Fort-de-France Bay is a large inlet of the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, off the coast of

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

. It is named after Martinique's capital,

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the ...

, the chief town on the bay.

Important Bird Area

A tract of some 3,361 ha, encompassing the largest area of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

s in Martinique, on the eastern side of the bay, has been recognised as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because it supports populations of green-throated and

purple-throated carib The purple-throated carib (''Eulampis jugularis'') is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is resident on most of the islands of the Lesser Antilles and has occurred as a vagrant both further north and south.HBW and BirdLife ...

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 ...

s, Caribbean elaenias,

Lesser Antillean flycatcher The Lesser Antillean flycatcher (''Myiarchus oberi'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in Barbuda, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical ...

Lesser Antillean pewee The Lesser Antillean pewee (''Contopus latirostris'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, and Saint Lucia with records from Saint Kitts. Birds on Puerto Rico are sometimes ...

s, scaly-breasted thrashers,

Martinique oriole The Martinique oriole (''Icterus bonana'') is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to Martinique, French West Indies. Martinique is a part of the Lesser Antilles, and is located in the Eastern Caribbean. The orioles' habitat ...

Lesser Antillean saltator The Lesser Antillean saltator (''Saltator albicollis'') is a species of songbird in the tanager family Thraupidae that is found in Dominica, Martinique, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry ...

s and Lesser Antillean bullfinches.

References

Bodies of water of Martinique Important Bird Areas of Martinique Inlets of North America {{Martinique-geo-stub