THE JOURNAL OF CARIBBEAN ORNITHOLOGYufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/10/01/42/00001/JCO 16(1)...

CONTENTS RESEARCH, MONITORING, AND CONSERVATION OF NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY LAND BIRDS IN THE WEST

INDIES: A REPORT TO THE SOCIETY FOR THE CONSERVATION AND STUDY OF CARIBBEAN BIRDS (SCSCB) BY THE NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD WORKING GROUP OF THE SCSCB. Steven C. Latta, Adrianne Tossas, Ann Sutton, Hiram Gonzalez, Paul B. Hamel, and David DeSante ................................................................................ 1

FIRST SIGHT RECORD OF NORTHERN PARULA (PARULA AMERICANA) FOR TRINIDAD AND A FOURTH RECORD FOR TOBAGO. Floyd E. Hayes ............................................................................................................................................ 20

NUEVOS REGISTROS DE AVES ACUÁTICAS EN CAYO SABINAL, CAMAGÜEY, CUBA. Omilcar Barrio Valdés, Pedro Blanco Rodríguez y Roberto Soriano ................................................................................................................. 22

RECENT COLONIZATION OF ST. MARTIN BY THE SCALY-BREASTED THRASHER (MARGAROPS FUSCUS). Adam C. Brown and Natalia Collier ........................................................................................................................................... 24

MORE PELAGIC BIRD SIGHTINGS OFF DOMINICA. Allan R. Keith and Lucy W. Keith ....................................................... 26 NOTABLE BIRD SIGHTINGS FROM CUBA, WINTERS 2002 AND 2003. Julie A. Craves and Kimberly R. Hall ..................... 31 DINÁMICA METAPOBLACIONAL EN LAS COLONIAS DE GARZAS (AVES: ARDEIDAE) DE LA CIÉNAGA DE BIRAMAS,

CUBA. Dennis Denis Avila .......................................................................................................................................... 35 REPRODUCCIÓN DE LA GARZA GANADERA (BUBULCUS IBIS) EN LA CIÉNAGA DE BIRAMAS, CUBA. Dennis Denis,

Antonio Rodríguez, Patricia Rodríguez y Ariam Jiménez ............................................................................................. 45 BIRD RECORDS IN A MONTANE FOREST FRAGMENT OF WESTERN SIERRA DE NEIBA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

Christopher C. Rimmer, Jesús Almonte M., Esteban Garrido G., Danilo A. Mejia, Maria Milagros P., and Paul R. Wieczoreck ...................................................................................................................................................... 55

NUEVO REPORTE PARA EL ZARAPICO NADADOR (PHALAROPUS LOBATUS) EN CUBA. Ariam Jiménez, Antonio Rodríguez y José Morales ............................................................................................................................................ 61

UNUSUAL DISTRIBUTION OF WESTERN STRIPE-HEADED TANAGER (SPINDALIS ZENA). Martin Acosta, Lourdes Mugica y Antonio Rodríguez ........................................................................................................................................ 62

OBSERVATIONS OF RARE AND UNUSUAL BIRDS ON GRENADA. Martin D. Frost and Edward B. Massiah ....................... 63 OCCURRENCE OF AN OVER-WINTERING CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER (DENDROICA PENSYLVANICA) ON ST.

MARTIN, LESSER ANTILLES. Adam C. Brown and Natalia Collier .............................................................................. 66 IS CHANNEL-BILLED TOUCAN (RAMPHASTOS VITELLINUS) ESTABLISHED ON GRENADA? Edward B. Massiah and

Martin D. Frost ............................................................................................................................................................ 68 PRESENCIA DURANTE TODO EL AÑO DE LA PIZPITA DE MANGLE (SEIURUS NOVEBORACENSIS) EN PUERTO RICO.

Raúl A. Pérez-Rivera, Limary Ramírez, José Velázquez y Alberto Molina ................................................................... 70

Continued on back cover

THE JOURNAL OF CARIBBEAN ORNITHOLOGY

SOCIETY FOR THE CONSERVATION AND STUDY OF CARIBBEAN BIRDS

SOCIEDAD PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN Y ESTUDIO DE LAS AVES CARIBEÑAS SOCIÉTÉ POUR LA CONSERVATION ET L�ETUDE DE LA CARAÏBE

Spring 2003 Vol. 16, No. 1 (ISSN 1544-4953) Formerly EL PITIRRE


THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE CONSERVATION AND STUDY OF CARIBBEAN BIRDS LA REVISTA DE LA SOCIEDAD PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN Y ESTUDIO DE LAS AVES CARIBEÑAS

LE JOURNAL DE LA SOCIÉTÉ POUR LA CONSERVATION ET L�ETUDE DE LA CARAÏBE

Editor: James W. Wiley, Maryland Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 1120 Trigg Hall, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Maryland 21853, USA; Telephone: (410) 651�7654; Fax: (410) 651�7662; e-mail: [email protected]

Associate Editor: Adrianne G. Tossas, Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, PR 00931; e-mail: [email protected]

Associate Editor for French West Indies: Philippe Feldmann, CIRAD-Micap, TA 179/03, F-34398 Montpellier cedex 5, France; e-mail: [email protected]

Associate Editor for Spanish-Language Materials: José Placer, Coereba Society (www.coereba.org); e-mail: [email protected]

News, comments, requests, and manuscripts should be mailed to the Editor or an Associate Editor for inclusion in the newsletter. Noticias, comentarios, peticiones y manuscritos deben ser enviadas al Editor o Editor Asociado para inclusión en el boletín.

NEW EDITOR Please note that all communications regarding The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

should be made to the new Editor, as follows: Dr. Jerome A. Jackson Whitaker Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Florida Gulf Coast University 10501 FGCU Blvd. South Ft. Myers, Florida 33965�6565, USA Telephone: 941�590�7193 Facsimile: 941�590�7200 E-mail: [email protected]

The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds

Sociedad para la Conservación y Estudio de las Aves Caribeñas Société pour la Conservation et l�Etude de la Caraïbe

Spring 2003 Vol. 16, No. 1

1

RESEARCH, MONITORING, AND CONSERVATION OF NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY LAND BIRDS IN THE WEST INDIES:

A REPORT TO THE SOCIETY FOR THE CONSERVATION AND STUDY OF CARIBBEAN BIRDS (SCSCB) BY THE NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD WORKING GROUP OF THE SCSCB

STEVEN C. LATTA1, ADRIANNE TOSSAS2, ANN SUTTON3, HIRAM GONZALEZ4, PAUL B. HAMEL5, AND DAVID DESANTE6

1PRBO Conservation Science, 4990 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA; 2Alturas de Mayagüez, Yunque E-43, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00680; 3Marshall�s Pen, PO Box 58, Mandeville, Jamaica; 4Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática,

Carretera de Varona Km. 3.5, La Habana, Cuba; 5Center for Bottomlands Hardwoods Research, PO Box 227, Stoneville, MS 38776, USA; and 6Institute for Bird Populations, PO Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956, USA

Abstract.�In a Caribbean-wide effort to compile and exchange among islands information about Neotropical mi-gratory birds that spend the non-breeding season in the Caribbean Basin, we collected summaries of research pro-jects undertaken on each island which had as their focus the ecology of Neotropical migratory birds, current research and conservation projects in each country, and a bibliography of publications based on local research. We then used these data to generate a comprehensive list of research priorities concerning migrants in the non-breeding season, and finally, recommend uniform methodologies for the monitoring of migratory land birds on the islands.

Resumen.�INVESTIGACION, MONITOREO Y MONSERVACIÓN DE AVES MIGRATORIAS NEOTROPICALES EN LAS IN-DIAS OCCIDENTALES: UN REPORTE AL SOCIEDAD PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN Y ESTUDIA DE AVES CARIBEÑAS (SCSCB) POR EL GRUPO DE TRABAJO PARA AVES MIGRATORIAS NEOTROPICALES DE SCSCB. En un esfuerzo para compilar y intercambiar entre los ornitólogos y conservacionistas de las islas caribeñas información sobre aves mi-gratorias que pasan la temporada no-reproductiva en el Caribe, aquí presentamos un resumen de investigaciones con-cluidos sobre la ecología de las aves migratorias, investigaciones y proyectos de conservación que están en marcha, y una bibliografía de publicaciones sobre aves migratorias en el Caribe. Usamos estos datos para producir una lista amplia de los prioridades de investigación sobre aves migratorias, y finalmente, unas recomendaciones para métodos uniformes para el monitoreo de aves migratorias en las islas.

Résumé.�ETUDE, SUIVI ET CONSERVATION DES OISEAUX MIGRATEURS TERRESTRES DANS LES ANTILLES : RAP-PORT À LA SOCIÉTÉ POUR L�ETUDE ET LA CONSERVATION DES OISEAUX DE LA CARAÏBE (SCSCB) DU GROUPE DE TRAVAIL SUR LES OISEAUX MIGRATEURS NÉOTROPICAUX. Dans le cadre d�un effort de compilation et d�échange d�in-formations entre les îles de la Caraïbe sur les oiseaux migrateurs néotropicaux qui y séjournent en dehors de la pé-riode de nidification, nous avons réunis des résumés des projets de recherches entrepris sur chaque île. Ces projets concernaient l�écologie des oiseaux migrateurs néotropicaux, les recherches et les actions de conservation en cours ainsi que l�établissement d�une bibliographie des publications basées sur des recherches locales. Ces données ont ensuite permis de définir une liste exhaustive des priorités de recherche sur les migrants hors saisons de nidification et, en conclusion, de recommander des méthodes homogènes de suivi de ces espèces dans les îles.

Key words: conservation, monitoring, Neotropical migrant birds, research, West Indies

Page 2 Journal of Caribbean Ornithology Vol. 16 No. 1

INTRODUCTION AT THE 13TH MEETING of the Society of Caribbean Ornithology (now the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds [SCSCB]) held in Topes de Collante, Cuba, 15�22 July, 2001, a special symposium was conducted on Neotropical migratory birds in the Caribbean. The symposium consisted of a series of presentations of original research and is-land reports, including summaries of previous re-search projects undertaken in each country, current research and conservation projects in each country, research needs, and a bibliography of publications based on local research. There followed a presenta-tion and discussion of various research and monitor-ing protocols that may be applicable to Neotropical migrants in the West Indies. Following this sympo-sium, a formal Working Group on Neotropical Mi-gratory Birds was formed with the following objec-tives: (1) to compile and exchange among islands information about Neotropical migratory birds in the Caribbean Basin; (2) to recommend uniform method-ologies for the research and monitoring of migratory birds in the islands; and (3) to sponsor training pro-grams for Caribbean biologists interested in applying recommended research and monitoring techniques. The Working Group also supported assembling and publishing a summary report of these discussions and the recommendations that the symposium engen-dered.

HISTORY OF RESEARCH OF NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRDS IN THE CARIBBEAN

With few exceptions, the history of research and monitoring of Neotropical migratory birds in the Car-ibbean Basin has followed a similar pattern among the various islands. Early work was limited to species lists and observations made by visiting or resident ornithologists and naturalists. These observations are mostly scattered in the literature as notes, included in check-lists, or perhaps summarized in bird guides and special publications (i.e., Barbour 1923, Wet-more and Swales 1931, Bond 1960, Biaggi 1970, Woods 1975, Dod 1978). Since the mid-1970s, when the first symposium on Neotropical migratory birds was held (Keast and Morton 1980), through the 1980s (Rappole et al. 1983, Arendt 1986), and espe-cially subsequent to the 1989 publication of Chandler Robbins� documentation of continent-wide declines in some migratory species (Robbins et al. 1989), the ecology of Neotropical migrants has attracted in-creased attention. Whereas most of this attention has been directed toward breeding-ground events in

North America, a few early studies of migrants dur-ing the non-breeding season focused primarily on the distribution, abundance, and foraging behavior of species in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean (i.e., Terborgh and Faaborg 1980; Arendt 1992; Finch and Stangel 1993; Wunderle and Waide 1993, 1994), and often concluded that species were gener-alists because they were found in geographically widespread areas and a variety of habitats. But be-ginning with Faaborg and Arendt�s research in Puerto Rico (Faaborg and Arendt 1984), and later Holmes and Sherry�s work in Jamaica (Holmes et al. 1989), studies began to focus on the need for habitat-specific, demographic, and site-fidelity data in assessing habitat preferences of migratory birds during the non-breeding season. Because some spe-cies were shown to segregate by sex and age class, abundance data alone could be a misleading indica-tor of population size and habitat preference. More-over, abundance cannot be equated with survival, so data on site fidelity, including site persistence and annual return rate, may be required to assess habitat quality. Thus, across the Caribbean, several recent studies have focused on habitat-specific demo-graphies and site fidelity of warblers during the non-breeding season (Woods 1975; Holmes et al. 1989; Wunderle 1995; Marra et al. 1998; Wunderle and Latta 2000; Marra and Holmes 2001; Sillett et al. 2000; Latta and Faaborg 2001, 2002), and these studies have set the standard by which studies of the ecology of migrants are measured. Below we briefly summarize previous research and monitoring efforts on each of the islands or island systems where sub-stantial numbers of Neotropical migrants are known to spend the non-breeding season. Cuba.�A tremendous amount of work on Neotropical migratory birds has come out of Cuba. Because of its geographical position and large size, a considerable number of migrants is found in Cuba during migration and throughout the Nearctic win-ter. With these large numbers of birds and the re-ported general declines in migrant populations, Cu-ban ornithologists have developed research pro-grams to determine the state of migrant populations and factors that affect these populations, and col-lected data needed to implement management plans for the conservation of the habitats that these mi-grants use. Unique to the Caribbean Basin, research in Cuba has focused on the following objectives: (1) determine the influence of various forest-types and regions of the island on the distribution, community composition, and abundance of migratory and resi-dent birds throughout the year; (2) delineate possi-

LATTA ET AL. � RESEARCH, MONITORING, AND CONSERVATION OF NEOTROPICAL MIGRANTS

Journal of Caribbean Ornithology Vol. 16 No. 1 Page 3

ble migration corridors; (3) determine the distribu-tion and state of communities of resident and migra-tory birds in the different regions of Cuba; and (4) make management recommendations to managers of protected areas concerning birds and their habitats. With these objectives, from 1988 to 1999 Cuban biologists using linear transects, point counts, and mist-nets have worked in 34 localities in 10 regions of Cuba (Guanahacabibes, Mil Cumbres, la Guira, Peninsula de Hicacos, Ciénaga de Zapata, Cayo Coco, Cayo Santa María, Gibara, Altiplanicie de Nipe, and Parque Alejandro de Humbolt) to evaluate communities of terrestrial birds. Vegetation composi-tion and structure have also been measured in circu-lar plots at each site. This work adds to the growing body of evidence from several countries showing the importance of combining circular point counts and mist-net captures to efficiently sample avian commu-nities (Ralph and Scott 1981, Ralph et al. 1993). Dif-ferences in species richness and abundance among study sites owe principally to the distribution of mi-gratory birds. In addition, biologists have found dif-ferences in sex ratios of migrants among regions of Cuba. Characteristics of the vegetation structure that have most influenced the composition and abundance of bird communities are canopy cover, ground cover, and the volume of foliage at 0�1 m. Areas most im-portant for Neotropical migratory birds include Guanahacabibes, Peninsula de Hicacos, Cayo Coco, Cayo Santa Maria, and Gibara. With relation to mi-gratory birds banded in the non-breeding season and later recaptured, 49.5% of 111 birds were recaptured in the same mist-net where they were previously banded, whereas an additional 31.5% were recap-tured within 100 m of the mist-net where they were banded, thereby demonstrating strong site fidelity to territories, and corroborating not only that birds re-turn to the same region or area, but that they occupy the same microhabitat each year. Additional work has been done on migratory populations of shore-birds and waterbirds. Work on migratory birds has been summarized in some 37 articles published in journals in Cuba, United States, Mexico, Canada, and Spain. Two doctoral dissertations have been success-fully defended (González 1996, Rodríguez 2000a), as well as two theses (Pérez 1996, Ayón 1998). Finan-cial support for the work has been provided by Cana-dian Wildlife Service, World Wildlife Fund of Can-ada, International Council for Bird Preservation (now BirdLife International), Tennessee Department of Conservation, and the Institute of Ecology and Sys-tematics of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment of Cuba.

Jamaica.�Jamaica has seen intensive surveys by local biologists for many decades for both Neotropi-cal migrants and residents, and has been the site of important, sustained research on the ecology of Neotropical migrants during the non-breeding sea-son. Since the 1970s important counts and surveys have been conducted in Jamaica by Lack (1976), Ann and Robert Sutton, Wunderle and Waide (1993), Chandler Robbins (Robbins et al. 1987, 1992), and many others. Beginning in 1986, Rich-ard Holmes (Dartmouth College) and Tom Sherry (Tulane University), followed by students Peter Marra, Allan Strong, Matthew Johnson, and Scott Sillett, conducted some of the first studies of demo-graphic differences in habitat use and site fidelity of migratory birds during the non-breeding season, with much of their work focused on the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens), and Ovenbird (Seiurus auricapillus) across an array of habitat types that exhibit different degrees of stress as the dry season progresses. Results from redstarts have shown that patterns of habitat occupancy such as sexual habitat segregation are caused by behavioral dominance of older males (Marra 2000). Sexual habitat segregation is important to the population dynamics of these species, with individual birds in less suitable habitats having lower annual survival and poorer physiological condition (Marra and Holmes 2001). Using stable-carbon isotopes, Marra et al. (1998) showed that redstarts in high-quality habitats in Jamaica arrived on breeding grounds ear-lier and in better physical condition, both of which are positively correlated with reproductive success on the breeding grounds. Poor body condition dur-ing the non-breeding season was linked to food availability for the Ovenbird by Allan Strong (Strong and Sherry 2000). Research on another ground-forager, Swainson�s Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii), suggests that for this guild, differences in foraging strategy and the location of available prey will dictate a species� ability to maintain body mass in Jamaica (Strong 2000, Strong and Sherry 2001). Recently, Leo Douglas has built on some of this work to look at migrant behavior in anthropo-genic habitats (Douglas 2001). Work has also shown that Jamaican shade-coffee plantations pro-vide relatively high quality habitat for redstarts, and the types of shade trees used to shelter the coffee affects the birds via their influence on food avail-ability (Johnson 2000b). Finally, climate cycles, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation have been shown to influence survival of the Black-throated



Faaborg 2002), and demonstrated that an ectopara-site can have a dramatic impact on Palm Warblers (Arendt 1992, p. 164; Latta and O�Connor 2001; Latta, in press), thus suggesting the potential impor-tance of parasites to limitation of avian populations during the non-breeding season. Hispaniola is also the principal non-breeding grounds of the globally threatened Bicknell�s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) that has been inten-sively studied in the Dominican Republic by Chris Rimmer and collaborators. Research has focused on distribution, habitat use, site fidelity, and survival of these birds in high elevation, moist broadleaf sites (Rimmer and McFarland 2001). Current research is investigating apparent sexual segregation in this species and the possible impact of this on popula-tion dynamics. Finally, the Dominican Republic is unique in the Caribbean in that in 1998 a national avian conserva-tion workshop was held which sought, among other things, to prioritize avian research needs and to pro-mote the concept of long-term avian monitoring (Latta and Lorenzo 2000, Latta 2000). This led to a national monitoring plan which includes methods for the monitoring of birds during both the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Portions of that plan have been implemented (see Monitoring below). Puerto Rico.�As has occurred in other islands, early work in Puerto Rico was limited to observa-tions of species occurrence by visiting and resident ornithologists and naturalists. These observations are scattered in the literature as notes or included in check-lists and supplements, and have since been summarized in bird guides and special publications (Biaggi 1970, Raffaele 1989). Since the 1970s, sev-eral more rigorous studies of Neotropical migrants have been conducted in Puerto Rico. Two of the principal researchers working with migratory land-birds in the island are John Faaborg (University of Missouri � Columbia) and Wayne J. Arendt (U. S. Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, Río Piedras, PR). They have been study-ing residents and migratory birds in the subtropical dry forest of Guánica in southwestern Puerto Rico since 1972 with the primary purpose of monitoring long-term population fluctuations. This is indeed the longest-running monitoring program in the region and has yielded a wealth of data on population trends and the response of warbler populations to habitat change and climate fluctuations (Faaborg 1982; Faaborg and Arendt 1984, 1989, 1990 1992a,b, 1995). Numerous other completed research pro-jects have focused on Neotropical migrants in

Blue Warbler in Jamaica, which in turn affects re-cruitment rates in the subsequent breeding season (Sillett et al. 2000). Hispaniola.�Hispaniola was probably less in-tensively surveyed for Neotropical migratory birds than were some of the other Caribbean islands, al-though Chandler Robbins (Robbins et al. 1987, 1992), and later Wunderle and Waide (1993) in-cluded the Dominican Republic in their Caribbean-wide surveys. In addition, early surveys of migrant abundance and habitat use were made by Terborgh and Faaborg (1980) and Arendt (1992, Table 4). Whereas political instability has prevented work in Haiti (but see Woods and Ottenwalder 1983, 1986), the Dominican Republic has seen numerous studies of the ecology of Neotropical migratory birds since the early 1990s. These studies were first led by Jo-seph Wunderle (U.S. Forest Service), and later by Steven Latta (University of Missouri) and Chris Rimmer (Vermont Institute of Natural Science). Work over the past decade has focused on several species of migratory birds which spend the non-breeding season in large numbers on the island. Sig-nificant progress has been made in understanding habitat needs of such species as the Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cape May Warbler (Dendroica ti-grina), Prairie Warbler (Dendroica discolor), Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum), American Red-start, and Ovenbird. Studies completed by Joseph Wunderle and Steven Latta focused on migrant use of shade coffee plantations (Wunderle and Latta 1994; 1996; 1998a,b; 2000), with the plantations serving as a model for fragmented forest habitat. Results indicated that site fidelity to small shade coffee plantations was comparable to that found in some native tropical forests, and that size of the plantation had little effect on site fidelity. This work also provided some of the early scientific basis needed to promote �bird friendly coffee.� Subse-quent studies of migrants by Latta focused on natu-ral habitats in the Sierra de Bahoruco where some of the most significant parcels of native habitat remain. In the Bahorucos, Latta established nine long-term study sites, each with color-banded populations of birds, and focused research on habitat-specific demographics and site fidelity, and factors responsi-ble for variation in site fidelity among habitats. Among other results, Latta has shown the impor-tance of late dry-season events and habitat heteroge-neity in the non-breeding season ecology of the Prairie Warbler (Latta and Faaborg 2001), linked both population responses and individual condition of nonbreeding Cape May Warblers to prevailing ecological conditions across habitats (Latta and


use and anthropogenic changes to habitats? What value does early successional habitat have for migrants? Bamboo? Acacia woodlands? What are the possibilities of managing selected crops as habitat (especially pasture, citrus, ca-cao, and other agricultural crops)?

2. Social behavior of species on their non-breeding grounds a. How prevalent are mixed-species flocks in the

Caribbean and what species participate in flocks?

b. Similarly, which species are territorial on their non-breeding grounds?

c. What drives the movements of �floaters� or �wanderers� and how does wandering influence survival probabilities?

3. Limiting factors a. What are the limiting factors for each species on

their non-breeding grounds (e.g., climate, food, habitat, predators, disease)?

b. How do weather patterns (especially rainfall) affect site fidelity, and can these data be related to climate change (i.e., global warming) and global climate patterns such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)?

c. How general is the model of non-breeding sea-son ecology and population dynamics as pre-sented for the American Redstart?

d. Do events that occur in the nonbreeding period play a critical role in population dynamics of these species in the annual cycle?

4. Conservation concerns a. What are the effects of habitat fragmentation on

migrants on their non-breeding grounds? Do ef-fects vary among habitats? Can we develop stan-dard techniques of rapidly assessing habitat quality?

b. In addition to coffee plantation research, are there any other examples of cost-effective at-tempts to improve quality and quantity of mi-grant-bird habitats?

c. Can we prioritize the conservation importance of species within and across political units (island/country)?

5. General concerns a. Few studies cover the entire migratory or non-

breeding season. We need a better understand-ing of arrival and territory establishment peri-ods, and spring fattening periods. We need an understanding of how birds prepare for spring

Puerto Rico during shorter-term periods including three doctoral dissertations (Richardson 1974, Faaborg 1975, Baltz 2000). General research topics have included migrant community structure (Faaborg 1975, Wunderle and Waide 1993), migration ecology (Richardson 1974, 1976), habitat use by focal species (Baltz 2000; Wunderle 1992, 1995), social behavior (Staicer 1992), and conservation (Wunderle and Waide 1994). Bahamas.�Beyond general surveys (Wunderle and Waide 1993), occasional mist-netting, and intensive searching for Kirtland�s Warbler (Dendroica kirt-landii), little work has been conducted in the Bahama Islands. John Emlen (1977) completed a monograph on land-bird communities of Grand Bahama Island which included data on residents during the non-breeding season, whereas more recently Michael Mur-phy and co-authors (2001) studied population struc-ture and habitat use by Neotropical migrants on San Salvador Island. Joseph Wunderle is overseeing the only active project studying habitat use by the endan-gered Kirtland�s Warbler on Eleuthera Island, with additional work on the demographics and site fidelity of the suite of Neotropical migratory birds inhabiting low scrub vegetation. This work is undertaken with the participation of Bahamas National Trust, Bahamas Department of Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy, and the U. S. Forest Service. Virgin Islands.�Beyond survey work and avian monitoring completed by David Ewert and Robert Askins (see below), little work has taken place in the Virgin Islands with regard to migrants. Work by Askins et al. (1992) pointed to the abundance of mi-grants in unfragmented moist forests of St. John Island compared to the fragmented forests of St. Thomas. There are no active projects beyond a recently initi-ated monitoring project at a single site on St. Croix (see below).

RESEARCH NEEDS 1. Habitat associations

a. Habitat-specific survival data by sex and age class are unavailable for most species and most habitats.

b. Although almost all major natural habitat types have received some attention, a few habitat types are almost completely unstudied.

c. With the exception of shade coffee, few studies of site fidelity have used anthropogenic habitats, whereas managers may be most interested in what levels of disturbance migratory birds will tolerate. What is the relationship between habitat



migration, both behaviorally and physiologi-cally, and whether territorial individuals use different habitats just before migration.

b. Are there competitive relationships among per-manent-resident and non-breeding season-resident migratory species and how are these relationships affected by habitat alteration?

c. How comparable are data when collected using different methodologies? Can we standardize methods of data collection and data analyses?

RECOMMENDED METHODOLOGIES

Our focus is on monitoring seasonal resident Neotropical migratory birds on their non-breeding grounds, and monitoring methods that can be com-bined with research protocols to determine site fi-delity and survival of migrants of both sexes and all age classes in diverse habitats. We recognize that some organizations may want to monitor fall and spring migration, but those methods are not ad-dressed here. Most organizations will also be inter-ested in monitoring permanent-resident bird species. Although this is not directly addressed here either, many of the methods presented do lend themselves to the monitoring of permanent-resident species as well. For reviews of other monitoring methods, see some of the numerous published reviews of moni-toring methods (Martin and Geupel 1993; Ralph et al. 1993, 1995; Geupel and Warkentin 1995). Herein, we present a standard avian monitoring plan that can be implemented at one or more of sev-eral different levels. Because of their relatively small size, we believe that most Caribbean countries can develop and initiate an avian monitoring pro-gram which combines an extensive (country-wide) and quick monitoring system of point counts, and a local and more intensive monitoring method at a limited number of sites at protected areas around the country. Depending on resources, a local, intensive monitoring program could be expanded to a �Level 2� plan which is specifically designed to allow re-searchers to collect habitat specific, demographic, and site fidelity data to assess habitat preferences of migratory birds during the non-breeding season and factors affecting site fidelity. In selecting a monitor-ing protocol it must be stressed that these are proto-cols for long-term monitoring that requires dedi-cated funding over many years, and dedicated per-sonnel who are committed to the long-term collec-tion of data. Protocols presented here are based on a variety of sources, including Martin and Geupel (1993), Ralph et al. (1993, 1995), and especially Faaborg (2000) and Latta and Lorenzo (2000).

