The Red Ensign
A red field with the Union Flag in the canton and the crowned shield of the Davis Islands in the fly, in the tradition of the ensigns flown by British Overseas Territories such as Bermuda.
Flags, arms & emblems
National Symbols
The emblems of the Davis Islands draw on British heraldic tradition and on the wildlife and landscape of Pelham Bay.
The Coat of Arms
The shield shows a compass rose for navigation, two seabirds in flight, the two islands above the sea and waves of navy and white. It is supported by a great blue heron and a double-crested cormorant standing beside anchors, with the motto on the scroll beneath.
MARI · URBE · LIBERTASBy Sea · By City · By Liberty
The National Motto
Mari · Urbe · Libertas — “By Sea · By City · By Liberty”. It joins the islands’ place on the water, their home within New York City, and the spirit of liberty in which the project was founded.
The Great Blue Heron
A patient hunter of the shallows and one of the birds recorded on the Chimney Sweeps Islands. The heron stands as a supporter of the arms, representing watchfulness and the islands’ wildlife.
After John James Audubon, The Birds of America (plate 211); adaptation by CEKeech, CC0
The Double-crested Cormorant
A diving seabird familiar across New York’s waters; cormorants have been recorded off the coast of Twin Island in Pelham Bay Park. The cormorant is the second supporter of the arms, representing the sea.
John James Audubon, The Birds of America (plate 257), public domain
Using the symbols
Ceremonial emblems, not official insignia
The flags, arms and badges of the Davis Islands are artworks of a cultural project. They are not the arms of any government and do not indicate any official status.