Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information St. Giles Islands are one of the most important seabird breeding colonies in the southern West Indies. They host the only breeding colonies of Magnificent Frigatebirds and Red-footed Boobies in Trinidad and Tobago. Audubon’s Shearwaters, Brown Boobies, Brown Noddies and Red-billed Tropicbirds also breed in considerable numbers. Up to 80 masked boobies have recently started roosting on one of the outlying rocks. Recent counts of seabird breeding populations are well below what was previously recorded. The alarmingly low numbers recently recorded may in part be due to insufficient sampling effort as the terrain and rough seas make counting very difficult. Seabirds continue to nest at a number of minor sites around Tobago and it is likely that with a cessation of poaching, St. Giles should remain a major breeding colony.

Site description St Giles Islands comprise one main island and several outlying rocks about one kilometer off the northeast of Tobago. The main island is roughly 29 ha of steeply sloping land rising to just over 100m. There is no habitation on the island and the topography makes such development unlikely. Seas around the island are generally rough and landing is hazardous.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
St. Giles Island	Game Sanctuary	29	is identical to site	0

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity The terrestrial fauna of St. Giles has not been studies but it may be similar to that of Little Tobago which houses the endemic Ocellated Gecko Gonatodes ocellatus and endemic subspecies of one lizard Bachia heteropa alleni and one snake Mastigodryas boddaerti dunni.

Management considerations There is a tradition in Tobago of eating seabirds especially at harvest festivals. Brown Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds are the preferred species and poachers regularly visit the islands and collect birds. Invasive species which could potentially prey on nesting seabirds (for example rats) are a potential threat. Hurricanes are rare but pose a significant threat especially if the frequency and severity increases with climate change.

Protection status The St. Giles Islands are formally listed as a game sanctuary but enforcement is minimal. The islands are however protected in part by their inhospitable terrain and hazardous waters.

Conservation response There have been no recent detailed surveys of the seabirds nesting on St. Giles Islands. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment of the Tobago House of Assembly is embarking on initiatives to gain a better understanding of the bird populations and management requirements of the St. Giles Islands. If successful and the islands are effectively protected it would address a major omission in the management of birds in Trinidad and Tobago.

Further web sources of information 

Site profile from Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean: key sites for conservation (BirdLife International 2008)

References Bacon, P.B. and R.P. ffrench (1972);Dinsmore, J.J. and ffrench, R.P. (1969);ffrench, R., (1991);Hayes, F. E., and S. Bodnar. (2007)

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: St Giles Islands. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013

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