Great Bird Island was named by sailors who were amazed at the number of birds that they found living and nesting there, it is a miniature paradise. As well as being the last refuge of the Antiguan racer, it is also home to a variety of other endangered creatures including a rare lizard, brown pelicans, West Indian whistling ducks and red-billed tropicbirds. Luckily for the snake, there are no mongooses on the island, but, until recently, hundreds of black rats lived there. The rats were eliminated by the Antigua Racer Conservation Project. A long, narrow coral ridge with 30 metre-high cliffs runs along the east side of the island. The ridge drops down to a flat sandy area, covered with grass and a few scattered plants and trees. The white sand beaches at either end of the sandbar are the main attraction for visitors. Further west, where the land rises again, the island is covered with forest that is almost too thick to walk through.
Over 20,000 tourists visit Great Bird Island every year.