Little Tobago

Little Tobago (or Bird of Paradise Island) is a small island off the northeastern coast of Tobago, and part of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

For the island in the British Virgin Islands, see Little Tobago, British Virgin Islands.
Little Tobago
Looking across to St. Giles Island from Little Tobago
Little Tobago
Location of Little Tobago
Geography
LocationCaribbean Sea
Coordinates11°18′N 60°31′W
ArchipelagoLesser Antilles
Adjacent bodies of waterCaribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean
Area1 km2 (0.39 sq mi)
Length1.9 km (1.18 mi)
Width1.4 km (0.87 mi)
Highest elevation37 m (121 ft)
Administration
WardTobago
ParishSt. John
Additional information
Time zone
Little Tobago
Red-billed tropicbird nest on Little Tobago.

The island supports dry forest. It is an important breeding site for seabirds such as red-billed tropicbird, Audubon's shearwater, brown booby, brown noddy, sooty and bridled terns. A few pairs of white-tailed tropicbirds are also nesting here.

Little Tobago is also a good site from which to see birds which breed on neighbouring small islands, including red-footed booby and magnificent frigatebird. The latter species is frequently seen harassing the tropicbirds, boobies and terns.

A few species of reptiles have been recorded on Little Tobago. Among them are lizards such as Green Iguanas, Ameiva atrigularis, Rainbow whiptails, Antilles leaf-toed geckos, Turnip-tailed geckos, Ocellated geckos (Gonatodes ocellatus), Mole's geckos (Sphaerodactylus molei), Allen's bachias (Bachia heteropa alleni), and snakes including Boddaert's tropical racers (Mastigodryas boddaerti) and Oliver's parrot snakes (Leptophis coeruleodorsus).

Among the more conspicuous of the invertebrate fauna on the island are large terrestrial hermit crabs.

The sea between Tobago and Little Tobago is shallow, and glass-bottomed boats enable the attractive corals and brightly coloured tropical fish to be seen on the crossing. It is a popular area for snorkeling and diving, especially on Angel Reef in front of Goat Island.

History

In 1908 the British politician and businessman Sir William Ingram purchased Little Tobago in order to turn it into a bird sanctuary. The next year he introduced the greater bird of paradise (Paradisaea apoda) to the island in an attempt to save the species from overhunting for the plume trade in its native New Guinea. The bird's plumage was particularly fashionable in women's hats. Forty-seven juvenile birds were introduced to the island, having been transported on a German ocean liner. Ingram hired a middle-aged Swiss sailor by the name of Roberts to manage the sanctuary. Roberts sent updates every few weeks, including sketches of the birds, and descriptive doggerel of them. Roberts, however, died not long thereafter when he fell into the sea whilst inebriatated, expiring a short time later in his island cabin.[1]

After Ingram's death in 1924 his heirs deeded the island to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago as a wildlife sanctuary. The birds survived on the island until at least 1958 when they were filmed by a National Geographic crew. There are no reliable records after 1963 when Hurricane Flora hit the island and the population is presumed to be extinct.

View of Little Tobago from Blue Waters Inn, Speyside, Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago, with Goat Island nearer on the right.

See also
  • Islands of Trinidad and Tobago

References
  1. Abe, Naoko (2019). 'Cherry' Ingram; the Englishman who Saved Japan's Blossoms (1 ed.). London: Chatto & Windus. p. 55.
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