewhere a ...

'') Image:Starr 010330-0598 Conocarpus erectus.jpg, Buttonwood (''

Conocarpus erectus ''Conocarpus erectus'', commonly called buttonwood or button mangrove, is a mangrove shrub in the family Combretaceae. This species grows on shorelines in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Range Locations it is known from inc ...

'') Image:Dodonea viscosa flowers1.JPG, Jamaica dogwood ('' Dodonaea viscosa'') Image:Plody mangrovnika (Rhizophora mangle).jpg, Red mangrove (''

'') Image:Cayos pict101.jpg, Seven year apple (''

Casasia ''Casasia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Family (biology), family Rubiaceae. These shrubs or small trees occur on the Caribbean islands and in one case (Seven-year Apple, ''Casasia clusiifolia, C. clusiifolia'') in Florida. Some of the t ...

clusiifolia'') Image:Plucheaodorata.jpg, Shrubby fleabane ('' Pluchea odorata'') Image:Sugarberry Celtis laevigata 2009-04-05.jpg, Southern hackberry (''

Celtis laevigata ''Celtis laevigata'' is a medium-sized tree native to North America. Common names include sugarberry, Southern hackberry, or in the southern U.S. sugar hackberry or just hackberry. Sugarberry is easily confused with common hackberry ('' C. occ ...

'') Image:Suriana maritima flowers.JPG, Tassel plant (''

Suriana maritima ''Suriana'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing only ''Suriana maritima'', which is commonly known as bay cedar. Distribution It has a pantropical distribution and can be found on coasts in the New and Old World tropics. Descri ...

'') * Forestiera (''

Forestiera ''Forestiera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family, Oleaceae. Members of the genus are often called swampprivets.segregata'') * Lamarcks trema (''

Trema lamarckiana ''Trema lamarckiana'', the Lamarck's trema or West Indian nettle tree, is a plant species in the genus ''Trema'' of the family Cannabaceae. It is a small evergreen shrub that is native of Florida and the West Indies. It has several common names s ...

'') * Black mangrove (''

Avicennia nitida ''Avicennia germinans'', the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters (39 feet) in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts ...

'') * White stopper (''

Eugenia axillaris ''Eugenia axillaris'', the white stopper, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clov ...

'') * Wild coffee shrub (''

Psychotria undata ''Psychotria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It contains 1,582 species and is therefore one of the largest genera of flowering plants. The genus has a pantropical distribution and members of the genus are small underst ...

'') * Yellow wood (''

Zanthoxylum flavum ''Zanthoxylum flavum'' is a medium-sized tree in the family Rutaceae. Common names include noyer, West Indian satinwood, yellow sanders, tembetaria, and yellow sandalwood. It is native to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, ...

'')

Animals

Amphibians

Bermuda has no native

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

s. A species of toad, cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), and two species of frog, Antilles coqui (''Eleutherodactylus johnstonei''), and ''

Eleutherodactylus gossei ''Eleutherodactylus gossei'' is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae. It is endemic to Jamaica where it is widespread. An introduced population existed in Bermuda but appears to have been extirpated. The specific name ''gossei'' h ...

'' were introduced by humans and subsequently became naturalized. ''R. marina'' and ''E. johnstonei'' are common, but ''E. gossei'' is thought to have been recently extirpated.

Reptiles

Four species of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

and two species of

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

comprise Bermuda's non-marine reptilian fauna. Of the lizards, the Bermuda rock lizard (''Plestiodon longirostris''), also known as the ''rock lizard'' , is the only

species. Once very common, the Bermuda skink is critically endangered. The Jamaican anole (''

Anolis grahami ''Anolis grahami'', commonly known as the Jamaican turquoise anole or the Graham’s anole, is a species of lizard native to the island of Jamaica, and has now also been introduced to the territory of Bermuda. It is one of many different species ...

'') was deliberately introduced in 1905 from Jamaica and is now by far the most common lizard in Bermuda. The

Leach's anole Anolis leachii, the Antigua Bank tree anole, Barbuda Bank tree anole, or panther anole, is a species of anole, a lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to the Caribbean. Geographic range ''A. leachii'' is native to Antigua and ...

(''Anolis leachii'') was accidentally introduced from Antigua about 1940 and is now common. The

Barbados anole The Barbados anole (''Anolis extremus'') is a species of anole () lizard that is native to Barbados, an island-nation in the Caribbean. Originally endemic to Barbados, it has since been introduced to Saint Lucia and Bermuda.. It was previously t ...

(''Anolis extremus'') was accidentally introduced about 1940 and is rarely seen. The diamondback terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') is native to Bermuda. The red-eared slider (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') was introduced as a pet, but has subsequently become

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

Mammals

All mammals in Bermuda are human introductions, except for four species of migratory North American

s of the genus ''

Lasiurus ''Lasiurus'' is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilio ...

'': the

hoary bat The hoary bat (''Lasiurus cinereus'') is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It lives throughout most of North America (possibly including Hawaii, although this is disputed). Taxonomy The hoary bat was described as a ...

eastern red bat The eastern red bat (''Lasiurus borealis'') is a species of microbat in the family Vespertilionidae. Eastern red bats are widespread across eastern North America, with additional records in Bermuda. Taxonomy and etymology It was described in 1 ...

Seminole bat The Seminole bat (''Lasiurus seminolus'') is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. Taxonomy The Seminole bat was first described in 1895 by Samuel N. Rhoads. The holotype had been collected in Tarpon Springs, Florida in 1892 by Wi ...

and

silver-haired bat The silver-haired bat (''Lasionycteris noctivagans'') is a solitary migratory species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae and the only member of the genus ''Lasionycteris''. Etymology The species name translates as night-wandering, ref ...

. Early accounts refer to wild or feral hogs, descendants of pigs left by the Spanish and Portuguese as feedstock for ships stopping at the islands for supplies. The

house mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. Althoug ...

, brown rat and

black rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

were accidentally introduced soon after the settlement of Bermuda, and

feral cat A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...

s have become common as another introduced species.

Birds

White-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus bermudianus) in Bermuda

Over 360 species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

have been recorded on Bermuda. The majority of these are

migrants Migrant may refer to: Human migration *Human migration *Emigration, leaving one's resident country with the intent to settle elsewhere *Immigration, movement into a country with the intent to settle * Economic migrant, someone who emigrates from o ...

or vagrants from North America or elsewhere. Only 24 species breed; 13 of these are thought to be native. One endemic species is the

Bermuda petrel The Bermuda petrel (''Pterodroma cahow'') is a gadfly petrel. Commonly known in Bermuda as the cahow, a name derived from its eerie cries, this nocturnal ground-nesting seabird is the national bird of Bermuda and can be found pictured on Bermudi ...

or cahow (''Pterodroma cahow''), which was thought to have been extinct since the 1620s. Its ground-nesting habitats had been severely disrupted by introduced species and colonists had killed the birds for food. In 1951, researchers discovered 18 breeding pairs, and started a recovery program to preserve and protect the species. An endemic subspecies is the

Bermuda white-eyed vireo ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

or chick-of-the-village (''Vireo griseus bermudianus''). The national bird of Bermuda is the

white-tailed tropicbird The white-tailed tropicbird (''Phaethon lepturus'') is a tropicbird. It is the smallest of three closely related seabirds of the tropical oceans and smallest member of the order Phaethontiformes. It is found in the tropical Atlantic, western Paci ...

or longtail, which is a summer migrant to Bermuda, its most northerly breeding site in the world. Other native birds include the eastern bluebird, grey catbird and perhaps the

common ground dove The common ground dove (''Columbina passerina'') is a small bird that inhabits the southern United States, parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. It is considered to be the smallest dove that inhabits the United Stat ...

. The common moorhen is the most common native waterbird; very small numbers of American coot and pied-billed grebe are breeding. Small numbers of common tern nest around the coast. The

barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...

and mourning dove colonized the island during the 20th century, and the

green heron The green heron (''Butorides virescens'') is a small heron of North and Central America. ''Butorides'' is from Middle English ''butor'' "bittern" and Ancient Greek ''-oides'', "resembling", and ''virescens'' is Latin for "greenish". It was long c ...

has recently begun to breed. Phaethon lepturus

Of the introduced birds, the European starling,

house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, a ...

, great kiskadee, rock dove, American crow and

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

are all very numerous and considered to be pests. Other introduced species include the

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

northern cardinal The northern cardinal (''Cardinalis cardinalis'') is a bird in the genus ''Cardinalis''; it is also known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal (which was its name prior to 1985). It can be found in southea ...

, European goldfinch and small numbers of orange-cheeked and

common waxbill The common waxbill (''Estrilda astrild''), also known as the St Helena waxbill, is a small passerine bird belonging to the estrildid finch family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many other regions of the world and n ...

s. The

yellow-crowned night heron The yellow-crowned night heron (''Nyctanassa violacea''), is one of two species of night herons found in the Americas, the other one being the black-crowned night heron. It is known as the ''bihoreau violacé'' in French and the ''pedrete corona ...

was introduced in the 1970s to replace the extinct native heron. Fossil remains of a variety of species have been found on the island, including a crane, an owl and the short-tailed albatross. Some of these became extinct as the islands' land-mass shrank by nine tenths after the

Last Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent. Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eur ...

, while others were exterminated by early settlers. The Bermuda petrel was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1951. Among the many non-breeding migrants are a variety of

shorebird 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

s and

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

s. In spring many shearwaters can be seen of the South Shore. Over 30 species of New World warbler are seen each year, with the

yellow-rumped warbler The yellow-rumped warbler (''Setophaga coronata'') is a regular North American bird species that can be commonly observed all across the continent. Its extensive distribution range connects both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. as well ...

being the most abundant. The arrival of many species is dependent on weather conditions; low-pressure systems moving across from North America often bring many birds to the islands. Among the rare visitors recorded are the Siberian flycatcher from Asia and the fork-tailed flycatcher and

tropical kingbird The tropical kingbird (''Tyrannus melancholicus'') is a large tyrant flycatcher. This bird breeds from southern Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States through Central America, South America as far as south as centra ...

from South America.

Insects

Lawrence Ogilvie Lawrence Ogilvie (5 July 1898 – 16 April 1980) was a Scottish plant pathologist. From 1923, in his first job and aged only 25, when agriculture was Bermuda's major industry, Ogilvie identified the virus that had devastated the islands' high-v ...

, Bermuda's agricultural scientist 1923 to 1928 identified 395 Bermuda insects and wrote the Department of Agriculture's 52-page book ''The Insects of Bermuda'', including ''Aphis Ogilviei'' that he discovered.

Terrestrial invertebrates

More than 1100 kinds of insects and

spiders Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species dive ...

are found on Bermuda, including 41 endemic insects and a possibly endemic spider. Eighteen species of

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

have been seen; about six of these breed on the islands, including the large

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

and the very common Bermuda buckeye (''Junonia coenia bergi''). More than 200

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s have been recorded; one of the most conspicuous is ''

Pseudosphinx tetrio ''Pseudosphinx'' is a monotypic moth genus in the family Sphingidae first described by Hermann Burmeister in 1856. Its only species, ''Pseudosphinx tetrio'', was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. Its common names include tetrio sphinx, ...

'', which can reach in length. Bermuda has lost a number of its endemic invertebrates, including the Bermuda cicada (''

Neotibicen Cicadas of the genus ''Neotibicen'' are large-bodied insects of the family Cicadidae that appear in summer or early fall in eastern North America. Common names include cicada, harvestfly, jar fly, and the misnomer locust. In 2015, these species ...

bermudianus''), which became extinct when the cedar forests disappeared. Some species feared extinct have been rediscovered, including a Bermuda land snail ('' Poecilozonties circumfirmatus'') and the Bermuda ant ('' Odontomachus insularis'').

Marine life

Bermuda lies on the western edge of the

Sargasso Sea The Sargasso Sea () is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre. Unlike all other regions called seas, it has no land boundaries. It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its charac ...

, an area with high salinity, high temperature and few currents. Large quantities of seaweed of the genus ''

Sargassum ''Sargassum'' is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae) macroalgae (seaweed) in the order Fucales. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral re ...

'' are present and there are high concentrations of

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

, but the area is less attractive to commercial

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

species and

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

s. Greater diversity is present in the

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

s which surround the island. A variety of

whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

s and

porpoise Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals an ...

s have been recorded in the waters around Bermuda. The most common of these is the

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hump ...

, which passes the islands in April and May during its northward migration.

Threats and preservation

Bermuda was the first place in the Americas to pass conservation laws, protecting the

in 1616 and the

Bermuda cedar ''Juniperus bermudiana'' is a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda. This species is most commonly known as Bermuda cedar, but is also referred to as Bermuda juniper (Bermudians refer to it simply as ''cedar''). Historically, this tree formed wo ...

in 1622. It has a well-organised network of protected areas including

Spittal Pond Spital or Spittal may refer to: Places Austria *Spital (Weitra), a hamlet in the Waldviertel, Lower Austria, notable for being the origin of some of Adolf Hitler's family *Spital am Pyhrn, a municipality in Upper Austria *Spital am Semmering, a ...

, marshes in Paget and Devonshire and Pembroke Parishes,

Warwick Pond Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whit ...

and the hills above

Castle Harbour Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St. David's Island. Originally called ''Southampton Port'', it was renamed as a result of its heavy fortification in the early ...

. Only small areas of natural forest remain today; much was cleared since colonisation began in the 17th century, and recovered forest was lost in the 1940s due to insect infestation. The Bermuda petrel and Bermuda skink are highly endangered, and Bermuda cedar, Bermuda palmetto and Bermuda olivewood are all listed as threatened species. Some wild plants, including a

spike rush ''Eleocharis'' is a virtually cosmopolitan genus of 250 or more species of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἕλειος (''heleios''), meaning "marsh dweller," and χάρις (''charis'' ...

, have disappeared. Introduced plants and animals have had adverse effects on the wildlife of the islands. The thriving tourist industry creates its own challenges to preserve the wildlife and habitat that attract visitors.

References

* Amos, Eric J. R. (1991) ''A Guide to the Birds of Bermuda'', privately published. * Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo
Bermuda Biodiversity Project
', downloaded 21/02/07. * Dobson, A. (2002) ''A Birdwatching Guide to Bermuda'', Arlequin Press, Chelmsford, UK. * Flora of Bermuda (Illustrated) by Nathaniel Lord Britton, Ph.D., Sc.D., LL.D.

* Forbes, Keith Archibald (2007)

', downloaded 2021-02-07. * Gehrman, Elizabeth (2102) ''Rare Birds: The Extraordinary Tale of the Bermuda Petrel and the Man Who Brought It Back from Extinction'' (Beacon Press). * Ogden, George (2002) ''Bermuda A Gardener's Guide'', The Garden Club of Bermuda * Ogilvie, Lawrence (1928) ''The Insects of Bermuda'' * Raine, André (2003) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Bermuda'', Macmillan, Oxford. *

External links

Bermuda Audubon SocietyBermuda biodiversity, FlickrBermuda National TrustBermuda Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources
{{North America in topic, Ecology of * Biota of archipelagoes Environment of Bermuda * Nearctic ecoregions * Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests