Trinidad and Tobago Ramsar wetland
Caroni Swamp
319 bird species recorded; the most from December to March.
Bas Leenders · CC BY-SA 2.0
This month here
248 species in January.242 species in February.233 species in March.197 species in April.216 species in May.217 species in June.210 species in July.206 species in August.195 species in September.222 species in October.225 species in November.236 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
NTNT
NT
NT
NT
VU
NT
VU
NT
VUVU
NTNT
NT
NT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
319 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 319Speciesrecorded more than once
- 101Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 6ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 91,320Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 24Raptors
- 6Owls
- 31Waders
- 13Gulls & seabirds
- 14Ducks & geese
- 24Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 122Songbirds
- 82Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 319 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Long-winged HarrierCircus buffoni
- Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus
- Savanna HawkButeogallus meridionalis
- Grey-lined HawkButeo nitidus
- Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus
- Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
- Aplomado FalconFalco femoralis
- Snail KiteRostrhamus sociabilis
- Pearl KiteGampsonyx swainsonii
- Leucopternis albicollisLeucopternis albicollis
- Grey-headed KiteLeptodon cayanensis
- Crane HawkGeranospiza caerulescens
- Double-toothed KiteHarpagus bidentatus
- Bat FalconFalco rufigularis
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Swallow-tailed KiteElanoides forficatus
- Plumbeous KiteIctinia plumbea
- Buteo albicaudatusButeo albicaudatus
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tropical Screech-OwlMegascops choliba
- Ferruginous Pygmy OwlGlaucidium brasilianum
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Mottled OwlStrix virgata
- Spectacled OwlPulsatrix perspicillata
Waders31 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Wattled JacanaJacana jacana
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Southern LapwingVanellus chilensis
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Bartram's SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Northern JacanaJacana spinosa
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- South American SnipeGallinago paraguaiae
Gulls & seabirds13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Large-billed TernPhaetusa simplex
- Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Yellow-billed TernSternula superciliaris
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Brown BoobySula leucogaster
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Black TernChlidonias niger
Ducks & geese14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- White-cheeked PintailAnas bahamensis
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- White-faced Whistling-duckDendrocygna viduata
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- American Comb DuckSarkidiornis sylvicola
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Masked DuckNomonyx dominicus
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
Herons, ibises & grebes24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Scarlet IbisEudocimus ruber
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Boat-billed HeronCochlearius cochlearius
- Pinnated BitternBotaurus pinnatus
- Cocoi HeronArdea cocoi
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Least GrebeTachybaptus dominicus
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Stripe-backed BitternIxobrychus involucris
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
- JabiruJabiru mycteria
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Caribbean FlamingoPhoenicopterus ruber
Songbirds122 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- Great KiskadeePitangus sulphuratus
- Masked CardinalParoaria nigrogenis
- Yellow-hooded BlackbirdChrysomus icterocephalus
- Tropical MockingbirdMimus gilvus
- Xiphorhynchus picusXiphorhynchus picus
- Pied Water TyrantFluvicola pica
- Carib GrackleQuiscalus lugubris
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Bicolored ConebillConirostrum bicolorNT
- White-winged SwallowTachycineta albiventer
- Blue-black GrassquitVolatinia jacarina
- Black-crested AntshrikeSakesphorus canadensis
- Yellow-chinned SpinetailCerthiaxis cinnamomeus
- Rufous-browed PeppershrikeCyclarhis gujanensis
- Yellow OrioleIcterus nigrogularis
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybea
- Thraupis palmarumThraupis palmarum
- Blue-gray TanagerThraupis episcopus
- White-headed Marsh TyrantArundinicola leucocephala
- BananaquitCoereba flaveola
- Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana
- Shiny CowbirdMolothrus bonariensis
