In Barbuda, the show begins even before you spot the birds. There is no road leading to the Codrington Lagoon sanctuary. You have to board a boat, travel across the water through the mangroves, and then watch as the black silhouettes of the magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) come into view—their colony is one of the largest in the Caribbean.
This fact alone is enough to reveal another side of Barbuda. Beyond its pink beaches, the island is home to a lagoon where more than 5,000 of these birds have been recorded, in a colony where a scientific survey counted 1,743 nests. Here, you discover the destination by looking up and understanding the role this lagoon plays in the balance of the entire island.
A Ramsar-designated lagoon, nestled between mangroves and reefs
The Codrington Lagoon covers 3,600 hectares and has been recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention since 2005. It borders Codrington, the only village on Barbuda, from which it takes its name and whose residents are among the sanctuary’s closest neighbors. Mangroves, seagrass beds, sandbars, and reefs form an ecosystem where hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles also nest. Around the lagoon, spiny lobster fishing and nature-based tourism provide a livelihood for some of Barbuda’s families, in a balance that local guides are committed to preserving.
The magnificent frigate, symbol of Barbuda
In Barbuda, the bird is more than just a curiosity. It has become one of the territory’s most recognizable symbols. The male attracts everyone’s attention during courtship, when he inflates a scarlet red pouch under his beak to attract passing females. The species’ wingspan can exceed two meters. Despite its webbed feet, it almost never lands on the water, as its feathers are not waterproof. It therefore spends most of its life gliding, carried by air currents over the sea, and sometimes supplements its diet by chasing other seabirds until they let go—a well-documented behavior in this species.
When Irma Hit the Colony
The importance of the sanctuary became even clearer in September 2017. Hurricane Irma struck Barbuda, forcing the evacuation of the entire island to Antigua. A scientific study published in 2023 showed that the sandbar protecting the lagoon—which had remained intact for 250 years—broke in two places under the force of the storm, a breach that remained open four years later. The lagoon also lost some of its mangroves, prompting a local organization, the MEPA Trust, to begin replanting them with the help of volunteers.
Twenty-eight days after the storm, Barbadian ecologist Shanna Challenger took part in the sanctuary’s first census since the disaster. She found only 300 frigatebirds. “There was a significant drop compared to the usual numbers,” she told the Antigua Observer at the time. No one knows yet whether the birds—like the residents—will return.
The return did not make up for the losses, but it demonstrated the colony’s ability to resume its life cycle in a disrupted environment. Today, the sanctuary is once again home to more than 5,000 frigatebirds. In 2025, a specialized media outlet described it as one of the most thriving colonies in the world, managed by a community council rather than a distant agency, with guides who pass this knowledge down from generation to generation.
More than just a postcard-perfect setting
What makes this sanctuary unique is not just the size of the colony. It is the proximity between a major natural phenomenon and a small island whose entire identity is tied to this landscape. The next time Barbuda appears as nothing more than a postcard of pink sand, just look toward Codrington Lagoon. Behind the beach lies another story—that of an island that has become one of the great refuges for the magnificent frigatebird in this part of the world. What if Barbuda’s true wealth were best seen in what it chooses to preserve for the future?
More than 5,000 magnificent frigatebirds live in the Codrington Lagoon sanctuary, a colony where a scientific census counted 1,743 nests—one of the largest in the Caribbean.
In Codrington Lagoon, on the west coast of Barbuda. The site has been designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention since 2005.
Yes, but the population has been greatly reduced. A census conducted 28 days after Irma in 2017 found only 300 frigatebirds, compared with more than 5,000 today.
