Cayman Islands bird checklist
290 bird species in 58 families have been recorded in the Cayman Islands, according to eBird; about 266 of them are seen regularly, and the rest are rarities, vagrants and escaped or introduced birds. Download the full list as a PDF, or tick birds off on your phone, with counts and notes, even without signal.
Species data: eBird.org, updated · How these lists are made
The most common birds in the Cayman Islands right now
1Tricolored Heron
2Black-bellied Plover
3Black-crowned Night Heron
4Black-necked Stilt
5Snowy Egret
6Glossy Ibis
7Northern Waterthrush
8Blue-winged Teal
9White-winged Dove
10Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Cayman Islands bird checklist
290 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
- West Indian Whistling-Duck
- Fulvous Whistling-Duck
- Snow Goose
- Graylag Goose
- Canada Goose
- Muscovy Duck
- Blue-winged Teal
- Cinnamon Teal
- Northern Shoveler
- Gadwall
- American Wigeon
- Mallard
- Northern Pintail
- Green-winged Teal
- Redhead
- Ring-necked Duck
- Lesser Scaup
- Hooded Merganser
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Masked Duck
- Ruddy Duck
Guineafowl
- Helmeted Guineafowl
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Indian Peafowl
- Red Junglefowl
Pigeons and Doves
- Rock Pigeon
- White-crowned Pigeon
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- African Collared-Dove
- Common Ground Dove
- Caribbean Dove
- White-winged Dove
- Zenaida Dove
- Mourning Dove
Cuckoos
- Smooth-billed Ani
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Mangrove Cuckoo
- Black-billed Cuckoo
Nightjars and Allies
- Common Nighthawk
- Antillean Nighthawk
- Chuck-will's-widow
- Eastern Whip-poor-will
Potoos
- Northern Potoo
Swifts
- Black Swift
- White-collared Swift
- Chimney Swift
- Antillean Palm Swift
Hummingbirds
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Clapper Rail
- Sora
- Common Gallinule
- American Coot
- Purple Gallinule
- Black Rail
Limpkin
- Limpkin
Stilts and Avocets
- Black-necked Stilt
- American Avocet
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- American Golden-Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Killdeer
- Semipalmated Plover
- Southern Lapwing
- Wilson's Plover
- Snowy Plover
Sandpipers and Allies
- Upland Sandpiper
- Hudsonian Whimbrel
- Hudsonian Godwit
- Marbled Godwit
- Short-billed Dowitcher
- Long-billed Dowitcher
- Wilson's Snipe
- Wilson's Phalarope
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Solitary Sandpiper
- Lesser Yellowlegs
- Willet
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Red Knot
- Ruff
- Stilt Sandpiper
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper
- Sanderling
- Dunlin
- Baird's Sandpiper
- White-rumped Sandpiper
- Least Sandpiper
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Western Sandpiper
- Semipalmated Sandpiper
Skuas and Jaegers
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Parasitic Jaeger
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Bonaparte's Gull
- Laughing Gull
- Franklin's Gull
- Ring-billed Gull
- American Herring Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Black Skimmer
- Brown Noddy
- Sooty Tern
- Bridled Tern
- Least Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Caspian Tern
- Black Tern
- Forster's Tern
- Common Tern
- Roseate Tern
- Sandwich Tern
- Elegant Tern
- Royal Tern
Flamingos
- American Flamingo
Grebes
- Least Grebe
- Pied-billed Grebe
Tropicbirds
- White-tailed Tropicbird
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Black-capped Petrel
- Great Shearwater
- Sargasso Shearwater
Frigatebirds
- Magnificent Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets
- Red-footed Booby
- Brown Booby
- Masked Booby
Anhingas
- Anhinga
Cormorants and Shags
- Double-crested Cormorant
Ibises and Spoonbills
- White Ibis
- Glossy Ibis
- Roseate Spoonbill
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- American Bittern
- Least Bittern
- Yellow-crowned Night Heron
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Little Blue Heron
- Tricolored Heron
- Reddish Egret
- Snowy Egret
- Green Heron
- Western Cattle-Egret
- Great Egret
- Great Blue Heron
Pelicans
- American White Pelican
- Brown Pelican
New World Vultures
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
Osprey
- Osprey
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Swallow-tailed Kite
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Northern Harrier
- Mississippi Kite
- Cuban Black Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
Barn-Owls
- American Barn Owl
Owls
- Short-eared Owl
Kingfishers
- Belted Kingfisher
Woodpeckers
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- West Indian Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
Falcons and Caracaras
- American Kestrel
- Merlin
- Peregrine Falcon
Old World Parrots
- Budgerigar
- Black-cheeked Lovebird
New World and African Parrots
- Gray Parrot
- Monk Parakeet
- Yellow-naped Amazon
- Yellow-crowned Amazon
- Cuban Amazon
- Sun Parakeet
- Scarlet Macaw
Tyrant Flycatchers
- Caribbean Elaenia
- Eastern Wood-Pewee
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
- Acadian Flycatcher
- Alder Flycatcher
- Least Flycatcher
- Eastern Phoebe
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- La Sagra's Flycatcher
- Piratic Flycatcher
- Tropical Kingbird
- Western Kingbird
- Eastern Kingbird
- Gray Kingbird
- Loggerhead Kingbird
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
- Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis
- White-eyed Vireo
- Thick-billed Vireo
- Yellow-throated Vireo
- Blue-headed Vireo
- Philadelphia Vireo
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Black-whiskered Vireo
- Yucatan Vireo
Swallows
- Bank Swallow
- Tree Swallow
- Purple Martin
- Cuban Martin
- Caribbean Martin
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Cliff Swallow
- Cave Swallow
Kinglets
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Gnatcatchers
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wrens
- Northern House Wren
Starlings
- European Starling
Mockingbirds and Thrashers
- Gray Catbird
- Northern Mockingbird
Thrushes and Allies
- Veery
- Gray-cheeked Thrush
- Swainson's Thrush
- Wood Thrush
- Grand Cayman Thrush
- Western Red-legged Thrush
Waxwings
- Cedar Waxwing
Weavers and Allies
- Northern Red Bishop
Waxbills and Allies
- Scaly-breasted Munia
- Tricolored Munia
Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits
- American Pipit
New World Sparrows
- Grasshopper Sparrow
- Chipping Sparrow
- Clay-colored Sparrow
- Lark Sparrow
- Dark-eyed Junco
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Vesper Sparrow
- Savannah Sparrow
- Lincoln's Sparrow
Greater Antillean Tanagers
- Western Spindalis
Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-breasted Chat
Troupials and Allies
- Yellow-headed Blackbird
- Bobolink
- Orchard Oriole
- Baltimore Oriole
- Tawny-shouldered Blackbird
- Shiny Cowbird
- Greater Antillean Grackle
New World Warblers
- Ovenbird
- Worm-eating Warbler
- Louisiana Waterthrush
- Northern Waterthrush
- Golden-winged Warbler
- Blue-winged Warbler
- Black-and-white Warbler
- Prothonotary Warbler
- Swainson's Warbler
- Tennessee Warbler
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Nashville Warbler
- Connecticut Warbler
- Mourning Warbler
- Kentucky Warbler
- Common Yellowthroat
- Hooded Warbler
- American Redstart
- Cape May Warbler
- Cerulean Warbler
- Northern Parula
- Magnolia Warbler
- Bay-breasted Warbler
- Blackburnian Warbler
- Northern Yellow Warbler
- Mangrove Yellow Warbler
- Chestnut-sided Warbler
- Blackpoll Warbler
- Black-throated Blue Warbler
- Palm Warbler
- Pine Warbler
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Yellow-throated Warbler
- Vitelline Warbler
- Prairie Warbler
- Townsend's Warbler
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Canada Warbler
- Wilson's Warbler
Cardinals and Allies
- Summer Tanager
- Scarlet Tanager
- Western Tanager
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Blue Grosbeak
- Indigo Bunting
- Painted Bunting
- Dickcissel
Tanagers and Allies
- Bananaquit
- Yellow-faced Grassquit
- Grand Cayman Bullfinch
Most common birds in Cayman Islands
Ranked by how recently and how widely each was reported to eBird in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, and whether it is one of Cayman Islands’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Black-bellied PloverPluvialis squatarola
- Black-crowned Night HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Yellow-crowned Night HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- White-crowned PigeonPatagioenas leucocephala
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Eurasian Collared-DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusilla
- Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipes
Largest bird families in Cayman Islands
Among its regular birds.
- New World Warblers39
- Sandpipers and Allies25
- Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl19
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers19
- Tyrant Flycatchers15
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns12
- Swallows9
- New World Sparrows9
Reported in the last 30 days
155 species reported to eBird in Cayman Islands in the 30 days to 2026-10-13. The 40 most recently reported:
Tricolored Heron, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black-crowned Night Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Black-bellied Plover, Greater Antillean Grackle, Black-necked Stilt, Glossy Ibis, Snowy Egret, Willet, White-winged Dove, White-crowned Pigeon, Blue-winged Teal, Little Blue Heron, Bananaquit, Green Heron, Palm Warbler, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Bank Swallow, Barn Swallow, Short-billed Dowitcher, Solitary Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Northern Harrier, Thick-billed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, Prairie Warbler, Vitelline Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Caribbean Martin, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, …
Get to know some of them
Little Blue Heron
Willet
Barn Swallow
Northern Mockingbird
Least Sandpiper
Palm Warbler
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Bank Swallow
Green Heron
Bananaquit
Short-billed Dowitcher
Stilt Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper