The fauna of Barbados is less diverse than that of the other Antilles. Human activities are responsible for the change in the composition of the fauna, in particular, the replacement of native species. Species that are able to adapt to human presence have survived.

Origin of Barbadian Fauna

The island of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

was formed by

tectonic uplift Tectonic uplift is the geologic uplift of Earth's surface that is attributed to plate tectonics. While isostatic response is important, an increase in the mean elevation of a region can only occur in response to tectonic processes of crustal th ...

and is younger than the surrounding lesser Antillean islands, primarily of volcanic origin.

Avian Avian may refer to: *Birds or Aves, winged animals *Avian (given name) (russian: Авиа́н, link=no), a male forename Aviation *Avro Avian, a series of light aircraft made by Avro in the 1920s and 1930s *Avian Limited, a hang glider manufacture ...

colonization has therefore occurred recently relative to the geological age of the island, accounting in part for the lack of

endemic species 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 ...

relative to neighboring islands. Species capable of crossing the sea barrier by flight enjoyed a comparative advantage, helping to explain why avian species are more numerous than other animal groups, such as mammals. In addition to the natural colonization of the island by animals, humans have contributed to the faunal composition of the island through species introductions (intentional and accidental).

Mammals

Few

mammals 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 o ...

live on the island, composed almost entirely of introduced species. The

Norway rat The brown rat (''Rattus norvegicus''), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat and Parisian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown o ...

(''Rattus norvegicus''), house mouse (''Mus musculus''),

European hare The European hare (''Lepus europaeus''), also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Hares are herbivorous and feed mainly ...

(''Lepus europaeus''),

small Indian mongoose The small Indian mongoose (''Urva auropunctata'') is a mongoose species native to Iraq and northern South Asia; it has also been introduced to many regions of the world, such as several Caribbean and Pacific islands. Taxonomy ''Mangusta auropu ...

(''Urva auropunctata''), and

green monkey The green monkey (''Chlorocebus sabaeus''), also known as the sabaeus monkey, is an Old World monkey with golden-green fur and pale hands and feet. The tip of the tail is golden yellow as are the backs of the thighs and cheek whiskers. It does n ...

(''Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus'') are the most notable examples.

Pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

were introduced by the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

in 1563 as a future food source; the introduction was successful and a feral pig population persisted up until the point of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

settlement of the island, after which they became extirpated. The now extinct Barbados raccoon (''Procyon lotor gloveralleni'') is considered to have been endemic to the island; however, even this subspecies may have been introduced by

Amerindians The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the Am ...

in pre-historic times. The only remaining native mammals are a number of

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 ...

species; the most common of which is the velvety free-tailed bat (''Molossus molossus''), which emerges at dusk to feed on

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...

. A breed of

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

known as the Barbados Blackbelly sheep originated in Barbados. It has been exported to various nations around the world, including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

where it is sometimes called affectionately "Barbado Sheep".

Marine mammals Marine mammals are aquatic mammals that rely on the ocean and other marine ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as seals, whales, manatees, sea otters and polar bears. They are an informal group, unified only by their re ...

are not frequently seen in Barbadian waters. Some species, however, particularly bottlenose dolphins (''Tursiops truncatus'') and humpback whales (''Megaptera novaeangliae''), are occasionally seen offshore on the north coast.

Feral dogs A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of ...

and

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

s, introduced by humans, are also present on the island.

Birds

Birds are fairly well represented on the island, with most having adapted well to the presence of humans. Icterids such as the

Carib grackle The Carib grackle (''Quiscalus lugubris'') is a New World tropical blackbird, a resident breeder in the Lesser Antilles and northern South America east of the Andes, from Colombia east to Venezuela and northeastern Brazil. There are eight subsp ...

(''Quiscalus lugubris'') and the

shiny cowbird The shiny cowbird (''Molothrus bonariensis'') is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds in most of South America except for dense forests and areas of high altitude such as mountains. Since 1900 the shiny cowbird's range h ...

(''Molothrus bonariensis''), which often parasitizes the nests of the former species, are quite common.

Seedeater {{Unreferenced, date=December 2007 The seedeaters are a form taxon of seed-eating passerine birds with a distinctively conical bill. Most are Central and South American birds that were formerly placed in the American sparrow family (Passerell ...

s include the black-faced grassquit (''Tiaris bicolor'') and the grassland yellow finch (''Sicalis luteola''), known locally as the ''grass canary''. Introduced from South America the grassland yellow finch is now faced with extirpation due to poaching for the pet trade. Until recently considered a non-sexually dimorphic subspecies of the Lesser Antillean bullfinch (''Loxigilla noctis''), the Barbados bullfinch (''Loxigilla barbadensis'') has recently been elevated to species level. There are two species of

tyrant flycatcher The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds known to exist in the world, with more than 400 species. They are the most dive ...

found on the island; the grey kingbird (''Tyrannus dominicensis'') which is quite common, and the Caribbean elaenia (''Elaenia martinica'') which is rarer. Representatives of the family

Columbidae Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

include the

zenaida dove The zenaida dove (''Zenaida aurita'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes doves and pigeons. It is the national bird of Anguilla, where it is locally referred to as "turtle dove". Description The Zenaida dove is approxima ...

(''Zenaida aurita''),

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 State ...

(''Columbina passerina''),

scaly-naped pigeon The scaly-naped pigeon (''Patagioenas squamosa''), also known as the red-necked pigeon, is a bird belonging to the family Columbidae. The species occurs throughout the Caribbean. Description The scaly-naped pigeon is a large slate grey pige ...

(''Patagioenas squamosa''), and the ubiquitous

rock pigeon The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon ( also ; ''Columba livia'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon". The domestic pigeon (''Columba livia domes ...

(''Columba livia''). Another species, the

eared dove The eared dove (''Zenaida auriculata'') is a New World dove. It is a resident breeder throughout South America from Colombia to southern Argentina and Chile, and on the offshore islands from the Grenadines southwards. It may be a relatively re ...

(''Zenaida auriculata''), which was previously reported as an occasional visitor to the island, has now established a breeding population. Nectar consuming species include the

Antillean crested hummingbird The Antillean crested hummingbird (''Orthorhyncus cristatus'') is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. Found across Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, north-east Puerto Ri ...

(''Orthorhyncus cristatus''),

green-throated carib The green-throated carib (''Eulampis holosericeus'') is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is found in Puerto Rico and most of the Lesser Antilles.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World ...

(''Eulampis holosericeus''), and the bananaquit (''Coereba flaveola''). Heron species include, the

cattle egret The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard ...

(''Bubulcus ibis'') and the fairly rare green heron (''Butorides virescens''). A recent addition to the island's

avifauna 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 lightweight s ...

is the little egret (''Egretta garzetta''), which has recently colonized the island from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Early European visitors reported finding a species of parrot on the island, which subsequently became extinct. Currently, parrots are represented by a few escaped or released individuals which have formed feral populations; most notably is a small population of the orange-winged parrot (''Amazona amazonica'') which has become established among several ''

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 ...

'' palms in the Belleville district of the capital

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...

. The brown-throated parakeet (''Aratinga pertinax''), introduced to the island, is rarely seen. The scaly-breasted thrasher (''Allenia fusca'') may have become extirpated from the Island. A resident race of the

yellow warbler The yellow warbler (''Setophaga petechia'') is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus ''Setophaga'', breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, and down to northern S ...

(''Dendroica petechia petechia'') is also threatened, mostly due to loss of its mangrove swamp habitat; the last major refuge for this species is the Graeme Hall Swamp in the south of the Island, However some reports suggest the species is expanding its range on the island. Species that may be encountered in

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

areas include the

masked duck The masked duck (''Nomonyx dominicus'') is a tiny stiff-tailed duck ranging through the tropical Americas. They are found from Mexico to South America and also in the Caribbean. Primarily not migratory, masked ducks are reported as very uncommo ...

(''Nomonyx dominica''),

American coot The American coot (''Fulica americana''), also known as a mud hen or pouldeau, is a bird of the family Rallidae. Though commonly mistaken for ducks, American coots are only distantly related to ducks, belonging to a separate order. Unlike the w ...

(''Fulica americana''), and the

common moorhen The common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus''), also known as the waterhen or swamp chicken, is a bird species in the rail (bird), rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World. The common moorhen lives around well-v ...

(''Gallinula chloropus'') The southern lapwing (''Vanellus chilensis''), a

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 ...

, has recently bred upon the island; having spread to Barbados from

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

and northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. Substantial numbers of

migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...

either over-wintering on the island, or en route from North America to South American wintering grounds are seen annually. Shorebirds are one such group of birds that stop off in Barbados during migration; tens of thousands, however, lured to artificial wetlands, are shot annually for sport.

Reptiles

The green iguana (''Iguana iguana'') formerly resided on the island before being extirpated. An endemic species of anole lizard, (''

Anolis extremus The Barbados anole (''Anolis extremus'') is a species of anole () lizard that is native to Barbados, an island-nation in the Caribbean. Originally endemism, endemic to Barbados, it has since been introduced to Saint Lucia and Bermuda.. It was pr ...

''), and the introduced

tropical house gecko The tropical house gecko, Afro-American house gecko or cosmopolitan house gecko (''Hemidactylus mabouia'') is a species of house gecko native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is also currently found in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean ...

(''Hemidactylus mabouia'') are both common species; while Underwood's spectacled tegu (''Gymnophthalmus underwoodi''), and a native species of ''

Kentropyx ''Kentropyx'' is a genus of whiptail lizards in the Family (biology), family Teiidae. The genus is Endemism, endemic to South America including Trinidad and Barbados. Species There are nine valid species in this genus (listed alphabetically by ...

'' lizard ('' Kentropyx borckiana'') are rarer on the island. The

red-footed tortoise The red-footed tortoise (''Chelonoidis carbonarius'') is a species of tortoise from northern South America. These medium-sized tortoises generally average as adults, but can reach over . They have dark-colored, loaf-shaped carapaces (back shell ...

(''Geochelone carbonaria'') is widely kept in captivity; it was likely introduced to the island, as no reports of it were made by early European explorers to the island. Populations of an endemic '' Liophis'' grass snake (''Liophis perfuscus'') have been devastated as a result of predation by the introduced Indian mongoose; with no confirmed sightings of the species since 1961. Another snake species, ''

Mastigodryas bruesi Barbour's tropical racer (''Mastigodryas bruesi'') is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Caribbean. Etymology The specific name, ''bruesi'', is in honor American entomologist Charles Thomas Brues, wh ...

'' and the world's smallest snake, ''

Leptotyphlops carlae The Barbados threadsnake (''Tetracheilostoma carlae'') is a species of threadsnake. It is the smallest known snake species. This member of the Leptotyphlopidae family is found on the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Anguilla. Taxonomy and et ...

'', have also been recorded from the island. Currently there are two species of

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

which nest in Barbados, the

hawksbill turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is lar ...

(''Eretmochelys imbricata''), and the leatherback turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''). Though not nesting on the island, the green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas'') does forage in nearshore

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the or ...

beds. Coastal infrastructure, such as hotel properties, has encroached upon the nesting grounds of sea turtles, while coastal lights also detrimentally impact nesting females.

Amphibians

The

cane toad The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania ...

(''Bufo marinus'') from South America and the Johnstone's whistling frog (''Eleutherodactylus johnstonei'') encompass the islands' amphibian community. The introduction of the cane toad was done as a biological control aimed at insect pests of sugarcane; as has been the case elsewhere, the lack of predators to control the cane toad has led to uncontrolled populations in some areas.

Fish

Freshwater Fish

The wild form of the

guppy The guppy (), also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae and, like almost all ...

(''Poecilia reticulata'') is native to Barbados as well as

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

and northern South America. Introductions of aquarium varieties of the guppy into the wild mean that it may be impossible to distinguish between original and fancy varieties. Originally intended for aquaculture,

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

species including, ''

Oreochromis mossambicus ''Oreochromis'' is a large genus of oreochromine cichlids, fishes endemic to Africa and the Middle East. A few species from this genus have been introduced far outside their native range and are important in aquaculture. Many others have ver ...

'', and '' Tilapia zilli'' have become widely established in ponds and streams across the island.

Brackish Water Fish

Brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

species also occur, particularly in coastal wetlands such as the Graeme Hall Swamp; one such species is the

mangrove rivulus The mangrove killifish or mangrove rivulus, ''Kryptolebias marmoratus'' ( syn. ''Rivulus marmoratus''), is a species of killifish in the family Rivulidae. It lives in brackish and marine waters (less frequently in fresh water) along the coasts ...

(''Rivulus marmoratus''), notable for its unique ability of self-

fertilization Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a new individual organism or offspring and initiate its development. Proce ...

. A resident and isolated population of

Atlantic tarpon The Atlantic tarpon (''Megalops atlanticus'') is a ray-finned fish that inhabits coastal waters, estuary, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers. It is also known as the silver king. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean, typically in tropical and subtropica ...

, (''Megalops atlanticus'') has become established in the Graeme Hall Swamp.

Invertebrates

Crustaceans

Terrestrial crab species found on the island include ''

Cardisoma guanhumi ''Cardisoma guanhumi'', also known as the blue land crab, is a species of land crab found in tropical and subtopical estuaries and other maritime areas of land along the Atlantic coast of the Americas from Brazil and Colombia, through the Ca ...

'' and '' Gecarcinus lateralis''.

References

External links

Animals of BarbadosBarbados Reptiles & Amphibians
{{North America in topic, Fauna of Environment of Barbados