- Southern House WrenTroglodytes musculus
- Yellow-bellied ElaeniaElaenia flavogaster
- Spectacled ThrushTurdus nudigenis
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Yellow-breasted FlycatcherTolmomyias flaviventris
- Crested OropendolaPsarocolius decumanus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Southern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx ruficollis
- Masked YellowthroatGeothlypis aequinoctialis
- Saffron FinchSicalis flaveola
- Barred AntshrikeThamnophilus doliatus
- Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca
- Olive-grey SaltatorSaltator olivascens
- Northern Scrub-FlycatcherSublegatus arenarum
- Gray KingbirdTyrannus dominicensis
- Red-breasted MeadowlarkSturnella militaris
- Pale-breasted SpinetailSynallaxis albescens
- Giant CowbirdMolothrus oryzivorus
- White-lined TanagerTachyphonus rufus
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Violaceous EuphoniaEuphonia violacea
- Trinidad EuphoniaEuphonia trinitatis
- Boat-billed FlycatcherMegarynchus pitangua
- Silver-beaked TanagerRamphocelus carbo
- Cocoa ThrushTurdus fumigatus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Village WeaverPloceus cucullatus
- Brown-crested FlycatcherMyiarchus tyrannulus
- Cocoa WoodcreeperXiphorhynchus susurrans
- Golden-fronted GreenletHylophilus aurantiifrons
- Green HoneycreeperChlorophanes spiza
- Southern Beardless-tyrannuletCamptostoma obsoletum
- Purple HoneycreeperCyanerpes caeruleus
- Bran-colored FlycatcherMyiophobus fasciatus
- Plain-brown WoodcreeperDendrocincla fuliginosa
- Rufous-breasted WrenPheugopedius rutilus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Great AntshrikeTaraba major
- Streak-headed WoodcreeperLepidocolaptes souleyetii
- Small-billed ElaeniaElaenia parvirostris
- Bay-headed TanagerTangara gyrola
- Bearded BellbirdProcnias averanoNT
- White-bearded ManakinManacus manacus
- Golden-headed ManakinPipra erythrocephala
- White-necked ThrushTurdus albicollis
- Ochre-bellied FlycatcherMionectes oleagineus
- Streaked FlycatcherMyiodynastes maculatus
- White-flanked AntwrenMyrmotherula axillaris
- Red-legged HoneycreeperCyanerpes cyaneus
- Tropical PeweeContopus cinereus
- Forest ElaeniaMyiopagis gaimardii
- Turquoise TanagerTangara mexicana
- Red-crowned Ant-tanagerHabia rubica
- Piratic FlycatcherLegatus leucophaius
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- White-wingedPachyramphus polychopterus
- Yellow-rumped CaciqueCacicus cela
- Ramphocaenus melanurusRamphocaenus melanurus
- Euler's FlycatcherLathrotriccus euleri
- Blue DacnisDacnis cayana
- Yellow-olive FlatbillTolmomyias sulphurescens
- Fuscous FlycatcherCnemotriccus fuscatus
- Black-tailed TityraTityra cayana
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Golden-crowned WarblerBasileuterus culicivorus
- Black-faced AntthrushFormicarius analis
- Tropical ParulaSetophaga pitiayumi
- Sooty GrassquitAsemospiza fuliginosa
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Plain AntvireoDysithamnus mentalis
- Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
- Loriotus luctuosusLoriotus luctuosus
- Spotted Tody-FlycatcherTodirostrum maculatum
- Stripe-breasted SpinetailSynallaxis cinnamomea
- White-bellied AntbirdMyrmeciza longipes
- Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculifer
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Ruddy-breasted SeedeaterSporophila minuta
- Slaty-capped FlycatcherLeptopogon superciliaris
- Lesser ElaeniaElaenia chiriquensis
- Speckled TanagerIxothraupis guttata
- Grey-throated LeaftosserSclerurus albigularis
- Grassland Yellow-FinchSicalis luteola
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Red TanagerPiranga flava
- Grey SeedeaterSporophila intermedia
- Chestnut MuniaLonchura atricapilla
- Streaked XenopsXenops rutilans
- Bright-rumped AttilaAttila spadiceus
- Swallow TanagerTersina viridis
- Blue-and-white SwallowNotiochelidon cyanoleuca
- American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva
- Short-tailed Pygmy TyrantMyiornis ecaudatus
- Silvered AntbirdSclateria naevia
- Lesson's SeedeaterSporophila bouvronides
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Chestnut-bellied Seed FinchSporophila angolensis
Other birds82 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ruddy Ground DoveColumbina talpacoti
- Smooth-billed AniCrotophaga ani
- Green-throated MangoAnthracothorax viridigula
- Eared DoveZenaida auriculata
- Common PotooNyctibius griseus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Green-rumped ParrotletForpus passerinus
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- American Pygmy KingfisherChloroceryle aenea
- Greater AniCrotophaga major
- LimpkinAramus guarauna
- Ringed KingfisherMegaceryle torquata
- Orange-winged AmazonAmazona amazonica
- Short-tailed SwiftChaetura brachyura
- Green KingfisherChloroceryle americana
- Striped CuckooTapera naevia
- Aramides cajaneaAramides cajanea
- Saucerottia tobaciSaucerottia tobaci
- Fork-tailed Palm-swiftTachornis squamata
- Red-rumped WoodpeckerVeniliornis kirkii
- Black-throated MangoAnthracothorax nigricollis
- Common Ground-DoveColumbina passerina
- Rallus longirostrisRallus longirostris
- Pale-vented PigeonPatagioenas cayennensis
- Piaya minutaPiaya minuta
- PauraqueNyctidromus albicollis
- Lineated WoodpeckerDryocopus lineatus
- White-tipped DoveLeptotila verreauxi
- Mangrove CuckooCoccyzus minor
- Gray-rumped SwiftChaetura cinereiventris
- White-tailed GoldenthroatPolytmus guainumbi
- Yellow-breasted CrakePorzana flaviventer
- Band-rumped SwiftChaetura spinicaudus
- White-necked JacobinFlorisuga mellivora
- Blue-chinned SapphireChlorestes notata
- Rufous-necked Wood-RailAramides axillaris
- Ruby TopazChrysolampis mosquitus
- Chrysuronia brevirostrisChrysuronia brevirostris
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Green HermitPhaethornis guy
- Lesser NighthawkChordeiles acutipennis
- Trinidad MotmotMomotus bahamensis
- Golden-olive WoodpeckerColaptes rubiginosus
- Short-tailed NighthawkLurocalis semitorquatus
- Grey-fronted DoveLeptotila rufaxilla
- Rufous-breasted HermitGlaucis hirsutus
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Tufted CoquetteLophornis ornatus
- Channel-billed ToucanRamphastos vitellinus
- Lilac-tailed ParrotletTouit batavicus
- Scaled PigeonPatagioenas speciosa
- Guianan TrogonTrogon violaceus
- Common Squirrel-cuckooPiaya cayana
- Little HermitPhaethornis longuemareus
- Rufous-tailed JacamarGalbula ruficauda
- Blue-headed ParrotPionus menstruus
- Dark-billed CuckooCoccyzus melacoryphus
- Yellow-crowned AmazonAmazona ochrocephala
- Little TinamouCrypturellus soui
- Green-backed TrogonTrogon viridis
- White-tailed NightjarHydropsalis cayennensis
- Gray-breasted CrakeLaterallus exilis
- Spotted RailPardirallus maculatus
- Long-billed StarthroatHeliomaster longirostris
- White-collared SwiftStreptoprocne zonaris
- Collared TrogonTrogon collaris
- OilbirdSteatornis caripensis
- Chestnut-collared SwiftStreptoprocne rutila
- Red-bellied MacawOrthopsittaca manilata
- Chestnut WoodpeckerCeleus elegans
- Blue-and-yellow MacawAra ararauna
- Lesser Swallow-tailed SwiftPanyptila cayennensis
- Plain-breasted Ground-DoveColumbina minuta
- American CootFulica americana
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Azure GallinulePorphyrio flavirostris
- Nacunda NighthawkChordeiles nacunda
- Crimson-crested WoodpeckerCampephilus melanoleucos
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Brown Violet-earColibri delphinae
- Rufous NightjarAntrostomus rufus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from December to March.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan28°/23°100 mm
- Feb29°/23°61 mm
- Mar30°/24°52 mm
- Apr31°/24°56 mm
- May30°/25°117 mm
- Jun29°/25°222 mm
- Jul29°/25°202 mm
- Aug29°/25°202 mm
- Sep30°/25°141 mm
- Oct29°/25°176 mm
- Nov29°/24°213 mm
- Dec28°/24°178 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Caroni Swamp.
Second largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago
Caroni Swamp is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Trinidad and Tobago.
319 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 91,320 open records.
The most recorded are the Little Blue Heron, the Scarlet Ibis and the Snowy Egret.
50 species come for the summer, 48 for the winter and 3 only pass through.
6 are threatened worldwide, including Lesser yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitcher and White-rumped Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded from December to March.
Get there and watch
- Thompson Streetplace to stay · 4.3 km · 84 within 10 km
- Laventillenearest town · 8.0 km in a straight line
- Piarco International Airport (POS)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 13 km in a straight lineCar hire at POS airport (Port of Spain)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1viewpoints within 5 kmCaroni Swamp
- 1car parks within 3 km
- 84places to stay within 10 kmThompson Street, Blanche Apartments, Cheers and 81 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Caroni Swamp.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas25 mountains within 25 kmLaventille Hills · 8.7 kmMount Tabor · 11 kmSaint Ann's Peak · 12 kmEl Tucuche936 m · 16 km↗Macaque Hill · 18 kmNorth Post · 21 kmMorne Pierre · 22 kmHeights of Guanapo · 24 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Caroni Swamp
Trinidad and Tobago
- 81Birdyas Score
- 319Species
- 101Migrants
- 6Threatened
Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary
Barbados · 343 km
- 64Birdyas Score
- 134Species
- 47Migrants
- 6Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q3848108) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 91,320 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit