Category: Threatened Birds

The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is critical to informing conservation work. In this annual blog feature, JCO’s staff is proud to show off the amazing research from scientific teams around the Caribbean. Volume 36 demonstrates the wide range of research conducted by our authors; from population and habitat use studies, to documentations of behavior, to methods-centered papers on bird monitoring. About ten articles focus on land birds, while three concentrate on waterbirds.

The JCO is immensely grateful for its dedicated team of editors, reviewers, copyeditors, translators, proofreaders, and production specialists that have worked together so well again this past year to produce high-quality publications. We also thank the 57 authors behind the 16 Research Articles and Notes for their trust in the JCO to publish their open-source work in the best form. The JCO and our non-profit publisher, BirdsCaribbean, continue to emphasize support for early-career researchers, trilingual content, open access, and a comprehensive archive going back to the very first volume from 1988.

Map depicting research locations of studies published in Volume 36.

A few glimpses behind the scenes of JCO’s operations in 2023:

JCO has welcomed Dr. Susana Aguilar, our Birds of the World (BOW) Coordinator for Cuba. Susana has an intimate knowledge of Cuban ornithology and we are very happy that we could recruit her to facilitate the revision of BOW accounts from the largest Caribbean island. Our Production Assistant and Designer since 2019, Diane Tessaglia-Hymes is pursuing another professional opportunity. She has tremendously helped with typesetting and, being an Adobe InDesign wizard, has optimized several “under the hood” features. Our Associate Editor team expanded with Yvan Satgé of Clemson University and Dr. Kathryn Peiman, from Ontario, Canada joining the team. Sadly, we learned that one of our Associate Editors, Dr. Virginia Sanz D’Angelo (Centro de Ecología, IVIC, Caracas, Venezuela) has passed away. Her dedication to JCO leaves a big gap.

It took a little longer than hoped, but our (all part-time!) staff finally pulled together a voluminous (94 pages) Special Issue with Caribbean-themed conference contributions from the AOS-BC conference in San Juan in 2022. Because it sometimes takes authors a while to fully publish research, these conference presentations and poster abstracts provide a more timely glimpse into what’s happening in Caribbean bird research and conservation.

We hope to see many of our readers, authors, editors, and team members in July at the BirdsCaribbean 2024 Conference in the Dominican Republic!

— Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., JCO Editor-in-Chief,

— Stefan Gleissberg, JCO Managing Editor

— Zoya Buckmire, JCO Lead Copyeditor

The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO. Consider being a sustainer with a monthly contribution of $5 or more!

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND NOTES

Alpha-globin variation does not predict avian malaria infection in the West Indian Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)

Meghann B. Humphries and Robert E. Ricklefs

Like humans, birds are susceptible to parasitic infections, including avian malaria, and similarly, variations in hemoglobin structure may influence their susceptibility to these infections. Using one of the most widespread West Indian species, the Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola), Humphries and Ricklefs aimed to relate variation in hemoglobin structure and avian malaria infection across several islands. In this paper, they present the results of this fascinating study, with suggestions for appropriate markers for further biogeographic analyses.

Characterization of the bird diversity of Conception Island National Park, The Bahamas

Graham Reynolds and Sandra D. Buckner

In the midst of the central Bahamas archipelago lies the tiny Conception Island National Park. This multi-island park is designated as an Important Bird Area, but until now, its bird diversity was poorly documented. In this paper, Reynolds and Buckner present the first avifaunal list for this park in over a century, with a whopping 68 species, 3 of which are Bahamian endemics.

Incorporation of anthropogenic materials into passerine nests on St. Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands

Hannah Madden and Hailley Danielson-Owczynsky

As human influence over the environment increases, so too does the distribution of artificial materials in natural spaces. More and more birds are encountering human debris in their habitat and interacting with these materials in various ways—whether mistaking them for food or becoming entangled in them. In this research note, Madden and Danielson-Owczynsky document landbirds in St. Eustatius using human debris in an interesting but dangerous way, a fascinating discovery that hints at the pervasiveness of our impact on the world around us.

Rediscovery of the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) in Haiti

Anderson Jean, Maxon Fildor, Marta Curti, Eladio Fernandez, Christine D. Hayes, and Thomas I. Hayes

Few things are more exciting than the rediscovery of a once-extirpated species, and the case of the Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is no exception. This Hispaniolan endemic was once well-distributed across the island, but had not been recorded in Haiti since 1962. A chance encounter in 2019 prompted hope and follow-up studies in subsequent years as the authors sought to confirm sightings of the species. In this research note, Jean et al. document their rediscovery of this unique hawk in Haiti.

Mortality of an adult Antillean Palm-Swift (Tachornis phoenicobia) associated with Philornis sp. parasitism in the Sierra De Bahoruco, Dominican Republic

Joshua LaPergola, C. Justin Proctor, Hodali Almonte, and Kate J. Wallace

Birds eat bugs—or at least, that is how it’s supposed to go. The roles are sometimes reversed in the natural world, with one noteworthy example being parasitism. Philornis sp. larvae are a well-known parasite for birds, but we are still figuring out which species are affected by these parasites. In this paper, LaPergola et al. document the first record of Philornis sp. larvae parasitizing a swift, in this case an Antillean Palm-Swift (Tachornis phoenicobia) in the Dominican Republic. This expands our understanding of parasitism by this genus and adds to the ever-growing list of threats to Caribbean birds, especially aerial insectivores like swifts.

Effects of observer skill and survey method on forest bird abundance data: recommendations for citizen science conservation monitoring in the Caribbean

Nicholas Bergen, Christopher C. De Ruyck, and Nicola Koper

Citizen science provides a seemingly obvious solution to the various logistical and resource challenges of data collection in the Caribbean, but it is not without its own challenges. How does observer experience affect detectability of birds in the field? And do observers perform differently depending on who they are paired with? Bergen et al. conducted an experiment in Grenada to answer these questions and more, involving 34 different observers in over 400 surveys across the island. In this paper, the authors present the results of their study, along with several practical recommendations for the design and implementation of citizen science-based monitoring programs in the region.

Passive acoustic monitoring of birds in the Lesser Antilles—a useful tool for monitoring remote sites?

Louise M. Soanes, Devon Carter, Laurel B. Symes, Jennifer C. Daltry, Holger Klinck, Clarissa Lloyd, and Farah Mukhida

If we as scientists had unlimited time and money, then long-term monitoring of bird populations would be a breeze. In the real world, however, monitoring efforts are limited by funding, access, and personnel, especially on remote islands and cays. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is an emerging tool with the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of monitoring efforts, and a recent pilot project in Anguilla aimed to test the utility of this tool in the Caribbean context. In this paper, Soanes et al. describe the results of their pilot, with recommendations for the best use of PAM throughout the region.

Pre-breeding behavior of Ridgway’s Hawks (Buteo ridgwayi) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Samantha J. Hagler, Kara Abbott, Christine D. Hayes, Thomas I. Hayes, and André A. Dhondt

The Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is a charismatic species that has received lots of conservation attention in recent years, but there still remain major gaps in knowledge about this species’ life history and behavior, especially pre-breeding. In this research article, Hagler et al. present their results from tracking 3 established breeding pairs of Ridgway’s Hawks in the Dominican Republic, adding critical information to the body of knowledge about this endangered and endemic species.

Primer Registro del Gorrión de Garganta Blanca (Zonotrichia albicollis) para Cuba [First record of the White-throated Sparrow for Cuba]

Yaroddys Rodríguez Castaneda y Nils Navarro Pacheco

The wild bird trade is a growing threat to Caribbean birds, with species targeted for their bright plumages and/or beautiful songs. This industry is especially prevalent in Cuba, with over 3,000 birds trapped in one month (October 2021). Dozens of species are trapped and sold, including species that may not have been previously recorded for the island. In this Spanish-language paper, Rodríguez Castaneda and Navarro Pacheco document a new species for Cuba, discovered through the ongoing bird trade, suggesting that Cuba’s true avian diversity may be even higher than estimated.

El tráfico de aves silvestres es una amenaza creciente a las aves del Caribe, con las aves elegidas para sus plumajes brillantes y/o sus bonitos cantos. Esta industria es especialmente frecuente en Cuba, con más que 3000 aves capturadas en un mes (octubre 2021). Docenas de especies son capturadas y vendidas, incluyendo unas especies que quizás no eran reportadas para la isla. En este artículo español, Rodríguez Castaneda y Navarro Pacheco documentan una especie nueva para Cuba, descubierta por el tráfico continuado de aves, sugiriendo que la verdadera diversidad de aves de Cuba puede ser aún más alta que la estimada anteriormente.

Avian use of anthropogenic and natural habitats in a Small Island Developing State

Ramon J.T. Williams, Miyako H. Warrington, and Nicola Koper

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are subject to unique ecological pressures, and the bird populations on these islands are no different. How are birds using and responding to natural and anthropogenic habitats on these islands? In what ways does this use differ from the well-studied continental regions? And importantly, how does this inform conservation and management measures here, in the Caribbean? In this paper, Williams et al. explore all these questions and more using resident landbird species in Grenada.

Insights from attempts to track movement of Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) fledglings in the southern Gulf of Mexico with automated telemetry and band resighting

Kara L. Lefevre, Elizabeth Forys, Adam DiNuovo, and Adam D. Smith

Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) are a charismatic—and admittedly odd-looking—colonial seabird distributed throughout the coastal Americas. Populations in Florida (R. niger niger) are under threat, and to inform conservation measures, Lefevre et al. set out to track the dispersal and movements of skimmer chicks from breeding colonies in Florida. In this paper, the authors describe their use of various tracking methods, some more successful than others, and present important recommendations on how to design future studies.

Population increase and range expansion of White-winged Parakeets (Brotogeris versicolurus) in Puerto Rico

Wilfredo Falcón and Raymond L. Tremblay

Parrots and parakeets (Psittaciformes) are some of the most widely introduced species in the Caribbean, and Puerto Rico is no exception. There, the White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus) was introduced in the late 1960s and has since become “the most successful invasive psittacine species on the island”. However, until now, not much was known about their life history or population status in Puerto Rico. In this article, Falcón and Tremblay report on the status of two breeding populations with estimates of their growth rates, as well as other critical information including the species’ diet and nesting habits on the island.

Current status and 21st century population trends of breeding seabirds in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands

Paige A. Byerly, Susan Zaluski, Daniel Nellis, Judy Pierce, and Paul L. Leberg

Effective management of bird populations requires quality data, but quality data is often difficult to come by. Where studies do exist, methods may vary greatly based on differing research questions, objectives, and priorities, but as Byerly et al. demonstrate here, it is not impossible to form a cohesive picture from various disparate surveys. Comparing data from surveys in the early 2000s with their own in 2016-2018, the authors produce up-to-date trends on the populations of 7 seabirds in the Virgin Islands—and none of them are good. In this paper, Byerly et al. present these timely population status updates, a call for action, and a great example of how to make the best of the limited data we have in the Caribbean to conserve and manage our birds.

Primer registro de nidificación del Gavilancito Cubano (Accipiter striatus fringilloides) y nuevos datos sobre su biología reproductiva y distribución

Nils Navarro Pacheco, Roberto Jovel Lara, Wisdenilde Navarro Méndez, Juan Carlos Lobaina Montero, Noel Coutín Lobaina, and Carlos Hernández

The Cuban subspecies of the Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus fringilloides) is relatively understudied, with no documented nesting records for Cuba—until now. In this Spanish-language article, Navarro Pacheco et al. present the first record of a nest found in Guantanamo, Cuba, with detailed descriptions of the nest, eggs, breeding behavior, and other aspects of the reproductive biology of this endemic subspecies.

El Gavilancito Cubano (Accipiter striatus fringilloides) es relativamente poco estudiado, con ningunos registros de nidificación documentados para Cuba—hasta ahora. En este artículo español, Navarro Pacheco y otros presentan el primer registro de un nido encontrado en Guantánamo, Cuba, con descripciones detalladas del nido, los huevos, el comportamiento de reproducción, y otros aspectos de la biología reproductiva de esta subespecie endémica.

Avian use of avocado farms and intact forest in the northern Sierra de Bahoruco, Dominican Republic

Avery Young, David Aborn, Steven C. Latta, and Jennifer Nagel Boyd

The way wildlife interacts with food systems is an increasingly important topic as food production expands and encroaches upon habitat. In the Dominican Republic, a major driver of habitat loss is the conversion of forests to avocado farms to meet demand. How does habitat differ between the natural forests and these farm systems? How are birds responding to these differences? And does avian response vary depending on whether the birds are endemic, resident, or migratory? In this research article, Young et al. answer these questions and more, and offer recommendations to balance habitat preservation with our food production needs.

Longevity records for the Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) in Guadeloupe (French West Indies)

Malo Braquier, Anthony Levesque, Jérémy Delolme, and Charlotte Francesiaz

How long do birds live in the wild? Lifespan of course differs by family and species, and even within species as birds face varying threats within their habitats, migration routes, and from the humans they encounter. Shorebirds like plovers can live into their teens, and for the Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia), the previous longevity record was 10 years. In this research note, Braquier et al. report a new longevity record for this species from their resightings of a previously banded Wilson’s Plover in Guadeloupe.

BOOK REVIEW

Birds of the Lesser Antilles

Book Author: Ryan Chenery

Book review by: Steven C. Latta

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE (ROL) FROM THE CARIBBEAN

Recent ornithological literature from the Caribbean – 2023

Steven Latta

The annual compilation of the most important articles that appeared elsewhere, annotated by Steve Latta.

Article by

Zoya Buckmire – Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology;

Stefan Gleissberg – Managing Editor JCO

January 20, 2024

Recent Articles in the JCO on an Endangered Caribbean Hawk

BirdsCaribbean brings you highlights from the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology in our feature “Just Published in JCO”. Here, Zoya Buckmire, the Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at various research on the Critically Endangered and endemic Ridgway’s Hawk.

Photo of a Ridgway's Hawk perched on a branch. — The Ridgway’s Hawk is one of the most critically endangered raptors in the world with fewer than 400 individuals remaining. It is endemic to Hispaniola. (Photo by Dax Román)

Few things are more exciting than the rediscovery of a once-extirpated species, and the case of the Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is no exception! This Critically Endangered raptor is endemic to Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), but despite its historically widespread distribution, it had not been spotted in Haiti since 1962. A chance encounter on one of Haiti’s satellite islands prompted hope and a follow-up study as Anderson Jean and colleagues sought to confirm their suspected sighting of the species. Thus began an epic scavenger hunt to rediscover this unique hawk on the Haitian side of Hispaniola! The authors shared a behind-the-scenes look at their discovery and their ongoing work to conserve the Ridgway’s Hawk.

Map showing current known Ridgway’s Hawk distribution on Hispaniola. (Map by Leah Dunn of The Peregrine Fund)

The first sighting in 2019 was entirely by chance—or rather, by fate. Anderson Jean and Maxon Fildor were conducting a rapid ornithological assessment of Les Cayemites, two islands off the southwestern coast of Haiti, as part of a baseline study for the recently declared Baradères-Cayemites protected area. They were compiling information on the terrestrial vertebrates present to inform the management plan for the region. It was then that they spotted two raptors in flight—rushing to document what they could, they speedily took pictures, videos, and audio recordings to aid in identification. One of those two birds was later identified as a juvenile Ridgway’s Hawk, the first sighting of the species in Haiti in over 50 years, and the first sighting for Les Cayemites in over a century.

A juvenile Ridgway's Hawk perched on a branch.

Juvenile Ridgway’s Hawk spotted by Anderson Jean and colleagues on Petite Cayemite. (Photo by Anderson Jean)

Photo of a Ridgway's Hawk perched on a tree with a snake held in its talons.

Adult female Ridgway’s Hawk with a green vine snake on Petite Cayemite. (Photo by Thomas Hayes)

With this confirmation, the authors returned the following year with a purpose, partnering with The Peregrine Fund to conduct systematic surveys on the Baradères Peninsula and both Petite and Grande Cayemite. Between 2020 and 2021, the group detected as many as 19 Ridgway’s Hawks in the region—a veritable population! And not only is a population present, it also has the potential to persist as the birds are breeding.

The authors describe their most memorable moment as the instance, in 2021, when they found two nests on Grande Cayemite for the first time. Whilst the nest was located high in a tree on a weak branch too high and risky to climb, the evidence of breeding was enough. On the smaller cay, Petite Cayemite, they have only observed one breeding pair to date, but that pair has nested every single year since they were spotted in 2019. Another exciting development is that the authors banded their first Ridgway’s Hawk chick in 2023, which will surely provide more insights to this ongoing research.

Ridgway’s Hawk nest in a gumbo limbo tree with a juvenile hawk perched above. (Photo by Anderson Jean)

Ultimately, Jean and colleagues hope that their research will contribute to the body of knowledge on this charismatic species, and help conservationists understand the causes of population decline and to increase the population size in Les Cayemites. They are continuing their search in nearby areas like Pestel, Grand Boukan, and Gonâve Island. Although White et al. did not find any sign of the species in their 2012 raptor survey of Gonave Island, it is possible that Ridgway’s Hawk have recolonized the island in the decade that has since passed. Anderson Jean and his colleagues hope to eventually witness the reintroduction of the species throughout its historical range.

Photo of a deforested hilltop on an island. — La Gonâve Island, Haiti. (Photo by Justin White)

Amidst this exciting rediscovery in Haiti, on the other side of the island of Hispaniola, another fascinating investigation was underway! Samantha Hagler and colleagues studied the breeding behavior of the species—looking particularly at pre-breeding behavior—observing and recording the birds to gain insights into how they form and strengthen pair bonds. This research supports ongoing conservation efforts to restore the Ridgway’s Hawk population, including a past project by The Peregrine Fund that translocated hawks to create a new population in Punta Cana. Translocating the hawks was a challenge within itself, with initial successes limited by high mortality rates due to power poles near the sites. Dwyer et al. document the creative solutions that had to be used to minimize hawk mortality, leading to eventual success of the program.

Ridgway’s Hawks hatched in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic thanks to The Peregrine Fund’s Assisted Dispersal Program. (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)

Photo of a Ridgway's Hawk feeding its chick in its nest. The prey is dangling from the parent's beak with its back turned towards the photographer but head turned sideways.

Ridgway’s Hawk parent feeding its chick in the nest. (Photo by Dax Román)

At the newly established population in Punta Cana, Hagler et al. tracked three established breeding pairs to compare them (and their behaviors) to the source population in the Los Haitises National Park. Interestingly, pre-breeding behaviors actually differed between the two groups. This could be a function of the populations’ size, density, or different levels of development—and raises even more questions that will be critical to better understanding and conserving the species.

Between these two populations in the Dominican Republic and the newly found population in southwestern Haiti, the future of the Ridgway’s Hawk looks brighter than in previous years. Thanks to the award of a BirdsCaribbean Betty Petersen Conservation Fund grant, Anderson Jean is continuing his urgent work to map and protect Ridgway’s Hawk populations in Haiti. His surveys will be further extended to the larger island of Grand Cayemite. To additionally address anthropogenic threats, the team will initiate an educational campaign directed at local communities, especially schoolchildren and farmers. Outreach materials will be distributed in the communities and a special curriculum will be presented in local schools.

We look forward to further research and reports on this important endangered and endemic raptor, as it provides hope for the conservation of other raptors throughout the Caribbean.

The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes the peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is so important to inform conservation work. All of the publications are free and open-access.

Fantastic Fifteen! Join us for the Annual Caribbean Waterbird Census

November 11, 2023

New Educational Guide on Caribbean Raptors Gets Off to a Flying Start in the Dominican Republic

The Peregrine Falcon is famously known as the fastest animal on Earth, reaching speeds of up to 240mph when in a dive. (Beth Hamel)

Birds of prey are magnificent, powerful creatures, with a mystique all their own. They play an essential role in Caribbean ecosystems. Sadly, however, their significance as the only native terrestrial predators in the region is often underestimated and misunderstood.

Hispaniola Program Director at The Peregrine Fund, Marta Curti, is one of those conservationists who believe that raptors don’t get the attention they deserve. To inspire others with her own personal passion for the birds, she has written a remarkable new 200-page publication entitled “Raptors of the Caribbean: Education and Conservation Resource Guide.” It is available in Haitian Creole, Spanish and English, and divided into four chapters, each including fun and enlightening educational activities and a learning evaluation. The guide covers identification of raptor species, conservation techniques, and—most importantly—explains “Why Raptors Matter.”

Cover of the new Raptors of the Caribbean Education & Conservation Resource Guide.

“I believe the completion of this guide is a major milestone for raptor conservation throughout the Caribbean,” says Marta. “I hope this guide will help in fostering passion and compassion for the region’s birds of prey and will inspire students, teachers, biologists, and others to work to conserve these amazing birds.”

After piloting a draft version at the 2022 BirdsCaribbean Conference in Puerto Rico, Marta is now busy conducting in-person teacher training workshops in the Dominican Republic, using the completed guide to expand educators’ knowledge and awareness of the birds.

The workshop includes hands-on, dynamic activities including constructing life-sized hawks using recyclable materials, participating in “raptor Olympics,” a “food chain relay race,” and putting on a play. Marta’s goal is to extend these workshops across the region—while at the same time “training the trainers” to continue teaching students, community members, and educators about the importance of our amazing hawks, falcons, and kites.

Nature sketching and bird observation. (Marta Curti)

Training Workshop practicing bird observation skills. (Marta Curti)

Building a life sized Ridgway’s Hawk out of recyclable materials (Marta Curti)

Caribbean birds of prey vary greatly in size, behavior, and their preferred habitats. Some are migratory or passage migrants, transiting through the region, such as the Peregrine Falcon itself, which may be becoming more common in urban areas. Another speedy and powerful hawk, the Merlin, also migrates from north to south in the winter. Others such as the American Kestrel and the Red-tailed Hawk are seen more often. While some raptors are quite adaptable to new environments, several endemic species and subspecies are in need of help: for example, the Ridgway’s Hawk, Cuban Kite, Grenada Hook-billed Kite, and Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. Climate change, deforestation, hunting, and persecution are among the dangers they face.

The Ridgway’s Hawk is one of the most critically endangered raptors in the world, with fewer than 500 individuals remaining. (Dax Roman)

Merlin Female taking off. (Phoo Chan)

The American Kestrel is a more frequently seen migrant to the region. (Imran Ashraf)

Since the printing of the new guide, Marta has completed two training workshops for a total of 39 people, including teachers, field technicians with the Ministry of the Environment, biology students, and women from rural communities who she hopes to involve more in our conservation efforts through a Women’s Conservation Fellowship. One of the best comments we received from participants were: “These activities really show how much we know about the Ridgway’s Hawk,” and “I am so surprised about how much we have learned in just two days.” Another great comment was short and sweet, “I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time as I have during this workshop.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the workshops and/or how to access a copy of the Raptor Education Guide, please contact: Marta Curti

BirdsCaribbean is proud to support this groundbreaking initiative, through the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund; along with the VanTienhoven Foundation, ACSEH, and National Aviary and partners in the Dominican Republic: Fundación Propagas, Fundación Grupo Puntacana, the Dominican Republic Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, and ZOODOM (National Zoo of Santo Domingo).

Fostering Raptor Conservation in the Caribbean Through Environmental Education

Saving a Species in Peril—A Holistic Approach to Conserving the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic

Community Resilience Boosts Conservation of the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Age of COVID-19

Coming Together for Conservation: How the Support of a Community is Helping Protect the Ridgway’s Hawk from Extinction

September 13, 2023

Birds Connect Our World – Day 56

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.

Migratory Bird of the Day: Lesser Yellowlegs

With their long bright-yellow legs, you might spot these elegant shorebirds at the water’s edge searching the shallows for food. Lesser Yellowlegs are mottled grayish-brown above, with pale underparts. These slender-looking, long-billed birds can be easy to pick out from the crowd with their distinctive leg color. However, take care as this shorebird has a ‘cousin’—the Greater Yellowlegs!

Greater Yellowlegs are much larger and more heavily built. If you spot the two together, you’ll be in no doubt as to who is who. But you can also pick out Lesser Yellowlegs from its relatively shorter bill-length compared to Greater Yellowlegs. Lesser Yellowlegs also have a distinctive whistled “tu-tu” call, typically one or two notes, while the Greater Yellowlegs call is a stronger “tu-tu-tu!” of 3 to 4 notes. You can find more ID tips in our video here.

Lesser Yellowlegs breed in the Boreal forests in the far north of North America. They head south after breeding, making amazing migratory journeys of thousands of kilometers. They can start to arrive in the Caribbean from July and August. Some Lesser Yellowlegs will continue on to South America, but others will spend the winter here. Lesser Yellowlegs can be found in wetlands, both freshwater and on the coast. They show up on mud flats, ponds, lagoons, and on mangrove edges. They will also use agricultural areas, with flocks of thousands of individuals sometimes using flooded rice fields.

Lesser Yellowlegs are one of the most common shorebirds using the Atlantic Flyway. They are currently listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN. Sadly, however, Lesser Yellowlegs populations have declined by a shocking 63-70% since the 1970s! Loss of habitat, climate change, and unsustainable hunting and trapping at several non-breeding locations have all contributed to this decline. Conserving our Caribbean wetlands will help Lesser Yellowlegs and many other species. They provide food-rich havens for birds to refuel on migration or to spend the winter. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Color in the Lesser Yellowlegs

Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib

Listen to the calls of the Lesser Yellowlegs

The calls of the Lesser Yellowlegs are a whistled “tu-tu” with one or two notes, often repeated rapidly.

Puzzles of the Day

Click on the images below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!

Lesser Yellowlegs. Did you know that despite their similar appearance, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs are not each other’s closest relatives? The Lesser Yellowlegs is more closely related to the Willet! (Photo by Franz Delcroix)

Lesser Yellowlegs with wings open — Lesser Yellowlegs mainly feed on invertebrates including snails and flies, beetles, and dragonflies. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Birds, like the Lesser Yellowlegs, that are typically found at the shore and other coastal habitats like mudflats and lagoons are called shorebirds.

These birds come in different sizes and shapes. They are always on the move, checking the shoreline for food. They have special bills that help them poke into the mud or sand and in between rocks. Their bills and leg lengths are different depending on what they eat and where they find their food. All of this can help us to identify them!

Why not go Birding at the beach? Or at any other wetland! We have made some suggestions of who you can look out for whilst you’re there. You can also download and print out our handy guide to help you identify the different types of shorebirds we find in the Caribbean. You can find more helpful tips, activities and video on our Shorebird Resources page.

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of Lesser Yellowlegs

Read all about the fascinating work tracking Lesser Yellowlegs: Biologist Laura McDuffie has tracked the movements of these long distance migrants as they travelled to and from their breeding areas. Find out more about Laura’s work, the amazing journeys that Lesser Yellowlegs make each year and the threats they face along the way!

A Year in the Life of a Lesser Yellowlegs

You can FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LESSER YELLOWLEGS AND HUNTING IN THE CARIBBEAN IN THIS SHORT VIDEO

June 8, 2023

Have You Seen This Bird? Outreach to Aid in the Search for the Diablotin

June 1, 2023

From the Nest – Day 122

Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlighting the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.

Endemic Bird of the Day: Black-capped Petrel

Imagine being up on one of the tallest mountains in the Caribbean. Imagine being there at night on a moonless February night. You can feel the fog all around you and can hear the sounds of a few frogs and insects. Suddenly, out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time, comes an eerie call, between a laugh and a lament. In ancient times, some thought these were the calls of the devil or witches. But today you can be assured that you are lucky enough to be near one of the few courtship areas of the Black-capped Petrel.

This mysterious seabird is the only seabird endemic to the Caribbean! Is is known as Diablotin (“the little devil”) in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Dominica, and Pajaro de la Bruja (“the witch’s bird”) in Cuba. It used to be widespread in the Caribbean but is now only known to nest in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and possibly in Cuba, Dominica, Jamaica, and Guadeloupe.

The Black-capped Petrel has long wings (dark above, white below), a white nape and rump, and the black cap that gives it its English name. Its diet is not well known but consists mostly of fish and squid. A pelagic seabird, it spends most of its life far out at sea and comes to land only to breed, between November and June.

It is very difficult to see the Black-capped Petrel on land because it comes back to its burrow only after sunset and leaves long before sunrise, flying up and down river flyways in the dark. At sea, it is active day and night and lucky birdwatchers may see it near the coast of those Caribbean islands where it breeds. However, the best place to see a Black-capped Petrel would be just off the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia (where petrels from Hispaniola come to feed) and off Cape Hatteras, a hotspot for migrating petrels near the southeastern coast of the USA. There, you will notice its characteristic “roller-coaster” flight where it soars above the ocean and then dips to just above the water.

The Black-capped Petrel has a small population (estimated at 2,000-4,000 individuals) and is considered globally endangered. The main threats affecting the species on land are the loss of forested habitat, introduced predators (mainly mongoose, feral cats, and feral dogs), and collision with telecommunication towers. At sea, the petrel is affected by pollution (such as mercury and plastics), production of marine energy (oil and gas, and offshore wind), and attraction to lighted ships.

The Black-capped Petrel has long been part of Caribbean culture. Songs tell its story and mountains bear its name: in Dominica, two of the highest mountains (Morne Diablotin and Morne aux Diables) are named after it. The International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group is hard at work to keep the Black-capped Petrel flying up and down Caribbean mountains. Protection of its forested breeding habitat and protection from predators is key to its long-term survival. You can learn more about this mysterious seabird at diablotin.org. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Thanks to Yvan Satge for the text!

Colour in the Black-capped Petrel

Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest

Listen to the calls of the Black-capped Petrel

The calls of the Black-capped Petrel at nesting areas include a drawn out “awwwww” – these ‘spooky’ noises they make from nesting burrows give them their “Little Devil” name. Away from nests, when at sea they are usually silent but sometime give a short high-pitched ‘yelp’ call.

Puzzle of the Day

Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!

Black-capped Petrel in Flight — Black-capped Petrel in flight, spotted in May at-sea in North Carolina. (Photo by Kate Sutherland, Macaulay Library, ML343236161)

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Use the information above and the clues on the sheet to untangle our our word scramble – all about the Black-capped Petrel. You’ll need to know about where is lives, what it eats, and how it behaves. You can find all the answers to the clues here.

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Find out more about community-based conservation of Black-capped Petrels in the Caribbean and join Adam Brown as he takes us on a trip to Haiti, to the remote mountain village of Boukan Chat. This village and the people who live there are the focus of conservation efforts to save the elusive and endangered Black-capped Petrel. Click below to see more about village life and how sustainable agriculture has been helping both the people and the petrels.

Black-capped Petrel Conservation Through Poverty Alleviation in a Haitian Community

Enjoy this video of a Black-capped Petrels, skimming the waves in the seas off Cuba, also showing their characteristic roller-coaster flight style!

March 15, 2023

Cuba’s BIG YEAR of Birding!

Big Year Cuba 2022 was a year-long birdwatching extravaganza, with birders—old, new, and in-between—across the largest island in the Caribbean competing to observe and record the highest number of species. Our Executive Director, Dr Lisa Sorenson, attended the Awards Ceremony in January. Here we share the amazing results of the competition and its likely impact upon the Cuban population and bird conservation.

The Big Year Cuba 2022 poster featured the charismatic and endemic Cuban Tody.

Together, Cuba’s pandemic crisis and the rise in the access to and use of social media, escalated the local tradition of keeping wild migratory and endemic birds in cages into a likely harmful and unsustainable illegal bird trade. Songbird capture and sales increased dramatically in Cuba over the period 2020-2022 and traffickers smuggling birds from Cuba have been seized at airports in Miami. Both Cuban and international conservation NGOs were alarmed by this dramatic increase. In response, they organized a ‘Big Year Cuba’ in 2022.

The year-long competition encouraged Cubans to don their Citizen Scientist caps and explore their island, while enjoying the birds in their natural habitats rather than in cages. Cuban birder and conservationist, Yaro Rodriguez, came up with the idea for Big Year Cuba. It was his hope that this competition would increase the number of birdwatchers in Cuba and birding hotspots on the island. Most importantly, however, Yaro’s goal was to strengthen and unify the position of the Cuban community of birdwatchers in their role as conservationists.

A small organizing committee was formed in Fall 2021 to plan the rules and guidelines for the competition. This included Yaro, Nils Navarro (Cuban artist, ornithologist and bird guide), Vladimir Mirabel (editor, The Cuban Birder magazine), Jeff Gerbracht (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) and Lisa Sorenson (BirdsCaribbean). Generous sponsors (BirdsCaribbean, Optics for the Tropics, Environment for the Americas, and Caribbean Conservation Trust) kindly stepped up to offer cash and other prizes for the winners as well additional prizes for all who competed.

The contest was shared widely via social media on active and growing Cuban Birding Facebook pages and through The Cuban Birder magazine. Competing birdwatchers were required to submit their observations, via checklists, to eBird.

It was an intense year of fraternal competition among the Cuban birdwatchers to register the highest number of species, and the results were amazing. A total of 79 birders from 13 provinces (out of 15) were registered for the competition; 13 were women. Five birdwatchers recorded more than 200 species during the year and more than half of the competitors reported 100 species or more. Today almost the entire island is covered by active observers, contributing to eBird checklists daily.!

Awards Ceremony of the Big Year Cuba 2022

The Awards Ceremony was held at the ranch of the Monte Barreto Ecological Park on January 28, 2023, and attended by Cuban birdwatchers, ornithologists, and conservationists, along with colleagues from Optics for the Tropics, Environment for the Americas, and the Caribbean Conservation Trust. BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director, Dr Lisa Sorenson, was also present at the ceremony to celebrate this historic achievement and help with awarding of prizes.

Photo of two women on stage facing forward and standing side by side. One woman is holding papers while the other makes a speech. The backdrop reads "Gran Ano Cuba" with a photo of a birder watching birds with binoculars to the left and birds flying on the right. — BirdsCaribbean Executive Director Dr. Lisa Sorenson congratulating the Organizing Committee and all birdwatchers for making it a highly successful event.

Renowned Cuban artist and ornithologist Nils Navarro opened the ceremony, sharing some of the challenges and rewards of organizing a competition of this magnitude. He highlighted the importance of joining other conservation projects in Cuba to make it a success. He also expressed his pleasure in seeing the genuine enthusiasm among Cuban birdwatchers. As a result of this initiative, areas that no one had observed before can now be explored, as in the case of Media Luna, in the south of Granma. Nils said that his colleague Ricel Polán was able to document, for the first time in the history of Cuban ornithology, the presence of the Caribbean Swallow (Progne dominicensis) nesting in that area!

Photo of group of people-one woman and four men- standing on stage. — Members of the organizing committee with winners of the Big Year Cuba competition.

Following this introduction, the highly anticipated winners of the Big Year Cuba 2022 were announced. Alejandro Llanes Sosa won 1st Place with a record of 261 species observed, Carlos Hernández Peraza came in 2nd Place with 242 species, and Sergio Luis del Castillo took home 3rd Place with 223 species. Their full testimonies can be found in the February 2023 issue of The Cuban Birder. Special Mentions were given to other birders who observed and recorded over 100 species. Lastly, Muhammed Halim Machado was recognized for having registered the 400th species in Cuban avifauna: the Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus).

First Place winner Alejandro Sosa.

Second Place winner Carlos Peraza.

Third Place winner Sergio del Castillo.

The ceremony ended with old and new friends mingling over delicious Cuban food and drink, including mojitos.

Photo of groups of people standing and talking to each other. s — Invited guests mingle over mojitos at the Awards Ceremony.

The truth is in the eBird data

First place winner Alejandro Llanes in the field making sure he does not miss a bird.

According to eBird statistics, during 2022 Cuba showed a sustained growth in the number of uploaded checklists – placing it, for several months, among the most dynamic countries in the world. For example, in November 2022 the number of checklists grew by 145% compared to November of the previous year; in August, by 126%; in April, by 338% and in March, by 185%.

Between 2015 and 2018, only 30 Cubans signed up for eBird. This number rose to 161 between 2019 and 2022. There has been a significant increase in the number of active Cubans on the platform in the last 4 years!

With respect to participation in Global Big Day, from 2018 to 2020 only 43 observers participated. However, between 2021 and 2022 the participation was significantly higher with a total of 193 birdwatchers.

The number of birding hot spots also increased in Cuba from 237 in June 2021 to 361 at the end of December 2022. The number of reported species also grew in the same period from 361 to 375.

The future of birdwatching and conservation in Cuba

Big Year Cuba 2022 was met with great enthusiasm and commitment by Cubans to expand their knowledge of the incredible bird diversity on the island. The Organizing Committee is already thinking about the next Big Year Cuba competition in 2024, but until then they will continue to foster respect for wild birds and their habitats, across the island.

As a result of Big Year Cuba, many new birding clubs have launched in a number of individual provinces, encouraging more Cubans to enjoy watching and studying wild birds rather than trapping and keeping them in cages. Cuban Birding Facebook pages, including Club de Observadores de Aves Cuba and Aves de Cuba and others, have also seen a dramatic increase in their membership during the last 3 years, with many people sharing their sightings and actively following the pages. BirdsCaribbean and our partners will continue to support these efforts, such as recent grants to our Cuban colleagues through our ongoing grant programs.

Ultimately this effort has helped spark a passion for birding and bird conservation and is helping to raise awareness of threats birds face and the irreversible damage the illegal bird trade can have on wild populations. The Committee is hopeful that, through these initiatives, Cuban society will become well informed to make pro-bird conservation choices, including reporting of illegal wild bird sales and refusing to buy wild birds. We shall keep you updated on our collective efforts!

Big Year Cuba winners, after receiving their awards, took photos with their fellow birders. From left to right: Alejandro Llanes Sosa, Carlos Peraz, Vladimir Mirabel and Sergio del Castillo.

Thank you to the Organizing Committee for your hard work on this initiative and congrats on the overwhelming success of your first Big Year Cuba! Many thanks to our partners who sponsored cash and other prizes and donations of educational materials to Cuban birders. And huge thanks to our members and donors, whose generous support helped to make the Cuba Big Year and our other programs to support Cuban bird research and conservation, possible.

Read more about about the results of Cuba Big Year 2022 in The Cuban Birder magazine.

February 28, 2023

BirdsCaribbean Awards Grants for Ten Projects to Study and Conserve Birds

BirdsCaribbean is pleased to announce the 2023 cohort of grantees under our three named awards, the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds, the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, and the new James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund.

These are ten exciting projects that promote the study and conservation of avifauna in six different Caribbean countries. A total of $74,500 was awarded to these projects through the three funds. Learn here about each recipient’s proposed plans, and stay tuned for results and accomplishments featured in future Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and blog articles.

Congratulations to these outstanding researchers and conservationists from our BirdsCaribbean community, we wish you all the best and can’t wait to hear about your results!

Betty Petersen Conservation Fund

Ridgway’s Hawk Conservation and Education Project in Haiti

Anderson Jean, Action pour la Sauvegarde de l’Ecologie en Haïti (ACSEH)

The Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi), found only on the island of Hispaniola, is one of the most endangered raptors in the world. It is estimated that there are fewer than 400 individuals remaining. Only two populations were known from the Dominican Republic, until 2019 when Anderson and biologists from ACSEH discovered the hawks on Petite Cayemite Island, located off the coast of southwestern Haiti. Since then, they have found more individuals and breeding pairs. These funds will allow the extension of surveys to the larger island of Grand Cayemite. To address anthropogenic threats to this Critically Endangered species, the team will initiate an educational campaign directed at local communities, especially schoolchildren and farmers. Outreach materials will be distributed in the communities and a special curriculum will be presented in two local schools. The project will also organize, for the first time, a Ridgway’s Hawk Festival in May, in collaboration with the mayor and government officials of Les Cayemites.

Birdwatching movement in Cuba as a way to improve the knowledge of Cuban avifauna and promote conservation efforts based on citizen science

Yaro Rodríguez, Cuba Birders Club

Illegal trapping and trafficking of wild birds in Cuba have long been a serious problem in Cuba. However, due to the rise of social media and economic problems caused in part by the pandemic, it has recently reached a crisis point, with tens of thousands of residents and migratory birds captured every year. Yaro along with partner Nils Navarro plan to address this critical problem through growing a nascent bird watching movement in Cuba. These new birders will a) help to put pressure on the authorities to enforce laws protecting wild birds, and b) provide valuable citizen science data to eBird Caribbean, thereby increasing our knowledge of the status and trends of Cuban birds, including further identification of hotspots for endemism and migration stopover sites. The project will provide binoculars and training to community and group leaders that will engage in bird monitoring and share the data through eBird Caribbean. The teams will grow local birding clubs and raise awareness in communities throughout Cuba of the need to protect birds and their habitats through community education and social media. They also plan to increase the interest of participants in birdwatching by organizing a second Cuban Big Year for 2024.

Promoting conservation of birds and nature on St Maarten through education, birding, and bird guide training

Kevin Sammy, Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSM)

Many of the local population on St Maarten did not receive education in relation to local flora and fauna, and therefore feel little responsibility to protect the environment. Conservation and preservation efforts have proven to be challenging when community members are not in touch with the importance of a balanced ecosystem, and therefore don’t value local natural resources. Introducing and connecting others to and educating them on the beautiful bird populations on the island form the foundation on which to build preservation efforts. Nature Foundation Sint Maarten will recruit and train local people to become birdwatchers and bird guides with the goal of increasing awareness of the importance of protecting bird species and their habitats as well as supporting sustainable livelihoods. The trainees will participate in an intensive workshop, led by trainer, Binkie Van es, (graduate of our Caribbean Birding Trail Guide Training Program) to learn about the island’s flora and fauna. In addition, trainees will receive birding equipment and educational resources to help them in their work as guides and to conduct annual bird counts. Participants will be able to practice their skills in a new bird observation deck planned to be built this year. In addition, a public awareness and education campaign will be launched that includes talks and field trips with youth and communities.

Facilitating community involvement in Pawi (Trinidad Piping-Guan) research and conservation

Mark Hulme, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago

The Critically Endangered Trinidad Piping-Guan or Pawi, is Trinidad’s only endemic bird. Its population has been estimated at only 77 to 231 individuals, restricted to moist forested habitats. The main threats to the species are illegal hunting, disturbance, and habitat destruction through quarrying, logging, agriculture, and construction. Mark’s project aims to recruit members of communities in and close to the habitat to participate in the first species survey in 20 years, and foster enhanced awareness of the Pawi and involvement in its conservation. Community members will receive training in Passive (remote) Acoustic Monitoring, a technique that works well for sparse and cryptic arboreal birds. In addition, the recordings will provide them with a soundscape of all the wildlife in their landscape for other research projects, to develop a sense of pride, and for other uses, such as education and ecotourism.

Bird Conservation in the Botanical Garden: Publication of a new field guide

Lourdes Mugica, University of Havana, Cuba

Cuba’s National Botanical Garden is a crucial institution to promote bird conservation in Havana city since it receives 300,000 visitors annually. In surveys initiated in 1983, members of the Ecology Group of the University of Havana have reported 125 bird species in the garden’s diverse landscape that covers almost 500 ha. This funding will cover the printing costs of an exciting new field guide, Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba (The Birds of the National Botanic Garden of Cuba), and other educational materials, including a bird identification card, a checklist, and a map of the trails. With this project, Lourdes and her colleagues want visitors to experience birdwatching firsthand, learning about the many endemic, resident, and migratory birds that live in or visit the garden seasonally. Their ultimate goal is to increase awareness and appreciation of Cuba’s incredible avifauna, to help reduce local threats such as trapping and keeping wild birds in cages as pets.

Does Los Roques Archipelago continue to be a safe place for breeding colonies of seabirds of Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, and Audubon’s Shearwater in the Caribbean?

Josmar Márquez, AveZona

Los Roques Archipelago, off the coast of Venezuela, is an important breeding site for seabirds, including the Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, and Audubon’s Shearwater, with more than 12,000 nesting pairs reported overall. However, the sustainability of these breeding colonies is threatened by a growing tourism industry. Josmar, along with partners from AveZona and other Venezuelan NGOs, proposes to conduct intensive seabird surveys to determine the population sizes and reproductive success of these species, with the aid of camera traps in nests and drones to reach remote areas. Moreover, they will be engaging people from the local communities in the counts, by providing educational materials, training on seabird identification and conservation, and even reaching out to hotels and inns to provide birdwatching opportunities as an income source.

Reproductive management with artificial nests and its effect on the populations of Psittacidae in the Pico Cristal National Park. Cuba

Inés Fernández, Flora and Fauna Enterprise, Santiago de Cuba

The Cuban Parakeet and Cuban Parrot are two threatened endemic species confined to small remnant forest fragments mainly in protected areas in Cuba. However, they maintain their degree of threat, due to all the negative actions to which they are subjected. These include loss of their natural habitats, and illegal hunting and capture for the pet trade. Inés will work on the implementation of an Artificial Nests Program to collect information about the breeding biology of both species in Pico Cristal National Park in eastern Cuba. The project will include a strong educational component for the communities surrounding the park, including the preparation and dissemination of brochures, manuals, and posters, and the recruitment of local residents to be monitors and technicians that will oversee the protection of these ptsittacids. A national awareness campaign will extend through mass media, including TV, radio, and newspapers, to discourage the illegal capture of these birds.

David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds

Establishing a long-term bird banding station in the National Botanical Garden in Havana, Cuba

Daniela Ventura del Puerto, University of Havana

Neotropical migrants have shown steep population declines since the 1970s. These include a diversity of migratory passerines that spend the winter months in the Caribbean region. In addition, the current status of resident bird populations in Cuba is poorly known, and there are no reliable demographic estimates due to very few marking and monitoring methods and their integration into a system that allows large-scale analysis. This makes it difficult to assess impacts on bird populations from loss and damage to habitats, illegal hunting and trade, and many other threats. Daniela proposes to establishing a permanent bird banding station in the National Botanical Garden in Havana. Her objectives are to 1) evaluate the migration phenology of Neotropical bird species that stop over or winter at the gardens, 2) describe the molt strategies and assess the physical condition, survival, and demographic parameters of both migratory and resident birds, 3) describe the reproductive phenology and population dynamics of the resident and endemic birds, and 4) build capacity among undergraduate and graduate students and volunteers in Cuba through their participation in the bird banding and monitoring activities. Daniela recently completed BirdsCaribbean Monitoring Training and Bird Banding Training workshops and is an active member of BirdsCaribbean’s new Bird Banding Network. The banding and monitoring data will provide invaluable quantitative data to evaluate species population trends and fill gaps in our knowledge of natural history and migration and breeding ecology of many resident and migratory birds.

Investigating male and female vocalizations of an understudied endemic Caribbean songbird

Michelle Moyer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The Caribbean has eight endemic species of orioles, with half of them considered globally threatened. The Puerto Rican Oriole, is one of eight species of Icterids endemic to the Caribbean, but its behavior, ecology, and conservation status are understudied. In addition, this species and others are threatened by human-caused habitat loss and degradation, introduced invasive species, and climate change, including increasing severe hurricanes and drought. This study intends to compare the singing behavior of males vs females, to understand aspects of its breeding behavior, including pair-bond maintenance, and territoriality in Hacienda La Esperanza, northern Puerto Rico. Individuals from different territories will be identified with the aid of colored and aluminum leg bands, to allow a quantitative analysis of their songs using the software Raven Pro. Knowledge of song rates (both males and females) has the potential to vastly improve population estimates, since point counts are based largely on auditory detection of songs.

James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund

First Field Inventory of the Avifauna in Los Colorados ́s Archipelago, northwestern Cuba

Ivalut Ruiz, Managed Resources Protected Area, Cuba

Los Colorados, north of the province of Pinar del Río, is the least explored of the four Cuban archipelagos. Its 28,260 ha were designated as a protected area as recently as September 2021. Ivalut proposes to determine the bird species richness and distribution, and identify the most important nesting, roosting, and feeding areas. This pilot study will help design a long-term monitoring protocol emphasizing the breeding season of species that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, like the Least Tern (Sternula antillarum), whose nesting areas are determined by modifications to sandbars. The data will also allow the development of conservation strategies that can be used by the Protected Area Managed Resources agency and the selection of the best site for the establishment of a field station. The project will engage local residents, particularly by increasing their awareness of the need to protect bird species and their habitats, and how to generate income from nature tourism.

Are you working on or planning a research or conservation project with Caribbean birds? The next call for proposals will be advertised in the fall of 2023. Members of BirdsCaribbean conducting research and conservation work are eligible to apply. Stay informed and don’t miss our announcements by subscribing to our monthly newsletter, joining our listserve and following us on social media (@BirdsCaribbean on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Linked In).

BirdsCaribbean thanks the scientists and conservationists that provided thoughtful and constructive review of the proposals. We are also indebted to our generous donors for making these awards possible. We are pleased and proud to be able to support a diversity of projects in the Caribbean that advance the development of young Caribbean wildlife professionals and contribute to the conservation of Caribbean birds.

If you would like to help us support future projects, please click here to donate. We also encourage you to consider endowments or other large awards to ensure that our grants programs can continue long into the future.

If you prefer to donate with a check, please make the check out to “BirdsCaribbean” and in the memo section, note the fund you are donating to. If you have questions or to make other arrangements for donating, please feel free to contact Jennifer Wheeler, BirdsCaribbean Financial Officer (jennifer.wheeler@birdscaribbean.org)

Checks can be mailed to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760-2076

February 8, 2023

JCO Roundup: Volume 35 Features New Research from 11 Caribbean Locations

The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes the peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is so important to inform conservation work. In this annual blog feature, JCO’s staff is proud to show off the amazing research from scientific teams around the Caribbean. Let your curiosity lure you into exploring:

Warblers eat lizards and fish? What is the preferred snail diet of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite? How can nesting success of terns be improved? There was once a Giant Barn Owl roaming Guadeloupe?

Look back and discover how James Bond, a pioneer of Caribbean ornithology, relied on the expertise of little-known Caribbean experts. Or look forward and reflect on the future prospects for bird conservation in our age of unprecedented human impact on Caribbean nature.

As JCO’s Managing Editor, I am immensely grateful for a dedicated team of editors, reviewers, copyeditors, proofreaders, and production specialists that have worked together so well this past year to produce high-quality publications. And of course, our fabulous authors that do the work on the ground to help us better understand the biodiverse Caribbean and the challenges it faces. With the non-profit BirdsCaribbean as our publisher, JCO emphasizes access: trilingual content, support for early-career researchers, and open access–from the latest article to the very first volume from 1988.

While our 100% open-access publication policy is the most prominent and public-facing feature of our work at the journal, there has been a lot going on “behind the scenes” as well.

In 2022, JCO welcomed Caroline Pott, our new Birds of the World (BOW) Coordinator, and huge thanks to our outgoing first BOW coordinator, Maya Wilson! Caroline works with authors and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to produce BOW accounts of Caribbean bird species. Zoya Buckmire took the reins as the new JCO Lead Copy Editor, and helped to recruit Laura Baboolal and Kathryn Peiman to the copyediting team. Dr. Fred Schaffner will join us for editorial help with English manuscripts from authors for which English is not their first language. Joining our Associate Editor board were Dr. Virginia Sanz D’Angelo, Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Jaime Collazo, North Carolina, and Dr. Chris Rimmer, Norwich, Vermont. We are looking forward to hearing from you, our readers and supporters, and working with the JCO team in 2023!

With Volume 35, JCO introduced the assignment of a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to each article, making it easier fo the scientific community to locate an author’s work in the published literature.

— Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., JCO Editor-in-Chief | jmwunderle@gmail.com

— Stefan Gleissberg, JCO Managing Editor | stefan.gleissberg@birdscaribbean.org

Map depicting research locations of the studies published in Volume 35.

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND NOTES

Inventory of birds in different plant formations in the protected area Cueva Martín Infierno, south-central Cuba

Rosalina Montes Espín and Minerva Sánchez-Llull

The Cueva Martín Infierno protected area in Cuba is well-known for its cave and stalagmite formations, but what about its bird community? Located in the Guamuhaya Mountains, one of Cuba’s biodiversity hotspots, this protected area is sure to support a thriving bird community, but this aspect is previously undocumented. In this paper, Montes and Sánchez-Llull present the first comprehensive record of birds in Cueva Martín Infierno, including several endemics and species of conservation concern.
Evidence of a Late Holocene giant barn owl (Aves: Strigiformes: Tytonidae) in Guadeloupe

Monica Gala, Véronique Laroulandie, and Arnaud Lenoble

What has two talons, feeds on large rodents, and used to roam the Caribbean night sky? Giant owls! Giant barn owls (Tytonidae) once inhabited the Caribbean in precolonial times, as evidenced by recent palaeontological research. In this paper, Gala et al. describe a bone fragment of an unspecified giant barn owl found on Guadeloupe, the second such record for the Lesser Antilles.
Marine litter incorporation into nest construction and entanglement of Brown Noddies (Anous stolidus) in the Grenadines, West Indies

Juliana Coffey

Plastic waste is an increasing source of pollution worldwide, especially in marine environments. Seabirds are particularly vulnerable to marine litter, as they can ingest, become entangled in, or incorporate this waste into their colonies and nests. In this research note, Coffey reports on two Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) interactions with marine litter in the Grenadines, one instance of nest incorporation and another of entanglement and mortality.
Conservation opportunities for tern species at two Ramsar sites on Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Fernando Simal, Adriana Vallarino, and Elisabeth Albers

The hypersaline lagoons of northern Bonaire are home to several populations of seabirds, making it a regionally significant nesting site in the southern Caribbean. Among the species that breed there are the Eastern Least Tern (Sternula antillarum antillarum), Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus), and Cayenne Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis eurygnathus). In this paper, Simal et al. quantify breeding success for the terns at these sites in Bonaire, and provide timely recommendations for increasing tern populations, such as island creation and predator exclusion.
The short-term impacts of Hurricane Maria on the forest birds of Dominica

Andrew Fairbairn, Ian Thornhill, Thomas Edward Martin, Robin Hayward, Rebecca Ive, Josh Hammond, Sacha Newman, Priya Pollard, and Charlotte Anne Palmer

How are hurricanes affecting Caribbean landbirds? Like other native species in the region, birds likely evolved under the threat of hurricanes, but as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of storms, this question becomes increasingly important. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, Fairbairn et al. sought to compare the bird community on Dominica to that pre-hurricane. In this paper, they present those results, including the disproportionate effects on some functional groups that may predict which species fare better long-term.
Variability of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus) diet

Arnaud Lenoble, Laurent Charles, and Nathalie Serrand

It’s a well-known fact that Hook-billed Kites eat snails- their wonderfully adapted bills tell us that much. But, will any old snail do, or do these high-flying molluscivores have a preference? In this paper, Lenoble et al. present their observations on the diet of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus), with prey availability and distribution having the potential to inform conservation planning for this endemic subspecies.
Status and distribution of the Antillean Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus antillarum) on the island of Grenada

Ezra Angella Campbell, Jody Daniel, Andrea Easter-Pilcher, and Nicola Koper

How is the Antillean Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus antillarum) faring habitat loss and degradation across its small-island ranges? Campbell et al. aim to investigate the status and distribution of this species in Grenada, comparing its distribution by habitat, elevation, and season. In this paper, they present their results as well as recommendations for the conservation of this species that are applicable both to Grenada and across its Caribbean range.

REVIEWS
A review of wood warbler (Parulidae) predation of vertebrates and descriptions of three new observations

Michael E. Akresh, Steven Lamonde, Lillian Stokes, Cody M. Kent, Frank Kahoun, and Janet M. Clarke Storr

Wood warbler (Parulidae) diets are varied and interesting, from arthropods to fruits and sometimes even nectar. Occasionally, wood warblers may also consume vertebrate species, primarily Anolis lizards, but these instances are not well documented and have not previously been compiled. In this paper, Akresh et al. present a comprehensive literature review on wood warbler vertebrate consumption throughout the Caribbean and USA, and also describe three new observations from The Bahamas, Jamaica, and Florida.
Status of the Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) on and around the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire

Jeffrey V. Wells, Elly Albers, Michiel Oversteegen, Sven Oversteegen, Henriette de Vries, and Rob Wellens

The Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) is a stunningly charismatic seabird without many documented or published records in the southern Caribbean until recently. To shed light on this species’ distribution and trends over the decades, Wells et al. sought to compile records from near the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. This review accompanies an erratum note in this issue, and details all previous sightings of the species, with records as far back as 1939.

PERSPECTIVES AND OPINIONS
James Bond (1900–1989)—US ornithologist—and his network of contributors to the avifauna of the West Indies

Gerhard Aubrecht

James Bond, renowned ornithologist of the 20th century and the namesake of 007, contributed dozens of publications to the field of Caribbean ornithology. Throughout his decades of work, he established a network of scientists and laypeople alike, without whom his work would not have been possible. In this Perspectives and Opinions piece, Aubrecht compiles the biographies of Bond’s most important contributors, highlighting the importance of collaboration and networking in advancing scientific study across the region.
The future of Caribbean endemic bird conservation in the Anthropocene

Howard P. Nelson and Eleanor S. Devenish-Nelson

The Caribbean Biodiversity Hotspot is well-known for its avian diversity, with over 700 species! Of which more than 180 are endemic. Unfortunately, the wellbeing of these avian populations is often constrained by the inherent challenges of small island developing states, increasing effects of climate change, and colonial histories. In this piece, Nelson and Devenish-Nelson explore these challenges, with concrete examples of endemic birds across the region, and describe a possible way forward for regional conservation of our species as we navigate the Anthropocene.

BOOK REVIEWS

Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Book Authors: Herbert A. Raffaele, Clive Petrovic, Sergio A Colón López, Lisa Yntema, and José A. Salguero Faria

Book review by: Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr

The Puerto Rico Breeding Bird Atlas

Book Authors: Jessica Castro-Prieto, Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., José A. Salguero-Faria, Sandra Soto-Bayo, Johann D. Crespo-Zapata, and William A. Gould

Book review by: Leopoldo Miranda-Castro

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE (ROL) FROM THE CARIBBEAN

Recent ornithological literature from the Caribbean – 2022

Steven Latta

The annual compilation of the most important articles that appeared elsewhere, annotated by Steve Latta.

Article by

Zoya Buckmire – Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

Stefan Gleissberg – Managing and Production Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

January 15, 2023

Track Piping Plover Sightings Live!

During 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count, from January 14 to February 3 2023 we are asking you to make a special effort to find and count Piping Plovers. If you see any Piping Plovers during your CWC surveys send us their locations and we will add them to our map. Keep an eye on it in the coming weeks to track our progress in surveying and finding these threatened shorebirds in the Caribbean!

We are tracking where Piping Plovers have been seen during CWC 2023. Send us your sightings as you make them and we will update the map. This means you can track our progress in finding Piping Plovers live during the survey. You can check back to this post to see map updates or follow them on our Caribbean Piping Plover Survey page.

Zoom in or out to view your region or the whole Caribbean. Click the icon in the top right corner to see a larger map. You can share your sightings, including a grid reference and your count of Piping Plovers at that location (if more than one was seen) with waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org or on the BirdsCaribbean listserv.

NOTE: If you are not within the Caribbean but have seen a Piping Plover during the CWC survey period you can still share your sightings and we will add them to the map! And we will continue to add all sightings of Piping Plovers in 2023 to this map, so please continue your CWC counts and send us your eBird Caribbean checklists. Remember that although we have one annual 3-week regional count period (14 Jan-3 Feb), we encourage everyone to carry out CWC counts year-round, especially during fall and spring migration. We need much more information on all the habitats that shorebirds and waterbirds use throughout the year. Thanks!!!

Why Join the Survey?

This small, round shorebird is listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN with an estimated global breeding population of just 8,400 birds. They breed in restricted areas of North America but migrate south in fall with some birds spending their winter in the Caribbean. It’s vital that we continue to learn more about the numbers and distribution of this rare shorebird in our region.

We already know about some of the main islands and areas where Piping Plovers spend the winter in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Cuba, and Turks and Caicos Islands. We also know they have been spotted in smaller numbers in other countries, including Puerto Rico and its offshore islands and cays, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the US and British Virgin Islands, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Anguilla, and Bonaire (there are just one or two records for some of these countries). But in the ‘right’ habitat there are likely more Piping Plovers to be found, both in ‘new’ locations on islands where they have been seen before and perhaps some islands where they haven’t been seen yet. We need more people out there looking for them!

Share Your Survey Experience

As well as sharing your Piping Plover locations with us we’d love for you to send us any photos or videos from your CWC surveys! These can be of the birds you see or the amazing places you visit during your surveys or of you and your survey buddies taking part in CWC! You can share your photos and videos with us on social media, tag us @birdscaribbean in your posts and use #CWC2023 or share with waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org or on the BirdsCaribbean listserv.

We look forward to finding out where you spot Piping Plovers during CWC2023!

Resources to Help With Surveys

ID Resources

Piping Plovers are small, round shorebirds with ‘stubby’ black bills and orange legs. Their upper parts are pale brown, the colour of dry sand, and they are white below. We have made a handy ID guide to help you pick out Piping Plovers from some of the other small plovers that winter in the Caribbean.

Download these graphics as a pdf following these links: Plover ID guide Guide to reading bands

They also have a unique two-note high to low pee-too call that you can listen out for.

Piping Plovers can be quite vocal, even during the winter. They often give a mellow two-part whistle, that drops in pitch, pee-too. Sometimes they only give the first part of this call as single, repeated with several seconds between each call: pee … pee … pee.

Don’t forget to scan the legs of any Piping Plovers you see for colour bands. Finding and reporting these bands can help us learn more about where different breeding populations spend the winter. You can find out how to report bands in our helpful guide (above). More information and different versions of this guide to reporting banded Piping Plovers are available to download on our Shorebird Resources webpage.

Guide to Piping Plover Habitats

Piping Plovers in the Caribbean are often seen in small flocks resting and feeding on sand flats. Even here, out in the open, they can be tricky to spot with their ‘dry sand’ coloured plumage blending with their surroundings. Be sure to also check any seaweed (wrack) on the beach as this is another favourite haunt of theirs. Other places Piping Plovers might be found include mudflats, mangroves, and along rocky areas of shoreline, where again they blend in beautifully, especially if they are resting. Check out and share our handy graphics, with artwork by Josmar Esteban Márquez, to remind you where to look.

Graphic of Piping Plovers on a sand flat

Graphic of Pipinng Plovers amongst mangrove roots

Graphic of Piping Plovers on a wrack strewn beach

Click on each image to enlarge then right click to “save as….” a jpeg. Use these links to download each image in higher resolution as a pdf: Sand Flats, Mangroves, Beach Wrack, Rocky Shore

Complete Guide to Doing Surveys

You can also get a much more extensive guide to surveying Piping Plovers, their habitats, techniques for survey, and ID tips by watching our helpful “Piping Plovers in the Caribbean: Identification, Habitats, and Practical Considerations for Winter Surveys” webinar given by Piping Plover survey expert Sidney Maddock.

We want as many people as possible to join in our effort to look for Piping Plovers during the 2023 CWC regional count period. Be sure to watch Sidney Maddock’s webinar before you plan your surveys. You can also use and share these survey tips to get the most out of your Piping Plover surveys.

When you do your surveys please treat them like all your other CWC surveys. This means you should count all the bird species that you see (in addition to any Piping Plovers). Make sure you enter your data in eBird Caribbean using one of the CWC protocols on Step 2 of data entry (online). If using the eBird app, set your portal to eBird Caribbean to access the CWC options for your checklists.

January 14, 2023

CWC2023 Featured Birds: Meet the Piping Plover

December 22, 2022

Keep an Eye Out for Piping Plovers During CWC 2023

Piping Plover survey promo graphic Help us count Piping plovers during CWC 2023 — Click to download as a pdf

The 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count will be taking place at the start of 2023, from January 14 to February 3. This year we are asking you to make a special effort to find and count Piping Plovers. You can do this by planning your CWC surveys in places where Piping Plovers have been seen before (explore their sightings on eBird). Or by doing surveys in places where there might be suitable habitat for wintering Piping Plovers. We have plenty of information and resources to help you plan your surveys and pick out Piping Plovers from the pack!

Track Piping Plover Sightings Live!

We are tracking where Piping Plovers have been seen during CWC 2023. Send us your sightings as you make them and we will update the map. This mean you can track our progress in finding Piping Plover live during the survey. Click on each point for more information about each sighting.

What to look for

Banding-Piping-Plover-Graphic-1Page-letter

Download these graphics as a pdf following these links: Plover ID guide Guide to reading bands

They also have a unique two-note high to low pee-too call that you can listen out for.

These little birds can sometimes be very tricky to spot and blend in to their surrounding so you’ll need to look carefully to find them! If you do find any Piping Plovers don’t forget to scan their legs for colour bands. Finding and reporting these bands can help us learn more about where different breeding populations spend the winter. You can find out how to report bands in our helpful guide (above). More information and different versions of this guide to reporting banded Piping Plovers are available to download on our Shorebird Resources webpage.

Where to look

Thanks to dedicated survey efforts over the past few years, we already know about some of the main islands and areas where Piping Plovers spend the winter in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Cuba, and Turks and Caicos Islands. We also know they have been spotted in smaller numbers in other countries, including Puerto Rico and its offshore islands and cays, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the US and British Virgin Islands, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Anguilla, and Bonaire (there are just one or two records for some of these countries). But in the ‘right’ habitat there are likely more Piping Plovers to be found, both in ‘new’ locations on islands where they have been seen before and perhaps some islands where they haven’t been seen yet. We need more people out there looking for them!

Click on each image to enlarge then right click to “save as….” a jpeg. Use these links to download each image in higher resolution as a pdf: Sand Flats, Mangroves, Beach Wrack, Rocky Shore

Be part of the Plover Patrol

Thanks to Environment and Climate change Canada for helping to funding these resources and our efforts to survey Piping Plovers during our 2023 CWC!

September 22, 2022

BirdsCaribbean Congratulates Haitian Conservationist Anderson Jean, Recipient of Stanford’s 2022 Bright Award

BirdsCaribbean warmly congratulates Haitian environmental hero Anderson Jean on receiving Stanford University’s top environmental prize, the 2022 Bright Award, on its tenth anniversary!

Anderson Jean (center) with Haitian schoolchildren planting trees for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.

“Anderson’s determination and commitment to Haiti’s birds, despite a number of challenges, is truly inspiring to us all. His work is an expression of hope, seeking to instill a love of birds in future generations,” said Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean.

“Anderson’s optimistic spirit is a marvelous example to other conservationists working hard in the field. BirdsCaribbean has been proud to support his work on the critically endangered Black-capped Petrel – funded in part by the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund – creating awareness at the grassroots level. He has also been instrumental in the rediscovery of the endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in Haiti,” added Sorenson.

Trained in Agroforestry and Environmental Sciences, Jean is based in Les Cayes, Haiti. He began volunteering with U.S. researchers surveying the country’s biodiversity. After 13 years in search of the Ridgway’s Hawk, he and a colleague found the endangered raptor in August 2019 on Petite Cayemite Island – a tremendously exciting achievement for him personally, fueling hope for the future.

Adult Ridgway's Hawk — Adult Ridgway’s Hawk (Photo by Pedro Genaro)

Jean also founded the annual festival celebrating the Black-capped Petrel (Diablotin), getting farmers, schoolchildren and entire communities involved in learning about and protecting this remarkable seabird. After training with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Vermont Centre for Ecostudies, Jean served for three years as field biological survey coordinator for Société Audubon Haïti.

Black-capped Petrel mascot leading the parade for the Diablotin Festival in Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by EPIC)

In 2017, he founded Action pour la Sauvegarde de l’Écologie en Haïti, which has quickly established itself as a leading advocate for the country’s environment. He currently works with our partner Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC).

Anderson is a long-time member of BirdsCaribbean and has attended a number of our training workshops and conferences. He received a David S. Lee Conservation Fund Award from BirdsCaribbean in 2019 to survey waterbirds at 5 wetlands in Haiti after attending our Shorebird Conservation Training Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

On his Facebook page, Jean expressed his appreciation: “Thank you to every single one of you who contributed to strengthen my capacity in conservation biology and make me win today the Stanford Bright Award 2022.”

Like BirdsCaribbean, Anderson Jean believes in engaging local residents, inspiring them with a love of birds as an integral part of their own culture. This ensures the sustainability of conservation projects. He is committed to his country, its birdlife – and its people.

Anderson Jean with colleagues from around the Caribbean at BirdsCaribbean's Shorebird Monitoring and Conservation Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, 2019. — Anderson Jean with colleagues from around the Caribbean at BirdsCaribbean’s Shorebird Monitoring and Conservation Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, 2019. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)

Congratulations on your achievement, Anderson! We look forward to continued work with you and wish you all the best in your future research and collaborations. May you stay strong and become ever more successful in support of Haiti’s birds!

To understand more about Anderson Jean’s ground-breaking work, watch his beautiful video, “Haiti, My Love, My Home” – a moving tribute to his country and to the fragile Black-capped Petrel and a discussion on how people and birds can live together, on YouTube (see video below).

Group photo with Anderson Jean and colleagues in Guadeloupe — Anderson (far right) with colleagues from Haiti and Lisa Sorenson at BirdsCaribbean’s Conference in Guadeloupe, 2019.

September 9, 2022

Black-capped Petrel Year in Review— Progress to Conserve this Endangered Species

Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of the Black-capped Petrel Working Group, shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species.

The Critically Endangered “Diablotin” or Black-capped Petrel in flight. (Photo by Kate Sutherland)

The Black-capped Petrel is locally called the Diablotín (“little devil”) because of the creepy call it makes upon return to its mountaintop burrow in the evening. But nothing is more sinister than the threats this seabird is facing—habitat loss and invasive species. Fortunately, our Black-capped Petrel Working Group has been hard at work minimizing these threats to create a brighter future for these birds. In our latest blog Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of this Working Group shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species.

The full annual update is available on our blog (link above) but here are a few noteworthy highlights:

A number of new confirmed nests have been located in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In fact, the team located nests on Pic La Selle, Haiti’s tallest mountain. This area is where some of the first Black-capped Petrels were rediscovered in Haiti by David Wingate in 1961 and 1963!
Two of the largest known colonies suffered devastating dog attacks.
Over in Guadeloupe, researchers stepped up detection efforts with military-grade thermal binocular-camera equipment designed to detect, observe, and recognize objects that emit heat. Curious to find out what the camera picked up? Check out the report.
More evidence for persistence of petrels on Guadeloupe, Dominica and Cuba has come to light. A week-long expedition confirms the presence of the Diablotín on Dominica and has led to recommendations for future work, already in the planning stage. Specifically, the Group hopes to employ a four-legged companion to detect the petrels.
Lab analyses have revealed that petrels carry a tremendous load of mercury in their bodies and that their diet might be quite different from closely-related species.
Meanwhile, the people living and working in areas of key petrel habitat also carry on in spite of natural, social and economic calamities, showing resilience and fortitude. Environmental education programs for youth continue in Boukan Chat, Haiti and educational outreach opportunity presents itself in Pedernales, DR.

Read about these developments and more in the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group’s Annual Update on activities related to Diablotin conservation.

For more information about the Black-capped Petrel Working Group and how you can help click here.

Conservationists Pen Action Plan to Protect Extremely Elusive and Endangered Seabird

September 6, 2022

Meet Sami the Snowy Plover: a New Graphic Novel for World Shorebirds Day Tells his Survival Stories

BirdsCaribbean is delighted to announce the publication of a new graphic novel, just in time for World Shorebirds Day (September 6, 2022). “Sami the Snowy Plover: Stories of Survival” focuses on the vulnerability of these charming little shorebirds, which overwinter and nest on sandy beaches and salt flats on some islands throughout the Caribbean. You can leaf through this beautifully illustrated book here below or online in English or Spanish.

Josmar E. Márquez, the author and illustrator of the book, is passionate about these fragile shorebirds, whose IUCN status is Near Threatened. As he leads monitoring projects on Coche Island in his native Venezuela, his observations have made him come to love these round-bodied, pale brown plovers as they hurry across the sand. He also recognized the Snowy Plover’s susceptibility to human impacts and disturbances. He decided that he wanted to use his skills as an artist to tell stories that the reading public could empathize with, as he does. Hence little Sami’s story was born.

A naturalist and shorebird researcher and member of BirdsCaribbean and local NGO AveZona, Josmar is Coordinator of the Snowy Plover Monitoring Project in the offshore islands and cays of Venezuela. He explained that the idea of the novel grew in 2020 from a colouring book he created on the Snowy Plover. He worked with BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director Lisa Sorenson and her team to make it a reality.

Photo of a Snowy plover standing on the shore. — The Snowy Plover is a small, plump ground-nesting shorebird. In the Caribbean, they are primarily found in open, sandy areas near water like beaches, salt ponds, sand and mud flats, and barrier islands. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)

“Getting people to understand the risks faced by many shorebirds, especially Snowy Plover, is a personal goal. I have seen how Snowy Plovers are affected by human activity in their habitat,” says Márquez. To him, the book is “beautiful, tragic and hopeful.”

Page 3 of the graphic novel depicting an ATV being driven across the beach and causing stress to Sami the Snowy Plover. — One of the pages from the book, highlighting the disturbance posed by driving vehicles on the beach causing stress and harm to the Snowy Plover and other ground-nesting shorebirds.

Please take a read through the poignant stories of little Sami, which also have a message for all of us to take to heart. We would also welcome your feedback!

You can read the graphic novel online in both English and Spanish on our Flipsnack account where it is also available for free download. Please share with your networks!

Thanks to Josmar for creating this heart-warming but impactful resource!

Josmar Marquez, from AveZona, has lead bird monitoring projects on Coche Island in Venezuela since 2018. In addition to data collection, his work involves mentoring young conservationists and promoting nature-friendly behavior changes in the local community of the island.

Protecting the Snowy Plovers of Coche Island Through Science and Community

August 30, 2022

Fostering Raptor Conservation in the Caribbean Through Environmental Education

Marta Curti of the Peregrine Fund shares her thoughts on (and love for) our magnificent Caribbean raptors, including several threatened endemic species and subspecies; and introduces a brand new Resource Guide, which will help conservationists, educators, and community members understand raptors better.

I am just going to say it. Raptors are cool! Their laser-like eyesight, powerful hunting skills, acrobatic and graceful flight, coupled with their penetrating stare, have been a source of fascination for humans probably since the first time someone locked eyes with one of these spectacular birds. But they are so much more than attractive and awe-inspiring birds.

More and more research has shown the important roles raptors play in the ecosystems in which they live. They act as top predators, bio-indicators, and umbrella species. They provide important ecosystem services for humans, and many are keystone species. In short, their role in an ecosystem is large in comparison to their numbers and their removal from that system would cause a cascade of negative effects on numerous other organisms – including humans.

Despite this, raptors are one of the most threatened bird groups in the world. And raptors in the Caribbean are no different. Populations across the region are in decline and there are even several endemic species and subspecies that need our help. These include the Ridgway’s Hawk, Cuban Kite, Grenada Hook-billed Kite, and Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. With this in mind, you would imagine that the study of raptors and conservation programs to protect them would be widespread. But sadly, despite the critical roles they play in our ecosystems, and the many threats they face, there are few research and environmental education programs focused on raptors across the Caribbean.

We set out to change all of that.

Together with support from BirdsCaribbean, we at The Peregrine Fund have written a 200-page training manual entitled “Raptors of the Caribbean: Education and Conservation Resource Guide.” The guide is divided into four chapters:

What are Birds of Prey,
Identification of Birds of Prey of the Caribbean,
Why Raptors Matter, and
How One Can Help Conserve Raptors.

Each chapter is followed by two learning activities and one evaluation activity, as well as additional learning materials. Though written in English, we are now in the process of translating it into Spanish and Haitian Creole (Kreyòl), so it will have greater impact throughout the Caribbean.

But the creation of the guide is just the first step. The next stage is to train conservationists, community leaders, and educators in its use. During the AOS-BirdsCaribbean Conference in Puerto Rico in June 2022, we held a condensed workshop for 12 participants. After a short presentation on birds of prey, the action started. We began by breaking into teams and building life-sized raptors out of recyclable materials. Participants created a Stygian Owl, a Ridgway’s Hawk, and even a massive Secretarybird out of nothing but cardboard, plastic bottles, newspaper, and some tape to hold them all together. Creativity took flight!

Group works together to construct their Stygian Owl. (photo by Gabriela Diaz)

Close-up view of Secretarybird constructed of recycleable materials. (photo by Gabriela Diaz)

Team proudly shows off their completed life sized Secretarybird built out of recyclable materials plumes prey and all! (photo by Lisa-Sorenson)

One group plans the activity they will teach to the rest of the workshop participants. (Photo by Gabriela Diaz)

One group is busy constructing a Secretarybird (photo by Gabriela Diaz)

Group shares their Stygian Owl masterpiece (photo by Lisa Sorenson)

For the next activity, groups reviewed the guide and chose an activity they were going to teach to the rest of us. We played games, wrote poems, and engaged in a “memory” challenge. One participant kept repeating “I am having so much fun!” A positive sign indeed!

We had carried out a pre- and post-evaluation and saw that in the four short hours of the mini-workshop, participants learned a lot about raptors that they hadn’t known before – such as what they eat, where they live, and the important functions they perform in their environment. It was an intense, hands-on learning experience.

Thanks to support from BirdsCaribbean and the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, the manual is now completed. Our dream is to carry out extended workshops of two or more days in countries around the Caribbean. Participants will gain experience – including conservation-based lessons that use raptors to teach math, language, art, and even physical education in their programs.

One team proudly shows of their Ridgway's Hawk, made of recyclable materials. (photo by Tahira Carter) — One team proudly shows of their Ridgway’s Hawk, made of recyclable materials. (photo by Tahira Carter)

In these longer workshops, we aim to offer participants training in environmental education techniques and methods. These would include developing a guided nature walk; giving an impactful presentation; how to speak about sensitive issues one-on-one with community members; and utilizing whatever materials are available on-hand to create fun and dynamic learning experiences for participants’ target audiences. They would also learn about raptors in their countries, food chains, threats to wildlife, and possible conservation solutions.

Several participants from each country would then be trained to lead these workshops, so we can form a chain of raptor-based environmental education workshops throughout the Caribbean and help to promote interest in raptor research and conservation. From our understanding, this is the only raptor-based conservation-themed workshop in the region. We are excited to embark on these workshops and look forward to sharing our results!

We are currently raising funds to make these education workshops a reality. Ongoing training is so vital to ensure the long-term survival of these magnificent birds. If you would like to support this work, please click here.

The “Raptors of the Caribbean” Training Manual and Guide is currently undergoing a final review, and will be available for FREE download in late September, 2022. Stay tuned!

Saving a Species in Peril—A Holistic Approach to Conserving the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic

Community Resilience Boosts Conservation of the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Age of COVID-19

Coming Together for Conservation: How the Support of a Community is Helping Protect the Ridgway’s Hawk from Extinction

August 3, 2022

From Ashes to Opportunity: Volcano Sparks Efforts to Understand and Conserve the Endangered Whistling Warbler

July 23, 2022

Resilience and Action: AOS-BC Conference in Puerto Rico Addresses Future of Conservation

June 15, 2022

From the Nest – Day 101

Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2022 is “Loving Birds is Human Nature”. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.

Endemic Bird of the Day: Yellow-shouldered Blackbird

If you find yourself birding near the coasts of Puerto Rico, you may be lucky enough to witness the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus) showing off its golden epaulets on the base of its wings. The yellow feathers that give it its name contrast beautifully with the shiny dark plumage that covers the rest of its body and boldly announces its rank as the “capitán” (Spanish for “captain” and one of its common names in Puerto Rico) of Puerto Rican birds.

Their size ranges from 20 to 23cm with males usually slightly larger than females. However, both sexes are identical when it comes to plumage. Their common call consists of a short “check” or nasal “chwip,” usually performed while perched on a branch and flicking their tail. Although considered by some as mostly insectivorous (feeding mainly on insects), Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds have a diverse diet that includes mollusks, fruits, seeds, nectar, animal feed, and processed food such as granulated sugar.

At the end of the 19th century, the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird was found throughout the entire archipelago of Puerto Rico. However, it is currently classified as Endangered, its decline due to loss of habitat and brood parasitism by the invasive Shiny Cowbird. Introduced predators like rats and the Indian Mongoose have also had a serious impact on the blackbird’s population size. Currently, due to all these threats, the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird can only be found on coastal habitats scattered throughout the main island of Puerto Rico and Mona Island. The largest population resides in southwestern Puerto Rico with approximately 500 individuals.

The Yellow-shouldered Blackbird’s breeding season typically occurs between the months of March and September but can stretch through November in rainy years. They make a nest in the form of a cup where the female lays between 2 to 5 speckled, light-blue eggs. Nests are commonly built on branches of mangroves or cavities of dead trees. However, they may also place their nests on palm leaves, coastal cliffs, and manmade structures. In southwestern Puerto Rico, to help conserve the species, biologists have been experimenting with providing Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds with PVC structures in which to place their nest. It was hoped that these structures would reduce the risk of predation by mammals and simplify the monitoring and control of brood parasitism. These have been highly successful at helping increase this species’ reproductive success. Nevertheless, multiple studies are being conducted to determine how these could be modified to further increase the reproductive success of this unique species. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird

Listen to the calls of the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird

The calls of the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird include a sharp “chulp” sound.

Puzzle of the Day

Yellow-shouldered Blackbird in flight where you can clearly see the distinctive yellow wing patches which give this bird its name. (Photo by Mike Morel)

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Todays featured endemic bird, the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird, builds its nests in on branches of isolated mangroves, in crevices or hollows of dead trees, and sometimes in palm trees. The females build the nest using dried grass, twigs and leaves, making the perfect place in which to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. You could give the birds nesting near your house or in your garden a helping hand with making their perfect nest, with our nest-material activity.

With an adult helping you can gather twigs, grasses and other safe things birds like to use for their nests from around your home and garden. Put out these materials, and see who arrives to make use of them! You can download full instructions here.

Be sure to follow our suggestions for nest materials, these have been selected especially to be suitable for bird nests, some things might be dangerous for birds and their chicks if they put them in their nests. You can keep note of who visits and which things they choose to include in their nests – do some birds have a favourite type of nest material?

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Watch this report from Puerto Rico below about how using man-made nest boxes can help Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds! In this video you can find out about the PVC “drainpipe” like structure that biologists are providing for Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds to nest in. These nest boxes have be very successful in boosting the numbers of Yellow-shoulder Blackbird chicks that fledge! They also make it easier for biologists to monitor Blackbird nests and chicks. For example, via the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds, BirdsCaribbean are funding Jean Gonzalez Crespo track Blackbird chicks after they fledge from the nest and estimate their survival during this critical period. His work will help local and federal agencies determine whether survival rates before breeding are contributing to population declines, and identify the factors that influence survival.

You can also enjoy this video of a Yellow-shouldered Blackbird the wild!

May 26, 2022

BirdsCaribbean urges French authorities to protect Brown Pelicans on Guadeloupe

Sustained harassment of nesting Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe, in recent years, has resulted in the abandonment of the largest colony of this species in the French Caribbean islands. BirdsCaribbean is greatly concerned by this unfortunate development and urges French authorities to take action to stop any harassment and ensure the birds return to breed in this important colony. (en français ci-dessous)

Brown Pelicans in the Caribbean rarely nest in urban settings, and yet this colony is just a few steps away from both a library and primary school. BirdsCaribbean regrets that the pelican colony in Le Gosier did not receive adequate consideration and protection from the local authorities of the town that proudly takes its name from the Brown Pelican. This indeed is a missed opportunity for education where, with the right will and incentives, the name-sake of the town can turn a human-wildlife ‘neighborhood dispute’ into a source of pride for the small town of Le Gosier.

A pair of Brown Pelicans cares for its three young chicks in the Le Gosier colony, during the 2013-2014 nesting period (Photo by Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles – Régis Gomès).

History of Brown Pelicans on Guadeloupe

Part of the pelican Le Gosier colony during the 2013-2014 breeding period (Photo: Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles – Régis Gomès). Note numerous chicks (white plumage with brown wings) on nests – a sign of a healthy and fully functional colony.

Brown Pelicans were extirpated from Guadeloupe in the 19th century following hunting and persecution. Low numbers nested in the archipelago in 1984 and 1996 but the species only resumed breeding permanently in 2007. This is the same year that a few nests with chicks were rediscovered at the Le Gosier colony. From a handful of nests in 2010-2011, this colony increased in size to reach a maximum of 117 nests in 2016-2017, covering a large area on the spectacular sea cliffs of Boulevard Amédée Clara. This made it one of the largest nesting colonies of Brown Pelicans in the Lesser Antilles. It hosted as many breeding pairs as the other three colonies known to have re-established in Guadeloupe combined, and represented the largest colony of this species in the French Caribbean islands. In fact, the town of Le Gosier takes its name from “gwan gosyé”, the traditional Créole name for the Brown Pelican. This majestic bird is also the town’s emblem and, as such, appears on numerous buildings and monuments.

For the first time since 2007, Brown Pelicans did not nest at the Le Gosier colony in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. This fact was brought to the attention of BirdsCaribbean in November, 2020 by the Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles (ASFA). Visits by rangers of Parc National de la Guadeloupe in December 2020, and by Association AMAZONA in January 2021, confirmed the abandonment of this breeding site. Visits by ASFA in early 2022 confirmed that Brown Pelicans did not renest in 2021-2022.

“When, in 2007, we announced that we had discovered a Brown Pelican colony in Le Gosier, we thought it would stimulate decision-makers to make the return of the Brown Pelican in Guadeloupe a success. The loss of this colony is a resounding defeat for the recovery of this species.” — Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles

Threats to the Caribbean Brown Pelican

Despite its familiar presence on our shores, the Caribbean Brown Pelican population is still considered at risk in the region. It is also listed as a strictly protected species under the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol, of which France is a signatory. In Guadeloupe, nesting Brown Pelicans are listed as Vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Species in France (IUCN France 2021) and protected under the Arrêté du 17 février 1989. Under this arrêté, any form of destruction, removal, capture or use of this seabird or its nest is forbidden.

As early as 2014, ASFA alerted relevant French authorities of the potential human-wildlife conflicts that could arise from the growth of the colony, but no action was taken by the administration. Indeed, intentional disturbances directed at the nesting Brown Pelicans accelerated. ASFA shared with BirdsCaribbean that, over the years, people were observed deliberately and regularly throwing rocks at nests from both the top and bottom of the cliffs; demolition works directly above the colony repeatedly disturbed pelicans during nest initiation; and vegetation that supported nests was cut or degraded before or during the breeding season. Although the Arrêté du 17 février 1989 makes it unlawful to hurt or kill pelicans and their chicks or eggs, it does not protect them against disturbance (whether accidental or intentional), nor does it protect their breeding and resting sites from intentional destruction.

Estimated sizes of the Brown Pelican population in Guadeloupe between 2011 and 2021. Counts of fledgelings, and resulting estimates of productivity, were only carried out until 2018. (Data from Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles.)

The failure of France to curb these threats to a protected species partly results from the long-overdue revision of this arrêté, stuck in negotiations. BirdsCaribbean urges the French government to hasten the acceptance of the revision of Arrêté du 17 février 1989 to actually provide full protection to the Guadeloupean birds it seeks to protect. Furthermore, the Brown Pelican colony of Le Gosier did not receive the protection it needed from French authorities as pledged under the SPAW protocol, despite France being a signatory and ratifying country, and Guadeloupe hosting the offices of the Regional Activity Centre that oversees its implementation.

“The case of the Brown Pelican is a good example: France should make a priority of revising our weak national regulations. It could also easily compensate for the loss of breeding habitat for the Brown Pelican by protecting îlet Rousseau, a public land with strong potential not only for pelicans, but also for Magnificent Frigatebirds.” — Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles

Brown Pelicans breeding at the Le Gosier colony during the 2013-2014 nesting period. In the upper left corner, note the three big chicks sharing a nest – a sign of a healthy and fully functional colony. (Photo by Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles – Régis Gomès).

Next Steps

The Brown Pelican colony at Le Gosier was a jewel of Caribbean wildlife, one that was enjoyed by local people and visitors alike, but no longer – it only took only a few misplaced acts to destroy it.

BirdsCaribbean calls on the government and local administration to:

1) investigate and document what happened to the colony in 2020-2021;

2) put into place an action plan to avert a similar tragedy happening in 2022-2023 and the future;

3) monitor the areas where Brown Pelicans return and nest again, ensuring that they are not disturbed;

4) educate the local community to instill pride in the town’s name-sake, showing that it deserves our protection;

5) complete the revision of the Arrêté du 17 février 1989, and ensure that adequate legislation is in place to protect wildlife from disturbance and destruction.

En Francais

BirdsCaribbean est extrêmement préoccupée par l’abandon en 2020, 2021 et 2022 de la colonie de nidification de pélicans bruns du Gosier, en Guadeloupe, suite à des dérangements prolongés.

BirdsCaribbean est extrêmement préoccupée par les dérangements répétés de pélicans bruns (Pelecanus occidentalis) nicheurs ayant eu lieu au Gosier, en Guadeloupe, ces dernières années. Ces dérangements ont provoqué l’abandon de cette importante colonie de reproduction durant les saisons de reproduction 2020-2021 et 2021-2022. Les autorités responsables doivent agir pour arrêter et prévenir tout dérangement, et assurer le retour en nidification lors de la saison 2022-2023. Ceci aura des bénéfices économiques et pédagogiques pour la commune du Gosier. Dans les Caraïbes, les pélicans bruns nichent rarement dans des zones urbaines : malgré tout, la colonie ayant subi les dérangements n’est qu’à quelques pas de deux écoles et d’une médiathèque, dans une ville qui prend son nom de ces mêmes pélicans !

Photographie 1: Un couple de pélicans bruns s’occupe de ses trois jeunes poussins à la colonie du Gosier, pendant la saison de reproduction 2013-2014. (Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles – Régis Gomès).

Histoire des pélicans bruns en Guadeloupe

Pour la première fois depuis 2007, les pélicans bruns n’ont pas niché à la colonie du Gosier en 2020-2021 et 2021-2022, une information que l’Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles (ASFA) a partagé avec BirdsCaribbean dès novembre 2020. Des visites effectuées par des gardes du Parc National de la Guadeloupe en décembre 2020, et par l’Association AMAZONA en janvier 2021 ont confirmé l’abandon de ce site de nidification. Des visites de l’ASFA début 2022 ont montré que les pélicans n’avaient pas re-niché en 2021-2022.

Photographie 2: Une partie de la colonie de pélicans bruns du Gosier, pendant la saison de reproduction 2013-2014. (Photo: Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles - Régis Gomès). Noter les nombreux poussins (plumage blanc et ailes brunes) sur les nids, signe en bonne santé écologique. — Photographie 2: Une partie de la colonie de pélicans bruns du Gosier, pendant la saison de reproduction 2013-2014. (Photo: Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles – Régis Gomès). Noter les nombreux poussins (plumage blanc et ailes brunes) sur les nids, signe en bonne santé écologique.

Le pélican brun a été éradiqué de Guadeloupe au cours du XIXième siècle par la chasse et la persécution. Des effectifs limités ont niché sur l’archipel en 1984 et 1996 mais l’espèce n’a recommencé à nicher de façon permanente qu’en 2007. Cette même année, des nids avec des poussins étaient découverts à la colonie du Gosier. De quelques nids en 2010-2011, cette colonie a ensuite gagné en taille pour atteindre, à son maximum, 117 nids en 2016-2017, utilisant alors une grande partie des falaises spectaculaires du Boulevard Amédée Clara. Ceci en faisait l’une des colonies de nidification les plus grandes des Petites Antilles. Elle abritait autant de couples nicheurs que les trois autres colonies recensées en Guadeloupe combinées, et était alors la plus grande colonie de cette espèce dans les Antilles françaises. La ville du Gosier prend justement son nom du “gwan gosyé”, le nom créole du pélican brun. Cet oiseau majestueux est aussi l’emblème de la ville et, en conséquent, il apparaît sur de nombreux bâtiments et monuments.

“En annonçant, en 2007, que nous avions découvert une colonie de pélicans bruns, qui plus est, dans la ville du Gosier, nous pensions susciter une mobilisation des décideurs pour que ce retour de l’espèce en tant que nicheuse sur l’Archipel guadeloupéen soit un succès. L’abandon de la colonie sonne le glas d’une pleine reconquête de l’espèce.” —Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles

Menaces sur le pélican brun des Caraïbes

Malgré sa présence familière sur nos côtes, la population caribéenne du pélican brun est toujours considérée comme à risque dans la région. Elle est aussi listée comme strictement protégée au titre du protocole SPAW, protocole dont la France est signataire. En Guadeloupe, les pélicans bruns nicheurs sont listés comme Vulnérables sur la Liste Rouge des Espèces Menacées de France et sont protégés par l’Arrêté du 17 février 1989. En vertu de cet arrêté, toute forme de destruction, capture ou enlèvement de cet oiseau marin, de ses œufs ou de son nid est interdite.

Dès 2014, l’ASFA a alerté les autorités françaises compétentes des potentiels conflits qui pourraient découler de l’expansion de la colonie de nidification du Gosier, mais l’administration n’a pris aucune mesure. Au contraire, les dérangements intentionnels envers les pélicans bruns nicheurs se sont accélérés. L’ASFA a d’ailleurs informé BirdsCaribbean que, au fil des ans, des personnes ont été observées en train de jeter des pierres sur les nids, depuis le haut et le bas des falaises, de manière délibérée et régulière ; des travaux de démolition juste au-dessus de la colonie avaient dérangé les pélicans à plusieurs reprises au commencement de la nidification ; et la végétation sur laquelle les nids étaient construits avait été coupée ou dégradée avant ou pendant la saison de reproduction. L’Arrêté du 17 février 1989 rend illégal la destruction et la mutilation des pélicans, de leurs poussins et de leurs oeufs, mais il ne les protège pas des dérangements (accidentels ou intentionnels), et ne protège pas non plus leurs sites de reproduction et de repos de destructions intentionnelles.

Figure 1. Effectifs de population du pélican brun en Guadeloupe entre 2011 et 2021. Les comptages de jeunes à l’envol, et les estimations de productivité en découlant, n’ont pas pu être effectués après 2018. Données : Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles.

L’incapacité de la France à limiter ces menaces à l’encontre d’une espèce protégée est en partie le résultat de son incapacité à réviser l’Arrêté du 17 février 1989. BirdsCaribbean exhorte donc les autorités françaises à finaliser la révision de l’Arrêté du 17 février 1989 afin de véritablement offrir l’entière protection de la loi aux oiseaux de la Guadeloupe que cet arrêté prétend protéger. Par ailleurs, la colonie de pélicans bruns du Gosier n’a pas reçu la protection des autorités françaises, en directe opposition avec le protocole SPAW qu’elles ont pourtant signé et ratifié, et malgré le fait que les bureaux du Centre Régional d’Activité qui supervise la mise en application dudit protocole se trouvent en Guadeloupe .

“Cet échec est un bon exemple : la révision de la réglementation nationale devrait être la priorité de la France. Il serait aussi facilement réalisable de compenser les pertes survenues sur la colonie du Gosier en protégeant l’îlet Rousseau, un terrain public à fort potentiel non seulement pour les pélicans mais aussi pour les Frégates.” — Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles

Photographie 3: Des pélicans bruns en nidification à la colonie du Gosier, pendant la saison de reproduction 2013-2014. (Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles - Régis Gomès). Dans le coin en haut à gauche, noter les trois grands poussins dans un même nid, un signe d’une colonie en bonne santé écologique. — Photographie 3: Des pélicans bruns en nidification à la colonie du Gosier, pendant la saison de reproduction 2013-2014. (Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Faune des Antilles – Régis Gomès). Dans le coin en haut à gauche, noter les trois grands poussins dans un même nid, un signe d’une colonie en bonne santé écologique.

BirdsCaribbean regrette que la colonie du Gosier, qui est située face à la médiathèque et aux écoles du Boulevard Amédée Clara, n’ait pas reçu une considération appropriée de la part des autorités locales d’une ville qui emprunte fièrement son nom au pélican brun. Nous regrettons, par ailleurs, que cette opportunité pédagogique et économique ait étée négligée : avec des bonnes intentions et des soutiens adaptés, l’espèce qui prête son nom à la ville aurait pu transformer un “conflit de voisinage” entre humains et faune sauvage en une source de fierté pour la petite ville du Gosier.

Prochaines étapes

La colonie de pélicans bruns du Gosier était un joyau de la faune des Caraïbes, autant appréciée par les locaux que par les visiteurs, mais elle n’existe plus : il n’a fallu que quelques actes déplacés pour la détruire. Par conséquent, BirdsCaribbean demande au gouvernement français et aux administrations locales de

1) enquêter et documenter ce qui est arrivé à la colonie de pélicans bruns du Gosier en 2020-2021 ;

2) de mettre en place un plan d’action pour éviter qu’une tragédie similaire ait lieu en 2022-2023 et dans le futur ; 3) de suivre les zones où les pélicans bruns pourraient revenir et nicher, afin d’assurer leur protection ;

4) de développer des programmes pédagogiques à destination des communautés locales, afin d’inspirer de la fierté pour l’espèce qui prête son nom à la ville et de montrer qu’elle mérite notre protection ; et

5) de finaliser la révision de l’Arrêté du 17 février 1989 et de s’assurer qu’une législation appropriée soit en place pour protéger la faune sauvage des dérangements et des destructions.

En attendant de recevoir de vos nouvelles rapidement, je vous remercie pour votre assistance.

May 23, 2022

From the Nest – Day 92

Endemic Bird of the Day: Bahama Swallow

On the most northern islands of The Bahamas, this acrobatic bird can be seen flying low over the roads, fields, and other open habitats. Its ability to twist and turn at the last second is truly impressive – the fighter jets of the bird world. Is it just showing off? No, the Bahama Swallow (Tachycineta cyaneoviridis) is hunting, grabbing unlucky flying insects directly out of the air.

But if a Bahama Swallow will sit still long enough, the stunning beauty of this Bahamian endemic will blow you away. The deep metallic green on its crown and upper back fades into dark blue, and then into grayish-brown on its long wings and forked tail. These gorgeous colors contrast sharply with the purest of whites on the throat and belly, which continues under part of the wing. The white under the wing, along with a more deeply forked tail, can help distinguish it from its close relative, the Tree Swallow.

During the breeding season (March – July), this special bird can only be found on three islands in the Northern Bahamas – Grand Bahama, Andros, and Abaco. Along with New Providence, these islands are the only ones in the Bahamian archipelago that contain large areas of Caribbean pine. During the non-breeding season, a few birds may wander south to other islands in the Bahamas, to northern Cuba, and the Florida Keys. More study on the species’ movements are needed!

The swallow has a strong connection with this unique and magical pine forest habitat. The species is a secondary cavity-nester, meaning that it will only build a nest in a cavity (i.e., a hole of some kind), but it cannot create this cavity for itself. Luckily for the swallow, two woodpecker species — the Hairy Woodpecker and the West Indian Woodpecker — are very good at making nesting cavities in dead trees. After the woodpeckers are done with them, the swallow can jump in! But it is generally safer for swallows to use the cavities in the pine forest, usually made by the Hairy Woodpecker, where they are less exposed to competition and predation.

The Bahama Swallow is an Endangered species, and its survival depends on healthy pine forest and woodpeckers to continue to make nesting cavities. The largest threat to the swallow is habitat loss from development and natural disasters like hurricanes. For example, in 2019, Hurricane Dorian destroyed huge sections of pine forest habitat on Grand Bahama and northern Abaco, where swallow populations were already small. So protecting the pine forest on Abaco and Andros is more important than ever to conserve this special bird! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Bahama Swallow

Listen to the song of the Bahama Swallow

The song of the Bahama Swallow is a jumble of liquid notes, they also have a “chet-chet” call which can be heard in this recording.

Puzzle of the Day

Bahama Swallow group perched in a tree — A flock of Bahama Swallows take a rest in a pine tree. *Bahama Swallows will make their nests in cavities in trees, using the needles of the Caribbean pine as nesting material.* (Photo by Walker Golder)

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Bahama Swallows feed on insects, swooping through the air to catch them on the wing! Can you help this hungry Bahama Swallow find its way through our maze to to grab some tasty insect food? You can find the correct route here.

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Want to find out more about the Bahama Swallow and what it is like to study these beautiful little birds? Read all about the work of ecologist and ornithologist Maya Wilson. Maya’s graduate research was focused on understanding more about the status and breeding biology of this endangered island endemic. In her blog post below you can share a day in the field with Maya as well as learning more about the fascinating research she carried out in the Bahamas.

Bahama Swallows in the “Pine Islands”—Report from the Field

May 18, 2022

Dive into the World of Seabirds with BirdCaribbean’s New Webinar Series

May 12, 2022

Printing now! The Spanish Version of our Endemic Birds Coloring Book

It’s coming soon! And we are excited, as the printing presses are whirring.

BirdsCaribbean partners and citizens of all ages from across the Spanish-speaking islands can look forward to enjoying the Spanish language version of our popular Endemic Birds of the West Indies Coloring Book, which will soon be ready for ordering. Translations of the English text by Mark Yokoyama are by Juan Carlos Fernández-Ordóñez and Maydiel Cañizares, with the appealing illustrations by Christine Elder waiting to be colored.

Back and Front Covers of the Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book in Spanish.

“The book is at the press now,” confirmed Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, Lisa Sorensen. “We are very grateful to all those who have contributed and supported this publication, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service International Programs, the Cape Cod Bird Club, and of course our members and generous donors.”

The coloring book is now available for free download. To receive hard copies, email info@BirdsCaribbean.org

The book contains all the same artistic and educational material as the English language one, with an additional section explaining the birds’ scientific names. It also gives reasons for and provides details of how and why different local names are often given to the same bird in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. For example, in Cuba the West Indian Whistling Duck is called the Yaguasa. In Puerto Rico it is known as the Chiriría, and in the Dominican Republic people call it the Yaguaza. This can be confusing! In the book, the scientific name is written in italics after the common name of each bird.

“We will be shipping hard copies to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic (and sending copies via courier to Cuba) as soon as the book is printed, hot off the press,” said Lisa Sorensen. “We are happy that this lovely book will be reaching a much wider audience, and we look forward to the feedback from our Spanish-speaking friends.”

Note: The French version of the coloring books will also be available soon!

How to obtain copies of Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book in Spanish

You can download the colouring book for free on our Resources page.

If you are an educator working for an NGO or government in the Caribbean and would like to receive one or more boxes of the coloring book, please contact info@birdscaribbean.org. To save on shipping costs, we are aiming to limit the number of shipments per country. We ask for help with distribution by a local institution to NGOs and governmental ministries for use at bird and nature education events.

Help us get these books to children across the islands!

We need your help to ship this book to the islands, as well as funding support to print the French version. If you would like to help, please click here. No donation is too small!!

About the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival – CEBF

The annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF), held from April 22 (Earth Day) to May 22 (International Biodiversity Day), seeks to increase awareness and appreciation of the region’s unique bird life. Every year, thousands of people across over twenty-five Caribbean islands participate in a range of activities organized by local non-governmental and environmental organizations. The theme of the 2022 festival is “Loving Birds is Human Nature.” BirdsCaribbean is hosting activities to celebrate at home, such as webinars, a short story and poetry competition, games, coloring sheets, and more. Virtual CEBF activities called From the Nest, including Endemic Bird of the Day, coloring pages, puzzles, videos, bird songs, and much more can be accessed at this link.

Help Inform Planning, Support, and Conservation Action for Caribbean Endemic Birds!

April 10, 2022

Resilience and Hope: One Year After the La Soufrière Volcanic Eruptions on St. Vincent

January 29, 2022

Conservationists Pen Action Plan to Protect Extremely Elusive and Endangered Seabird

“Conserving the Diablotin” informed by a decade of exploration and research

The Endangered “Diablotin” or Black-capped Petrel in flight. (Photo by Kate Sutherland)

The Endangered Black-capped Petrel is a seabird so secretive that ten years ago, only one active nest had ever been located and monitored.

Despite this tremendous gap in knowledge, the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group created an action plan in 2012 to guide the conservation of this rare seabird. Now, after a decade of searches, studies, and management actions, producing tremendous advancements in our understanding of this species, partners have released a new guide to empower petrel conservationists. The recently released “Conserving the Diablotin: Black-capped Petrel Conservation Update and Action Plan” lays out nine strategies to enable conservation and address threats to the species and its habitat.

The Black-capped Petrel is the rarest nesting seabird in the Caribbean, with only an estimated 2,000 breeding pairs remaining worldwide. Conservationists have now located more than 100 nests on the island of Hispaniola, and found evidence of smaller populations possibly breeding on Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Cuba. Once common in the Caribbean, the species’ population was decimated over the past two centuries by overhunting, the introduction of mammalian predators, and the destruction of its forested nesting habitat. Predation and habitat loss continue to threaten the species; just this past season, a number of petrels were killed and nests lost due to predators and habitat destruction.

In the new Conservation Update and Action Plan, the authors identified the strategies and actions most likely to combat the threats of predation and habitat loss. Community engagement, already begun at some petrel sites, is key to habitat preservation. Other strategies, including continued searches for the petrel, capacity building of local conservation organizations, restoration approaches, and advocacy for the species when at sea, are in place or in planning. Preventing petrel extinction requires that all of these strategies be complementary and employed together.

“This new road map to the recovery of the Black-capped Petrel calls for a multi-organizational approach to implementation. Fortunately, efforts on behalf of the species thus far have been notable for a high level of cooperation and communication. It’s been very gratifying,” stated Jennifer Wheeler, lead author of the document.

The core team that authored “Conserving the Diablotin” come from a varied group of organizations, including BirdsCaribbean, Clemson University, Cornell University, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean, Grupo Jaragua, and American Bird Conservancy. The authors drew on the expertise of a long list of collaborators from around the world and applied lessons learned from a number of successful projects with related species facing similar conservation problems.

The release of “Conserving the Diablotin” is a milestone for the group of individuals and organizations working to protect and study the Black-capped Petrel for so many years. This work was made possible by the financial support of many donors, chief among them the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For more information on the Black-capped Petrel, please visit the below links:

Graphic showing the main organizations supporting the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group.

Contacts:

Jennifer Wheeler

BirdsCaribbean

jennifer.wheeler@birdscaribbean.org

1-703-424-5086

Our mission is to raise awareness, promote sound science, and empower local partners to build a region where people appreciate, conserve and benefit from thriving bird populations and ecosystems.

Adam Brown

Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC)

abrown@epicislands.org

1-707-845-1171

Protecting the Caribbean environment through research and community-based action.

Brad Keitt

American Bird Conservancy (ABC)

bkeitt@abcbirds.org

1-831-420-7115

Dedicated to achieving conservation results for birds of the Americas.

Ernst Rupp

Grupo Jaragua

ernst.rupp@grupojaragua.org.do

1-829-776-6510

Contribuir a la conservación de la biodiversidad de la isla La Española y los servicios ambientales que se deriven de ella, con la participación de las comunidades locales y apoyándose en la ciencia.

January 18, 2022

JCO Roundup: Volume 34 Features New Research from Seven Islands

Volume 34 of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO) presents a wide spread of original contributions, from methodical surveys of seabirds and landbirds, to the documentation of rarely seen behaviors, that all add to the knowledge of the Caribbean avifauna. Despite ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, our team of editors, reviewers, other JCO staff, and valued authors worked together to provide all these publications to the scientific and conservation communities around the Caribbean. Thank you all! Behind the scenes, Dr. Stefan Gleissberg has taken over the reins as JCO Managing Editor, learning the ropes from Justin Proctor, who continues to work on behalf of JCO as BirdsCaribbean’s Vice President. See below short summaries of the 12 regular articles reporting from 7 island territories. Free access to the journal’s entire content also includes 4 book reviews and the annual review of ornithological literature from the Caribbean by Dr. Steven Latta. Please take some time to enjoy all of Volume 34. If you enjoyed reading an article, please send the authors or the Managing Editor a quick email letting them know. — Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., JCO Editor-in-Chief | jmwunderle@gmail.com — Stefan Gleissberg, JCO Managing Editor | stefan.gleissberg@birdscaribbean.org

Map depicting research locations of the studies published in Volume 34.

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND NOTES

Status of seabirds, habitat, and invasive species in the Cordillera Reef Nature Reserve, Puerto Rico

Luis A. Ramos-Vázquez, Nahíra Arocho-Hernández, Cielo Figuerola-Hernández, José L. Herrera-Giraldo, and Jan P. Zegarra-Vila The Cordillera Reef Nature Reserve, an island chain just off the northeast coast of Puerto Rico, provides critical breeding habitat for seabirds in the Caribbean; however, little is known about the seabird populations, and the threats they face, on these islands. To address this, Ramos-Vásquez et al. conducted seabird surveys and an invasive animal detection assessment across the nature reserve, providing updated information that highlights the importance of the reserve for seabird colonies and the need for effective, well-planned invasive species management.

Broad-billed Tody (Todus subulatus) response to playback of vocalizations and non-vocal sounds

Vivan M. Lee, Alejandra Pérez, Olive Onyekwelu, Jordan M. Chan, Dominic E. Cannady-Lindner, Alexander A. Levitskiy, María Teresa Reinoso-Pérez, and André A. Dhondt Are Broad-billed Todies territorial during the non-breeding season? To answer this, Lee et al. conducted playback experiments in native scrub forest in the Dominican Republic to assess responses to three distinct Broad-billed Tody vocalizations. Todies responded more rapidly and intensely to song playbacks compared to other sounds, suggesting that they aggressively defend their habitats even during the non-breeding season.

Características de la migración otoñal de Seiurus aurocapilla (Aves: Parulidae) en el cabo de San Antonio, Cuba

Karina Velazco Pérez, Felix Noel Estrada Piñero, Hiram González Alonso, and Alina Pérez Hernández The Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) is a common winter resident and one of the most abundant migratory species in the Cuban Archipelago; however, little is known about the species’ migration dynamics. In this study, Velazco Pérez et al. conducted mist-net surveys on the Guanahacabibes peninsula to establish a baseline for both the physiological and ecological characteristics of the Ovenbird’s autumnal arrival in Cuba.

Northern Parulas (Setophaga americana) mobbing a Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus) depredating an adult Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)

Ted Gilliland It’s a bird-eat-bird world! Pearly-eyed Thrashers (Margarops fuscatus), known for their aggressive interspecific interactions, are suspected predators of other resident birds, including Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola). Northern Parulas (Setophaga americana) are neotropical migrants that regularly mob predators in defense and to gain information. In this research note, Gilliland documents a chance observation in Puerto Rico of Northern Parulas mobbing a Pearly-eyed Thrasher, a behavior with implications for social learning and future predator avoidance.

Habitat selection by the Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata stictipennis) on Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe: possible negative association with chlordecone pollution

Pascal Villard, Alain Ferchal, Philippe Feldmann, Claudie Pavis, and Christophe Bonenfant Organochlorine insecticides can have lasting and devastating effects on bird populations, by altering bird behaviour and reproductive success. Almost three decades after the cessation of its use in Guadeloupe, the organochlorine “chlordecone” persists in the soils and waterways of the island. The Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata) is one of the species likely affected by this persistent pollutant, and in this paper, Villard et al. explore the possible links between remnant chlordecone pollution and habitat selection by Ringed Kingfishers.

Morphological traits of four land bird species in Grenada

Alexandra Heathcote, Paulson Des Brisay, Christopher De Ruyck, Paula Grieef, and Nicola Koper How are birds on small, species-poor islands like Grenada different from their neighboring conspecifics? Lower species diversity on islands can lead to more generalist behaviour in birds, where these island populations live in more varied habitats and eat a more varied diet than elsewhere. This phenomenon is called “ecological release”. In this paper, Heathcote et al. explore the morphological effects of ecological release on four common Grenada bird species, comparing them to their neighbors throughout the Caribbean Basin and providing evidence that these Grenadian birds are perhaps even more different than we thought.

New host species records of a parasitic fly (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) in montane forests of Hispaniola

Pedro M. Alarcón-Elbal, Holly M. Garrod, Spencer C. Schubert, and Alonso Santos Murgas Louse flies (Hippoboscidae) are obligate parasites that often live on birds. The louse fly Ornithoctona erythrocephala has been documented with avian hosts of all sizes throughout the Caribbean, though it is previously unreported on tanagers (Thraupidae). In this research note, Alarcón-Elbal et al. describe the first record of this fly parasitizing the Black-faced Grassquit (Melanospiza bicolor) and Green Heron (Butorides virescens) in the Dominican Republic, an observation with implications for avian health and the direction of ornithological and entomological research in the region.

Introduced mammals threaten the Grenadines transboundary tropical seabird hotspot

Juliana Coffey and Natalia Collier The Grenadine islands are one of the remaining hotspots for breeding seabird populations in the Caribbean. There, as elsewhere, introduced mammals threaten the survival of seabirds through predation and habitat degradation. In this paper, Coffey and Collier present the most thorough inventory ever compiled of invasive mammals throughout the Grenadines, a critical first step to conservation planning for mammal eradication and habitat restoration.

Observation of intraspecific nest usurpation of the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus) in southwestern Puerto Rico

Jean P. González-Crespo and Alberto R. Puente-Rolón Blackbirds (Icteridae) have been known to engage in some cutthroat nesting behaviours, such as brood parasitism (e.g., the infamous Shiny Cowbird [Molothrus bonariensis]) and nest piracy or usurpation. Nest usurpation involves stealing another individual’s nest for breeding, and the usurper will forcefully remove all obstacles in its way, including any unfledged nestlings. In this research note, González-Crespo and Puente-Rolón present the first record of nest usurpation by the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus) in Puerto Rico, with implications for the reproductive success of this endemic and Endangered species.

Persistence of the Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri) and the Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) in cave breeding refugia on Mona Island, Puerto Rico

Cielo E. Figuerola-Hernández, Rickard S. Toomey III, Patricia Kambesis, José L. Herrera-Giraldo, and Nick D. Holmes Invasive mammals pose a threat to seabird populations throughout the Caribbean, and Mona Island—off the coast of Puerto Rico—is no exception. The Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri) and the Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) are two cave-breeding seabirds whose habitat is limited by the presence of rats, cats, and other invasive mammals. In this research note, Figuerola-Hernández et al. present evidence of breeding of these two species in caves on Mona Island, the first documented nests in over eight decades.

Abundance and density estimates of landbirds on Grenada

Eleanor S. Devenish-Nelson and Howard P. Nelson Resident landbirds are an ubiquitous yet unique part of the avifauna in the Caribbean, but they are relatively understudied. Several of these species are also endemic to the region, making the documentation and monitoring of their populations all the more important. On Grenada, there are approximately 36 resident landbird species, of which at least 25% are regionally endemic. In this paper, Devenish-Nelson and Nelson present abundance and density estimates for these species, from one of the first island-wide surveys since the 1980s.

First report of a Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) on Bermuda

Andrew le F. Dobson, Andrea Webb, Ingela Perrson, Richard Brewer, Luke Foster, and Miguel A. Mejías In this research note from Bermuda, Dobson et al. document a vagrant Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides), a western North American species discovered by local birders among Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis). The observation represents the first record of the species outside the continent.

BOOK REVIEWS

Birds of Cuba: A Photographic Guide

Book author: Arturo Kirkconnell, Patricia E. Bradley, and Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet Book review by: Steven C. Latta

The Birds of Cuba: An Annotated Checklist

Book author: Arturo Kirkconnell, Guy M. Kirwan, Orlando H. Garrido, Andy D. Mitchell, and James W. Wiley Book review by: Steven C. Latta

Looking for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in eastern Cuba

Book author: Alberto R. Estrada Book review by: Mark Michaels

The root of the Antilles: a history of the Todidae family

Book authors: José González Díaz and Felisa Collazo Torres Book review by: Thomas W. Sherry

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE (ROL) FROM THE CARIBBEAN

Recent ornithological literature from the Caribbean – 2021

Steven Latta The annual compilation of the most important articles that appeared elsewhere, annotated by Steve Latta. Article by: (1) Zoya Buckmire – Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology; (2) Joe Wunderle – Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (3) Justin Proctor – Vice President of BirdsCaribbean (4) Stefan Gleissberg – Managing and Production Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO.

January 7, 2022

2021: A Year of Unexpected Drama and Surprising Successes

It was an extraordinary year. But then, so was 2020! Despite the ongoing roller coaster ride that was the COVID-19 pandemic, BirdsCaribbean pressed on. While some activities were necessarily curtailed, with our ever-enthusiastic partners we “pivoted,” adapted to the changing circumstances, and overcame obstacles. We had some great successes. We also turned to highlighting some pressing issues impacting our Caribbean birds. Now, we are looking forward to an exciting 2022, full of potential and possibilities!

We are feeling very positive about this new year. The theme of our upcoming conference in Puerto Rico (June 27 to July 2), which we are co-hosting for the first time with the American Ornithological Society (AOS), is “On the Wings of Recovery: Resilience and Action.”

This theme reflects the focus of our activities in the past year, supporting our partners as they work on solutions to the many challenges facing the region’s birds. We are also looking forward to hosting workshops in the Dominican Republic and The Bahamas, on Landbird Monitoring and Bird Banding, respectively.

In case you missed it, here’s an overview of BirdsCaribbean happenings in 2021:

It was a “quiet” year, but…

Ash plume from the La Soufriere volcanic eruptions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines — Ash plume on April 9th at 4 PM, the first day of eruptions (photo by Richard Robertson, UWI Seismic Research Centre)

Thankfully for the islands, the hurricane season was not as devastating as in previous years, although climate change is still with us. Year after year, the region continues to suffer from droughts, coastal erosion, and floods after heavy rains, damaging habitats and creating havoc in communities. However, there was still some unexpected drama this year.

The explosive eruptions of La Soufrière, a volcano in St. Vincent, began on April 9th, 2021, and continued spewing volcanic ash and debris into the atmosphere for weeks – displacing thousands and blanketing forests and towns in many inches of volcanic ash. Although it has now quietened down (its eruptive phase was declared over at the end of November, 2021) there was considerable damage to trees and river valleys from pyroclastic material, rocky debris and mudflows.

In the wake of the destruction, concerns for the St. Vincent Parrot and several other endemic bird species rose and we were thankful for the valiant efforts of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Forestry Department. With generous donations from friends and donors to the BirdsCaribbean fundraising site, we were able to ship a range of supplies to the Department, including field equipment, food, veterinary supplies, and much more. We also supported intensive surveys of the St. Vincent Parrot by Forestry staff in December, 2021 – more news on their status soon!

A Turkey Vulture costume, the biggest Big Day, and CWC was busy too

As usual, bird festivals were important days in our calendar. Island residents hosted at least scaled-down activities – whether virtual, in person, or a “hybrid” mixture, since COVID regulations varied from time to time.

Cuban boy wearing Turkey Vulture costume for WMBD 2021 — Héctor Fidel Ravelo Romanguera wins first prize in the WMBD costume competition for his amazing Turkey Vulture costume. (Photo by Ines Lourdes Fernandez)

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in Fall, when our beautiful “winter visitors” start to appear in gardens, fields and forests across the Caribbean, is always an opportunity for fun activities, especially with young people. This year’s theme, “Sing, Fly, Soar Like a Bird” inspired bird walks, field trips and an exciting Bird Costume Party, won by creative schoolchildren in Cuba. The winning Turkey Vulture costume was stunning! Many thanks to Environment for the Americas for assisting with educational materials.

Our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF), which we have hosted for the past twenty years, is always a delight. 2021 did not disappoint. After all, we have no less than 171 endemic species to choose from! The theme “Sing, Fly, Soar Like a Bird” provided ample opportunities for fun activities and important learning through webinars, birding field trips, and activities and online resources for families and youth to celebrate. Check out the exciting webinars here! Our partners shared what the theme meant to them in short inspiring videos – these can be viewed here.

The 12th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) was another important activity, which was highly successful. From mid January to early February, birders fanned out across wetlands and beaches to record their sightings on eBird Caribbean. From the offshore islands of Venezuela to the wetlands of Kingston Harbour, Jamaica, there was a great turnout of birders. Anguillan partners were excited to spot Piping Plovers, while in Antigua, a young birding group participated in a “Mask-erade.”

We did mention successes, didn’t we? Global Big Day 2021 (Saturday, May 8) was – well, big! Close to 2,000 checklists were submitted from the Caribbean – a big jump in participation. 364 species were spotted, beating last year’s record. Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas were stars, and fifteen teams participated, raising funds for Motus bird monitoring stations. Some wonderful photos were taken of birds and people, enjoying the day; take a look here at the winners of our Photography Awards.

An exciting project is about to unfold…

Earlier this year, we announced our plans for a new bird monitoring initiative, the Caribbean Motus Collaboration, to set up a Motus Wildlife Trafficking System that will use nano-tags tracked by receivers to gain valuable data on the movement of birds across our region. We are grateful to Birds Canada and the Northeast Motus Collaboration for their support. For full details and if you are interested in contributing in any way, please complete a short survey or make a contribution here.

A wealth of online material – yes, we went virtual again

Image of Arnaldo Toledo's amazing Grand Prize winning bird Zine — Cover of Arnaldo Toledo’s amazing Grand Prize winning bird Zine

To enhance these programs and special calendar events, and also to boost our advocacy for birds, we were very busy throughout the year designing and producing a whole range of online products. In 2021, we again broadcast virtually “From the Nest” with an Endemic Bird of the Day for the CEBF, accompanied by related puzzles, games and coloring pages. Our very first “Bird Zine” contest garnered some beautiful, artistic products from contestants in various age groups, with winners from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago. For the Caribbean Waterbird Census we started off with no less than three webinars, helping us to identify tricky species and with an additional webinar on Puerto Rican waterbird species.

For the 2021 Caribbean Waterbird Census, we gave webinars on how to participate in the CWC, including presentations on using eBird Caribbean and Merlin, how to do a CWC count, and how to identify waterbirds and shorebirds – always challenging! Check out our helpful webinars on our Youtube channel CWC playlist.

For World Migratory Bird Day, we produced a series of four videos highlighting our migratory shorebirds, many of which are endangered. One species, the Lesser Yellowlegs, is in particular trouble, with a drastic decline in numbers since the 1970s. At a free webinar on October 8, wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Management Program Laura McDuffie explained the work she and colleagues are doing to track, monitor and gain more information on these vulnerable birds.

All our videos may be viewed on our YouTube channel. Take a browse through!

And we met online, too…

A major highlight of our year was the opportunity to present at the 2021 AOS Virtual Meeting, from August 9 – 13. BirdsCaribbean was thrilled to present a three-part symposium entitled “Resilient Caribbean Birds – Surviving and Thriving in a Challenging World,” in which we highlighted recent avian research and conservation projects in the region, on August 11 and 12. Our presentations were well attended and online networking and information sharing took place.

And then, to business. Our General Business Meeting on October 28 had over 80 participants and lasted for over two hours (there was a lot to tell our members and supporters about!) providing a comprehensive update on BirdsCaribbean’s activities.

Group photo of BirdsCaribbean General Business Meeting 2021 participants — General Business Meeting 2021 Group Photo on Zoom 1

One memorable online event was the Seabird Fest on December 2, organized by our dynamic Seabird Working Group. The meeting provided a thorough update on the group’s impressive activities, from the Isla Contoy National Park (Island of Birds) off the Yucatan peninsula to Bermuda and the Cayman Islands – and all islands in between. There are 20 resident seabird species in the Caribbean, not all regularly monitored. The hope is to organize a big seabird monitoring effort in 2023. While it faces challenges, we applaud this group’s work. If you would like to know more, sign up for their recently launched newsletter!

Our advocacy for birds continues…

Our focus on shorebirds tied in with ongoing concerns among ornithologists and bird lovers regarding the hunting of these migratory gems on the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, and to a lesser extent Barbados. In a short video “Caribbean Shorebirds Under Fire” (available in English, French and Spanish here) that is at times distressing to watch we sought to explain this complex issue. We continued to support our partners’ efforts to have as many species as possible protected and to reduce this devastating harvest of endangered birds, through email petitions to the French authorities.

Photo collage shows images of wild bird trafficking in Cuba — Images of wild bird trafficking in Cuba.

Many migratory species are also under threat on the island of Cuba, due to the illegal capture and sale of wild birds as they arrive on the island in the autumn months. Endemic and resident species are also targeted by trappers. BirdsCaribbean is extremely concerned at the dramatic increase in the trafficking of a range of species, both at home and extending overseas. We highlighted this growing concern recently in our investigative report, urging Cuban authorities to enforce wildlife protection laws. We are raising funds to help our colleagues combat this problem and we need your support! We will continue to shine the spotlight on these and other issues that are affecting our birds negatively.

We have had a frantically busy year, as you can see. Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, with the support of our wonderful donors and the boundless enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work of our partners on the ground, we feel a sense of achievement, and look forward to what 2022 will bring.

Category: Threatened Birds

2023 was a Fulfilling Year of Progress, Building, and Empowerment

JCO Roundup: Volume 36 Features Exciting New Research from Across the Caribbean

Recent Articles in the JCO on an Endangered Caribbean Hawk

Fantastic Fifteen! Join us for the Annual Caribbean Waterbird Census

New Educational Guide on Caribbean Raptors Gets Off to a Flying Start in the Dominican Republic

Birds Connect Our World – Day 56

Have You Seen This Bird? Outreach to Aid in the Search for the Diablotin

From the Nest – Day 122

Cuba’s BIG YEAR of Birding!

BirdsCaribbean Awards Grants for Ten Projects to Study and Conserve Birds

JCO Roundup: Volume 35 Features New Research from 11 Caribbean Locations

Track Piping Plover Sightings Live!

CWC2023 Featured Birds: Meet the Piping Plover

Keep an Eye Out for Piping Plovers During CWC 2023

BirdsCaribbean Congratulates Haitian Conservationist Anderson Jean, Recipient of Stanford’s 2022 Bright Award

Black-capped Petrel Year in Review— Progress to Conserve this Endangered Species

Meet Sami the Snowy Plover: a New Graphic Novel for World Shorebirds Day Tells his Survival Stories

Fostering Raptor Conservation in the Caribbean Through Environmental Education

From Ashes to Opportunity: Volcano Sparks Efforts to Understand and Conserve the Endangered Whistling Warbler

Resilience and Action: AOS-BC Conference in Puerto Rico Addresses Future of Conservation

From the Nest – Day 101

BirdsCaribbean urges French authorities to protect Brown Pelicans on Guadeloupe

From the Nest – Day 92

Dive into the World of Seabirds with BirdCaribbean’s New Webinar Series

Printing now! The Spanish Version of our Endemic Birds Coloring Book

Help Inform Planning, Support, and Conservation Action for Caribbean Endemic Birds!

Resilience and Hope: One Year After the La Soufrière Volcanic Eruptions on St. Vincent

Conservationists Pen Action Plan to Protect Extremely Elusive and Endangered Seabird

JCO Roundup: Volume 34 Features New Research from Seven Islands

2021: A Year of Unexpected Drama and Surprising Successes

Focus on one adorable but elusive waterbird…

Looking for landbirds…

We were out and about again! Celebrating our beautiful endemics

On the Caribbean Birding Trail in Turks and Caicos

Bonding over Bird Banding! Workshop #2 in the Dominican Republic

Caribbean bird banders have gone abroad!

Seabirds under pressure

More direct funding for research and conservation work!

Have we forgotten something? Oh, yes…

Networking is key…

A few glimpses behind the scenes of JCO’s operations in 2023:

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND NOTES

Meghann B. Humphries and Robert E. Ricklefs

BOOK REVIEW

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE (ROL) FROM THE CARIBBEAN

Article by

MORE FEATURED ARTICLES FROM “JUST PUBLISHED IN THE JCO”

What makes a wetland?

From planning your surveys to waterbird ID to—we’re here to help!

Make your counts count—get them on eBird!

Have fun out there!

Migratory Bird of the Day: Lesser Yellowlegs

Color in the Lesser Yellowlegs

Listen to the calls of the Lesser Yellowlegs

Puzzles of the Day

Activity of the Day

You can FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LESSER YELLOWLEGS AND HUNTING IN THE CARIBBEAN IN THIS SHORT VIDEO

enjoy some more photos from the 2023 Diablotin expedition

Endemic Bird of the Day: Black-capped Petrel

Colour in the Black-capped Petrel

Listen to the calls of the Black-capped Petrel

Puzzle of the Day

Activity of the Day

Awards Ceremony of the Big Year Cuba 2022

The truth is in the eBird data

The future of birdwatching and conservation in Cuba

Ridgway’s Hawk Conservation and Education Project in Haiti

Birdwatching movement in Cuba as a way to improve the knowledge of Cuban avifauna and promote conservation efforts based on citizen science

Promoting conservation of birds and nature on St Maarten through education, birding, and bird guide training

Facilitating community involvement in Pawi (Trinidad Piping-Guan) research and conservation

Bird Conservation in the Botanical Garden: Publication of a new field guide

Does Los Roques Archipelago continue to be a safe place for breeding colonies of seabirds of Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, and Audubon’s Shearwater in the Caribbean?

Establishing a long-term bird banding station in the National Botanical Garden in Havana, Cuba

Investigating male and female vocalizations of an understudied endemic Caribbean songbird

First Field Inventory of the Avifauna in Los Colorados ́s Archipelago, northwestern Cuba

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND NOTES

REVIEWS

PERSPECTIVES AND OPINIONS

BOOK REVIEWS

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE (ROL) FROM THE CARIBBEAN

Article by

Why Join the Survey?

Share Your Survey Experience

We look forward to finding out where you spot Piping Plovers during CWC2023!

Resources to Help With Surveys

Track Piping Plover Sightings Live!

What to look for

Where to look

Be part of the Plover Patrol

BirdsCaribbean warmly congratulates Haitian environmental hero Anderson Jean on receiving Stanford University’s top environmental prize, the 2022 Bright Award, on its tenth anniversary!

The rumblings, then eruptions, that ignited our work

Touching down for the “oreo” bird

Hiking, Birding, and Counting, Oh My!

So, how are the warblers doing?

Nature is resilient!

Optimistic for the future: Our next steps

Acknowledgments

Help us to continue this work!

Gallery

Further reading:

BirdsCaribbean Highlights at the Conference

Workshops

Symposia

Working Group Meetings

Roundtables

BirdsCaribbean Awards

Silent Auction

Tody Trot

Merchandise

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