- Little Tobago
Little Tobago (or Bird of Paradise Island) is a small island off the northeastern coast of
Tobago , and part of the republic ofTrinidad and Tobago . The island is about 1 square kilometre in area and is located at 11° 18' northlatitude and 60° 31' westlongitude , approximately 2.4 km from Speyside. The highest point on the island is approximately 137 m abovesea level .The island supports dry forest. It is an important breeding site for
seabird s such asRed-billed Tropicbird ,Audubon's Shearwater ,Brown Booby ,Brown Noddy , Sooty andBridled Tern s. A few pairs ofWhite-tailed Tropicbird s have also recently started nesting here.Little Tobago is also a good site from which to see birds which breed on neighbouring small islands, including
Red-footed Booby andMagnificent Frigatebird . The latter species is frequently seen harassing the tropicbirds, boobies and terns.The sea between Tobago and Little Tobago is shallow, and glass-bottomed boats such as that shown below 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 1909 Sir
William Ingram introduced theGreater Bird of Paradise , "Paradisaea apoda" to the island in an attempt to save the species from overhunting for the plume trade in its nativeNew Guinea . About 45 juvenile birds were introduced to the island. 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 whenHurricane Flora hit the island and the population is presumed to be extinct.ee also
*
Islands of Trinidad and Tobago References
*cite book | author=Anthony, Michael | title=Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago | publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Md., and London | year=2001 |id=ISBN 0-8108-3173-2
* Boodram, Natalie. 2001. The ecology of plant species on Little Tobago, Tobago, W.I. M.Phil. Thesis,University of the West Indies , St. Augustine.
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