Extensive and Quick Monitoring Protocol This protocol reflects the guidelines set forth by Ralph et al. (1993, 1995) and Faaborg (2000), and is based on the North American Breeding Bird Sur-vey (BBS) for broad-scale monitoring of many habitats and many species. This monitoring method consists of a national system of point counts that are conducted once a year by volunteer counters. The intent of the extensive, quick monitoring program is the detection of national trends in population size so that population changes can be addressed with man-agement actions. This survey is designed to give us a first warning of population changes across a broad region. Specifically:

1. Systematically locate a minimum of 25 census stations across the country, but designate a starting point of each census route at random. This may be accomplished by superimposing 25 or more cells in a grid over a map of the area and then randomly locating a general starting point within each cell. The specific location of each starting point within a cell will then be determined by locating the nearest appropriate road (or trail if no road is avail-able) to the randomly selected starting point. Direction of travel along the selected road or trail should be determined randomly.

2. In all cases try to locate censuses on tertiary roads, then secondary roads, then off-road trails. Primary roads should be avoided. Sam-pling locations should be checked on the ground before the first count is initiated and their locations mapped, preferably using GIS and GPS methods.

3. Routes should be designed with 25 point-count stations along each route (15 stations for walk-ing routes). Additional routes may be added in the future should funding, trained volunteers, and vehicle accessibility improve.

4. Use 5-min point counts; data should be sepa-rated into those individuals seen or heard dur-ing the first three minutes and those additional individuals recorded in the remaining two minutes.

5. Points on vehicle routes should be 0.5 mi from one another; points on walking routes should be 250 m apart.

6. Use an unlimited-radius point count, but birds detected within 25 m should be recorded sepa-rately. Use of an additional distance band of 25�50 m, or employing distance sampling



techniques (Rosenstock et al. 2002, Bart and Earnst 2002), may allow detection probabili-ties to be factored into results.

7. Point counts should be conducted annually, 1�31 January. Birds should not be surveyed dur-ing inclement weather including rain, fog, or high winds.

8. Counters should be trained in binocular use, bird identification by sight, song, and call, and census techniques. Only qualified counters should be used.

9. Use standardized data recording forms in the field. Notations should include species and number; general location and change of loca-tion; whether the individual was detected by vocalization, sight, or simultaneous audio-visual detection; whether the detection was a flyover; and incidence of counter-singing, counter-calling, mobbing, or predator-recognition vocalizations.

Local, Intensive Monitoring Protocol This protocol is based on previous work on mi-grant site fidelity by Holmes et al. (1989), Wunderle and Latta (2000), and Latta and Faaborg (2001, 2002). At its fullest development, this is an intensive effort that involves point counts, constant-effort mist-netting, re-sighting of color-marked birds, and vegetation sampling to determine local site fidelity, and to estimate survival rates of migra-tory (and resident) bird species at each site and in each habitat. Local, intensive monitoring comple-ments broad, quick monitoring by helping to ex-plain national population trends that the broad, quick monitoring reveals. Point counts and con-stant-effort mist-netting provide an index of annual productivity and information on annual survival. Re-sighting of color-marked birds is used to deter-mine site persistence or survival over the nonbreed-ing season. Intensive monitoring will also provide urgently needed data on life-history traits and de-mography of species, and provide direct information on habitat conditions necessary for survival through the non-breeding season. Together, these data are required to assess the non-breeding ecology of Neotropical migratory birds and habitat conditions for land and species management. Local, intensive monitoring may be completed as either Level 1 or Level 2 depending on the re-sources available to the organizers of the monitoring effort, and the type of questions that need to be ad-dressed in the monitoring effort. �Level 1 Local, intensive monitoring� includes a single mid-winter

(1 January�15 February) session of point counts and constant-effort mist-netting, with vegetation sam-pling completed every five years. �Level 2 Local, intensive monitoring� is more labor intensive and includes early-winter (28 October�14 December) and late-winter (1 February�March 20) sessions of point counts and constant-effort mist-netting, with each mist-netting session followed by intensive ef-forts to re-sight color-banded birds. Vegetation sam-pling is also completed every five years. The MOSI program (see below) is essentially a Level 2 Local, intensive monitoring program but does not (generally) include the re-sighting effort. For either Level 1 or Level 2 local, intensive monitoring, study sites of 12�20 ha each should be established. Study sites may be in either native or anthropogenic habitats, altered or pristine states, depending on the monitoring or research questions. Study sites within a habitat will likely need to be replicated. At each site the following should be completed: Point counts (For both Level 1 and Level 2, Lo-cal, intensive monitoring).�Ten-min, unlimited-radius point counts (with data recorded separately for each 5-min interval and for birds seen within 25 m and 50 m) are conducted at each site. Six point counts are established per site and points are counted preceding mist-netting efforts. Points are arranged in either a 3 x 2 grid or a line, depending on mist-net arrangement, and points are a minimum of 150 m apart. Mist-netting (For both Level 1 and Level 2, Lo-cal, intensive monitoring).�Mist-nets are set in fixed lines that form either a grid pattern or a single long line. Depending on bird activity, as many as 24�42 nets (12 m x 2.5m, 30-mm mesh) may be used per site. However, it is important that net num-bers at each site and net locations are fixed within a site so that there are consistent net hours and net times among years. A given monitoring effort may set its own mist-netting schedule with the under-standing that capture rates decline precipitously over time. During monitoring efforts on Hispaniola, we generally open nets from before sunrise to sun-down on Day 1, sunrise to 12:00 and 15:30 to sun-down on Day 2, and sunrise to 10:30 on Day 3. On Puerto Rico, monitoring efforts extend to three full days of netting. All birds mist-netted (except hum-mingbirds) should be banded with numbered alumi-num bands. All migratory species and some perma-nent-resident species should be uniquely color-banded if re-sighting is done as prescribed in Level 2, Local intensive monitoring.



Re-sighting (For Level 2, Local, intensive monitoring only).�Following banding efforts, each plot is searched systematically for color-banded individuals. Plots may be searched sys-tematically, with color-banded, territorial birds located on plot maps. Additional effort may be extended to locate previously unrecorded indi-viduals, but re-sighting may take 3�5 days or more by several individuals. Re-sighting should continue until observers are confident that no more color-banded birds remain unidentified on the plot. Search areas may extend approximately 100 m beyond the net lines or plot boundaries. Vegetation sampling.�Vegetation measure-ments provide information on habitat characteris-tics at each site, and can be used for developing land management guidelines. These measure-ments should be made in the first year of opera-tion of nets and at every five-year interval. At a minimum of nine randomly selected locations across each study site, sample vegetation in a 11.3-m radius circle (James and Shugart 1970). In each circle record:

1. Number of stems of all saplings and shrubs <3 cm DBH along each of the cardinal axes in 2-m wide transects. This is recorded by walking with arms outstretched along each axis and counting the number of �touches� by sapling or shrub branches on the arms.

2. Number of live trees in each DBH size class by species or type, with size classes being 3�7.9 cm, 8�14.9 cm, 15�22.9 cm, 23�38 cm, and >38-cm DBH.

3. At five evenly-spaced points along each of the cardinal axes, record presence or ab-sence (touches on an extended pole) of broadleaf trees, grasses or other ground cover, pine, cactus, or other relevant vegeta-tion type, at each of the following height intervals: 0�0.4 m, 0.5�0.9 m, 1�1.4 m, 1.5�1.9 m, 2�2.4 m, 2.5�2.9 m, 3�3.9 m, 4�5.9 m, 6�7.9 m, 8�9.9 m, 10�11.9 m, 12�14.9 m, 15�19.9 m, 20�25 m, >25 m.

4. The height of the 10 tallest trees in the circle; calculate mean and maximum canopy height.

5. The percent canopy cover using a densiome-ter.

6. The number of all snags >15 cm DBH. 7. An ocular estimate of percent of the ground

covered by green vegetation, grasses or sedges, shrubs, forbs, and ferns.

8. An ocular estimate of percent of ground cov-ered by leaf litter.

9. An ocular estimate of percent of ground cov-ered by downed logs.

10. An ocular estimate of percent of ground that is bare.

11. Plot elevation. 12. Plot aspect and slope.

THE MOSI (MONITOREO DE SOBREVIVENCIA

INVERNAL) PROGRAM The Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (MOSI) program uses constant-effort mist-netting and banding during the non-breeding season to monitor survival rates of Nearctic-Neotropical mi-gratory birds and Neotropical resident landbirds. MOSI builds on the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program, which sug-gested that low survival may be a factor in the population decline of several Nearctic-Neotropical migratory landbird species. Although it is not clear where or when in the life cycle of these species the mortality rate is greatest, conventional wisdom sug-gests that high mortality may well occur during the non-breeding months when environmental condi-tions are harsh, food resources are relatively scarce, and both intra- and inter-specific competition may be high. Migration to tropical latitudes tends to re-duce harsh environmental conditions and increase food resources, but it may also increase the intensity of the competitive regime for both migratory and tropical resident species. When habitat loss and deg-radation combine with an increased competitive en-vironment during the non-breeding season, dramati-cally lowered survival rates may result. Survey work in the Neotropics has provided in-formation on the habitat requirements of many spe-cies of migratory and resident landbirds. Such work suggests that many species, even those that are thought to prefer relatively mature and undisturbed primary forest, can also be found in substantial numbers in secondary forest, forest edge, and other disturbed habitats. What remains unknown, how-ever, is how well they survive in such habitats. A concerted effort to determine habitat-specific sur-vival rates throughout the non-breeding season is thus a critical need. Another critical need is to deter-mine age-specific survival rates; that is, survival rates for young (first-year) and adult individuals. This may be a key factor in the population declines of migratory and resident Neotropical birds, particu-larly if young and adults have differing habitat re-quirements, or if older birds actively exclude



younger birds from possibly optimal habitats or likely critical food or other resources. Similar considerations may apply to sex-related differences in habitat prefer-ences, dominance behavior, and survival through the non-breeding season. MOSI proposes to apply state-of-the-art mark-recapture models to standardized bird-banding data obtained from a network of mist-netting stations oper-ated throughout the non-breeding season ranges of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory bird species. The es-tablishment of the MOSI program, designed as a co-operative effort among agencies, organizations, and individual bird-banders in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, will facilitate the determination of survival rates for about 20 target migratory landbird species (and many resident species) in a wide range of tropical habitats. A proposed pilot MOSI protocol in-cludes: (1) one session of mist-netting during the early part of the non-breeding season, from 28 October to 14 December, consisting of the operation of at least 16 12-m nets for two or (preferably) three consecutive days on half of a 40-ha study area, followed immedi-ately by two or (preferably) three days of operation of at least 16 nets on the other half of the study area; and (2) one session of mist-netting during the latter part of the non-breeding season, from 1 February to 20 March, which replicates the same protocol at the same net locations on the same study area. All birds cap-tured are to be identified to species, age, and (if possi-ble) sex, and marked with uniquely numbered leg bands; if possible, individuals of one or two focal spe-cies should also be individually color-banded to pro-vide mark-resighting data. A four-year pilot project to evaluate and enhance the operation of this network of MOSI stations has been proposed for commencement in 2002�2003. Parties interested in establishing one or more MOSI stations in the Caribbean should contact David F. DeSante ([email protected],) at The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP), P.O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956�1346, USA. More information about the MOSI Program can be found at the IBP�s website, www.birdpop.org.

CITIZEN SCIENCE AND MONITORING MIGRATORY BIRDS IN THE CARIBBEAN

Citizen Science is a term used for the use of non-professional volunteers in the coordinated gathering of important scientific data. The quality of the scientific knowledge base for conservation of migratory birds in the Caribbean involves both breadth of coverage and depth of detail. The breadth of coverage involves the gathering of information of low level of detail about the broad course of bird movements or bird residence

throughout the islands. The depth of detail involves more precise information about the demographic consequences of variation in the nature and features of particular habitats in which a species resides. Be-tween these extremes lies a spectrum of activities of different intensities. Citizen Science has its major application to the broad scale. The activities in-volved at this broad scale require small investments of time and energy by large numbers of birdwatch-ers. The required data resulting from birdwatching activities include lists of species, numbers of indi-viduals, dates, and places. Because these data are too numerous, diffuse, and expensive to be gathered in a single effort, they are ideally gathered by a vari-ety of observers who are loosely coordinated. Indi-vidually, such data are of modest scientific value, but the collection of such data from many sources is potentially a priceless source of otherwise unavail-able information. Maps of occurrence can be drawn from these data, and from these maps more precise hypotheses can be made and then tested with more detailed and specific work. Citizen Science is relevant to conservation activi-ties to manage or protect habitats used by migratory birds because sufficient information required to conserve these birds during the migratory period is not yet available. Development of the requisite in-formation will occur in a series of steps, each im-portant to the development of a base of knowledge on which conservation action will proceed. These steps each involve different sets of skills, observers, locations, techniques, and costs. Subsequent to the development of the knowledge base, the implemen-tation of conservation action, in which knowledge is applied to influence the future course of land use or management, is a distinct activity requiring a sepa-rate treatment. It is important to note that the quality of conservation action is limited by the quality of the knowledge on which conservation action is based, and the quality of the knowledge may depend on Citizen Science. The development of the knowledge base for con-servation of birds during the migratory or non-breeding period has four phases: (1) identification of the avifauna present, their locations, and the tim-ing of their movements; (2) determination of differ-ential movements of sex and age classes of each species, their survival rates, and the relative impor-tance of different locations and habitats for each sex and age class; (3) comparison of the importance of areas for migratory and resident birds, including island endemics; and, (4) evaluation of localities based on habitat contents, geographical context, and



relative importance of the migratory species occur-ring in each locality. Conduct of this Citizen Science requires individu-als with sufficient skill and ambition to record bird presence, as well as access particular sites. Also re-quired is a coordinating body and mechanisms to compile the data and to share the observations with others in a timely way. The Gulf Coast Bird Obser-vatory (GCBO; http://www.gcbo.org) provides an example of how such data can be managed and util-ized. The migration monitoring database currently maintained by the GCBO allows straightforward data entry and editing, and compiled data can be downloaded and summarized by any interested per-son. This process is being made even more user-friendly by the translation of the data entry and re-trieval instructions into several languages by mem-bers of the SCSCB.

CURRENT NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD MONITORING PROJECTS IN THE WEST INDIES

Cuba None known. Jamaica 1. Constant-effort Bird-Monitoring Project in Mid-

level Forests Purpose: Collect long-term information on status

and relative abundance of bird populations. Methods: Mist-netting and point counts com-

pleted once per month, year round. Duration: Sporadic before 1990; regular since

then. Will continue indefinitely. Principal investigator: Ann Sutton

Hispaniola 1. Avian Monitoring in the Sierra de Bahoruco

Purpose: Monitoring of non-breeding season (migratory) and permanent-resident birds in three habitats (desert thorn scrub, dry forest, pine forest) along an altitudinal gradient.

Methods: Constant-effort mist-netting; 10 min point counts on 25-m fixed-radius circles (January of each year).

Duration: Continuous since 1996. Principal Investigator: Steven Latta.

2. Avian Monitoring in Montane Wet Forest Purpose: Monitoring of non-breeding season

(migratory) and permanent-resident birds in montane wet forest of the Sierra de Bahoruco.

Methods: Constant-effort mist-netting; 10 min point counts on 50-m fixed-radius circles (January of each year).

Duration: Continuous since 1995. Principal Investigator: Christopher Rimmer

3. Fundación Moscoso Puello Monitoring Purpose: Monitoring of migrants and permanent

residents in three National Parks: Parque del Este, Parque Jaragua, and Valle Nuevo.

Methods: Constant-effort mist-netting and 10 min point counts on 25-m fixed-radius circles.

Duration: Initiated in 2002. Principal Investigator: Fundación Moscoso

Puello Puerto Rico 1. Guánica Forest

Purpose: Monitoring of non-breeding season (migratory) and permanent-resident birds in the subtropical dry forest of Guánica.

Methods: Constant effort mist-netting (January of each year).

Duration: Continuous since 1972. Principal Investigators: John Faaborg and Wayne

Arendt. 2. USFWS Sites

Purpose: To establish long-term monitoring sta-tions in different habitats at Ciales and Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, and at Culebra Island.

Methods: Constant-effort mist-netting. Duration: Initiated in 2001 Principal Investigators: Leopoldo Miranda-Cas-

tro and Steve Earsome Bahamas None known. Virgin Islands 1. USFWS Site, St. Croix

Purpose: To establish long-term monitoring sta-tions at St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands.

Methods: Constant-effort mist-netting. Duration: Initiated in 2001 Principal Investigators: Leopoldo Miranda-

Castro and Steve Earsome 2. Virgin Islands National Park, St. John

Purpose: Monitoring of non-breeding season (migratory) songbirds in Virgin Islands Na-tional Park, St John.

Methods: 10-min point counts on 25-m radius circles at 68 permanently-marked survey points.

Duration: Completed in seven years from 1987 to 1997. Hope to continue in the future.

Principal Investigators: Robert Askins and David Ewert.



ARENDT, W. J. 1986. A summary of the status of North American migrant landbirds in the Carib-bean. Ornitol. Caribeña 2:44�45.

ARENDT, W. J. 1992. Status of North American mi-grant landbirds in the Caribbean region: a sum-mary. Pp. 143�171 in Ecology and conservation of Neotropical migrant landbirds (Hagan, J. M., III, and D. W. Johnston, Eds.). Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.

ARENDT, W. J., AND J. FAABORG. 1989. Sources of variation in measurements of birds in a Puerto Rican dry forest. J. Field Ornithol. 60:1�11.

ASKINS, R. A., D. N. EWERT, AND R. L. NORTON. 1992. Abundance of wintering migrants in frag-mented and continuous forests in the U. S. Virgin Islands. Pp. 197�206 in Ecology and conservation of Neotropical migrant landbirds (Hagan, J. M., III, and D. W. Johnston, Eds.). Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.

AYÓN, X. 1998. Composición y abundancia de la avifauna en la Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario en un gradiente de afectación antrópica. Tesis de Diploma, Universidad de La Habana, Cuba.

BALTZ, M. E. 2000. The non-breeding season ecol-ogy of Nearctic-Neotropical migrants in the dry zone of Puerto Rico. Ph.D. dissertation, Univer-sity of Missouri, Columbia, MO.

BARBOUR, T. 1923. The birds of Cuba. Mem. Nut-tall Ornithol. Club. Cambridge, MA.

BARLOW, J. C. 1980. Patterns of ecological interac-tions among migrant and resident vireos on the wintering grounds. Pp. 79�107 in Migrant birds in the Neotropics: ecology, behavior, distribution, and conservation (Keast, A., and E. S. Morton, Eds.). Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.

BART, J., AND S. EARNST. 2002. Double sampling to estimate density and population trends in birds. Auk 119:36�45.

BENNETT, S. E. 1978. Interspecific competition and the niche of the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) in wintering and breeding communities.

Ph.D. dissertation, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH.

BENNETT, S. E. 1980. Interspecific competition and the niche of the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) in wintering and breeding communities. Pp. 319�335 in Migrant birds in the Neotropics: ecology, behavior, distribution, and conservation (Keast, A., and E. S. Morton, Eds.). Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.

BIAGGI, V. 1970. Las aves de Puerto Rico. San Juan: Editorial Univ. Puerto Rico.

BLANCO, E. T. 1969. Apuntes para la historia de la fauna ornitológica de Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Ediciones Borinquen, Ed. Coquí.

BLANCO P., A. LLANES, A. RONDON, J. FIALLO, AND L.MELIAN. 1994. Anillamiento de aves en una localidad de la Ciénaga de Zapata, Cuba, en febrero de 1989. Cienc. Biol. Acad. Cien. Cuba 27:45�54.

BLANCO, P., D. ZUÑIGAS, R. GÓMEZ, E. SOCARRÁS, M. SUÁREZ, AND F. MORERA. 1996. Aves del sis-tema insular Los Cayos de Piedra, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. Oceánides 11:49�56.

BLANCO, P., F. SHAFFER, M. ROBERT, AND E. SO-CARRÁS. 1998. Adiciones a la ornitofauna de los cayos Coco, Paredón Grande y Guillermo, Cuba. Pitirre 11:41.

BLANCO, P., G. ALAYÓN, AND V. BEROVIDES. 1999. Nuevo registro del Bobito Cola de Tijera Tyrannus forficatus en Cuba. Pitirre 12:46.

BOND, J. 1960. Birds of the West Indies. Collins, London.

BRADLEY, P. E. 2000. The birds of the Cayman Is-lands: an annotated checklist. Tring, Hertsford-shire, UK: British Ornithologists� Union.

BROWN, J., AND C. DEGIA. 1995. Inventory of the avifauna of Hellshire Hills, Portland Ridge and Braziletto Mountains, Jamaica West Indies. King-ston, Jamaica: Report for Caribbean Coastal Ar-eas Management Foundation.

CHAMBERLAIN, C. P., J. D. BLUM, R. T. HOLMES, X. FENG, T. W. SHERRY, AND G. R. GRAVES. 1997. The use of isotope tracers for identifying


BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY LAND BIRDS IN THE WEST INDIES Included below are studies of biology, ecology, and social interactions of Neotropical migratory land birds �wintering� in the West Indies. Publications on the distribution or occurrence of migratory birds (other than major field guides and annotated check-lists) are not included, nor are studies of species other than migratory land birds. However, one may refer to the annotated bibliography by Wiley (2000), and an earlier bibliography contained in Rappole et al. (1983), for all other such references.


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E. S. Morton, Eds.). Washington DC: Smith-sonian Institution Press.

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FAABORG, J., AND J. E. WINTERS. 1980. More re-turns from Guánica Forest, Puerto Rico. J. Field Ornithol. 51:368.

FAABORG, J., W. J. ARENDT, AND M. S. KAISER. 1984. Rainfall correlates of bird population fluc-tuations in a Puerto Rican dry forest: a nine-year study. Wilson Bull. 96:575�593.

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WUNDERLE, J. M., JR., AND S. C. LATTA. 1996. Avian abundance in sun and shade coffee planta-tions and remnant pine forest in the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic. Ornitología Neotropical 7:19�34.

WUNDERLE, J. M., JR., AND S. C. LATTA. 1998a. Avian resource use in Dominican shade coffee plantations. Wilson Bull. 110:255�265.



WUNDERLE, J. M., JR., AND S. C. LATTA. 1998b. Factors associated with avian abundance in shade coffee plantations in the Dominican Republic. Ostrich 69:462.

WUNDERLE, J. M., JR., AND S. C. LATTA. 2000. Winter site fidelity of Nearctic migrant birds in isolated shade coffee plantations of different sizes in the Dominican Republic. Auk 117:596�614.

WUNDERLE, J. M., JR., D. J. LODGE, AND R. B. WAIDE. 1992. Short-term effects of Hurricane

Gilbert on terrestrial bird population on Jamaica. Auk 109:148-166.

WUNDERLE, J. M., JR., AND R. B. WAIDE. 1993. Distribution of overwintering Nearctic migrants in the Bahamas and Greater Antilles. Condor 95:904�933.

WUNDERLE, J. M., JR., AND R. B. WAIDE. 1994. Future prospects for Nearctic migrants wintering in Caribbean forests. Bird Conserv. Internatl. 4:191�207.


NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD WORKING GROUP OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE CONSERVATION AND STUDY OF CARIBBEAN BIRDS

Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA [email protected]

Cecilia Riley Gulf Coast Bird Observatory 103 West Highway 332 Lake Jackson, TX 77566, USA [email protected]

Alejandro Llanes Sosa Ave. 35 #2008 e/20 y 22 Sta. María Del Rosario Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba

Anne Haynes Sutton Marshall's Pen PO Box 58 Mandeville, Jamaica [email protected]

Adrianne Tossas Alturas de Mayagüez Yunque E-43 Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00680 [email protected]

Dr. Joseph Wunderle, Jr. International Institute of Tropical Forestry P.O Box 490 Palmer, Puerto Rico 00721 [email protected]

Dr. Hiram González Alonso, Coordinator Instituto de Ecología y Sistematica Carretera de Varona Km 3.5 Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba [email protected]

Dr. Daysi Rodríguez Batista Institutio de Ecología y Sistematica Carretera de Varona Km 3.5 Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba

Dr. David DeSante Institute for Bird Populations PO Box 1346 Point Reyes Station, CA 94956, USA [email protected]

Leo Douglas 11A Lounsbury Kingston 10, Jamaica [email protected]

Dr. Paul B. Hamel Center for Bottomlands Hardwoods Research PO Box 227 Stoneville, MS 38776, USA [email protected]

Dr. Steven C. Latta PRBO Conservation Science 4990 Shoreline Hwy

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds for its support of this project. Alan Strong, Michael Baltz, John Faaborg, Paul Hamel, Matthew Johnson, Peter Marra, Christopher Rimmer, George Wallace, and especially Wayne Arendt contributed with comments and corrections to this report. Phil-ippe Feldmann provided the French translation of the abstract. This is Contribution Number 1061 of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory.


THE NORTHERN PARULA (Parula americana) is a Nearctic migrant that breeds in North America and winters chiefly in Central America, the Greater An-tilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles (e.g., Curson et al. 1994, Dunn and Garrett 1997, Moldenhauer and Regelski 1996). Thus far the only South Ameri-can records appear to be from continental islands in the southern Caribbean, including the Dutch Antil-les (Voous 1983), Islas Los Roques (Meyer de Schauensee and Phelps 1978), and Tobago (ffrench 1991), and a single record from the mainland on the Peninsula de Paraguana of Venezuela (Bosque and Lentino 1987). In this note I report the first sight record of this species for Trinidad and the fourth for Tobago.

TRINIDAD OBSERVATION While visiting the Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust on 22 February 1998, I paused by the bridge cross-ing the pond�s overspill and began whistling imita-tions of the Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus asio), alter-nating with spishing, in an effort to attract migrant warblers in the surrounding secondary forest. Mo-ments later a Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia) popped into view and soon disappeared. About 10 min later a Northern Parula flew into the branches of a tree directly above me. During the next 4 min (15:05�15:09 h) it moved about on branches 8�12 m above me. During that time I was able to view its broken eyering on several brief occasions through 7×35 binoculars. The underparts were plainly visi-ble, but the upperparts were difficult to view. After the bird flew away I could not relocate it and

searched in vain for the bird at the same locality on 18 and 21 March 1998, plus during each successive winter through 2001�2002. In my field notes I wrote: �white belly, yellow lower breast, extensive bright orange wash across breast, more extensive than Tobago bird, some blu-ish across upper breast, yellow throat; dark above, with white broken eyering; couldn�t tell if upper or lower eyering was wider; definitely saw breaks on both sides of eyering; ... also noted white wingbars, I believe; dark bluish above; chirping loud and re-peatedly, which caught my attention.�

TOBAGO OBSERVATION While birding at Buccoo Swamp on 9 February 1998, I found a Northern Parula just 3 m away in a tree at the edge of a secondary forest only a few me-ters from a mangrove lagoon at 06:52 h. I watched it from 5 m for about 45 sec until it flew away across the lagoon. I then walked around the lagoon while alternating bouts of spishing with whistled imita-tions of the Eastern Screech-Owl. Halfway around the lagoon I saw an immature White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus), a male Yellow Warbler, a male American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), a male Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), and a Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis). On the other side of the lagoon I momentarily observed the Yellow Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, and fi-nally the Northern Parula all in the same tree, scold-ing the phantom owl. This time I viewed the North-ern Parula from only 3 m away during 07:23�07:25 h. The resident White-fringed Antwrens (Formi-

FIRST SIGHT RECORD OF NORTHERN PARULA (PARULA AMERICANA) FOR TRINIDAD AND A FOURTH RECORD FOR TOBAGO

FLOYD E. HAYES

Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago; Current address: Department of Biology, Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA 94508, USA

Abstract.�I report sight records of a male Northern Parula (Parula americana) at Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad, on 22 February 1998, and a male at Buccoo, Tobago, on 9 February 1998. These records provide the first for Trinidad and the fourth for Tobago, and were my only sightings during nine years of field work in Trinidad and Tobago (1993�2002).

Key words: distribution, Nearctic migrants, Parula americana, sight records, Tobago, Trinidad Resumen.�PRIMER REGISTRO VISUAL DE LA PARULA NORTEÑA (PARULA AMERICANA) PARA TRINIDAD Y EL

CUARTO REGISTRO PARA TOBAGO. Reporto registros visuales de un macho de la Parula Norteña (Parula americana) en Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad, el 22 de febrero de 1998, y un macho en Buccoo, Tobago, el 9 de febrero de 1998. Estos registros constituyen el primero para Trinidad y el cuarto para Tobago, y fueron los únicos registros durante nueve años de trabajo de campo en Trinidad y Tobago (1993�2002).

Palabras clave: distribución, migradores neárticos, Parula americana, registros visuales, Tobago, Trinidad


civora grisea) also responded to the owl calls. In the first entry in my field notes I wrote: �yellow breast, dark back, broken white eye-ring below and above eye; ...wing bars seen; no dark band seen across chest; no light spot noted on back.� After obtaining better views, my second en-try stated: �lower eye ring broader than upper eye ring; yellow throat, slight bluish-gray wash just be-low, then more extensive orangish wash across chest, then extensive yellow on lower breast; white belly.�

DISCUSSION

The broken white eye ring, darker band across yellow breast, and more extensive white on belly of both birds distinguished them from the Tropical Pa-rula (P. pitiayumi; Curson et al. 1994, Dunn and Garrett 1997), which is resident on Trinidad but not on Tobago (ffrench 1991). The distinctive blue-gray band across the chest of both birds indicated that each was a male. I did not note whether the remiges, alula, and primary coverts were edged greenish, which is indicative of a first-winter male, but the Tobago individual which I observed closely did not appear to have the pale supraloral streak typical of an immature. My observation of the white arc below the eye being broader than the upper arc on the To-bago bird matches Dunn and Garrett�s (1997:201) description of a �conspicuous white arc under the eye, with a slightly smaller arc above the eye.� These records constitute the first for Trinidad and the fourth for Tobago, and were my only sightings during nine years of extensive field work in Trini-dad and Tobago (1993�2002). Both have been ac-cepted by the Trinidad and Tobago Rare Bird Com-mittee (White and Hayes 2002). Previous records from Tobago include a female captured at Grafton Estate on 19 December 1974 (ffrench 1975), a fe-male seen by G. Blidberg and S. Samuelsson at Lit-tle Tobago on 1 November 1977 (ffrench 1979), and a female seen by D. Fisher at Grafton Estate on 18 January 1985 (ffrench 1991).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank S. Mlodinow for reviewing the manu-script. Fieldwork in Tobago was funded by the Scott Neotropic Fund of the Lincoln Park Zoo in support of Project Sabrewing. I thank N. A. Trimm for shar-ing my observation in Tobago and G. Wilson for sharing my observation in Trinidad. Pertinent litera-ture was provided by C. A. Botero and F. M. Mur-doch, and D. B. McNair pointed out another.

LITERATURE CITED BOSQUE, C., AND M. LENTINO. 1987. The passage

of North American migratory birds through xero-phytic habitats on the western coast of Venezuela. Biotropica 19:267�273.

CURSON, J., D. QUINN, AND D. BEADLE. 1994. War-blers of the Americas: an identification guide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

DUNN, J. L., AND K. GARRETT. 1997. A field guide to the warblers of North America. Boston: Hough-ton Mifflin Co.

FFRENCH, R. P. 1975. Some noteworthy bird records from Tobago. J. Trinidad Tobago Field Nat. Club 1975:5�11.

FFRENCH, R 1979. More records of rare birds in Trinidad and Tobago. Living World (J. Trinidad Tobago Field Nat. Club) 1978�1979:25�26.

FFRENCH, R. 1991. A guide to the birds of Trinidad & Tobago. 2nd ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

MEYER DE SCHAUENSE, R., AND W. H. PHELPS, JR. 1978. A guide to the birds of Venezuela. Prince-ton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

MOLDENHAUER, R. R., AND D. J. REGELSKI. 1996. Northern Parula (Parula americana). Birds N. Amer. 215:1�22.

VOOUS, K. H. 1983. Birds of the Netherlands Antil-les. 2nd ed. Utrecht: Foundation for Scientific Re-search in Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles.

WHITE, G., AND F. E. HAYES. In press. Second re-port of the Trinidad and Tobago Rare Bird Com-mittee. Living World (J. Trinidad Tobago Field Nat. Club) 2002.

HAYES � NORTHERN PARULA IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO


individuos. Calidris pusilla. El 8 de agosto del 2000 y el 13 de marzo del 2001 observamos 3 y 8 individuos, res-pectivamente, en la ensenada El Jato. Limnodromus griseus.�A partir de marzo del 2000, esta especie aparece registrada en todos los censos, principalmente en las costas del cayo en las localidades de Punta Piedra y en la ensenada El Ja-to, donde frecuentemente puede ser localizada du-rante todo el periodo invernal. Larus marinus.�De esta especie se reporta tres individuo adulto en la ensenada El Jato, con mayor frecuencia en marzo. El Larus marinus es un visi-tante invernal muy raro para Cuba (Garrido y Kirk-connell 2000). Este registro constituye el séptimo para el país. Larus delawarensis.�En febrero del 2002, se registró un individuo en la ensenada el Jato. Larus ridibundus.�En agosto del 2000, encon-tramos un juvenil posado en el pedraplen que atra-viesa la ensenada El Jato. Esta es una especie acci-dental para el territorio cubano, del cual solo se co-nocen dos reportes (Garrido y Kirkconnell 2000). Este constituye el tercer registro de la especie para el país. Sterna nilotica.�A partir del 2000, observamos esta especie únicamente en febrero y septiembre. El mayor registro de individuos observado fue en la ensenada El Jato con 96 individuos en el 2001. Sterna antillarum.�Esta especie puede ser ob-

NUEVOS REGISTROS DE AVES ACUÁTICAS EN CAYO SABINAL, CAMAGÜEY, CUBA

OMILCAR BARRIO VALDÉS1, PEDRO BLANCO RODRÍGUEZ2 Y ROBERTO SORIANO1

1Empresa Nacional para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna, Nuevitas, Camagüey, Cuba; y 2Instituto de Ecología y Sis-temática, CITMA, Carretera de Varona km 3.5, Boyeros, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba, CP 10800, AP 8029

Resumen.�Presentamos información sobre 15 nuevas especies de aves acuáticas reportadas entre enero del 2000 y marzo del 2002 en Cayo Sabinal, provincia de Camagüey, Cuba. Entre las especies de mayor importan-cia se encuentran: Charadrius melodus, Numenius phaeopus, Calidris canutus, Rynchops niger, Larus ridibun-dus y Larus marinus.

Palabras clave: aves acuáticas, Cayo Sabinal, Camagüey, Cuba, nuevos registros Abstract.�NEW RECORDS OF WATERBIRDS IN CAYO SABINAL, CAMAGÜEY, CUBA. We present information

on 15 new records of waterbirds for Sabinal Cay in Camagüey province, Cuba, reported from January 2000 to March 2002. Among the most important species were Charadrius melodus, Numenius phaeopus, Calidris canutus, Rynchops niger, Larus ridibundus, and Larus marinus.

Key words: aquatic birds, Cayo Sabinal, Camagüey, Cuba, new records

LAS LABORES DE INVENTARIOS proveen informa-ción sobre la distribución de la fauna y permiten elaborar estrategias de conservación y manejo de los recursos naturales (Meeks and Higgins 1998). En el Cayo Sabinal se han reportado 141 especies de aves, de las cuales 43.3% son acuáticas (Morales y Garri-do 1996). Sin embargo, en el presente trabajo añadi-mos 15 nuevos registros de aves acuáticas para este cayo, observados entre enero del 2000 y marzo del 2002. Anas acuta.�En febrero de 2001 se observó una bando de 10 individuos sobrevolando la laguna Jica-cal, al Oeste del cayo. Aythya affinis.�En la ensenada El Jato, durante el mes de diciembre de 2001 se registraron seis indi-viduos de la especie. Charadrius melodus.�En el sector costero de Playa Los Pinos a finales del mes de marzo del 2002 se registraron 11 individuos. Numenius phaeopus.�El primer individuo fue visto el 24 de noviembre de 2000, en la ensenada El Jato, al Sudoeste del cayo. Posteriormente en la misma localidad, entre enero y abril de 2001 se ob-servaron tres individuos de la especie. Calidris canutus.�Se observo un individuo en febrero de 2001 en la localidad de Playa Bonita, ubicada en el extremo este del cayo. Calidris alba.�En noviembre del 2000 y en fe-brero del 2001, en el sector costero entre Punta Pie-dra y Playa Brava, se detectaron bandos de 3�50


BARRIO VALDÉS ET AL. NUEVOS REGISTROS DE AVES ACUÁTICAS EN CAYO SABINAL, CUBA

servada en varios sectores costeros del cayo, pero sólo en los meses entre abril y agosto, y en bandos de hasta 54 individuos. Sterna caspia.�Detectada por primera vez en marzo del 2000 en la ensenada El Jato. Esta especie ha sido observada en varias ocasiones, principal-mente entre octubre y mayo. El número máximo registrado hasta el momento no supera la cifra de seis individuos. Rynchops niger.�En noviembre del 1999, obser-vamos una bandada de 300 individuos en la ensena-da El Jato. Esta especie puede ser observada en el cayo desde octubre hasta abril, aunque también se ha observado en los meses de mayo y junio (seis y un individuo, respectivamente). La presencia de esta especie había sido reportada desde el 23 de noviem-bre hasta el 26 de abril (Garrido y Kirkconnell 2000), por lo que nuestros resultados aportan nue-vas fechas relacionadas con la residencia de esta especie para el país.

Con esta contribución se incrementa a 76 el nú-mero de especies de aves acuáticas y a 156 el total de especies registradas para Cayo Sabinal, lo que repercute de forma notable en la importancia cientí-fica, conservacionista y el atractivo natural de este territorio del Norte de Cuba.

LITERATURA CITADA GARRIDO, O. H. Y A. KIRKCONNELL. 2000. Field

guide to the birds of Cuba. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press.

MEEKS, W. A., AND K. F. HIGGINS. 1998. Nongame birds, small mammals, herptiles, and fishes: Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 1995�1996. SDAES Bulletin 729. Brooking: South Dakota State University.

MORALES, J. Y O. H. GARRIDO. 1996. Aves y repti-les de Cayo Sabinal, Archipiélago Sabana-Camagüey, Cuba. Pitirre 9:9�11.


INTRODUCTION THE SCALY-BREASTED THRASHER (Margarops fuscus) is endemic to the Lesser Antilles and known to range from St. Barthelemy in the northern ex-treme of its range to St. Vincent in the southern end. Recent literature suggests that this species is declin-ing throughout its range and has been extirpated from St. Eustatius, Barbuda, and Barbados (Voous 1983, Raffaele et al. 1998). Additional literature states the presence of the Scaly-breasted Thrasher as an accidental visitor to St. Martin (McLaughlin and Roughgarden 1989, Benito-Espinal 1990, Evans 1990). During bird surveys on St. Martin from 2 January through 7 March 2002, biologists trapped seven Scaly-breasted Thrashers in mist-nets and observed 25 additional individuals within our 20-ha study area during standardized area searches.

METHODS During the winter of 2002, banding of over-wintering and resident songbirds was conducted at a research station at Lotterie Farm, within a secon-dary dry forest, a rare habitat on the island. Ten nets were placed at the study site and arranged at a dis-tance of three nets per 2-ha area. This distance as-sured that biologists could maintain all nets within a 15-min time span. All nets were 12-m-long, 30-mm-mesh, 4-tier, tethered, nylon mist-nets. Nets were open during the hours of the most bird activity, be-

ginning at sunrise and continuing for 6 hours. Nets were placed in areas of high avian traffic, including shrub areas and within canopy areas of larger trees. This assured a high capture rate. Finally, all birds were banded with uniquely numbered bands. The station was run for four consecutive days. Two four-day banding periods were run over a two-month time span; the first starting 11 February and ending 14 February and the second starting 4 March and ending 7 March 2002. Additionally, once during each four-day banding period, biologists traveled over the trails between mist-nets and recorded all the bird species either seen or heard.

RESULTS On 11 February 2001, our first day banding, a Scaly-breasted Thrasher was trapped in a mist-net, drawing our attention to the presence of this species on the island. During the subsequent seven days of netting, we trapped and banded six more individu-als. Of the seven birds banded, four were adults and three were in their first year. Of the four adults, two were determined to be males based on the presence of an enlarged cloaca, and two were determined to be female based on the presence of brood patches. The three first-year birds were identified by the presence of incompletely pneumaticized skulls. Ad-ditionally, we detected a high count of 25 individu-als during area searches of our 20-ha study area.

RECENT COLONIZATION OF ST. MARTIN BY THE SCALY-BREASTED THRASHER (MARGAROPS FUSCUS)

ADAM C. BROWN1 AND NATALIA COLLIER

Environmental Protection In the Caribbean (EPIC), 200 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Riviera Beach, Florida 33404, USA; [email protected]

Abstract.�We report the colonization of St. Martin by the Scaly-breasted Thrasher (Margarops fuscus). During 2002, biologists banded seven birds of this species and observed 25 other individuals during area searches. This indicates a northward range expansion for this species. Key words: colonization, Lesser Antilles, Margarops fuscus, Scaly-breasted Thrasher, St. Martin Resumen.�COLONIZACIÓN RECIENTE DE SAN MARTÍN POR EL ZORZAL PECHIESCAMADO (MARGAROPS

FUSCUS). Reportamos la colonización de Margarops fuscus en St. Martin. Durante 2002, biólogos atraparon siete individuos y observaron 25 otros durante buscas del area. Esto indica una expansion hacia el norte por esta especie. Palabras clave: Antiles Menores, colonización, Margarops fuscus, San Martín, Zorzal Pechiescamado


DISCUSSION The Scaly-breasted Thrasher has a limited range, constituting only a small portion of the Lesser An-tilles. Little is known regarding the life history of this species. As has been previously mentioned, this species population has been reduced on many is-lands within its range and is possibly extirpated from three of these islands. The cause for this de-cline is not well documented. Our observations of this species within secondary dry forest on St. Mar-tin supports the recent literature, which suggests that this species prefers forest habitat (Voous 1983, Bond 1985, Raffaele et al. 1998). Secondary dry forests have been reduced on many islands as a re-sult of over-harvesting timber for cooking and building materials as well as clearing for economic development. This reduction of primary habitat for the Scaly-breasted Thrasher indicates that habitat fragmentation might be a main cause for the re-duced population (pers. observ.). Scaly-breasted Thrasher colonization is undocu-mented in the literature, although the closely related Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus) has been known to colonize from island to island (Norton 2000). It is an �accidental visitor� to St. Martin so it is documented to move between is-lands, but not to colonize. Birds of this species might have dispersed to St. Martin in direct re-sponse to habitat restrictions within their current range. Environmental events such as hurricanes pos-sibly have displaced this species from nearby is-lands.

The presence of adult females with heavy brood patches and adult males with enlarged cloacal protu-berances indicates a possible breeding population on St. Martin. Additionally, the presence of three first-year birds supports this assumption. Future research should focus on estimating the population and status of the Scaly-breasted Thrasher on St. Martin. Additionally, habitat preferences, for-aging requirements, and breeding cycles need to be identified.

LITERATURE CITED BENITO-ESPINAL, E. 1990. Birds of the West Indies.

St. Barths, FWI: Anse des Lezards. BOND, J. 1985. Birds of the West Indies. Hong

Kong: South China Printing Co. EVANS, P. G. H. 1990. Birds of the eastern Carib-

bean. London: Macmillan Press Ltd. MCLAUGHLIN, J. F., AND J. ROUGHGARDEN. 1989.

Avian predation on the Anolis lizards in the north-eastern Caribbean: an inter-island contrast. Ecol-ogy 70:617�628.

NORTON, R. L. 2000. Regional Reports: West In-dies: North American Birds 54:225.

RAFFAELE, H., J. WILEY, O. GARRIDO, A. KEITH, AND J. RAFFAELE. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.

VOOUS, K. H. 1983. Birds of the Netherlands Antil-les. Utrecht: De Walburg Press.

BROWN AND COLLIER � COLONIZATION OF ST. MARTIN BY SCALY-BREASTED THRASHER


THERE CONTINUES TO BE a shortage of consistent observations of marine seabirds in offshore waters in the Lesser Antilles. However, the pace of obser-vations and the amount of data accumulated has picked up in the last few years. Here we report ob-servations made in deep offshore waters (200�1000 fathoms) off the west coast of Dominica during a Boston University Marine Program Marine Mam-mals of the Caribbean class led by Dr. Kevin Chu during 3�13 December 2002. The main purpose of the class was to collect data on the occurrence, be-havior and distribution of marine mammals in the area. The junior author served as a course consultant and made a special effort to record and photograph any birds of interest that came close enough to iden-tify. The following bird species were recorded: Cory�s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea).�Two birds were seen on 7 December, one of which was photographed by LWK. The photograph shows the diagnostic large pale bill, gray neck, and broad pale underwing of this species in contrast to the small dark bill and patterned underwing of Greater Shearwater (Puffinus gravis), the only other species with which it would be likely confused. A copy of the photo has been placed on file at VIREO (ref. V06/46/003). This apparently is the first docu-

mented record for Dominica waters. Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus).�One bird came close by the boat 8 December and two photographs were taken by student Josiah Sewell. One photo shows the dark black back and noticea-bly longer wings of a typical darker adult Manx in contrast to the browner mantle and shorter wings observed in most members of the local population of Audubon�s Shearwater (P. lherminieri). The sec-ond photo clearly shows clean white undertail cov-erts, a distinct dark line across the underwing cov-erts to be expected in dark adult Manx, distinctly longer bill than Audubon�s, a pale crescent behind the auriculars of a darker adult Manx, and a smudged dark area below the eye rather than the crisper line between the cheek and face to be ex-pected in Audubon�s at this season. Taken together, these field marks satisfy the senior author that the bird was a Manx Shearwater. Copies of both photos have been placed on file at VIREO (ref. V06/46/001 and V06/46/002). On the assumption that it was a Manx, this is the first documented record of this species for Dominica. (It should be noted that the two photos of this bird were posted by Floyd Hayes on the ID Frontiers website; several commentators agreed that the bird was a Manx though others thought it was an Audubon�s on the basis of a longer tail [not all agreed with this view], longer bill

MORE PELAGIC BIRD SIGHTINGS OFF DOMINICA

ALLAN R. KEITH¹ AND LUCY W. KEITH²

¹P0 Box 247, Chilmark, MA, 02535, USA; and ²Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, South-west Field Laboratory, 1481-G Market Circle, Unit 7, Port Charlotte, FL 33953, USA

Abstract.�We report the first documented records of Cory�s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) and of

probable Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) for Dominica on 7 December and 8 December, 2002, respec-tively. Both birds were seen over deep water off the southeast coast of the island. The available records of both species from offshore French Guiana north to the Bahamas are summarized. Notes on several other pe-lagic species are also included.

Key words: Calonectris diomedea, Cory�s Shearwater, Dominica, Manx Shearwater, pelagic birds, Puffinus puffinus

Resumen.�REGISTROS ADICIONALES DE AVES PELÁGICAS EN DOMINICA. Reportamos los primeros regis-tros documentados de la Pardela Cenicienta (Calonectris diomedea) y una probable Pardela Pichoneta (Puffinus puffinus) para Dominica el 7 y 8 de diciembre de 2002, respectivamente. Ambas aves fueron vistas sobre mares profundos cerca de la costa sureste de la isla. Se sumarizan los registros disponibles para la espe-cie desde la Guayana Francesa hasta las Bahamas en el norte. También se incluyen notas sobre varias espe-cies pelágicas.

Palabras clave: aves pelagicas, Calonectris diomedea, Dominica, Pardela cenicienta, Petrel blanquine-gro, Puffinus puffinus


[which is incorrect since Manx definitely has the longer bill], and different opinions about the under-wing and facial patterns.) Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster).�Three were observed on 5 December, two on 6 December, and eight on 9 December. Several photographs were taken by LWK. Red-footed Booby (Sula sula).�One adult of the dark form seen and photographed 5 December, and one adult of the white form photographed 6 Decem-ber, both by LWK. Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus).�A common species seen almost every day in the pe-riod: seven on 5 December, about 15 on 6 Decem-ber, about 20 on 7 December, about 10 on 8 Decem-ber, and about three on 9 December. In some cases four or five birds were in sight at once; several pho-tographs taken by LWK. Royal Tern (Sterna maxima).�About 15 birds were seen together 5 December feeding in Roseau harbor. About six more birds at a distance that were possibly this species were seen offshore 8 Decem-ber. Noddy (Anous sp.).�Two birds were seen in a feeding flock but not close enough to photograph on 5 December. Though it is most likely that the birds were Brown Noddies (A. stolidus), the possibility of Black Noddy (A. minutus) could not be ruled out. LWK has had extensive field experience with Nod-dies in both the tropical Pacific and the Dry Tortu-gas. Other species.�Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) were seen every day in num-bers ranging from two to about 20. Notable for their absence were Audubon�s Shearwater (P. lhermini-eri), Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata), and White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) because all three were found in this same area 15 to 23 January 1997 (Keith and Ward 1997).

DISCUSSION

The discovery of Cory�s Shearwater is a surprise in December at Dominica because it is primarily known as a spring migrant in the Lesser Antilles. For perspective, very large numbers (20,000�30,000) of this species were observed off the mouth of the La Plata River in Uruguayan waters on 8 De-cember 1973 (Gore and Gepp 1978:62), suggesting a major wintering ground for the species. Sick (1993:117) noted that it regularly occurs on the high seas off the coasts of Espírito Santo, Bahia and Per-

nambuco Provinces of eastern Brazil, in May. In addition, birds banded near Madeira were found dead on the Ceará Province coast of northeastern Brazil, in December and on the Rio Grand do Sul Province coast at Tramandaí, southeastern Brazil, in February. This species has also been recorded three times in the offshore waters of French Guiana from December to early February (Tostain et al. 1992:25). At Trinidad, ffrench (1973:43) reported dead or exhausted birds found on beaches 21 June 1955, 19 February 1956, and 29 April 1961. Peter-sen and McRae (2002:204) report at least 15 at Trinidad on 30 December 1991, and Murphy (2002:106) reports two near the Paria Peninsula, Venezuela, and one near Tobago, all on 27 February 1997. There also exists another extralimital record by D. D. Gibson at 11° 50' N, 55°00' W, or about 415 km ESE of Barbados, on 10 June 1965 (M. Frost, pers. comm.). At Barbados, there are three known records (M. Frost, pers. comm.): (1) one found exhausted on Morgan Lewis Beach, St. An-drew, by D. Hunte and identified by M. B. Hutt in March 1966 was restored to health and later re-leased (Bond 1967:12); (2) one seen just off Rock-ley Beach, Christ Church, 11 November 1966 by D. I. Smith; and (3) one observed about 5 km off East Point, St. Philip, 16 November 2002 by R. W. Burke. There are previous records for Dominica for March and December (Evans and James 1997:14), but no more specific data are available and none are documented. Feldmann et al. (1999:81) reported records from Guadeloupe on 16 May 1992 and 22 May 1993, and A. Levesque (pers. comm.) observed birds migrating past Petite Terre, Guadeloupe, as follows: one on 4 May 2001, two on 9 May 2001, one on 25 May 2001, and one on 13 May 2002, 68 on 7 June 2003, and 111 on 8 June 2003. It is known as a vagrant at Antigua: one seen by F. Sladen between there and St. Croix on 16 May 1984 (Norton 1984), and one found there between August 1993 and April 1994 (Raffaele et al. 1998). White (in prep.) described it as fairly common in Baha-mian offshore waters from May to July, once in September, once in December, and once in �winter.� There are three records for the open ocean off northeastern Cuba: 26 November 1951, 3 May 1965, and in December 1966 (Garrido and Kirkcon-nell 2000:24). All this suggests that this species is probably a routine seasonal transient over the open ocean through the Lesser Antilles north primarily around the outside of the arc of the Caribbean Is-lands to the Bahamas and then north along the coast of the United States. It apparently ventures seldom,

KEITH AND KEITH � PELAGIC BIRDS OFF DOMINICA


if ever, into the waters of the central Caribbean Sea as it is still unreported from Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Caymans, or the Virgin Islands. Whereas it is most often found in the Lesser Antil-les in spring from March through June, the growing body of records suggests that stragglers can occur at other times, even in fall and winter. Manx Shearwater is another surprise in Decem-ber at Dominica, and less is probably known about its status in the West Indies than the previous spe-cies. Also for perspective, it occurs routinely off the southeastern coast of Brazil from late September at least into November; in 1962 alone nine banded birds were recovered off Rio Grande do Sul Prov-ince and by 1975 a total of 80 birds banded in Eng-land had been recorded in Brazilian waters, two having come all the way from Skokholm, Wales, in 45 and 26 days, respectively (Sick 1993:117). Tostain et al. (1992:26) provides the following re-ports for French Guiana: one found dead on the beach 2 January 1985, and from 11 to 15 March 1990, a total of 26 birds were seen as singles and small flocks 70�150 km off the coast, all flying northwest. In Trinidad, an exhausted bird was found inland on 29 March 1958, two birds were found dead on the beach 6 December 1958, and a bird banded at Skokholm, Wales, on 30 August 1967 was found dead on Manzanilla Beach on 10 No-vember 1968 (ffrench 1991:41). In addition, one was seen off the northern coast on 23 February 1997 (Hayes and White 2000), single dead individuals were found at Manzanilla Beach on 14 November 1997 (White and Hayes, in press) and 19 October 2002 (F. Hayes pers. comm.), one was seen off Galera Point on 9 April 1999 (F. Hayes, pers. comm.), and up to five per day were seen off Galera Point, Trinidad, from 5 October to 7 November 2002 by M. Kenefick. In the Lesser Antilles, a bird banded in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on 9 September 1969 was recovered on a ship 13 km off Grenada on 24 November 1970 (J. Clark, pers. comm.). It is known as a vagrant at St. Vincent (Raffaele et al. 1998). The first record known for Guadeloupe is a bird banded at St. Kilda, Scotland, on 6 July 1978 which was recovered at La Desirade on April 30 1997, over 18 years later! The next known Guade-loupe records are those of A. Levesque (pers. comm.), migrating past Petite Terre as follows: one on 3 May 2001, three on 25 May 2001, three on 12 December 2001, remarkable numbers of 80 on 11 March 2002 and 225 on 12 March 2002, one on 1 April 2002, three on 7 April 2002, and five on 13 May 2002. It was found once at Puerto Rico on 5 September 1975 (Raffaele 1983:195), and two that

had been banded on Skomer Island, Wales, were found dead on the beach of the easternmost prov-ince of the Dominican Republic on 28 June 1980 (Keith et al., in press). White (in prep.) mentions one possible record of three among a large flock of Audubon�s Shearwaters in Bahamian waters on 11 February 1988. A bird banded on Bardsey Island, Wales, on 14 May 1986 was found dead on 17 April 1989 near Little Harbour, Great Abaco Island, Ba-hamas (J. Clark, pers. comm.). Taken together, es-pecially the recent Guadeloupe data, these reports suggest that Manx Shearwater occurs more com-monly in West Indies waters than heretofore thought. As suggested by van Halewyn and Norton (1984:179), �Manx Shearwaters nested in Bermuda until [the early 1900s, and it] is likely that birds from both west and east Atlantic breeding popula-tions occur as migrants in the Caribbean region when on their way to and from wintering grounds off northern Argentina and southwestern Africa.� Given the recent data, especially of banded birds, van Halewyn and Norton�s suggestion is now con-firmed. Lee (1995) reviewed the occurrence and status of Manx Shearwater off the southeastern United States but had essentially no data for this species in the Greater and Lesser Antilles, a matter corrected above. However, Lee (1995) provided 11 records for the Gulf of Mexico: five for western Florida, one off Alabama, and five along the Texas coast. A record for Louisiana waters has been accepted by that state�s rarities committees (A. White, pers. comm.). Lee (1995) also provided 25 records for the eastern coast of Florida, three of which are speci-mens, some of which were banded in the British Isles (Robinson and Woolfenden 1992). In addition, Lee (1995) also listed eight records off Georgia, five off South Carolina, 38 off North Carolina, 11 off Virginia, and 22 off Maryland. He also showed that this species occurs off the coast from Florida to Maryland in greatest numbers from mid-March to mid-June on its northward migration to breeding grounds in western Europe, Newfoundland, and possibly elsewhere in the western Atlantic. Southbound migration occurs from mid-October to January by which time most birds that nest in the eastern Atlantic are believed to be wintering in the southern hemisphere. Lee further suggested that birds found in the Maryland to Florida area in sum-mer are probably non-breeding juveniles and that the increase in reports since about 1980 along the eastern coast of the United States may be due to in-creased breeding in the western Atlantic as well as more fieldwork being done. Since it is believed that



birds breeding in the eastern Atlantic migrate south by way of West Africa and do not cross to the west-ern Atlantic or to the West Indies north of the Equa-tor (Brooke 1990), southbound migrants off the eastern coast of the United States and in the West Indies appear likely to be western Atlantic breeding birds primarily, whereas numbers of eastern Atlan-tic breeders may be among the northbound birds passing through the West Indies in spring. Data from the West Indies agree well with the patterns suggested by Lee (1995), particularly regarding the timing of northbound migration in spring. It is now also clear that some birds from the eastern Atlantic population occur in the West Indies regularly in winter and spring, and that some birds from the growing population known to be breeding in the northwestern Atlantic probably winter in offshore waters of the Lesser Antilles or farther south. Re-ports from the Gulf of Mexico also suggest that this species may also occur more widely in the West Indies than has been thought before. Pomarine Jaeger is known now to be a regular and occasionally common fall transient to, winter resident in, and spring migrant in the Lesser Antil-les, particularly over deeper water. In Barbados wa-ters there are three known records (M. Frost, pers. comm.): (1) at least seven seen 8�16 km NW of the island on 12 December 1994 by E. Massiah, (2) eight just off the western coast on 24 April 2000 by M. Gawn, and (3) two seen 11�16 km SW of the island on 29 April 2000 by M. Frost and M. Gawn. At Dominica, seven were seen just off the SW coast on 7 February 2001 by E. Massiah, and six were seen in the same area on 18 February 2001 by M. Frost. Evans and James (1997:22) describe it as an �Uncommon though regular passage migrant,� pri-marily from October to December and March to June when 10 to 20 birds per day are not excep-tional, but regularly seen at all other times of year (P. G. H. Evans, pers. comm.), suggesting that some non-breeding birds may frequently spend the north-ern hemisphere breeding season in the area. Obser-vations at Petite Terre, Guadeloupe, in 2001 and 2002 (A. Levesque, pers. com.), show this jaeger to be a regular northbound migrant in April, occurring often until mid-May. This confirms its status as de-scribed by Feldmann et al. (1999:87) as �regular and probably common in winter and as a spring transient in offshore waters� of Guadeloupe and Martinique. White (in prep.) reports it to be a �Fairly common winter and spring visitor,� twice recorded in fall in the Bahamas. The new data from Dominica confirm that the large numbers reported there by Keith and Ward (1997) should no longer be

considered exceptional. Red-footed Booby is only an occasional visitant to Dominica waters between October and April (Evans 1990, Evans and James 1997:14), so addi-tional observations are of interest. Feldmann et al. (1999:81�82) noted that a few have bred nearby at Les Saintes, Guadeloupe, for some years, which colony is likely to be the source of birds seen in Do-minica waters. None of the 2002 Dominica tern observations are surprising, and Frigatebird numbers appear to be normal for this time of year.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors especially wish to thank Jacquie Clark, Peter G. H. Evans, Martin Frost, Floyd Hayes, Martyn Kenefick, Herb Raffaele, Jorge Sa-liva, and Tony White for information, records, or references cited above, and Sheri Hall of the Boston University Marine Program, Lambert Charles of Ken�s Hinterland Tours, and Derek Perryman and staff of Dive Dominica for assistance and courtesies extended during the class� visit to the island.

LITERATURE CITED BOND, J. 1967. Twelfth supplement to the Check-

list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Philadel-phia, PA: Academy of Natural Sciences.

BROOKE, M. DE L. 1990. The Manx Shearwater. London: T. & A. D. Poyser.

EVANS, P. G. H. 1990. Birds of the eastern Carib-bean. London: Macmillan Education Ltd.

EVANS, P. G. H., AND A. JAMES. 1997. Domin-ica � nature island of the Caribbean � a guide to birdwatching. Sussex, England: Published by P. G. H. Evans and S. Heimlich-Boran.

FELDMANN, P., E. BENITO-ESPINAL, AND A. R. KEITH. 1999. New bird records for Guadeloupe and Martinique, West Indies. J. Field Ornithol. 70:80�94.

FFRENCH, R. 1991. A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago, 2nd ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univer-sity Press.

GARRIDO, O. H., AND A. KIRKCONNELL. 2000. Field guide to the birds of Cuba. Ithaca, NY: Cor-nell University Press.

GORE, M. E. J., AND A. R. M. GEPP. 1978. Las aves del Uruguay. Montevideo, Uruguay: International Council for the Preservation of Birds � Pan American and United States Sections.



HAYES, F. E., AND G. WHITE. 2000. First report of the Trinidad and Tobago Rare Bird Committee. Living World (J. Trinidad Tobago Field Nat. Club) 1999�2000:39�45.

KEITH, A. R., AND N. F. R. WARD. 1997. Pelagic bird sightings off Dominica. Pitirre 10:60�61.

KEITH, A. R., J. W. WILEY, S. C. LATTA, AND J. A. OTTENWALDER. In press. Birds of Hispaniola: Do-minican Republic and Haiti. BOU Check-list No. 21. London: British Ornithologists� Union.

LEE, D. S. 1995. The pelagic ecology of Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus off the southeastern United States of America. Marine Ornithology 23:107�119.

MURPHY, W. L. 2002. Observations of pelagic sea-birds wintering at sea in the southeastern Carib-bean. Pp. 104�110 in Studies in Trinidad and To-bago ornithology honouring Richard ffrench (Hayes, F. E., and S. A. Temple, Eds.). Dept. Life Sci., University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Occ. Pap. 11.

NORTON, R. L. 1984. West Indies region. American Birds 38:968.

PETERSEN, W. R. AND D. MCRAE. 2002. Notewor-thy bird records for Trinidad and Tobago, includ-ing first reports of Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) and White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus). Pp. 204�206 in Studies in Trinidad and Tobago ornithology honouring Richard ffrench (Hayes, F. E., and S. A. Temple, Eds.). Dept. Life Sci., Univ.

West Indies, St. Augustine, Occ. Pap. 11. RAFFAELE, H. A. 1983. A guide to the birds of

Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Fondo Educativo Interamericano.

RAFFAELE, H., J. WILEY, O. GARRIDO, A. KEITH, AND J. RAFFAELE. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univer-sity Press.

ROBINSON, W. B., JR., AND G. E. WOOLFENDEN. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Spe-cial Publication No. 6. Gainesville, FL: Florida Ornithological Society.

TOSTAIN, O., J.-L. DUJARDIN, CH. ÉRARD, AND J.-M. THIOLLAY. 1992. Oiseaux de Guyane. Brunoy, France: Société d�Études Ornithologiques, Mu-séum National d�Histoire Naturelle.

VAN HALEWYN, R., AND R. L. NORTON. 1984. The status and conservation of seabirds in the Carib-bean. Pp. 169�222 in Status and conservation of the world�s seabirds (Croxall, J. P., P. G. H. Ev-ans, and R. W. Schrieber, Eds.). ICBP Technical Report No. 2, International Council for Bird Pres-ervation, Cambridge.

WHITE A. W. In prep. Transient seabirds in the Ba-hamian archipelago and adjacent waters. North Amer. Birds.

WHITE, G. AND F. E. HAYES. In press. Second re-port of the Trinidad and Tobago Rare Bird Com-mittee. Living World (J. Trinidad Tobago Field Nat. Club.



ALTHOUGH OF INTEREST to ornithologists and birders for its 21 endemic bird species and 39 unique subspecies (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000), Cuba is also an important wintering and stopover site for many North American migrant birds be-cause of its size and location (Gonzalez Alonso et al. 1992). Knowledge of the true wintering ranges and winter ecology of North American migrants is critical in understanding apparent declines in their populations (Remsen 2001). For species that can be reliably identified by skilled observers, observations of birds in their winter habitat can provide an im-portant addition to collections and banding data as sources of range information. In recent years, �eco-tours� have become a popu-lar form of travel, and many tour companies include trips that focus on birdwatching and attract people with strong bird identification skills. As these tours have become established, the recognition of the po-tential conservation value of observations made on these trips has increased. In some cases, the goal of contributing to conservation efforts has led tour leaders to more conscientiously document bird sightings by groups that incorporate natural history into their itineraries. Here we present some interest-ing distributional and temporal records compiled by Craves (22 February to 1 March 2002, �Group A�) and Craves and Hall (31 January to 8 February

2003, �Group B�) on two tours of central and west-ern Cuba in which the authors were able to make bird observations. In addition, we also present pre-viously undocumented observations made by mem-bers of other tour groups, who provide context for our observations. Dunlin (Calidris alpina).�Six were counted on 23 February 2002 (Group A) and three on 1 Febru-ary 2003 (Group B) at Las Salinas Refuge, Zapata peninsula, Matanzas province. Dunlin are reported to be very rare transients and winter residents at Za-pata and Cayo Coco (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000). This species was not recorded in Cuba until 1989 (Norton 1990, Wallace et al. 1999), and until 1997 all reports were from the Zapata area. Dunlin were then photographed at Cayo Coco (Wallace et al. 1999) and reported from Holguín province (Peña Rodríguez et al. 2000). Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica).�Two were seen well on 1 February (Group B) and 15 February 2003 (another tour) at Las Salinas Refuge, Zapata peninsula, Matanzas province. This species is con-sidered a rare transient and winter resident in Cuba (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000), and there have been previous published reports from Las Salinas (Norton 1988, 1994). Wallace et al. (1999) gave the first reports for the Archipiélago de Sabana-

NOTABLE BIRD SIGHTINGS FROM CUBA, WINTERS 2002 AND 2003

JULIE A. CRAVES1 AND KIMBERLY R. HALL2 1Rouge River Bird Observatory, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI 48128, USA; and 2Michigan

State University, Dept. Fisheries and Wildlife, 13 Natural Resources Bldg., E. Lansing, MI 48824, USA

Abstract.�We present significant sight reports of birds made in Cuba during late winter 2002 and winter 2003. Of special interest are the second documented report of Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula), the first wintering reports for Tennessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina) and Canada Warbler (Wilsonia canadensis), and a range ex-pansion for Olive-capped Warbler (Dendroica pityophila).

Key words: Blue-winged Warbler, Calidris alpina, Cuba, Dendroica pityophila, Dunlin, Hooded Warbler, Olive-capped Warbler, Pheucticus ludovicianus, Regulus calendula, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ten-nessee Warbler, Vireo flavifrons, Vermivora peregrina, Vermivora pinus, Wilsonia citrina, winter records, Yellow-throated Vireo

Resumen.�AVES NOTABLES REGISTRA DE CUBA, LOS INVIERNOS 2002 Y 2003. Nosotros observaciones significa-tivas presentes de aves hicieron durante invierno tarde 2002 y el invierno 2003. Del interés especial son el segundo el registro documentado de Regulus calendula, los primeros registros de aves invernando estaban para el Vermivora peregrina y Vermivora pinus, y una expansión de la distancia para el Dendroica pityophila.

Palabras clave: Bijirita Azul de Garganta Negra, Birijita de Alas Azules, Bijirita de Tennessee, Birijita Peregrina, Bijirita del Pinar, Calidris alpina, Cuba, Degollado, Dendroica pityophila, Monjita, Pheucticus ludovicianus, Regulus calendula, Reyezuela, Verdón de Pecho Amarillo, Vermivora peregrina, Vermivora pinus, Vireo flavifrons, Wilsonia citrina, winter records, Zarapico Gris

Page 32 Journal of Caribbean Ornithology 16(1)

Camagüey along the northern coast from 1996�1997, and stated there were 10 previous records or reports from Cuba. Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons).�Group A observed a Yellow-throated Vireo in the endemic forest section of the Jardín Botánico Na-cional in La Habana province on 22 February 2002, and single birds were seen at the same location on 6 December 2002 (another tour) and 31 January 2003 (Group B). The botanical garden is regarded as a traditional wintering location for this species (O. Garrrido, pers. comm.). In 2003, Group B found this species in several locations in Pinar del Río prov-ince: Soroa (two on 4 February and one on 6 Febru-ary), El Taburete near Las Terrazas (one on 5 Feb-ruary), and La Guira National Park (two on 7 Febru-ary). A previous tour also had two at La Guira on 10 December 2002. Garrido and Kirkconnell (2000) report them as rare winter residents in Cuba. Per-haps Yellow-throated Vireos are more common in winter in Cuba than previously believed. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula).�The second documented report for Cuba was of a bird discovered at a native forest site between Pálpite and Playa Larga on the Zapata peninsula, Matanzas province. The bird was first seen by a tour group on 8 December 2002. At that time, none of the observers noted a red crown (M. Kraus and M. J. Good, pers.comm.). On 1 February 2003, two in-dependent sets of people in Group B, among them Cuban ornithologist William Suárez, found a Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the same location. One person provided a sketch, and several gave written descrip-tions, including references to the active foraging behavior typical of kinglets (versus the more slug-gish foraging maneuvers of the similar Cuban Vireo Vireo gundlachii). Again, none of the observers no-ticed a red crown. A few weeks later, a third tour group relocated the kinglet in the same place (O. Garrido, pers. comm.). Only one previously published record exists for Ruby-crowned Kinglet in Cuba, a bird collected near La Habana on 18 October 1964 (Garrido and García Montaña 1975, Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000). Ruby-crowned Kinglets are noted as va-grants in Cuba (Ingold and Wallace 1994), and Ja-maica and the Dominican Republic (Raffaele et al. 1998). Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora pinus).�One was observed by Group A with O. Garrido in the endemic forest section of the Jardín Botánico Na-cional in La Habana province on 22 February 2002. Garrido also located one with a tour at La Guira Na-

tional Park, Pinar del Río province, on 10 December 2002 (M. J. Good, pers. comm.). In Cuba, these warblers are listed as rare winter residents and tran-sients (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000), with only six records listed by Garrido and García Montaña (1975). Blue-winged Warblers are rare in the Greater Antilles and occasional in the Lesser Antil-les (Gill et al. 2001). Tennessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina).� Several sightings in Pinar del Río province repre-sent the first wintering reports of Tennessee War-blers in Cuba. One was seen well through a scope by a tour including O. Garrido in Viñales on 12 De-cember 2002 (M. J. Good, pers. comm). Other Ten-nessee Warblers were found by Group B in 2003. Two were watched (one by Garrido) as they foraged in large trees at the forest edge outside the Ecologi-cal Station at Las Terrazas on 4 February. The next day, another was found at nearby El Taburete. Fi-nally, one (possibly two) was noted at La Guira Na-tional Park on 7 February. In Cuba, this warbler is regarded as an uncom-mon transient (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000). Al-though the early spring migration arrival date for Tennessee Warblers is listed as 8 February (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000), Garrido (pers. comm.) be-lieves Tennessee Warblers to be late migrants, gen-erally, and he judged the sightings we report here to represent wintering birds. This species is described as a rare to uncommon transient in much of the West Indies, and uncommon in winter in Bermuda, Grand Bahama, and Jamaica (Rimmer and McFar-land 1998). Raffaele et al. (1998) lists the Tennes-see Warbler as an uncommon non-breeding resident through the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and San Andres. Olive-capped Warbler (Dendroica pityo-phila).�Two were observed by Group B and O. Garrido in pine trees outside of the Ecological Sta-tion at Las Terrazas on 4 February 2003. This spe-cies is a common but local permanent resident in Pinar del Río province (in the west) and in two far eastern provinces (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000). This sighting represents the easternmost report in Pinar del Río province (O. Garrido, pers. comm.). Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina).�Group B detected a male Hooded Warbler in an open, dis-turbed site in mature second-growth forest at Soroa, Pinar del Río province. The bird was first seen by one observer on 5 February 2003. The next day, an-other member of the group found a male Hooded Warbler (presumably the same bird) foraging in low vegetation at the same location. Considered a com-

CRAVES AND HALL�BIRD SIGHTINGS IN CUBA


mon transient and rare winter resident (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000) in Cuba, most Hooded Warblers are reported to winter in south to eastern Mexico and Belize, with smaller numbers in the West In-dies, including Cuba (Evans Ogden and Stutchbury 1994). This species is noted as uncommon to rare in the Bahamas, and rare in Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin and Cayman Islands (Raffaele et al. 1998). Canada Warbler (Wilsonia canadensis).�The first winter report for Canada Warbler in Cuba (O. Garrido, pers. comm.) was of a bird foraging in dense shrubs bordering marshy ground in Soplillar, Matanzas province on 2 February 2003 by Group B. The sketch and description indicate a first-winter female. This species is described as wintering from Venezuela and Colombia south through eastern Ec-uador to central Peru (Conway 1999) and is re-corded as a very rare transient in Cuba (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000). Raffaele et al. (1998) lists Can-ada Warblers as very rare migrants and even less common winter residents in the northern Bahamas and Cuba. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovi-cianus).�Group B observed two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (both male, one a first-winter and the other an older adult) in mature, second-growth for-est at Soroa, Pinar del Río province, on 6 February. The same group also saw a female foraging along the road through open forest at La Guira National Park, Pinar del Río province, on 7 February 2003. Another tour counted four females there on 12 De-cember 2002 (M. J. Good, pers. comm.). In Cuba, this species is regarded as a rare transient and very rare winter resident (Garrido and Kirkconnell 2000).

For the foreseeable future, it is probable that pro-fessional field work in Cuba will continue to be lim-ited by travel restrictions, a shortage of resources, and the isolation imposed by governmental policy. As emphasized by Wallace et al. (1999), even mod-est amounts of field work in Cuba yield much new information. The reports above demonstrate the po-tential for future tour groups to make noteworthy contributions to the understanding of the status and distribution of birds in Cuba. Observers are encour-aged to note not only numbers and habitats, but also gender where discernable, to add to the body of work on sexual segregation by habitat in over-wintering migrants (e.g., Lopez Ornat and Green-berg 1990, Lynch et al. 1985, Parrish and Sherry 1994, Wunderle 1992). We are willing to provide suggestions and assistance to travelers.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to Orlando Garrido, William Suárez (Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Ha-vana), and Frank Medina (Ciénaga de Zapata Par-que Nacional), one or more of whom were always with us providing insight and guidance. Gary Markowski has been resolutely pursuing ways to improve our knowledge of birds in Cuba since 1995, and these surveys would not have been possi-ble without him, or the inspiration of John McNeely. The American Birding Association has endorsed and promoted bird survey tours in Cuba. In addition to the authors, the 2003 group consisted of many experienced field observers and bird-banders, several of whom provided documentation on these sightings: D. Armstrong, H. Chambers, R. Denton, W. King, G. Norwood, D. O�Brien, F. Oat-man, and S. Ruck. R. Brooks, M. J. Good, Jr., M. and J. Kraus, and B. Walker provided details on ob-servations from other groups.

LITERATURE CITED CONWAY, C. J. 1999. Canada Warbler (Wilsonia

canadensis). In The birds of North America, No. 421. (Poole, A., and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia, PA: Birds of North America, Inc.

EVANS OGDEN, L. J., AND B. J. STUTCHBURY. 1994. Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina). In The birds of North America, No. 110. (Poole, A., and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia, PA: Birds of North America, Inc.

GARRIDO, O. H., AND F. GARCÍA MONTAÑA. 1975. Catálogo de las aves de Cuba. La Habana, Cuba: Academia de Ciencias de Cuba.

GARRIDO, O. H., AND A. KIRKCONNELL. 2000. Field guide to the birds of Cuba. Ithaca, NY: Cor-nell Univ. Press

GILL, F. B., R. A. CANTERBURY, AND J. L. CONFER. 2001. Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora pinus). In The birds of North America, No. 584. (Poole, A., and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia, PA: Birds of North America, Inc.

INGOLD, J. L., AND G. E. WALLACE. 1994. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula). In The birds of North America, No. 119. (Poole, A., and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia, PA: Birds of North America, Inc.

LOPEZ ORNAT, A., AND R. GREENBERG. 1990. Sex-ual segregation by habitat in migratory warblers in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Auk 107:539�543.

LYNCH, J. F., E. S. MORTON, AND M. E. VAN DER



VOORT. 1985. Habitat segregation between the sexes of wintering Hooded Warblers (Wilsonia citrina). Auk 102:714�721.

NORTON, R. L. 1988. West Indies region. American Birds 42:327�328.



PARRISH, J. D., AND T. W. SHERRY. 1994. Sexual segregation by American Redstarts wintering in Jamaica: importance of resource seasonality. Auk 111:38�49.

PEÑA RODRÍGUEZ, C. M., A. FERNÁNDEZ, E. REYES, N. NAVARO, AND J. A. LA�O. OSORIO. 2000. Nuevos registros de Charadriiformes (Scolopacidae) para la costa norte de oriente, Cuba. Pitirre 13:21.

RAFFAELE, H., J. WILEY, O. GARRIDO, A. KEITH, AND J. RAFFAELE. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.

REMSEN, J. V., JR. 2001. True winter range of the Veery (Catharus fuscescens): lessons for deter-mining winter ranges of species that winter in the Tropics. Auk 118:838�848.

RIMMER, C. C., AND K. P. MCFARLAND. 1998. Ten-nessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina). In The birds of North America, No. 350. (Poole, A., and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia, PA: Birds of North America, Inc.

WALLACE, G. E., E. A. H. WALLACE, D. R. FROEH-LICH, B. WALKER, A. KIRKCONNELL, E. SOCÁR-RAS TORRES, H. A. CARLISLE, AND E. MACHELL. 1999. Hermit Thrush and Black-throated Gray Warbler, new for Cuba, and other significant bird records from Cayo Coco and vicinity, Ciego de Ávila province, Cuba. Florida Field Naturalist 27:37�51.

WUNDERLE, J. M., JR. 1992. Sexual habitat segrega-tion in wintering Black-throated Blue Warblers in Puerto Rico. Pp. 229�307 in Ecology and conser-vation of Neotropical migrant landbirds (Hagan, J. M., III, and D. W. Johnson, Eds.). Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, DC.



INTRODUCCIÓN LAS AVES ZANCUDAS COLONIALES son un grupo de aves de particular importancia biológica y con-servacionista, dentro de los complejos ecosistemas de humedales (Hancock y Kushlan 1984). Constitu-yen especies clave en éstos al ser eslabones funda-mentales del flujo de energía y actúar como acelera-dores en el reciclaje de los nutrientes y su moviliza-ción, debido a su alta movilidad (Morales y Pacheco 1986). Cuba representa la mayor de las islas del Caribe, y por su forma alargada y geomorfología baja, con-tiene las más extensas regiones de zonas húmedas y, particularmente, de humedales costeros de la región caribeña. Dada su situación biogeográfica, recibe un flujo importante de aves migratorias que se mezclan con las poblaciones residentes, como han demostra-do las recuperaciones de individuos de algunas es-pecies anilladas en los Estados Unidos (Byrd 1978, Frederick et al. 1996). Por estas razones, los estu-dios en nuestro país tienen importancia no sólo lo-

cal, sino también regional, al existir la posibilidad de constituir las colonias en nuestros humedales fuentes importantes dentro de las metapoblaciones hemicontinentales de algunas especies. Las metapoblaciones se definen como mozaicos cambiantes de poblaciones temporales interconecta-das por algún grado de migración (Hanski et al. 1996, McCullough 1996, Hanski y Simberloff 1997). En algunas especies las poblaciones son de vida corta y cambian dramáticamente en cada gene-ración. En otras la metapoblación se caracteriza por una o más poblaciones nucleares o fuentes, más o menos estables en el tiempo y varias poblaciones satélites o receptoras que fluctuan con la llegada de inmigrantes (Bleich et al. 1990). Las poblaciones satelites pueden extinguirse en años desfavorables, pero son recolonizadas por migraciones desde una población nuclear. Las metapoblaciones se mani-fiestan a diferentes escalas geográficas, desde gran-des regiones zoogeográficas hasta en localidades específicas de menor extensión, en dependencia de

DINÁMICA METAPOBLACIONAL EN LAS COLONIAS DE GARZAS (AVES: ARDEIDAE) DE LA CIÉNAGA DE BIRAMAS, CUBA

DENNIS DENIS AVILA

Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, Calle 25 e/ J e I, Vedado, Ciu-dad de La Habana CP 10900, Cuba; e-mail: [email protected]

Resumen.�Las metapoblaciones se definen como mozaicos cambiantes de poblaciones temporales interconecta-

das por algún grado de migración. En el presente trabajo se demuestra el comportamiento metapoblacional de un grupo de colonias de garzas y cocos en la laguna Las Playas, Ciénaga de Biramas, Cuba, y se describen sus relacio-nes en los años de 1998 a 2002. Los cambios en número y composición de especies en estas colonias permiten defi-nir como población núcleo la establecida en Cayo Norte, desde la cual se nutren en años desfavorables las colonias satélites de la Guija, Wiso y Juan Viejo entre las cuales también existen movimientos de parejas. Las dinámicas de formación de la colonia de Cayo Norte y Wiso, muestran cierta sincronización en algunos momentos que parece evi-denciar los movimientos de parejas entre estas. Las colonias satélites de Juan Viejo y Wiso aparecen y desaparecen entre años en dependencia de las condiciones generales para la cría en la región. La descripción de esta dinámica es vital para los planes de manejo y de conservación del grupo en esta área y varias medidas prácticas de manejo se proponen sobre su base.

Palabras Clave: Ciénaga de Biramas, Colonias, Cuba, manejo, metapoblación Abstract.�METAPOPULATION DYNAMICS IN WADING BIRD (AVES: ARDEIDAE) COLONIES IN THE CIÉNAGA DE

BIRAMAS, CUBA. Metapopulations are dynamic complexes of changing populations interconnected by migration of individuals. We describe the metapopulation behavior of several reproductive colonies of egrets, herons, and ibises in Las Playas lagoon, Ciénaga de Biramas, Cuba. Apparent movements among these breeding sites are described for 1998 to 2002. Changes in numbers and species composition allowed us to define the Cayo Norte colony as a popula-tion source from which several satellite colonies receive breeding pairs. Also, movements occurred between satellite colonies of Guija, Wiso, and Juan Viejo. In 2002, recruitment dynamics of Cayo Norte and Wiso showed certain synchronization in some events, thereby supporting the theory of source-sink interrelation. Satellite colonies of Juan Viejo and Wiso fluctuated among years, probably related to general condition of the season in the region. Descrip-tion of this dynamic is useful for the managing and conservation of wading birds in this wetland and we suggest sev-eral measures based on the metapopulation dynamics.

Keywords: Ciénaga de Biramas, colonies, Cuba, management, metapopulation


las características demográficas y biológicas de las especies. El colonialismo es un fenómeno dinámico que aparece en cerca del 10% de las aves (Sieguel-Causey y Kharitonov 1990), y es una de las caracte-rísticas más conspicuas de la mayoría de los ciconi-formes durante la etapa de cría. Los factores que conducen a la formación de las colonias son alta-mente complejos y varían entre especies (Bancroft et al. 1994); sin embargo, se ha señalado que influ-yen aspectos como la disponibilidad y asequibilidad de alimentos, las distancias a los sitios de forrajeo y su calidad, el grado de disturbio humano, la estruc-tura de la vegetación y la presión de depredación, entre otros (Fasola y Alieri 1992). Así, durante la etapa de cría las mayoría de las garzas concentran sus poblaciones reproductivas en puntos determina-dos, a partir de los cuales vuelan direccionalmente hacia los sitios de forrajeo. Entre estas colonias pue-de establecerse un intercambio de parejas o indivi-duos. Estos movimientos intercolonias no han sido demostrados en algunas especies como los garzo-nes, pero en la Garza de Vientre Blanco estudios de radiotelemetría han encontrado que los individuos intentan anidar en diferentes colonias cada año, y en ocasiones secuencialmente entre años (Jewel y Ban-croft en prep., cit. por Bancroft et al. 1994). La descripción de esta dinámica es vital para los planes de manejo y de conservación de los grupos en las áreas, al demostrar cómo los efectos produci-dos en un punto específico puede repercutir en otro, o no tener efecto a causa de los movimientos pobla-cionales. Por esta razón el objetivo de este trabajo es describir las relaciones que se establecen entre las colonias de garzas nidificantes en la laguna Las Playas, para establecer esta información de base necesaria para el manejo y protección de este grupo.

MATERIALES Y METODOS Se trabajó en un total de cuatro colonias repro-ductivas localizadas al norte de la laguna Las Playas entre los años 1998 y 2001. Esta laguna es un exten-so cuerpo de aguas someras (segunda en extensión del país), con una superficie de alrededor de 12 km2, que centra un amplio sistema de esteros interconec-tados que desemboca en el mar 11 km al oeste (vease descripcion del área en Denis et al. 2001). Durante el periodo estudiado se reprodujeron nueve especies de garzas en esta área y dos de cocos, que se identifican en el trabajo con las siguientes siglas:

Garza de Rizos (Egretta thula) GR Garza Ganadera (Bubulcus ibis) GG

Garza de Viente Blanco (E. tricolor) GVB Garza Azul (E. caerulea) GA Garza Rojiza (E. rufescens) GRj Garzón (Ardea alba) Gz Guanabá de la Florida (Nycticorax nycticorax) GF Guanabá Real (Nyctanassa violacea) GRl Aguaitacaimán (Butorides virescens) Ag Coco Blanco (Eudocimus albus) CB Coco Prieto (Plegadis falcinellus) CP

El tamaño de las colonias fue estimado visual-mente de forma aproximada a partir de un punto elevado, o recorriendo la colonia. Las proporciones de las especies nidificantes en los dos primeros años (1998�1999) se estimaron a partir de una muestra de 653 nidos seleccionados aleatoriamente. En los años sucesivos (2000�2002) se procedió a estimar la composición por medio de registros de secuencias de especies (Denis, en prep.). Este método consistió en registrar desde un punto alejado, a partir de un individuo ubicado al azar, las especies de los prime-ros 10 individuos que se encontraban nidificando a su derecha. En las colonias de los esteros o donde la vegetación no ofrecía observatorios a distancia se empleó una variante de este método, anotando las apariciones a lo largo de una línea de transecto a través de las mismas. En Cayo Norte y Wiso se determinó la dinámica de formación de la colonia, es decir, la intensidad de reclutamiento de parejas cada semana. Dicha infor-mación se halló a partir de los nidos marcados y monitoreados, empleándose entre 146 y 460 nidos por año para un total de 1245 nidos. Durante este seguimiento se detectaron los momentos críticos del ciclo que podían ser temporalmente ubicados: la puesta o eclosión de algún huevo o la edad de algu-no de los pichones. Para esto, se asumió que la construcción del nido dura siete días en la Garza Ganadera, cuatro en la Garza de Rizos y cinco en la Garza de Vientre Blanco (Telfair 1987). El intervalo de puesta entre huevos, se asumió como dos días para todas las especies, y la duración de la misma, según el número de huevos en el nido (Palmer 1962). La edad de los pichones se calculó según las ecuaciones de regresión lineal obtenidas en este pe-riodo y publicadas por Denis (2002). El inicio de la construcción de los nidos se determinó transforman-do las fechas de estos momentos a días julianos, mediante la asignación de una numeración continua a cada día del año. A este valor se le restaba el tiem-po que debía haber transcurrido según el desarrollo del nido hasta alcanzar ese punto y se volvía a trans-formar la fecha a formato gregoriano siguiendo el

DENIS AVILA�DINÁMICA METAPOBLACIONAL EN LAS COLONIAS DE GARZAS EN CUBA


procedimiento inverso. Con estos datos se constru-yeron histogramas de frecuencias agrupadas por semanas para caracterizar la dinámica de formación de la colonia. Para este método se adoptaron dos asunciones importantes. Primero, que los nidos con huevos en los que durante todo el seguimiento no se observó ningún cambio, se encontraban en incubación. Para esto se tomó como edad del nido la cantidad de días que se siguió más la mitad de la diferencia entre el periodo de incubación de la especie y el número de días que fue observado sin cambios. Y en segundo lugar, se empleó el tamaño de puesta aparente para calcular la duración del periodo de puesta.

RESULTADOS Durante el periodo estudiado en el área se crearon cinco colonias de nidificación de aves acuáticas co-loniales (Fig. 1). El círculo azul muestra la ubica-ción de una colonia de Cocos Prietos y Blancos con algunas garzas que existió en 1998, pero que des-apareció antes de ser estudiada. Además de las especies coloniales, el área tam-bien fue sitio de cría de Aguaitacaimán (Butorides virescens). Esta especie crió en los bordes del canal de acceso a la laguna con gran intensidad en 1998, pero posiblemente por el incremento del disturbio humano dado por la entrada al área de motores fuera de borda, en los años sucesivos solo emplearon este

lugar para criar varias parejas aisladas. En el año 2002 se encontró un nuevo sitio de nidificación, donde posiblemente se habían trasladado desde 1998, a menos de un kilómetro del sitio anterior, pero en un estero sin acceso desde la laguna y aleja-do del disturbio humano. El monitoreo de las colonias evidenció la existen-cia de interrelaciones con el comportamiento típico de una metapoblación del tipo de interacciones complejas según la clasificación de White (1996). Esto puede inferirse analizando los cambios sincró-nicos entre años en tamaño de las colonias y en su composición específica, enfocados desde el punto de vista de la dinámica poblacional. En 1998 la situación de las colonias era la mostra-da en la Figura 2. Este año no estaban formadas las colonias de las localidades de Juan Viejo ni de Wi-so, y aún se encontraba un alto número de Cocos Prietos en la colonia al este de La Guija, así como algunas parejas en Cayo Norte. La colonia central, mayor y más estable, fue la de Cayo Norte, pero entre dos y tres colonias, general-mente más pequeñas, se formaban cada año en un área de menos de 3 km de radio. Cayo Norte es un islote de 260 m de ancho por 380 m de largo (88 000 m2) localizado en la laguna Las Playas. Presen-ta en su interior dos pequeñas lagunas efímeras que se cubren en marea alta con un espejo de agua de 5-30 cm de profundidad. Bordeando el cayo se en-cuentra una densa franja de mangle rojo


Fig. 1. Localización de las colonias reproductivas en el área de la Laguna Las Playas, Ciéna-ga de Biramas, entre 1998�2002. Las estrellas muestran la ubicación de los nidos de Aguai-tacaimán (Butorides virescens).


(Rhizophora mangle), predominando hacia el inter-ior el mangle prieto (Avicennia germinans), que se hace más pequeño y ralo a medida que se encuentra más próximo al borde de las lagunas interiores. La colonia mantuvo su actividad desde finales de abril hasta finales de julio, con rangos de puesta variables entre 65 y 90 días (Fig. 3), por lo que aún a finales de agosto podían verse signos de reproducción. En 1998 la actividad de la colonia se retrasó considera-blemente, al parecer por la llegada tardía de las llu-vias (Omar Labrada Vega, Empresa para la protec-ción de la Flora y la Fauna, Unidad �Delta del Cau-to�; com. pers.). Esta colonia, en los primeros años de la investiga-

ción, fue estimada en unas 10�12 mil parejas y mos-tró una tendencia decreciente durante el periodo es-tudiado, hasta llegar a 4500 parejas en el año 2001, al parecer a causa del deterioro de la vegetación. Estuvo compuesta por nueve especies de garzas: Garza Ganadera, Garza de Rizos, Garza de Vientre Blanco, Garzón, Garza Azul, Garza Rojiza y Aguai-tacaimán, las primeras cuatro fueron numéricamente dominantes (Fig. 4). Además de estas especies, el cayo ha sido el sitio de nidificación de algunas pare-jas de Marbella, Guanabá de la Florida, Gallinuela de Manglar, Corúa de Agua Dulce, Cachiporra y en 1998 de alrededor de 20 parejas de Coco Prieto. La franja de mangle de baja altura que bordeaba


Juan Viejo

Wiso Colonia (?)

CP, CB, GG, GR

La Güija GF

Cayo Norte GG, GR, GVB,

GAz, Gz, CP 10 000

GG: Garza Ganadera GR: Garza de Rizos GVB: Garza de Vientre Blanco GRj: Garza Rojiza GA: Garza Azul Gz: Garzón CB: Coco Blanco CP: Coco Prieto GF: Guanabá de La Florida GRl: Guanabá Real

Fig. 2. Ubicación relativa y composición de especies de las colonias existentes en 1998.

Mayo Junio Julio

1998 1999 2000 2001

Fecha promedio de inicio

Rango

Inicio del 90% de los nidos 10 000 nidos

12 000 nidos

8 400 nidos

4 500 nidos

Fig. 3. Cronología de la reproducción de la colonia de garzas en Cayo Norte, ciénaga de Biramas, entre los años 1998 y 2001. Los números indican el tamaño de la colonia en cada año.


la laguna interior y que separaba las dos lagunas fue muriendo progresivamente por la acción sinérgica de varios factores. La causa principal posiblemente fuera la guanotrofia y la actividad podadora de las garzas durante la construcción de los nidos. Pero esto se vió agravado con el debilitamiento de la cir-culación del agua a causa del rellenamiento natural de los esteros, lo cual fue reforzado por fuertes vientos que produjeron daños considerables a la es-tructura de la vegetación. Esta transformación en la vegetación influyó notablemente en el cambio de los sitios de nidificación dentro de la colonia, haciendo que cada año las garzas se retiraran a nidi-ficar hacia mangles mayores y posiblemente mu-chas de ellas abandonaran la colonia. La segunda colonia en importancia fue la de La

Güija, ubicada alrededor de un sistema de esteros y lagunas someras al norte de la laguna. Esta colonia es estructuralmente diferente a la del cayo por la estructura de su vegetación: una mezcla de mangle rojo y prieto de gran altura. Está dominada por Gua-nabá de la Florida y Coco Blanco, y como especies �acompañantes� crían en ella marbellas, sevillas y en 1998 criaron numerosos cocos prietos (Fig. 5). Esta colonia carece de límites definidos y se extien-de de forma laxa por un área de tres o cuatro hectá-reas. Su actividad fue irregular, por lo que no se pu-do determinar exactamente su dinámica. Fue asin-crónica con la de Cayo Norte en el 2000 y tuvo do-ble periodo en el 2001, cuando el Guanabá de la Florida nidificó dos veces en el año. Como dato significativo, en 1998 existió una co-


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Fig. 5. Composición específica de la colonia de La Güija en los tres años en que su actividad fue sincrónica con la de Cayo Norte.


lonia de cocos prietos y cocos blancos, además de algunas garzas, a un lado de La Güija, hacia el este, ubicada sobre mangle prieto de mediana altura. Esta colonia desapareció por un fuerte disturbio humano, principalmente colecta de huevos y pichones para consumo, antes de que pudiera ser estudiada. Este fue el último año en que el Coco Prieto se reprodujo significativamente en el área; en años posteriores se desplazaron hacia zonas más interiores de la Ciéna-ga de Biramas. En el siguiente año (Fig. 6), desaparece la colonia de cocos, posiblemente por un fuerte disturbio humano a que se sometió el año anterior. Muchas de las parejas de garzas aparentemente se trasladan con los Cocos Blancos hacia una nueva colonia que sur-ge en los Cayos de Juan Viejo, y al parecer otras se mueven hacia la colonia de Cayo Norte que aumen-ta su tamaño. Este año la colonia de La Guija, de Guanabaes, no es sincrónica con las otras y los Co-cos Prietos dejan de criar en el área para trasladarse

al parecer hacia la laguna del Leonero, cerca de N kilómetros al norte (Omar Labrada Vega, Empresa para la protección de la Flora y la Fauna, Unidad �Delta del Cauto�; com. pers.). La colonia de Juan Viejo, es estructuralmente si-milar a la de Cayo Norte por las características del cayo y la ubicación de los nidos, con la diferencia de que el núcleo más denso de nidificación no se encontró alrededor de la laguna interior del cayo sino en un estero que lo atravieza tangencialmente. Su tamaño y composición exacta en este primer año no pudo ser estimado por dificultades logísticas, pero de forma general en este primer año dominaron los cocos blancos, además de garzas (Ganadera, de Rizos y de Vientre Blanco) (Fig. 7). Además, se encontraron en otras especies acompañantes: nume-rosas marbellas, una pareja de Garza Rojiza y en el 2001 varios nidos de Guanabá Real (Nyctanassa violacea). La aparición de esta última especie como reproductora en el área fue significativa y estuvo estrechamente asociada a la colonización por can-grejos Uca sp. que comenzaron a proliferar en las lagunas someras de estos cayos. Ambas especies, depredador y presa, pueden considerarse como indi-cadores biológicos de la posible salinización de esta laguna, fenómeno que viene produciéndose en todo el sistema deltaico del río Cauto, producto del repre-samiento de parte de su cauce. En el año 2000 (Fig. 8), la nidificación de los guanabaes en La Guija vuelve a aparecer en la mis-ma fecha que el resto de las garzas, y en su colonia también crían numerosas parejas de Coco Blanco, que disminuyen su número en Juan Viejo, donde aumenta la proporción de garzas. La colonia de Cayo Norte disminuye notablemen-


Juan Viejo

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GAz, Gz, CP

CB, GG, GR, GVB


Fig. 6. Ubicación relativa y composición de especies de las colonias existentes en 1999. Las flechas indican los posibles movimientos de parejas nidificantes.

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Garza Azul Garza de Rizos Garza Ganadera Garza de Vientre Blanco Coco Blanco

Fig. 7. Composición de especies en la colonia del Cayo Juan Viejo


te su tamaño, posiblemente por movimiento de sus parejas hacia Juan Viejo, y aparecen por primera vez en ella 3 nidos de Garza Rojiza. En el año 2001 (Fig. 9) la colonia de Cayo Norte tiene el mínimo de reproductores de toda la etapa por un fuerte disturbio humano dado por la cons-trucción de una estación a un lado del cayo en el inicio de la cría. Esto provocó que muchas parejas abandonaran el Cayo y se trasladaran hacia una nue-va colonia que surge al final de los esteros de la Guija, que alcanza gran tamaño al recibir también a gran parte de las parejas de Juan Viejo, que perma-neció activa pero con una disminución fuerte en su tamaño. Todos los cocos blancos abandonan Juan Viejo y nidifican en La Guija. Esta nueva colonia, denominada Wiso, se encon-tró al fondo de los esteros de La Güija, entre esta localidad y Juan Viejo, y fue estimada en más de 10 mil parejas. Su aparición y dinámica tuvo un com-portamiento peculiar por una serie de condiciones particulares que se dieron este año. Estuvo com-puesta principalmente por garzas y algunos cocos blancos y guanabaes (Fig. 10), y se nutrió al parecer de los individuos que abandonaron Cayo Norte du-

rante el inicio de la etapa reproductiva. Así, dentro de la dinámica de reclutamiento de esta colonia se produjeron tres fases independientes bien marcadas y espacialmente delimitadas (Fig. 11). La etapa inicial (fase A) fue sincrónica con el momento de disminución en el reclutamiento inicial en Cayo Norte, cuando cerca del 80% de las parejas deesta colonia ya se habían establecido. Al estar ocupados la mayoría de los sitios óptimos en Cayo Norte, las nuevas parejas que llegaron se desplaza-ban a la nueva colonia. Los primero nidos en esta se ubicaron en una franja de mangle alto que bordeaba la porción final de un estero del sistema de La Güi-ja. La segunda etapa (B) fue producida probable-mente por individuos que abandonaron Cayo Norte y que colonizaron una laguna somera al sur del nú-cleo inicial. Esto coincidió temporalmente con el cese del reclutamiento en aquella colonia, posible-mente afectada por el disturbio producido por el inicio de la construcción de una estación en el cayo. El ruido de la construcción y la actividad de los tra-bajadores, posiblemente alejó a las nuevas parejas hacia áreas con menos disturbio. Y finalmente, en la dinámica de la colonia apareció una última etapa


Juan Viejo

Wiso

La Güija GF, CB


GAz, Gz

CB, GG, GR, GVB

Garza Rojiza

GRj (3 nidos)


Fig. 8. Ubicación relativa y composición de especies de las colonias existentes en el 2000. Las flechas indican los posibles movimientos de parejas nidificantes.

Juan Viejo

Wiso

La Güija GF, CB


GAz, Gz

CB, GG, GR, GVB, GRl

GRj (3 nidos)

1000

4500





��

��

��

��

��

��

��

GRj1%

CB1%

GF2%GAz

2% GVB15%

GR24%

GG55%

GG: Garza Ganadera GR: Garza de Rizos GVB: Garza de Vientre Blanco GRj: Garza Rojiza GAz: Garza Azul CB: Coco Blanco GF: Guanabá de La Florida

Fig. 10. Composición de especies de la colonia de Wiso, ciénaga de Biramas, año 2001.

Fig. 11. Comparación de las dinámicas de formación de las colonias de Cayo Norte y Wiso en el año 2001. Se señalan las etapas de la colonia de Wiso.

Juan Viejo

Wiso

La Güija GF, CB


GAz, Gz

GG, GR, GVB, (GRl)

GRj (19 nidos)

GRl (60 nidos)

15 000




tardía (C) formada por centenares de garzas ganade-ras que comenzaron a criar a principio de agosto y que extendieron la colonia por el borde del estero hasta fundirla con la de La Güija, que en este mo-mento se encontraba en su etapa media, es decir, con pichones chicos a medianos. Por primera vez aparecen nidos de Guanabá Real en el área, específicamente en juan Viejo. Indivi-duos adultos se veían merodeando esporádicamente en los años anteriores. También aumenta a seis el número de parejas de Garza Rojiza en Cayo Norte. El año 2002 (Fig. 12), mostró otros cambios drás-ticos en el sistema de poblaciones reproductivas. Las colonias de Juan Viejo y Wiso desaparecieron totalmente y todas las garzas se concentraron en Cayo Norte que alcanzó el máximo tamaño de la etapa monitoreada. El número de Guanabá de la Florida en la colonia de La Guija aumentó fuerte-mente, extendiéndose esta hacia el norte, casi hasta alcanzar el gran estero de Juan Viejo. El número de cocos blancos entre todas las colo-nias se reduce notablemente, lo que hace suponer que se esten trasladando hacia algún sitio fuera del área de estudio, como sucedió con los cocos prietos el primero año. En Cayo Norte, aumentó de forma importante el número de parejas de Garza Rojiza, llegando a 19 parejas, y el borde sur del cayo fue sitio de cría de 60 parejas de Guanabá Real, que aparentemente se ha establecido bien en el área. Cuando se representan simultáneamente los pro-bables movimientos de parejas nidificantes que ge-neraron estos cambios en las colonias se obtiene un esquema típico de un sistema metapoblacional de tipo III, de interacciones complejas (Fig. 13). En

este se puede identificar la colonia de cayo Norte como la fuente y a las demás colonias como satéli-tes con intercambio no sólo con la fuente entre ellos sino también entre ellos. Algunos de los cambios observados pueden deberse a influencias de otras colonias regionales más alejadas, ya que el radio de utilización del hábitat alrededor de las colonias de garzas puede extenderse hasta los 12-15 kilómetros, aunque es lógico suponer que su efecto sea menor. Las medidas de conservación de este grupo de aves coloniales deben incluir protección, manipula-ción activa y restauración de los sitios de nidifica-ción, alimentación, de descanso y de invernada, pa-ra lo cual se requieren estudios detallados sitio-específicos. Por esta razón la dinámica metapobla-cional evidenciada en este trabajo es muy importan-te que sea tenida en cuenta en todos los planes de manejo locales. En relación con ella, las medidas recomendables son: • Incluir en el monitoreo anual todos los sitios don-

de se ha detectado en algun momento la cria y anualmente recorrer el área para detectar poten-ciales nuevos sitios de colonias satélites.

• Monitorear el estado de la vegetación en todos los sitios de nidificación para determinar la necesidad de trabajos de restauración ecológica o recupera-ción. Ante la degradación fuerte de la vegetación se puede intentar el manejo activo del número de nidificantes activos en las colonias aprovechando el comportamiento metapoblacional descrito. Para ello se pueden emplear nidos artificiales y señue-los blancos para atraer nidificantes en las colonias satelites al inicio del reclutamiento de parejas, a la vez que se efectua un disturbio bien controlado en el sitio afectado para promover la traslocación de las parejas nidificantes. Este tipo de manejo activo ha sido realizado con éxito por Hafner (1982) y Fasola y Alieri (1992) en Italia, aunque requiere de cuidado para no afectar la reproduc-ción irreversiblemente. Ante la degradación ex-tensiva de la vegetación en alguno de los sitios tambien puede inducirse artificialmente la utiliza-ción de otros utilizando señuelos, posibilidad que ha sido demostrada por Parnell y Soots (1978). Como sitios posibles adicionales se recomiendan el cayo La Garnacha, adyacente a Cayo Norte, y los otros dos Cayos de Juan Viejo que no son em-pleados para nidificar.

• La identificación de la colonia fuente en el siste-ma metapoblacional regional permite enfocar las medidas de conservación y protección en el sitio más vulnerable. Por esta razón debe limitarse la utilización de los sitios de nidificación con fines


Colonia �fuente�

Colonias �satélites�

CN

G

W

JV

Fig. 13. Representación esquemática de las relaciones posibles establecidas entre las colonias de garzas estudia-das en la laguna Las Playas, durante 1998�2002. JV = Juan Viejo, W = Wiso, G = La Guija, CN = Cayo Norte.


ecoturísticos o de educación ambiental a las colo-nias satélites y siempre manteniendo la distancia tampón recomendada en la literatura, que para el caso de las garzas es de 100 m como promedio.

• Monitorear exhaustivamente las parejas de Garza Rojiza y Guanabá Real en el área.

• Realizar estudios de anillamiento de pichones em-pleando anillos de colores diferentes en cada co-lonia, para determinar con mayor exactitud los movimientos intercolonias, así como las áreas vitales de forrajeo de cada núcleo poblacional.

LITERATURE CITED

BANCROFT, G. T.; A. M. STRONG; R. J. SAWICKI; W. HOFFMAN Y S. D. JEWELL. 1994. Relationship among wading bird foraging patterns, colony loca-tions and hydrology in the everglades. Pp. 615-657 in: Everglades: the ecosystem and its restora-tion. Davis, S. and J. Ogden (Eds.). Delray Beach, FL: St. Lucie Press.

BLEICH, V. C.; J. D. WEHAUSEN Y S. A. HOLL. 1990. Desert-dwelling mountain sheep: conserva-tion implications of a naturally fragmented distri-bution. Conserv. Biol. 4:383�389.

BYRD, M. A. 1978. Dispersal and movement of six North American ciconiiforms. National Audubon Society Research Report 7: 161�185.

DENIS, D. 2002. Ecología reproductiva de siete es-pecies de garzas (Aves: Ardeidae) en la Ciénaga de Biramas, Cuba. Tesis para el título de Doctor en Ciencias Biológicas. Universidad de La Haba-na, Cuba.

DENIS, D., P. RODRÍGUEZ, A. RODRÍGUEZ Y L. TO-RRELLA. 2001. Ecología reproductiva de tres espe-cies de garzas (Aves: Ardeidae) en la Ciénaga de Birams, Cuba. Biología 15: 27�36.

FASOLA, M. Y R. ALIERI. 1992. Nest site character-istics in relation to body size in herons in Italy. Colonial Waterbirds 15:185�191.

FREDERICK, P. C.; K. L. BILDSTEIN, B. FLEURY, AND J. ODGEN. 1996. Conservation of large, no-madic populations of White Ibises (Eudocimus albus) in the United States. Conserv. Biol. 10:203�216.

HAFNER, H. 1982. Creation of a breeding site for tree-nesting herons in the Camargue, France. Pp. 216-220 in Managing wetlands and their birds � A manual of wetland and waterfowl management (Scott, D. A., Ed.). IWRB Slimbridge, UK

HANCOCK, J. A., Y J. A. KUSHLAN. 1984. The heron handbook. NY: Harper and Row.

HANSKI, I. Y D. SYMBERLOFF. 1997. The metapopu-lation approach, its history, conceptual domain and applications to conservation. Pp: 5-26 in Me-tapopulation biology (Hanski, I. y D. Symberloff, Compilers). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

HANSKI, I.; A. MOILANEN Y M. GYLLENBERG. 1996. Minimun viable metapopulation size. Am. Nat. 147: 527�541.

MCCULLOGHT,, D. R. 1996. Metapopulation and wildlife conservation. Washington DC: Island Press.

MORALES, G. Y J. PACHECO. 1986. Effects of diking of a venezuelan savanna on avian habitat, on spe-cies diversity, energy flow, and mineral flow through wading birds. Colonial Waterbirds 9:236�242.

PALMER, R. S. 1962. Handbook of North American birds.1: loons through flamingos. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press.

SIEGUEL-CAUSEY, D. Y S. P. KHARITONOV. 1990. The evolution of coloniality. Current Ornithology 7:285�330.

TELFAIR, R. C. 1987. The Cattle Egret: a Texas fo-cus and world view. Texas Agricultural Experi-ment Station, College Klenberg. Studies in Natu-ral Resources.



INTRODUCCIÓN LOS PARÁMETROS REPRODUCTIVOS de las aves acuáticas y particularmente de las zancudas o va-deadoras, son utilizados cada vez más como indica-dores biológicos de la salud de los humedales (Custer y Osborne 1977, Parnell et al. 1988, Kush-lan 1993). Por su sensibilidad al disturbio, a los cambios hidrológicos y por la bioacumulación de contaminantes, algunos aspectos de la ecología re-productiva de estas especies son empleados para el análisis del nivel de antropización de estos ecosiste-mas. Entre estos tenemos la cronología de la puesta, el tamaño de la nidada, la composición de los hue-vos y la supervivencia de los huevos o pichones. Los aspectos relacionados con la reproducción tam-bién son elementos muy importantes en la regula-

ción poblacional de estas especies de aves (Butler 1994) cuyo importante papel en los humedales ha sido reconocido reiteradamente (Morales et al. 1981; Morales y Pacheco 1986; Frederick y Powell 1994). La Garza Ganadera (Bubulcus ibis) es un especie de reciente arribo al continente americano, y ha su-frido dinámicas transformaciones demográficas en el último siglo, que han conducido a la colonización del continente. Esto ha sido bien documentado por muchos autores como Telfair (1980, 1984, 1993, 1994), Arendt (1988), Fleury y Sherry (1995), entre otros. En Cuba se observó por primera vez en la década de 1950 (Garrido y García Montaña 1980), pero su reproducción no se detectó hasta 1958 (Smith

REPRODUCCIÓN DE LA GARZA GANADERA (BUBULCUS IBIS) EN LA CIÉNAGA DE BIRAMAS, CUBA

DENNIS DENIS1, ANTONIO RODRÍGUEZ, PATRICIA RODRÍGUEZ Y ARIAM JIMÉNEZ Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, Calle 25 e/ J e I, Vedado, Ciudad de

La Habana CP 10900, Cuba; 1e-mail: [email protected]

Resumen.�La Garza Ganadera (Bubulcus ibis) es una especie de particular interés por su asociación a agroecosis-temas que la hace potencialmente importante como controlador biológico. El presente trabajo brinda algunos de sus parámetros reproductivos en la ciénaga de Biramas, Granma, Cuba, durante la estación de cría de 1999. Se localiza-ron y marcaron 176 nidos de esta especie en la colonia de Cayo Norte, los cuales fueron medidos y visitados diaria-mente durante dos semanas para evaluar la mortalidad y el éxito reproductivo. Los nidos se ubicaron a 1.4 ± 0.3 m de altura y tuvieron un diámetro de 28.6 ± 5.4 cm. El tamaño de la nidada fue de 2.08 huevos, cuyo diámetro mayor fue de 45.73 ± 2.4 mm y diámetro menor de 32.13 ± 1.6 mm. No se detectaron diferencias estadísticas entre los huevos en relación con el orden de puesta. El intervalo entre puestas fue de 1.8 días, siendo la eclosión simultánea o en días consecutivos en el 36.8% de los casos. El 95% de los nidos perdió algún huevo durante la incubación y el 12% fue totalmente destruido antes de eclosionar, obteniéndose una probabilidad del 24.4% de que un nido iniciado llegue a producir al menos un pichón de 14 días de edad. El efecto del disturbio se expresó en una disminución de un 8.9% en la probabilidad de éxito de los nidos, pero la diferencia no presentó significación estadística. Tanto el peso corporal como el tarso y la longitud del pico siguieron un comportamiento sigmoideo, caracterizado por una ecuación polino-mial de tercer orden, además se brindan las regresiones lineales para predecir la edad de los pichones.

Palabras clave: Bubulcus ibis, colonias, Garza Ganadera, reproducción Abstract.�The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is an interesting species because it associates with agroecosystems,

giving them potential value as biological controllers of pests. Here we report some reproductive parameters of the egret in the Ciénaga de Biramas, Granma province, Cuba, during the breeding season of 1999. A total of 176 nests was located and labeled in the Cayo Norte colony. The nests were measured and monitored for two weeks to deter-mine mortality and reproductive success. Nests were at a mean height of 1.4 ± 0.3 m and averaged 28.6 ± 5.4 cm in diameter. Clutch size averaged 2.08 eggs, with eggs averaging 45.73 ± 2.4 mm by 32.13 ± 1.6 mm. No statistical differences were found between eggs in relation to laying order. Time between laying of sequential eggs was 1.8 days, with 36.8% being laid on the same day or the next day. Ninety-five percent of nests lost some egg during incu-bation and 12% of nests were destroyed before hatching, resulting in a probability of 24.4% that an initiated nest pro-duce at least one nestling of 14 days old. Researcher disturbance was responsible for an 8.9% reduction in the prob-ability of nest success, but this was not statistically significant. Weight and lengths of tarsus and bill exhibited sig-moidal growth curves best described by a third-order polynomial equation, which we present along with the lineal regressions.


1958). Luego de una perfecta aclimatación a nues-tras condiciones ecológicas y de un acelerado incre-mento en sus poblaciones se ha convertido en una de las especies más abundantes e importantes eco-nómicamente por su asociación a los agroecosiste-mas (Martín et al. 1967). Su ecología trófica, de particular interés práctico-económico, ha sido reiteradamente estudiada (Torres et al. 1985; Acosta et al. 1990a,b), así como aspectos de su morfometría (Mugica et al. 1987). Sin embargo, hasta el momento no existen investi-gaciones acerca de su reproducción. Sólo son men-cionadas dos colonias en la provincia de La Habana por Balat y González (1982), sin existir más infor-mación que las medidas de dos huevos depositados en las colecciones del antiguo Instituto de Zoología, actual Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, prove-nientes de Villa Clara (Valdés 1984). El periodo de cría en nuestro territorio se extiende desde mayo hasta finales de octubre (Raffaele et al. 1998, Denis et al. 1999a), y las colonias reproducti-vas parecen distribuirse a lo largo de todo el país, incluyendo la Isla de la Juventud. Dada la ausencia de información en este sentido en el presente trabajo nos proponemos brindar los primeros datos sobre algunos parámetros reproduc-tivos de esta especie en la ciénaga de Biramas, Pro-vincia Granma, Cuba, como son la morfometría de nidos y huevos, descripción del sitio de nidificación, crecimiento de los pichones y éxito reproductivo durante la estación de cría de 1999.

MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS

El trabajo se realizó durante los meses de julio y agosto de 1999 en la colonia reproductiva de garzas de Cayo Norte, Laguna Las Playas, en el Área Pro-tegida �Delta del Cauto,� provincia Granma (Lat.20º32'60", Long.77º01'030") que incluye la mayor parte de la Ciénaga de Biramas. Las caracte-rísticas del área son dadas por Denis et al. (1999b). Se localizaron y marcaron 176 nidos de esta espe-cie, a 115 de los cuales se le midió la altura sobre el suelo así como su diámetro. Los nidos fueron visitados diariamente durante 1 o 2 semanas, registrándose los cambios en su conte-nido para determinar el orden e intervalo de puesta y/o eclosión de los huevos, evaluar la mortalidad de huevos y pichones y determinar el éxito reproducti-vo según el método de Mayfield (1961). Las visitas se realizaron de 08:00 a 11:00 y de 16:00 a 18:00 h para evitar el estrés térmico a los pichones por inso-lación y no alterar demasiado los patrones de ali-

mentación. Además la colonia sólo se visitó con buenas condiciones meteorológicas y nunca mien-tras llovía o había viento fuerte, para no introducir factores de mortalidad adicionales. El periodo de incubación de la especie se encuen-tra entre 21-26 días, y los valores difieren entre au-tores, e.g., 26 días (Skead 1966), 22�26 días (Jenni 1969, Hancock y Kushlan 1984), 23 días (Summerour 1971), 24 días (Weber 1975). Por esta razón para el cálculo de la Probabilidad de Supervi-vencia Diaria (PSD) propuesta por Mayfield (1961) se asumió conservadoramente 22 días (mínimo) pa-ra evitar el riesgo de incrementar artificialmente la supervivencia. Los huevos fueron marcados, y se les midió el diámetro mayor y menor con un pie de rey de 0.05 mm de precisión, y se calculó el volumen según la ecuación de Hoyt (1979). Los huevos se considera-ban infértiles si permanecían como mínimo más de 5 días en el nido luego de la eclosión del pichón an-terior o si se presentaban variaciones en el color o peso específico. Todos los huevos que no eclosiona-ban se abrieron para detectar algún signo de desa-rrollo embrionario y así dilucidar si la causa de muerte fue la infertilidad o la muerte embrionaria. El orden de puesta se determinó por observación directa o por el orden de eclosión (Custer y Frede-rick 1990). En 30 nidos se registró el intervalo entre la puesta o la eclosión de los huevos, ambos datos se unieron y se refieren como grado de asincronía en la eclosión. Los nidos que de un día a otro aparecían desman-telados, con los huevos rotos en el piso o perdidos, y/o los pichones pequeños muertos o desaparecidos se anotaron como depredados. Estos se diferencia-ron marcadamente de las muertes por exclusión competitiva entre hermanos, la cual se detectó por el debilitamiento gradual de uno de los pichones hasta su muerte. Para determinar el tamaño de puesta se tomaron aquellos nidos en los cuales el número de huevos no varió por más de 4 días, dando así un margen de error para posibles puestas tardías, ya que el interva-lo entre las puestas de cada huevo en la especie se ha reportado alrededor de los dos días (Telfair 1984). Los nidos que fueron diariamente chequeados se dividieron en dos grupos. Un primer grupo de 131 estuvo sometido a un disturbio adicional al realizar-se en ellos las medidas morfométricas de los picho-nes que implicaba manipulación de estos y mayor tiempo de permanencia en el área. Para evaluar el

DENIS ET AL.�REPRODUCCIÓN DE LA GARZA GANADERA (BUBULCUS IBIS ) EN CUBA


efecto de este disturbio se tomó un segundo grupo de 45 nidos como control, localizados en un área aparte de la colonia con las mismas condiciones, pero que sólo se visitó para el monitoreo. El crecimiento de los pichones se evaluó midien-do en días alternos el peso corporal con una balanza de campo de 1 g de precisión y las longitudes del pico y del tarso con un pie de rey (0.05 mm de pre-cisión). Los datos de crecimiento se normalizaron por una transformación logarítmica para realizar las pruebas de significación de las regresiones (nivel de significación 0.05). Se calcularon las ecuaciones de regresión que mejor describían matemáticamente las curvas de crecimiento que fueron polinomios de

segundo orden, pero con fines predictivos prácticos se realizaron regresiones lineales con los datos ori-ginales ya que el empleo de logaritmos complejiza su uso en condiciones de campo, que es donde son más empleadas. En cada variable se determinaron los promedios y limites de confianza del 95% y 99% para los residuales de la regresión que se em-plearon como medida del error que se comete du-rante las predicciones. Para el tratamiento estadístico se utilizó el progra-ma Statistica 5.0 (StatSoft, Inc., 1995).

RESULTADOS Características de los Nidos y Sitios de Nidificación Los nidos medidos en Cayo Norte se concentra-ron en el núcleo de la colonia para evitar el efecto de borde, y en este lugar la vegetación tenía poco desarrollo. Los 115 nidos medidos de esta especie en la colo-nia de Cayo Norte se ubicaron a 1.4 ± 0.34 m (R = 0.3�2.0 m) de altura. Este valor subestima la altura promedio real debido a la imposibilidad de medir nidos más altos, que se ubican en las áreas periféri-cas de la colonia. Los nidos tuvieron un diámetro promedio de 28.6 ± 5.35 cm y no se encontraron diferencias significa-tivas en los tamaños de los nidos en relación con su contenido. La altura de los nidos con pichones tam-poco difería significativamente de los nidos con huevos, ni entre estos según el tamaño de la nidada.


Fig. 1. Frecuencia de aparición de nidadas de 1, 2, 3 o 4 huevos en los nidos de Garza Ganadera de la colonia de Cayo Norte, Cuba, en julio�agosto de 1999 (n = 176 nidos).

Tabla 1. Estadísticos de posición y dispersión de las medidas de los huevos de la Garza Ganadera en la Ciénaga de Biramas, según el orden de puesta (A: 1er huevo, B: 2do huevo, C: 3er huevo y D: 4to huevo). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Orden de Variable puesta N Media Mínimo Máximo D.S. C.V. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Diámetro mayor (mm) A 39 45.28 33.10 51.20 2.83 6.25 B 24 45.53 42.70 49.20 1.73 3.80 C 14 44.64 36.30 47.70 2.92 6.54 D 2 43.60 41.30 45.90 3.25 7.45 Total 238 45.73 33.10 51.30 2.409 5.27 Diámetro menor (mm) A 39 31.52 24.40 34.30 1.80 5.71 B 24 32.42 30.00 39.20 1.77 5.46 C 14 31.56 29.50 33.00 0.99 3.14 D 2 32.45 31.70 33.20 1.06 3.27 Total 238 32.13 24.40 39.70 1.570 4.89 Volumen (cm3) A 39 23.05 10.03 27.90 3.162 13.72 B 24 24.43 20.62 34.57 3.004 12.29 C 14 22.68 18.57 25.96 2.285 10.08 D 2 23.44 21.13 22.75 3.272 13.96 Total 238 24.11 10.03 39.79 2.934 12.17 ___________________________________________________________________________________________


En Cayo Norte los nidos fueron construidos casi en su totalidad por ramas de mangle prieto, que es el árbol dominante en el área. El material de construc-ción parece ser limitante ya que los nidos abandona-dos y/o depredados eran desmantelados muy rápida-mente y eran frecuentes los hurtos de ramas de los nidos aun activos, lo que causaba numerosas peleas.

Tamaño de Puesta El tamaño de la nidada para 121 nidos fue de 2.08 ± 0.73 huevos (R = 1�4), siendo el de dos huevos el estado más frecuente. El 20.7% de los nidos presen-tó solamente 1 huevo, mientras que solo el 2.5% tuvo cuatro huevos (Fig. 1). El valor promedio del diámetro mayor de los hue-vos fue de 45.7 ± 2.4 mm (R = 33.1�51.3), mientras que para el diámetro menor fue de 32.1 ± 1.6 mm (R = 24.4�39.7). El volumen promedio en los hue-vos fue de 24.1 ± 2.9 cm3 (R = 10.0�39.8) (Tabla 1). No se detectaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los huevos en relación con el orden de puesta, aunque aparece el mismo patrón de variación reportado por Telfair (1980): el diámetro mayor varía más que el menor, y aunque los dos primeros huevos son más alargados, el primero es ligeramente más estrecho y por lo tanto tiene un me-nor volumen.

Intervalo de Puesta y/o Eclosión En las especies con asincronía en la puesta, que comienzan la incubación desde el primer huevo, la eclosión ocurre con los mismos intervalos que la puesta y puede ser empleada para predecir el orden de puesta entre estos (Custer y Frederick 1990). En-tre los dos primeros huevos de los nidos el intervalo promedio fue de 1.8 días, siendo la eclosión simul-tánea o en días consecutivos en el 36.8% de los ca-sos, y con un día de por medio en el restante 63.2%.

Entre los demás huevos: segundo - tercero y terce-ro�cuarto, el intervalo promedio entre las eclosiones fue de 1.74 ± 1.03 días, siendo simultánea o en días consecutivos en el 91% de los casos. La prueba de la Probabilidad Exacta de Fisher, empleada para conocer si existía relación o dependencia entre el intervalo de puesta (asincronías de hasta un día o mayor de un día) y el orden de puesta detectó una asociación significativa, lo que comprueba que la asincronía en la eclosión disminuye entre los huevos finales.

Seguimiento de los Nidos: Éxito Reproducti-vo y Supervivencia

En general, de 95 nidos con huevos el 9.5% per-dió algún huevo durante la incubación, mientras que el 12% fue totalmente destruido antes de eclosionar. El mayor porcentaje de pérdida entre los huevos marcados (n = 102) correspondió a los rotos, depre-dados o perdidos por causas desconocidas (22%), alrededor del 11% fueron infértiles y una pequeña proporción (4%) tuvo muerte embrionaria o murió durante la eclosión, siendo la causa más probable el estrés térmico (Fig. 2). El éxito durante la eclosión, calculado como la razón del número promedio de pichones por nido entre el tamaño promedio de puesta, fue de un 88.4%. Este método presenta numerosos sesgos (Klett y Johnson 1982), por lo que se procedió a calcular la probabilidad de supervivencia diaria (PSD) de Mayfield (1961). Luego de la eclosión el 26.2% de los pichones (n = 103 pichones) murió o desapareció del nido, siendo la PSD en este periodo del 96.2%. A lo largo de todo el periodo reproducti-vo (Puesta�Incubación�Pichones hasta los 14 días de edad), estos valores dan una probabilidad del 24.4% de que un nido iniciado llegue a producir al menos un pichón de 14 días de edad.

Crecimiento de los Pichones Las medidas de los pichones durante los primeros 11 días de edad se presentan en la tabla 2. Tanto el peso corporal como el tarso y la longitud del pico siguieron un comportamiento sigmoideo, caracteri-zado por una ecuación polinomial de tercer orden (Fig. 3). Por esta razón, con fines prácticos, asumimos un comportamiento lineal en el crecimiento de estos primeros días en los pichones y hallamos la ecua-ción de regresión lineal como plantean Custer y Pe-terson (1991) (Tabla 3). En todos los casos la ecua-ción de la recta obtenida explica más del 80% de la


��

��

Exitosos 63%

Rotos o perdidos

22%

Infertiles 11%

Muerte embrionaria 4%

Fig. 2. Causas de mortalidad entre los huevos de Gar-za Ganadera en la colonia de Cayo Norte (n = 238 huevos), Cuba, en julio�agosto de 1999.



Fig. 3. Curvas de crecimiento del peso corporal, la longitud del pico y del tarso en pichones de Garza Ganadera hasta los 14 días de edad. Se muestra la ecuación po-linómica de 3er orden representada por la línea continua, y el coeficiente de deter-minación.

y = -0.2232x 3 + 4.6522x 2 - 10.723x + 30.293 R 2 = 0.9906

0 20 40 60 80

100 120 140 160 180 200

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

y = -0.0138x 3 + 0.2731x 2 + 0.1031x + 12.343 R 2 = 0.9956

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

y = -0.0211x 3 + 0.4322x 2 + 0.3155x + 17.336 R 2 = 0.9791

0 5

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Peso Corporal (g)

Largo del pico (mm)

Longitud del tarso (mm)

Peso

cor

pora

l

Y= -0.223X3 + 4.652X2 � 10.72X + 30.29 R2= 0.991

Larg

o de

l pic

o Y= -0.0138X3 + 0.273X2 + 12.343 R2= 0.996

Long

itud

del t

arso

Y= -0.0211X3 + 0.432X2 +0.316X + 17.34 R2=0.979

Edad


varianza de los datos. Los residuales en las regresiones dan una indica-ción de la confiabilidad de las predicciones que se puedan realizar a partir de estas ecuaciones y del posible error cometido. Las predicciones de la edad a partir de estas ecuaciones tienen un error prome-dio de alrededor de un día para las tres variables predictoras empleadas (Tabla 4). La ecuación que utiliza la longitud del tarso es la que predice más exactamente la edad, siendo el error a cometer entre medio día y un día con una certeza del 99%.

DISCUSIÓN

La Garza Ganadera arriba a América a principios del siglo XX, y comienza a interactuar con las espe-cies nativas en las colonias ya establecidas. De estas

interacciones resultan muchas de las características reproductivas de la especie en el continente ameri-cano (Telfair 1980, Arendt y Arendt 1988, Belzer y Lombardi 1989). Como cada colonia tiene caracte-rísticas individuales particulares (tamaño, composi-ción por especies, estructura física, plantas substra-to) algunos parámetros reproductivos son muy va-riables geográficamente. En la colonia de Cayo Norte las especies dominantes eran la Garza Gana-dera, la Garza de Vientre Blanco (Egretta tricolor) y la Garza de Rizos (Egretta thula), aunque en me-nor medida aparecían Garzas Azules (Egretta cae-rulea), Garzones (Ardea alba) y Cocos Prietos (Plegadis falcinellus). Muchos trabajos han demostrado que la diferen-


Tabla 2. Medidas morfométricas de los pichones de Garza Ganadera hasta los 11 días de edad, en la colonia de Cayo Norte, Cuba, julio�agosto de 1999. ___________________________________________________________________________

Longitud del Longitud del Peso (g) Pico (mm) tarso (mm) ______________ ________________ _________________ Edad (días) N Media D.S Media D.S Media D.S ___________________________________________________________________________

0* 21 20.0 4.48 12.4 1.00 18.2 1.67 1 4 27.9 6.25 13.8 2.07 19.0 0.69 2 12 42.0 22.19 14.7 2.20 22.9 3.35 3 5 47.1 10.05 16.8 3.52 22.6 1.26 4 9 62.5 13.68 18.0 1.72 27.4 3.38 5 2 77.5 10.61 19.4 2.05 30.1 3.68 6 7 102.3 29.32 21.8 2.77 33.7 4.11 7 2 137.5 53.03 23.2 2.76 38.7 3.54 8 3 116.7 16.07 24.8 3.40 36.7 3.11 9 2 167.5 38.89 27.6 2.62 45.0 5.16 10 1 130.0 28.4 44.0 11 1 165.0 29.4 48.8 ___________________________________________________________________________ *Día de la eclosión

Tabla 3. Ecuaciones de regresión lineal obtenidas a partir de los datos de creci-miento en pichones de Garza Ganadera. Se muestra el coeficiente de correlación (R) y el porciento de la varianza explicado por la regresión. _________________________________________________________________

Varianza Variable Ecuación R explicada _________________________________________________________________

Peso corporal Edad = 0.0616 x Peso - 0.4906 0.904 81.63 % Longitud del pico Edad = 0.5498 x Long. Pico - 6.2227 0.920 84.63 % Longitud del tarso Edad = 0.3385 x Long. Tarso - 5.5806 0.937 87.83 % _________________________________________________________________


ciación espacio temporal en las colonias disminuye la competencia por el sitio de nidificación entre es-pecies (Dusi 1966, Jenni 1969), de esta manera se ha planteado que la Garza Ganadera puede comen-zar a nidificar en momentos diferentes que las de-más especies (Telfair 1984, Hancock y Kushlan 1984) y en vegetación más alta que la Garza Azul, la Garza de Rizos y la Garza de Vientre Blanco (Jenni 1969, McCrimmon 1978, Burger 1978). Sin embargo, la ubicación de los nidos depende de mu-chos factores entre los que pueden mencionarse la altura de la vegetación, el orden de arribo de las es-pecies a la colonia así como la competencia inter e intraespecífica típica de las zancudas (Palmer 1962, Burger 1978, McCrimmon 1978), por lo cual no es constante entre localidades aun cercanas. Los nidos se ubicaron a una altura promedio menor a la repor-tada por Jenni (1969) en la Florida, McCrimmon (1978) en Carolina del Norte, Burger (1978) en New Jersey, Jiménez (1981) en México, entre otros. La utilización de ramas de mangle prieto para la construcción de los nidos era de esperar, ya que a lo largo de todo su rango de distribución, los nidos de Garza Ganadera se componen de materiales que re-flejan la composición de la vegetación del lugar (Riddell 1944, Siegfried 1971, Summerour 1971, Burger 1978). El material de construcción de los nidos parece ser limitante ya que los nidos abando-nados y/o depredados eran desmantelados muy rápi-damente y eran frecuentes los hurtos de ramas de los nidos aun activos, lo que causaba numerosas peleas. El tamaño de los nidos fue similar a lo reportado por Telfair (1984) y por Harrison (1978). Aunque la construcción del nido se estima dura entre 3 y 11 días, en la mayoría de las garzas se ha descrito, y fue observado, que el aporte de material nuevo al nido continúa durante toda la incubación e incluso cuando los pichones han nacido (Hancock y Kush-

lan 1984). Esto podría implicar un aumento de ta-maño del nido en relación con su contenido, que sin embargo no fue detectado. Por lo que esta adición de material nuevo sólo garantiza, al parecer, el man-tenimiento y reposición del material perdido o hur-tado, pero no produce incremento significativo en el diámetro de los nidos. El tamaño de los nidos se encuentra dentro de los rangos dados para todo el área de distribución de la especie (Harrison 1978, Telfair 1984), aunque es menor al valor dado por Jiménez (1981) en México. Diversos autores han sugerido que el tamaño de puesta puede servir como un indicador de la produc-tividad local de los ecosistemas (Ricklefs 1980), sin embargo, este depende de muchos factores como el ritmo de lluvias que influye en las poblaciones de presas, de la experiencia previa de cría, del momen-to de la estación reproductiva en que se realice, en-tre otros factores. También Jenni (1969) ha mencio-nado una tendencia latitudinal en el tamaño de la nidada de la especie, a lo cual también puede deber-se que el valor obtenido en Cayo Norte sea inferior al reportado por Telfair (1980) en Texas (3.58 ± 0.99 huevos) y Manry et al. (1976) en Carolina (2.9 ± 1.07). De igual manera es inferior al tamaño de puesta en Florida (Weber 1975), México (Vazquez 1971) y Sudáfrica (Blaker 1969), que es alrededor de 2.8 huevos. Manry (op cit)., sin embargo, men-ciona la alta variabilidad de este parámetro entre colonias. La Garza Ganadera, como el resto de las garzas, comienzan la incubación con el primer huevo, lo que conlleva a una asincronía en la eclosión, y en el posterior desarrollo de los pichones (Fujioka 1985). El significado biológico de este fenómeno parece estar relacionado a una estrategia reduccionista fa-cultativa en la nidada que depende de la jerarquía entre los pichones como mecanismo proximal para llevarse a cabo (Fujioka 1984, 1985). Según Blaker


Tabla 4. Análisis de los residuales de las regresiones lineales de las medidas corporales de los pichones para determinar la edad en días de los mismos.

________________________________________________________________________

Residuales (días) Límites de confianza Variable de la _____________________________ _____________________ regresión Máximo Mínimo Promedio 95% 99% _________________________________________________________________________ Peso 4.30 0.0 0.96 0.76�1.17 0.69�1.24 Longitud del pico 3.06 0.0 0.92 0.750�1.10 0.69�1.60 Longitud del tarso 3.59 0.0 0.81 0.64�0.97 0.59�1.02 __________________________________________________________________________


(1969) y Jenni (1969) el intervalo entre la puesta de los huevos es como promedio de 2.04 ± 0.55 días. Maxwell y Kale (1977) por su parte mencionan un periodo de 2.2 ± 0.13 días (n = 21), muy similar a lo encontrado en nuestro trabajo. La jerarquía entre los pichones lograda por la asincronía de eclosión parece estar reforzada por diferencias en el tamaño de los huevos al afectar este la posterior supervivencia del pichón (Beissinger y Stolesson 1997). En nuestro trabajo no se detectaron diferencias estadísticamente signi-ficativas entre los huevos en relación al orden de puesta, en contraposición con lo encontrado para otras especies de ardéidos (Custer y Frederick 1990). Las medidas de exitos reproductivo son muy va-riables geográficamente. Durante la incubación el éxito de los nidos en Cayo Norte fue muy superior al reportado por Telfair (1984), donde un porcentaje cuatro veces mayor de nidos perdió algún huevo. Igualmente se diferencia de lo hallado por Parsons (1995) en Delaware Bay donde el 65.4% de los ni-dos sufrió alguna pérdida o fallo de huevo. Utilizan-do la proporción de huevos perdidos o que fallaron en la eclosion por otras causas Blaker (1969) obtuvo una mortalidad del 34.5% en 61 huevos en Sudáfri-ca. Sin embargo, Vázquez (1971) reporta para 1128 huevos solo un 0.53% de mortalidad en México. En la Florida Weber (1975) encuentra en 32 huevos una mortalidad del 12.5%, similar a lo encontrado en nuestro trabajo. Parsons (1995) encuentra en dos colonias de Garza Ganadera, con 40 y 61 nidos y tamaños de puesta promedio de 3.5 y 3.1 huevos respectivamente, porcientos de eclosión de 55 y 58%. Toda esta alta variación puede sugerir la alta dependencia de estos parámetros de las condiciones ecológicas locales como la calidad del hábitat, el sustrato de nidificación, la ubicación de las colo-nias. Las causas de disminución del éxito reproductivo más importantes detectadas en nuestro trabajo fue-ron la ruptura de los huevos (por causas desconoci-das e incluyendo las depredaciones), la infertilidad de los huevos y las muertes embrionarias, igual a lo planteado por Telfair (1984). En Cayo Norte se pre-sentó una incidencia mucho menor de muertes em-brionarias que las reportadas por este autor (10.8 % vs. 29.9%). Por otra parte apareció una proporción mayor de huevos infértiles (29.7% vs. 19.1%) y una proporción ligeramente inferior de huevos rotos o depredados (50.9% vs. 59.5%). Parsons (1995) halló en Pea Patch Island, un 30% de huevos inférti-les, muy cercano a lo obtenido en Cayo Norte. En

estos estudios la proporción de muertes embriona-rias está subestimada a favor de la infertilidad ya que en esta última categoría están incluidos también los embriones muertos en etapas muy tempranas del desarrollo. Es necesario tener en cuenta que nuestra investi-gación fue realizada durante dos meses de la esta-ción reproductiva de 1999, por tanto mucha de la variabilidad de los resultados puede deberse al corto periodo de muestreo. La Garza Ganadera es una especie semialtricial, sus pichones nacen cubiertos de plumón y con los ojos abiertos, pero incapaces de moverse y sin con-trol sobre la posición de la cabeza (Nice 1962). El peso promedio al nacer encontrado en este trabajo es similar a lo reportado para otros lugares: Weber (1975) en 47 pichones recién eclosionados encuen-tra un peso promedio de 20.0 g (mínimo 16.1g, máximo 25.8g). Telfair (1984) también menciona valores alrededor de los 20 g. Los pichones mostraron un crecimiento sigmoi-deo del peso, igual al reportado por Telfair (1984), pero que se representó satisfactoriamente con una ecuación polinomial de tercer orden, y no de cuarto orden como plantea este autor. Las curvas de creci-miento de las tres variables morfométricas medidas fueron diferentes, siendo el largo del pico la estruc-tura de crecimiento más lento.

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AS FOLLOW-UP to avian field surveys conducted during November of 1997 (Rimmer et al. 1998), the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) revis-ited a montane forest site in western Sierra de Neiba of the Dominican Republic during February 2003. Objectives were to conduct focused searches for Bicknell�s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli), to survey the entire avian community through mist-netting, point counts, and observations, and to reassess the conservation status of the area�s threatened forest habitat. This report summarizes our findings.

STUDY AREA AND METHODS From 6 to 8 February 2003, we surveyed an area of montane forest 2 to 4 km above �Vuelta de Quince� on the road to Hondo Valle. From a base site on the road (18o 41.51' N, 71o 46.12' W) at 1843 m (6050 ft) elevation, we operated 25 12 x 2.5-m,

36-mm mesh nylon mist-nets from 18:00 to 19:00 EDST on 6 February, 07:00 to 19:00 EDST on 7 February, and 07:00 to 10:30 EDST on 8 February. Seventeen nets were spaced over ca 1.0 km of road, and eight nets were placed over ca 0.5 km of foot trails in the adjacent broadleaf forest. Nets were checked hourly and closed at night. All captured birds were identified, banded, aged, and sexed. A series of morphometric measurements were taken to the nearest 0.1 mm, and weight was recorded to the nearest 0.1 g. We collected 50�150 ml of blood from most individuals by brachial venipuncture, and we stored samples in plastic vials with 1.0 ml Queen's lysis buffer. In addition to mist-netting, we recorded all incidental observations of birds en-countered during the three-day visit, and we con-ducted five unlimited-distance, 10-minute point counts from 07:45 to 08:30 EDST on 8 February. Each point was separated by 150�200 m.

BIRD RECORDS IN A MONTANE FOREST FRAGMENT OF WESTERN SIERRA DE NEIBA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

CHRISTOPHER C. RIMMER, JESÚS ALMONTE M., ESTEBAN GARRIDO G., DANILO A. MEJIA, MARIA MILAGROS P., AND PAUL R. WIECZORECK

Vermont Institute of Natural Science, 27023 Church Hill Road , Woodstock, Vermont 05091, USA

Abstract.�We surveyed the montane forest bird community at 1800�1900 m elevation in western Sierra

de Neiba, Dominican Republic during 6�8 February 2003. We documented a total of 36 species, of which 18 were recorded on point counts and 12 were captured in mist-nets. Observational data revealed that canopy-foraging species were lower in abundance than during our previous visit to the site in November of 1997. We captured 57 individuals in 361.5 net-hours (15.8 birds/100 net-hours). The most abundant species in our mist-net samples were Eastern Chat-Tanager (Calyptophilus frugivorus; n = 10), Green-tailed Warbler (Microligea palustris; n = 9), and Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis; n = 8). Noteworthy records included one Antillean Mango (Anthracothorax dominicus), 11 Caribbean Martins (Progne dominicensis), nine Bicknell�s Thrushes (Catharus bicknelli), and eight La Selle Thrushes (Turdus swalesi). The broadleaf forest, while recov-ering from past disturbances, appeared to be little changed from 1997, and we believe that prospects for long-term conservation are moderately encouraging.

Key words: Calyptophilus frugivorus, Dominican Republic, montane forest birds, Sierra de Neiba Resumen.�Estudiamos la comunidad de aves de bosque montaña a los elevaciones de 1800�1900 m en

Sierra de Neiba occidental, República Dominicana durante 6�8 febrero 2003. Documentamos un total de 36 especies, de cuales 18 estaba recordados en los conteos por puntos y 12 capturados en las redes. Los datos por observación revalaron que las especias forrajeando en el dosel estaban menos por abundancia que durante nues-tra visita al sitio en noviembre de 1997. Capturamos 57 individuos en 361.5 horas de redes (15.8 aves/100 horas de redes). Las especies más abundantes in nuestras muestras de redes fueron Patico Chirrí (Calyptophilus frugi-vorus; n = 10), Ciguita Colaverde (Microligea palustris; n = 9), y Sigua de Constanza (Zonotrichia capensis; n = 8). Observaciónes notables incluieron un Zumbador Grande (Anthracothorax dominicus), 11 Golondrinas Grandes (Progne dominicensis), nueve Zorzales Migratorios (Catharus bicknelli), y ocho Zorzales de la Selle (Turdus swalesi). El bosque latifoliado, mientras que recobrando de disturbios pasados, parecieron estar poco diferente de 1997, y creemos que las esperanzas para conservación a largo plazo están moderadamente alentan-das.

Palabras clave: aves de bosque montaña, Calyptophilus frugivorus, República Dominicana, Sierra de Neiba


The forest at these elevations of western Sierra de Neiba is characterized as �premontane wet for-est� (sensu Fisher-Meerow and Judd 1989) or cloud forest (Santana et al. 1990, Schubert 1993, Tolen-tino and Peña 1998). Although Sierra de Neiba was formally designated as a national park in 1995, its landscape has been subject to various degrees of human disturbance in recent decades (Rimmer et al. 1998; A. Schubert, pers. comm.). Since 2000, sub-stantial resources of infrastructure and personnel have been invested in the park. The construction and permanent staffing of three ranger stations have greatly reduced human impacts, although an addi-tional three stations are needed to adequately protect the park�s fragile landscape (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales 2001). In our study area, most habitat within 250 m or more of the road consisted of secondary forest in various seral stages, with scattered emergent mature trees. Some cattle grazing was evident within the forest. Only by pene-trating >1.0 km away from the road on a foot trail did we reach undisturbed, older growth broadleaf forest, dominated by �palo de viento� (Schefflera tremula) trees. We encountered very few stands of Hispaniolan pine (Pinus occidentalis), although pines are abundant on northern slopes of the range (A. Schubert, pers. comm.). We suspect that logging and agricultural clearing have greatly reduced the extent of this forest type in western Sierra de Neiba.

RESULTS Our field surveys revealed a typical assemblage of Hispaniolan montane broadleaf forest birds (Table 1). We recorded 36 bird species during our three-day visit to western Sierra de Neiba. All 36 species were seen or heard via incidental observa-tions, whereas 18 species were recorded on point counts, and 12 species were captured in mist-nets (Table 1). We captured 57 individuals in a total of 361.5 net-hours (15.8 birds/100 net-hours). Because the time of year (November versus February), pe-riod of observations (three versus two days), and field methods differed from those of our previous visit to this site in 1997 (Rimmer et al. 1998), we cannot strictly compare results of the two field trips. One striking difference was the relative scarcity in 2003 of canopy-foraging flocks that we observed in 1997. Several species were found in lower num-bers, or not at all. Among endemics, White-winged Warbler (Xenoligea montana), of which we encoun-tered two individuals in 1997, was not recorded. This species is one of the most abundant members of canopy-foraging flocks in undisturbed montane

broadleaf forests of Sierra de Bahoruco (Rimmer et al. 1999, Rimmer and Goetz 2001). The apparent absence, or lower density, of this and other species may have reflected seasonal differences in move-ments due to changes in fruit and insect phenology that typically occur between November and Febru-ary. For example, Brunellia comocladifolia, a com-mon canopy and sub-canopy species in montane broadleaf forests (Fisher-Meerow and Judd 1989, Tolentino and Peña 1998), including those in our study area, appears to fruit much more heavily in November�December than in January�February and is more heavily visited by foraging birds at the ear-lier time (pers. obs.). Alternatively, the disturbed, regenerating forest above Vuelta de Quince may simply be less attractive to canopy-dwelling species like White-winged Warblers that prefer undisturbed, mature broadleaf forest (Curson et al. 1994, pers. obs.). Observations of several species warrant specific mention: Hispaniolan Parrot (Amazona ventralis).�We observed several flocks totaling at least 45 birds flying eastward towards a presumed roosting site during the evening of 7 February. This is nearly three times as many birds as we observed in the same area during November of 1997. Although habitat loss may have concentrated the species in this remnant forest reserve, its numbers appear to be stable at present. Antillean Mango (Anthracothorax domini-cus).�A male was observed flying across a regen-erating open meadow slope on 7 February. Al-though Keith et al. (in press) report that this species is common �well up into the mountains island-wide,� our extensive field experience at high eleva-tions in Sierra de Bahoruco suggests otherwise. We have never recorded it above 1400 m elevation in that mountain range, and, to our knowledge, this is first documented record of Antillean Mango from the montane forest zone of Sierra de Neiba. The oc-currence of this species in the Vuelta de Quince area is not unexpected, as Woods and Ottenwalder (1992) suggest that its presence above 1500 m ele-vation indicates forest that has been degraded. Narrow-billed Tody (Todus angustirostris).�We were surprised to record only seven individuals of this species, which is among the most abundant resident birds in montane forests of Sierra de Baho-ruco (Latta et al. 2003). We encountered eight birds over a smaller area surveyed at this site in Novem-ber 1997. We suspect the relatively low abundance of the species in roadside forests above Vuelta de

RIMMER ET AL.�BIRD RECORDS FOR WESTERN SIERRA DE NEIBA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC


Table 1. Birds observed and mist-netted above Vuelta de Quince, Sierra de Neiba, Dominican Republic, 6�8 February 2003. __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name Total ___________________________________________________________________ number Number Number in Scientific English Spanish observeda banded point counts __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Accipiter striatus Sharp-shinned Hawk Guaraguaito de Sierra 1 Buteo jamaicensis Red-tailed Hawk Guaraguao 2 Columba squamosa Scaly-naped Pigeon Paloma Torcaza 8 2 Columba inornata Plain Pigeon Paloma Ceniza 12 1 Zenaida macroura Mourning Dove Tórtola 2 1 Aratinga chloroptera Hispaniolan Parakeet Perico 17 Amazona ventralis Hispaniolan Parrot Cotorra 45 Saurothera longirostris Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo Pájaro Bobo 2 Cypseloides niger Black Swift Vencejo Negro 3 Anthracothorax dominicus Antillean Mango Zumbador Grande 1 Chlorostilbon swainsonii Hispaniolan Emerald Zumbador Mediano 25 6b 4 Priotelus roseigaster Hispaniolan Trogon Papagayo 4 1 Todus angustirostris Narrow-billed Tody Chi-cuí 7 4 Melanerpes striatus Hispaniolan Woodpecker Carpintero 18 11 Elaenia fallax Greater Antillean Elaenia Maroita Canosa 15 3 6 Contopus hispaniolensis Hispaniolan Pewee Maroita 4 Progne dominicensis Caribbean Martin Golondrina Grande 11 Tachycineta euchrysea Golden Swallow Golondrina Verde 12 Corvus palmarum Palm Crow Cäo 26 Myadestes genibarbis Rufous-throated Solitaire Jilguero 8 3 1 Catharus bicknelli Bicknell�s Thrush Zorzal Migratorio 10 4c 1 Turdus swalesi La Selle Thrush Zorzal de la Selle 9 Turdus plumbeus Red-legged Thrush Chua-chuá 8 3 2 Dendroica caerulescens Black-throated Blue Warbler Ciguita Azúl 20 5 1 Mnioltilta varia Black-and-white Warbler Pega Palo 1 Setophaga ruticilla American Redstart Candelita 1 Microligea palustris Green-tailed Warbler Ciguita Colaverde 15 9 2 Coereba flaveola Bananaquit Ciguita Commún 5 1 2 Euphonia musica Antillean Euphonia Jilguerillo 4 3 Spindalis dominicensis Hispaniolan Spindalis Cigua Amarilla 12 1 Phaenocophilus palmarum Black-crowned Palm-Tanager Cuatro Ojos 3 Calyptophilus frugivorus Eastern Chat-Tanager Patico Chirrí 12 10 1 Tiaris bicolor Black-faced Grassquit Juana Maruca 8 2 Loxigilla violacea Greater Antillean Bullfinch Gallito Prieto 4 3 Zonotrichia capensis Rufous-collared Sparrow Cigua de Constanza 8 8 2 Carduelis dominicensis Antillean Siskin Canario 27 Total number of individuals 370 57 46 __________________________________________________________________________________________________ aExcludes birds observed during point counts, although some of these individuals were likely encountered outside of point counts and are

thus included in these totals. bTail-clipped, not banded. cThree individuals captured through the use of vocal playback lures, one captured passively.


Quince is due to the predominance of second-growth habitat. The preferred habitat of Narrow-billed Tody throughout Hispaniola appears to be wet, primary broadleaf forests at high elevations (Kepler 1977; Woods and Ottenwalder 1992; Keith et al., in press).

Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis).�We did not record this species in November 1997, but a flock of up to 11 birds was conspicuous during the mornings of 7 and 8 February over a regenerating open meadow with several large standing dead trees. One individual was observed carrying what


appeared to be nesting material on 7 February. This appears to be the highest elevation at which Carib-bean Martins have been reported in Hispaniola (Keith et al., in press). Golden Swallow (Tachycineta euchrysea).�We recorded 12 individuals of this species in both 1997 and 2003. Most birds in 2003 were observed over the same open meadow slope as the martins, and several investigated apparent cavities in dead stand-ing trees. Golden Swallows are considered at seri-ous risk over their entire Hispaniolan and Jamaican range (Raffaele et al. 1998, BirdLife International 2000), but our observations tentatively suggest that populations in Sierra de Neiba, while small, may be stable. Bicknell�s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli).�We recorded two fewer individuals of this species in 2003 than in 1997, despite covering a larger area over a longer period in our 2003 surveys. Of the four birds we mist-netted, two were yearlings and two were older (>2 year-old) individuals. We be-lieve that habitat segregation of sex, and possibly age, classes of Bicknell�s Thrush occurs in the Do-minican Republic. Preliminary data collected since 1999 indicate that 24 of 28 (86%) known-sex indi-viduals from primary montane broadleaf forests in Sierra de Bahoruco were male, whereas 13 of 18 (72%) birds from mid-elevation, moderately dis-turbed forests in the Cordillera Septentrional were female. Data on age segregation are less clear, with similar ratios of yearling to older birds in Sierra de Bahoruco (5 of 28 [18%]) and Cordillera Septen-trional (3 of 18 [17%]). The two yearlings captured in our sample of four Bicknell�s Thrushes in regen-erating forests of western Sierra de Neiba both had relatively small wing chords (89.0 mm and 90.0 mm), suggesting that they were females. Analyses of blood samples will confirm this. La Selle Thrush (Turdus swalesi).�Although we did not capture any La Selle Thrushes, they were conspicuously vocal at dawn and dusk. Based on both our 1997 and 2003 surveys, this species ap-pears to occur at fairly high density in the broadleaf forest above Vuelta de Quince. Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens).�This was the only Nearctic-Neotropical migrant found to be common in either 1997 or 2003. Of the 20 individuals observed in 2003, 15 were females. Our banded sample of five birds included three males and two females. As in other areas of Hispaniola, females appear to pre-dominate in higher elevation, broadleaf forest habi-tats (Keith et al., in press; Latta et al. 2003).

Hispaniolan Spindalis (Spindalis dominicen-sis).�This species was notable for its scarcity in 2003 relative to 1997. Although we covered more ground for a longer period in 2003, we encountered only 12 individuals, less than half the 25 recorded in 1997. Whether this reduced number reflected a sea-sonal shift in movements between our November 1997 and February 2003 observation periods, an actual local population change within the study area, or simply chance is not known. Eastern Chat-Tanager (Calyptophilus frugivorus).�This was the most abundant species in our mist-net samples (Table 1) and appeared to be at relatively high density in the study area. Sev-eral birds were heard calling, mainly early and late in the day, and at least two individuals were heard singing. Morphometric data and plumage characters revealed handheld birds to be strikingly different from individuals of C. tertius mist-netted in Sierra de Bahoruco. On all birds we noted a distinct, al-though incomplete, pale yellow eye-ring, slightly wider at its extreme posterior edge, with an anterior break between about 2�5 �o�clock.� The extent of complete posterior coverage of this eyering ranged on four birds from 60%, 65%, 75%, to 90%. There was no apparent association with extent of this eyer-ing and body size (i.e., by presumed sex, as tertius show marked sexual dimorphism [unpubl. data], though birds in non-breeding condition cannot be confidently sexed). Another prominent distinguish-ing feature of the two species was the brighter and more extensive orangish-yellow �wrist� and under-wing coverts of frugivorus. Size differences were also pronounced (Table 2). Comparing the 10 frugivorus we banded with 21 individual tertius ex-amined from 2001 to 2003 in Sierra de Bahoruco revealed significant differences in five measure-ments (Table 2; Mann-Whitney U-tests, P < 0.001 for all tests; SYSTAT Version 5.2.1). Calyptophilus frugivorus is considered in serious danger of extinc-tion (BirdLife International 2000; Keith et al., in press), and western Sierra de Neiba may represent an important refuge for the species.

DISCUSSION The remnant tract of moist broadleaf forest at Vuelta de Quince, which we estimated to be roughly 25 sq-km in size in 1997, appears to have remained largely intact in the more than six years since our previous visit. We observed no evidence of recent tree-cutting or agriculture. The primary ongoing disturbance involved limited cattle grazing in scat-tered clearings along and off the road. The Subse-



cretaría de Areas Protegidas y Biodiversidad (formerly known as Dirección Nacional de Parques) has implemented protective measures that include a permanently staffed park headquarters 3 km below Vuelta de Quince, a 2-km interpretive nature trail looping from the international road to Vuelta de Quince, and a sustained community education pro-gram (A. Schubert, pers. comm.). Since 2002, the binational Programa Medioambiental Transfronter-izo, Haiti�Dominican Republic, has supported the local Dominican communities of Sabana Real and Angel Félix, and the nearby Haitian border commu-nity of Nam Palme through training in sustainable agriculture, agro-forestry, community development, and ecotourism. The interpretive trail and a cave with public access will be managed directly by these communities. Agreements with local ranchers have been made to remove all cattle from inside the park boundaries by the end of 2003 (A. Schubert, pers. comm.). If all agricultural and resource extraction activities cease in the near future, we believe that a carefully planned program of reforestation, in combination with continued education in surrounding communi-ties and enforcement of protective laws, could en-sure the long-term viability of this critical reservoir of Hispaniolan biodiversity. The current outlook for conservation of montane broadleaf forests in west-ern Sierra de Neiba appears more promising than it did in 1997, but concerted vigilance and steward-ship will be necessary to maintain progress. Eastern sections of Sierra de Neiba, however, remain under severe threat of habitat loss and degradation, as for-est habitats are increasingly converted to agriculture

(A. Schubert, pers. comm.). Intensified monitoring and protection must be invested immediately in this part of the park.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful for funding support from the U.S. Forest Service International Program, the National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy, the Thomas Marshall Foundation, and the Wendling Foundation. Logistic support was generously provi-ded by Fundación Moscoso Puello and Subsecreta-ría de Areas Protegidas y Biodiversidad. Allan Keith, Steven Latta, Kent McFarland, and Andreas Schubert offered constructive comments that im-proved the manuscript.

LITERATURE CITED BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL. 2000. Threatened birds

of the world. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.

CURSON, J., D. QUINN, AND D. BEADLE. 1994. War-blers of the Americas. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.

FISHER-MEEROW, L. L., AND W. S. JUDD. 1989. A floristic study of five sites along an elevational transect in the Sierra de Baoruco, Prov. Peder-nales, Dominican Republic. Moscosoa 5:159�195.

KEITH, A. R., J. W. WILEY, S. C. LATTA, AND J. A. OTTENWALDER. In press. The birds of Hispaniola: Dominican Republic and Haiti. BOU Checklist No. 21. Tring, UK: British Ornithologists� Union.


Table 2. Morphometrics of mist-netted Calyptophilus frugivorus in western Sierra de Neiba (February 2003) and C. tertius in Sierra de Bahoruco (January and February, 2001�2003), Dominican Republic. Differences between all measurements statistically significant (see text for details). ____________________________________________________________________________________

C. frugivorus C. tertius _____________________________ ________________________________ Measurement n Mean + SD Range n Mean + SD Range ____________________________________________________________________________________

Wing chorda 10 75.0 + 5.45 66.0�82.0 21 91.2 + 5.88 80.0�102.5 Tail lengthb 10 86.5 + 5.33 77.0�93.5 19 99.3 + 7.04 88.5�110.0 Tarsus lengthc 10 29.9 + 1.36 28.2�31.8 18 35.0 + 2.01 32.1�39.8 Bill lengthd 10 13.1 + 0.75 12.2�13.9 19 15.2 + 0.83 13.6�17.0 Weighte 9 32.1 + 4.51 26.3�38.6 18 49.2 + 4.86 40.2�55.3 ____________________________________________________________________________________ a Measured from bend of wing (carpal joint) to tip of longest primary. b Measured from base of feathering to tip of longest rectrix. c Measured from �bend� of toes to outside of tibia adjacent to intertarsal joint. d Measured from anterior edge of nares to bill tip. e Measured with digital Ohaus HS-20 scale.


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RIMMER, C. C., K. P. MCFARLAND, AND J. E. GOETZ. 1999. Demographics and ecology of Bicknell�s Thrush and other montane forest birds in the Dominican Republic. Unpubl. report. Woodstock, VT: Vermont Institute of Natural Science.

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EL ZARAPICO NADADOR (Phalaropus lobatus) es una especie de la Familia Scolopacidae, que cría en la región circumpolar y con una amplia distribución en los océanos Artico, Atlántico, Pacífico e Indico. Su presencia en el área del Caribe resulta muy rara, debido a que durante el invierno frecuentan áreas pelágicas, fundamentalmente en Suramérica (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Raffaele et al. 1998). Durante los muestreos de aves acuáticas realiza-dos en el Refugio de Fauna Río Máximo 24 de no-viembre 2002, fue observado aproximadamente a las 10:00 horas, un Zarapico Nadador mientras se alimentaba en una laguna salobre de poca profundi-dad. El ave se encontró forrajeando junto a un ban-do mixto de unos 40 zarapicos, entre los que se en-contraban individuos de Calidris himantopus y Limnodromus griseus. Su peculiar conducta de na-dar en círculos, muy rara en el resto de los zarapi-cos (Sibley 2000), así como su plumaje típico de invierno (cabeza blanca con una banda ciliar negra, pico negro y fino, capuchón negro por encima de la parte anterior de la cabeza) (Raffaele et al. 1998), hicieron posible la identificación in situ de esta rara especie. Su presencia en el área probablemente esté relacionada con la entrada de un frente frío el día anterior a su observación, el tercero en arribar al área en un lapso menor de 15 días.

En Cuba, esta especie se considera accidental y hasta el momento sólo se conocía de otras dos ob-servaciones, la más reciente de ellas data de hace 40 años (Garrido y García Montaña 1975, Garrido y Kirkconnell 2000). Este reporte constituye el terce-ro para la especie e involucra una nueva localidad para su distribución en el país.

LITERATURA CITADA DEL HOYO, J., A. ELLIOT Y J. SARGATAL (Eds.).

1996. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 3. Hoatzin to Auks. Barcelona: Lynx Edition.

GARRIDO, O. H. Y A. KIRKCONNELL. 2000. Field guide to the birds of Cuba. London: Christopher Helm.

GARRIDO, O. H. Y F. GARCÍA MONTAÑA. 1975. Ca-tálogo de las aves de Cuba. La Habana: Academia de Ciencias de Cuba.

RAFFAELE, H., J. WILEY, O. H. GARRIDO, A. KEITH Y J. RAFFAELE. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

SIBLEY, D. A. 2000. The Sibley guide to birds. NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

NUEVO REPORTE PARA EL ZARAPICO NADADOR (PHALAROPUS LOBATUS) EN CUBA

ARIAM JIMÉNEZ1,3, ANTONIO RODRÍGUEZ1 Y JOSÉ MORALES2 1Departamento de Biología Animal y Humana, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana, Calle 25,

No. 455, entre J e I, Vedado, Ciudad Habana, Cuba; and 2Empresa Nacional para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna, La Habana, Cuba; 3e-mail: [email protected]

Resumen.�Un Zarapico Nadador (Phalaropus lobatus) fue observado durante un muestreo de aves acuá-

ticas en el Refugio de Fauna Río Máximo, provincia Camagüey, Cuba, 24 de noviembre del 2002. Palabras clave: Cuba, distribución, Phalaropus lobatus, registro, Zarapico Nadador Abstract.�NEW REPORT FOR RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (PHALAROPUS LOBATUS) IN CUBA. A Red-necked

Phalarope was observed at Río Máximo Fauna Refuge, Camagüey province, Cuba, 24 November 2002. Key words: Cuba, distribution, Phalaropus lobatus, record, Red-necked Phalarope


WESTERN STRIPE-HEADED TANAGER (Spindalis zena) is a common bird in forest and shrubland in Cuba, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. Mexico (Raffaele et al. 1998). After Hurricane Isi-dore crossed western Cuba in September 2002, we began to see small flocks of the tanager in parts of Ciudad de La Habana where they formerly did not occur. We thought these were local movements of individuals as a result of the difficult environmental conditions in the aftermath of the hurricane. The storm moved from the southern Caribbean region and through western Cuba. Beginning 17 September through 22 October, we saw many small flocks of tanagers living in Vedado, in the center of La Ha-bana, as well as Calvario, San Francisco de Paula, and National Botanic Garden south of La Habana. In general, the flocks were composed of from two to 34 individuals and consisted of adult males, fe-males, and immatures. The largest flock (34) was observed in the coastal shrubland of the National Botanic Garden on 19 October, when the members were feeding on small fruits. This coastal shrubland

is unusual as tanager habitat in Cuba, where West-ern Stripe-headed Tanager lives strictly in wood-lands and cays far from the city of La Habana. The cause of this dispersion is unknown. Perhaps it is related to the hurricane, but several questions remain, including: (1) why are these birds, typical of forest and shrubland habitats, suddenly living in the city?; (2) if they were forced to migrate because of the tropical storm, why did not other forest birds exhibit the same movement?; (3) why did the tana-ger change its behavior?; and (4) because this is the first time we have seen such a large flocks feeding together in the same site, from where are they com-ing ?

LITERATURE CITED RAFFAELE, H., J. WILEY, O. GARRIDO, A. KEITH

AND J. RAFFAELE. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univer-sity Press.

UNUSUAL DISTRIBUTION OF WESTERN STRIPE-HEADED TANAGER (SPINDALIS ZENA)

MARTÍN ACOSTA , LOURDES MUGICA Y ANTONIO RODRÍGUEZ Faculty of Biology, Universidad de La Habana, Calle 25 e/ J e I, Vedado,

Ciudad de La Habana CP 10900, Cuba; e-mail [email protected]


likely that wanderers from the south also occur. Our brief views obtained did not permit identification to subspecies but observers should carefully scrutinize any birds in the southern Lesser Antilles for dark chestnut (rather than white) chin and line down the neck, which is indicative of rufimentum, the South American race occurring as close as Trinidad (ffrench 1991). The presence of several individuals in summer months in two recent years raises the possibility of future colonization by this species. Masked Duck (Nomonyx dominicus).�A male in high breeding plumage was observed at the edge of reeds, preening and resting for up to 15 min on two occasions at Palmiste Dam on 22 August. This apparently represents the first occurrence on Gre-nada. This species is not listed for Grenada by Devas (1970), Evans (1990), or Raffaele et al. (1998), although it is included with a question mark by Groome (1970), apparently based on information supplied by W. J. Plowden-Wardlaw, who collected around bird 300 specimens on Grenada between September and December 1955. This species occurs to the north in other southern Lesser Antillean is-lands (Raffaele et al. 1998) and to the south on Trinidad (ffrench 1991), so its presence on Grenada is expected. Three males in breeding plumage and one female were observed at the same location on 7 August 2002. Ruff (Philomachus pugnax).�A molting male was observed on top of a dungpile at Mt. Hartman on 12 August (EBM). We are aware of three previ-ous occurrences for the island, all from Point Sa-

OBSERVATIONS OF RARE AND UNUSUAL BIRDS ON GRENADA

MARTIN D. FROST1 AND EDWARD B. MASSIAH2

1Featherbed Lane, St. John, Barbados; and 2Johnson Road, Fitts Village, St. James, Barbados

Abstract.�We present information on eight rare and unusual species observed during a visit to Grenada

in August 2001, including the first known occurrence in the West Indies of Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus), a species introduced to the island.

Key words: Channel-billed Toucan, Grenada, introduced species, Lesser Antilles, observations, Ram-phastos vitellinus

Resumen.�OBSERVACIONES DE AVES RARAS O POCO USUALES EN GRANADA. Presentamos informa-ción sobre ocho especies raras o poco usuales observadas durante una visita a Granada en agosto de 2001, incluyendo el primer reporte de la existencia en las Indias Occidentales del Tucán Pico Acanalado (Ramphastos vitellinus), una especie introducida a la isla.

Palabras clave: Antillas Menor, Granada, especies introducidas, observación, Ramphastos vitellinus, Tucán Pico Acanalado

IN THIS NOTE, we report on eight rare and unusual species observed during a visit to the island of Gre-nada in mid August 2001 with additional notes from other years. Our observations include two introduced species, Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitel-linus) and an Amazona parrot, which together with Masked Duck (Nomonyx dominicus) are reported for the first time from Grenada. Further information and comments are presented for the remaining five spe-cies, which have previously occurred.

OBSERVATIONS AND DISCUSSION Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor).�Two, possi-bly three, individuals were observed at Levera Pond on 18 August, one of which had aigrettes on the back. This species is not listed for Grenada by Devas (1970), Groome (1970), Evans (1990), or Raffaele et al. (1998). There is, however, an old record in the British Museum � a specimen collected in the 1890s by D. W. Smith assigned to the race ruficollis (Bond 1959), whose range includes North American and Caribbean birds, including those from northern Vene-zuela (Voous 1983:52). It was considered rare in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with individuals observed at Levera Pond and Point Salines (J. Wunderle, pers. comm.). More recently, single individuals were ob-served on 31 May 1998 on the beach at the east end of the defunct Pearls airstrip and at Lake Antoine (P. W. and S. A. Smith, pers. comm.). The origin of the indi-viduals occurring in Grenada is intriguing. Although migratory North American individuals probably reach the island periodically, it seems equally, if not more,


lines: an immature male obtained on 31 July 1935 (Danforth 1936), one on 8 August 1971 (Lack and Lack 1973), and one in the late 1970s (J. Wunderle, pers. comm.). This species is included in Robert Leeds� unpublished list of Grenada birds compiled between the 1960s and late 1970s but the details are unknown. Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis).�Five adults and one juvenile were seen perched on rocks a few meters offshore at Grand Roy on 21 August. All birds belonged to the �Sandwich� subspecies, evidenced by the black bills, tipped yellow in the adults. Neither Devas (1970) nor Leeds (unpubl.) made mention of this species, which is listed under Grenada as �rare� by Raffaele et al. (1998). The quality of information on the status of seabirds in general for the island was rated as poor (van Halewyn and Norton 1984:176) and this assessment still seems to hold true. Observations were made of this species in recent years from the nearby island of Carriacou (politically part of Grenada): several near the harbor at Hillsborough on 26 May 1998 (P. W. and S. A. Smith, pers. comm.) and a total of six or seven birds from several locations during the first week of August 2002 (EBM and R. W. Burke). It is likely that this species occurs more often than these few observations suggest, but has been overlooked. Parrot sp. (Amazona sp.).�Small numbers at four locations: a flock of six at Mt. Hope on 18 Au-gust; several heard at Tempé on 21 August; several parties totaling 11 birds at Grenville Vale, Beauséjour on 21 August; and several at Annandale on 23 August. All individuals observed were in flight. Adequate views of only a few individuals were secured which were tentatively identified as Orange-winged Parrots (Amazona amazonica), based on the orange patch in the wing. During a pre-vious visit to Grenada in July 1999, EBM observed four parrots at La Sagesse Estate, which appeared to be clearly Orange-winged Parrots. The introduction of parrots on the island appears to be a relatively recent phenomena, because Devas (1970) makes no mention of their occurrence. Several parrots, all identified as orange-winged, were released from a Guyanese bird dealer�s collection during 1989 (A. Jeremiah, pers. comm.). Successful colonization may be expected, if not already underway, based on the numbers observed at these widely scattered lo-cations. White-collared Swift (Streptoprocne zonaris).�We observed a flock of ca. 30 at Belle Isle, Requin Estate, accompanied by a few Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger) on 18 August and a single indi-

vidual over the playing field at La Sagesse on 20 August. This species is known to occur in Grenada, where its status is given as �uncommon� (Raffaele et al. 1998). However, there seem to be few detailed reports of such large flocks and its occurrence in general on Grenada. This species was first reported from Grenada by Wells (1887), who found a �large flock� on 13 July 1882 at Tuilleries Estate and was informed they frequent there every year, and subse-quently saw �several� near Grenville on 9 August. Devas (1952, 1970) considered this species a visitor in July and August, although �I have no proof yet that it comes every year,� with Annandale Estate in the mountains a favored location. Unfortunately Devas makes no mention as to the numbers ob-served. These swifts were observed annually during three years residence (1978�79 and 1981) usually in groups of 3 to 15 from August to September at vari-ous lowland sites including Point Salines (J. Wunderle, pers. comm.). A specimen in the British Museum collected in October 1891 by D. W. Smith belongs, as expected, to the South American sub-species albicincta (Bond 1957). In summary, previ-ous occurrences suggest that this species may be expected at any elevation from July to October. Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana).�An estimated 50 individuals roosted in white man-groves (Laguncularia racemosa) at True Blue on 18, 20, and 24 August, which we believe to be an unusually high number. The first birds were at the roost by 17:45 h and small parties and individuals continued to arrive from the west until around 18:30 h. Few details regarding the numbers of this species occurring in Grenada appear to be published but there are regular observations around the island�s southwestern tip in summer and fall; e.g., six birds south of the airport on 17 July 1999 (EBM) and a few individuals at several localities on the south-western peninsula during 26 to 31 July 2000 with a high count of 10 at True Blue on 26 July 2000 (F. E. Hayes). Wells (1887) makes no mention of abun-dance, although his species account suggests it was not rare, but writing about neighboring Carriacou, Wells (1902) states �a migrant, arriving in August in considerable numbers.� Devas (1970) states �comes � each year, July and August are the months to expect half a dozen pairs,� whereas Groome (1970) indicates its frequency as �commonly seen � August to October,� but does not comment on its abundance. This species was not found at True Blue on the afternoons of 7 to 9 Au-gust 2002 or elsewhere on the island during early to mid-August 2002 (EBM and R. Thorstrom), sug-gesting that an above-normal influx was observed in

FROST AND MASSIAH � RARE AND UNUSUAL BIRDS ON GRENADA


August 2001. Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitel-linus).�Single individuals were seen at four sepa-rate locations bordering the Grand Etang Nature Reserve: Les Avocats Dam on 15 and 23 August (EBM); Annandale on 16 August (heard only) (EBM), Cocoa Hall Estate on 19 August, and Con-cord Valley on 24 August. Massiah and Frost (2003) provide further details and discuss the intro-duction of this species on Grenada.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank R. W. Burke, F. E. Hayes, P. W. and S. A. Smith, R. Thorstrom, and J. Wunderle for mak-ing their Grenada observations available, providing reference materials, and reviewing this note, and Anthony Jeremiah, Grenada Forestry Division for information relating to the introduction of the Chan-nel-billed Toucan and parrots. A special thanks to the Peregrine Fund for supporting our Hook-billed Kite research on Grenada, during which time these observations were made.

LITERATURE CITED BOND, J. 1957. Second supplement to the Check-list

of birds of the West Indies (1956). Philadelphia, PA: Academy of Natural Sciences.

BOND, J. 1959. Fourth supplement to the Check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Philadelphia, PA: Academy of Natural Sciences.

DANFORTH, S. T. 1936. The Ruff in Grenada, B. W. I. Auk 53:80.

DEVAS, R. P. 1952. Birds of the West Indies. Car-ibb. Q. 2:39�43

DEVAS, R. P. 1970. Birds of Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 2nd ed. Grenada: Carenage Press.

EVANS, P. G. H. 1990. Birds of the eastern Carib-bean. London: Macmillan Press Ltd.

FFRENCH, R. 1991. A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago. 2nd ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univer-sity Press.

GROOME, J. R. 1970. A natural history of the island of Grenada, West Indies. Trinidad: Caribbean Printers Ltd.

LACK, D., AND A. LACK. 1973. Birds on Grenada. Ibis 115:53�59.

MASSIAH, E. B., AND M. D. FROST. 2003. Is Chan-nel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus) estab-lished on Grenada? J. Caribb. Ornithol. 16:68�69.


VAN HALEWYN, R., AND R. L. NORTON. 1984. The status and conservation of seabirds in the Carib-bean. Pages 169�222 in Status and conservation of the world�s seabirds (Croxhall, J. P., P. G. H. Evans, and R. W. Schreiber, Eds.) ICBP Techni-cal Publication No. 2, Cambridge, UK.

VOOUS, K. H. 1983. Birds of the Netherland Antil-les. 2nd ed. Utrecht, Netherlands: De Walburg Pers.

WELLS, J. G. 1887. A catalogue of the birds of Gre-nada, West Indies, with observations thereon. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 9:609�633.

WELLS, J. G. 1902. The birds of the island of Carri-acou. Auk 194:343�349.

FROST AND MASSIAH � RARE AND UNUSUAL BIRDS ON GRENADA


ON 12 FEBRUARY 2002, while running a mist-netting station for Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) at Pic Paradis, St. Martin, we trapped a second-year female Chestnut-sided War-bler (Dendroica pensylvanica) in one of our nets. The bird was only observed while being banded and was not seen before or after this event. The bird was banded (USFWS band #2250-79431), measured, photographed, and then released. This is the first record of this species in St. Martin and is one of few records for the Lesser Antilles.

DESCRIPTION Having the bird in the hand gave us ample oppor-tunity to check all field marks. This warbler species was yellowish-green from the top of the head to the rump area. The feathers on the lower back and on the upper-tail coverts had indistinct black centers. The upper-wing was also yellowish-green with some darker green on the primaries. The wing showed two relatively distinct white wing-bars. The bird had a gray face with a distinct white eye-ring. The chin of the bird, the chest, and upper belly were a dull gray. The flanks were also gray with no hint of chestnut. The main center belly and lower parts were whiter than the chest region. The outer retrices and outer primaries of the bird were truncate. The bird�s legs were ashen gray. There was little white on the outer rectrices, indicating it as a second-year female. No call was heard from the bird. The re-laxed wing chord of the bird measured 58 mm. The weight of the bird was 9.0 g and it had no apparent

fat stores. The bird had no significant body molt or flight feather molt. Flight feather wear was moder-ate.

DISCUSSION The Chestnut-sided Warbler is a long-distance migrant that breeds in central-eastern North Amer-ica and migrates either along the Gulf Coast of the United States or flies across the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula. Over-wintering normally takes place in Panama, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The species has been recorded over-wintering as far south as Ecuador, as east as Venezuela, and as far north as Mexico (Curson et al. 1994, Dunn and Garrett 1997). Additionally, the species has been recorded with increasing regularity in the Greater Antilles. Chestnut-sided Warbler is now considered an uncommon over-wintering resident in Cuba, and is recorded as rare, but regular in the Bahamas, Ja-maica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands. Chestnut-sided Warbler is ex-ceedingly rare in the Lesser Antilles, where it has been recorded on Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Barbados, and St. Vincent. The bird also is recorded regularly from Isla San Andrés in the southwestern Caribbean, where these birds are most likely stray-ing from Central America and Venezuela (Curson et al. 1994, Dunn and Garrett 1997, Raffaele 1989, Raffaele et al. 1998, Bond 1985, Brudenell-Bruce 1975, Voous 1983, Evans 1990). West Indian re-cords indicate this species in the region from as early as 3 September and as late as 11 May (Bond

OCCURRENCE OF AN OVER-WINTERING CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER (DENDROICA PENSYLVANICA) ON ST. MARTIN, LESSER ANTILLES

ADAM C. BROWN1 AND NATALIA COLLIER

Environmental Protection in the Caribbean, 200 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Riviera Beach, Florida, 33404, USA; [email protected]

Abstract:�We report the first record of Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica) for St. Martin, Lesser

Antilles. On 12 February 2002 at Pic Paradis, the bird was trapped in a mist-net and banded. This species is rare in the Greater Antilles and few records exist from the Lesser Antilles.

Key words: Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica, Lesser Antilles, mist-netting, , record, St. Martin Resumen:�PRESENCIA DE LA REINITA FLANQUICASTAÑA (DENDROICA PENSYLVANICA) EN SAN MARTÍN, ANTI-

LLAS MENORES, FUERA DE LA ÉPOCA DE INVIERNO. Reportamos el primer registro de Dendroica pensylvanica en San Martín, Antillas Menores. El 12 de febrero de 2002 el ave fue atrapada en Pic Paradis en una malla de niebla y anillada. Esta especie es rara en las Antillas Mayores y muy pocos registros existen para las Antillas Menores.

Palabras clave: Antillas Menores, captura en malla de niebla, Dendroica pensylvanica, registro, Reinita Flanqui-castaña, San Martín


1985). The Chestnut-sided Warbler banded on St. Martin was trapped within a secondary dry forest, consist-ing mainly of breadfruit trees (Artocarpus commu-nis), cocoa (Theobroma casao), mango (Mangifera indica), and royal palm (Roystonea regia) (Seddon and Lennox 1980). Additionally, a seasonal stream and a year-round spring are found within this forest. On over-wintering grounds in Central America, the Chestnut-sided Warbler prefers second-growth for-est and is often found in second-growth habitat mar-gins, within shrubs or cleared areas. They are usu-ally found singly on over-wintering habitat (Curson et al. 1994, Dunn and Garrett 1997). Within the West Indies, the species is usually found in well-forested areas (Raffaele 1989). In North America, the Chestnut-sided Warbler has experienced a steady decline in abundance on its breeding grounds (Curson et al. 1994). The de-cline of long-distance migrants because of frag-mented habitat, less abundance of food sources than in the past, and rampant pesticide use has been well documented (Terborgh 1989, 1992; Hagen and Johnston 1992; Finch and Stangel 1993).

CONCLUSIONS Research into the status of long-distance migrants that over-winter in the West Indies should be a pri-ority. Banding studies coupled with regular stan-dardized point counts should be conducted within the region. Regional island officials should be made increasingly aware of the role each island, and the region as a whole, plays in the over-wintering re-quirements of Neotropical-Nearctic species, such as the Chestnut-sided Warbler. Increased study on over-wintering migrant passerines in St. Martin has indicated a greater abundance than was previously recorded for many warbler species, including Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), Northern Parula (Parula americana), Cape May Warbler (Dendroica tigrina), Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens), Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coro-nata), Prairie Warbler (Dendroica discolor), Oven-bird (Seiurus aurocapillus), Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis), Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina), and American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) (EPIC, unpub. data). The abundance of these species might have been over-looked in the past, or it might be due to an increased presence of these birds in the region during the win-ter. As more research programs begin within the West Indies, we will not only gain knowledge about

the populations of over-wintering birds in the re-gion, but will also begin to better manage their rap-idly disappearing habitat.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS EPIC would like to thank the management of Lot-terie Farm for providing access to the forest below Pic Paradis. We would additionally like to thank the Nature Foundation of Sint Maarten, and the Reserve Naturelle de St. Martin for supporting EPIC�s re-search.

LITERATURE CITED BOND, J. 1985. Birds of the West Indies. Hong

Kong: South China Printing Co. BRUDENELL-BRUCE, P. G. C. 1975. The birds of

New Providence and the Bahama Islands. Lon-don: Collins Press.

CURSON, J., D. QUINN, AND D. BEADLE. 1994. War-blers of the Americas. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.

DUNN, J., AND K. GARRETT. 1997. A field guide to the warblers of North America. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.

EVANS, P. G. H. 1990. Birds of the eastern Carib-bean. London: Macmillan Press Ltd.

FINCH, D. M., AND P. W. STANGEL (Eds.). 1993. Status and management of Neotropical migratory birds. Pp. 237�244 in USDA Forest Serv. Publ. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM�229.

HAGAN, J. M., AND D. W. JOHNSTON (Eds.). 1992. Ecology and conservation of Neotropical migrant landbirds. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institu-tion.

RAFFAELE, H. A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.


SEDDON, S. A., AND G. W. LENNOX. 1980. Trees of the Caribbean. London: Macmillan Education Ltd.

TERBORGH, J. 1989. Where have all the birds gone? Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.

TERBORGH, J. 1992. Why American songbirds are vanishing. Scientific American 266:98�104.

VOOUS, K. H. 1983. Birds of the Netherlands Antil-les. Utrecht: De Walburg Press.

BROWN AND COLLIER�CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER (DENDROICA PENSYLVANICA) ON ST. MARTIN, LESSER ANTILLES


WE VISITED GRENADA from 12 to 25 August 2001 to study the distribution of Hook-billed Kites (Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus). During this time we explored a wide area of the country to assess the kite�s occurrence, particularly in forest habitats. At 07:45 h on 15 August EBM, was reconnoiter-ing forest north of Les Avocats Dam, bordering Mt. Sinai, when he heard a mysterious far-carrying call coming from an area of emergent canopy trees on the richly forested ridge (ca. 520 m elevation) on the western side of the valley approximately 0.4 km away. The call sounded vaguely familiar and was repeated at intervals, but the most likely candidate that sprang to mind was the introduced Mona mon-key (Cercopithecus mona). A quick scan through a telescope, however, pro-duced a surprising discovery. The large, long-tailed silhouette that was located turned briefly to reveal the characteristic bill shape, pale upper-chest and red gorget of a toucan species before it vanished. From the evidence, the most likely species appeared to be Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitel-linus), whose nearest populations are in Trinidad and northern South America. The following day EBM visited a lookout north of Annandale Dam on the southwestern edge of the Grand Etang National Park and was surprised to hear again the quite distant but recognizable call of a toucan vocalizing from the highest rainforest ridge (ca. 365 m elevation), between 07:30 and 08:00 h, but the bird was too distant to be located. The location was 3.5 km northwest of the first bird at Les Avocats Dam. On 19 August at 09:20 h we located a much closer toucan at Cocoa Hall Estate (ca. 300 m ele-vation) on the western side of the island. The bird was watched as it clambered about in a fruiting

golden apple tree (Spondias cytherea) about 80 m away in abandoned plantation habitat. It was at this stage that we were able to exclude any other species and confirm all the features of Channel-billed Tou-can. The location was about 2.6 km northwest of the Annandale forest bird. The Les Avocat Dam toucan was heard again in the same area on 23 August. Our final observation of Channel-billed Toucan was a single individual on 24 August in the Concord Valley (ca 180 m ele-vation) in a golden apple tree close to the road about 0.5 km due north of the Cocoa Hall Estate sighting. A local reported that he had previously seen a �small group� of toucans in the area. On 17 August EBM met with Mr. Anthony Jeremiah, Officer at the Forestry Division, and mentioned that he encountered a strange bird in the forest. Before EBM could go any further, Jeremiah immediately asked whether the strange bird was a toucan and described seeing one several years be-fore near Paraclete in the east of the island. Most importantly, the mystery of how toucans got to Gre-nada was explained. During the 1980s a Guyanese bird-dealer set up an aviary in the Botanical Gar-dens and stocked it with a variety of South Ameri-can species. The activities of the dealer soon met with the disapproval of the government of Grenada, because the aviary was alleged to have been used for an illegal bird smuggling operation. The aviary was dismantled in 1989 and several exotic species including an unknown number of toucans and Or-ange-winged Parrots (Amazona amazonica), were released into the wild; thus about 12 years had elapsed between the releases and our sightings. The four localities where toucans were observed all border or are within the Grand Etang Forest Re-serve; one on the southern edge, one in the west-

IS CHANNEL-BILLED TOUCAN (RAMPHASTOS VITELLINUS) ESTABLISHED ON GRENADA?

EDWARD B. MASSIAH1 AND MARTIN D. FROST2

1Johnson Road, Fitts Village, St. James, Barbados; and 2Featherbed Lane, St. John, Barbados

Abstract.� We describe the discovery of Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus) in Grenada during Au-gust 2001 and its introduction into the island.

Key words: Channel-billed Toucan, Grenada, introduced species, Ramphastos vitellinus Resumen.� ¿SE HA ESTABLECIDO EL TUCÁN PICO ACANALADO (RAMPHASTOS VITELLINUS) EN GRANADA? De-

scribimos el descubrimiento del Tucán Pico Acanalado (Ramphastos vitellinus) en Granada durante agosto de 2001 y su introducción a la isla.

Palabras clave: especies introducidas, Granada, Ramphastos vitellinus, Tucán Pico Acanalado


central area, and two on the western edge, all within a range of about 7 km. On this evidence we suggest that Channel-billed Toucans may already have es-tablished a breeding presence in the forests of Gre-nada, although this is yet to be proven. In Trinidad the breeding season is listed as being from March to June (ffrench 1991). In discussing these sightings it is also relevant to point out that the Orange-winged Parrot may also have become established in the for-ests of Grenada, although it does not appear to be common (Frost and Massiah 2003). There are large areas of suitable forest habitat in Grenada that are infrequently visited by birdwatch-ers and it is not too surprising that a small popula-tion of toucans could remain largely hidden and unreported, especially in the more remote locations. We did not have time to investigate our toucan sightings more thoroughly and we urge others to

look for this species in Grenada. Since then, in early August 2002, EBM paid a short visit to the island and again located a calling Channel-billed Toucan in forest above Les Avocat Dam.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Russell Thorstrom and the Peregrine Fund for making our trip to Grenada possible, and Anthony Jeremiah of the Grenada Forestry Division for his recollections and contribution to this note.

LITERATURE CITED FFRENCH, R. 1991. A guide to the birds of Trinidad

and Tobago. 2nd ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univer-sity Press.

FROST, M. D., AND E. B. MASSIAH. 2003. Observa-tions of rare and unusual birds on Grenada. J. Caribb. Ornithol. 16:63�65.

MASSIAH AND FROST�CHANNEL-BILLED TOUCAN (RAMPHASTOS VITELLINUS) IN GRENADA


LA PIZPITA DE MANGLE (Seiurus noveboracensis) es una de las especies de reinitas migratorias más conspicuas de Puerto Rico. La misma anuncia su presencia con una clara y fuerte llamada descrita como un �tchip� (Raffaele 1990) o un �chink� (Dunn y Garrett 1997). Una línea conspicua amarilla bronceada sobre el ojo, manchas en la gar-ganta y patas más oscuras la distinguen de la Pizpita de Río (S. motacilla). Su peculiar movimiento de la parte trasera, es otra característica distintiva. El nombre común de esta ave en Puerto Rico, Pizpita de Mangle, está asociado a su presencia, casi exclu-siva, en las partes inundadas de los manglares (Danforth 1936, Biaggi 1974). En mayo de 2002 comenzamos a hacer trabajos sobre la avifauna en la Finca Hoyo-Mula, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Esta finca, la cual tiene 370 cuerdas de mangle, colinda con la parte sur con el Bosque de Piñones-Torrecilla. El lugar se visitó al menos bi-mensualmente desde el 10 de mayo hasta el 21 de diciembre de 2002. El 14 de mayo de 2002 mientras llevabamos a cabo un censo, creímos haber escu-chado un individuo de Pizpita de Mangle en dicho manglar. De igual forma el 19 de junio. Finalmente el 26 de junio logramos observar claramente a un individuo de Pizpita de Mangle, en el área donde previamente le habíamos escuchado. Decidimos entonces, poner especial atención para tratar de de-terminar la presencia de otros individuos en el man-glar. De esta forma el 19 de julio, llegamos a contar al menos cinco individuos adicionales, uno de estos en el Canal Blasina, lugar que también colinda con la propiedad. De esta forma se siguieron observando

o escuchando individuos de Pizpita de Mangle du-rante los otros meses de trabajo hasta el censo del 7 de diciembre. El conteo mayor de individuos fue de siete que se detectaron en el censo del 11 de octu-bre. Previa a estas observaciones la Pizpita de Mangle había sido informada en Puerto Rico, desde abril hasta septiembre (Danforth 1936, Biaggi 1974, Raf-faele 1990). Nuestras observaciones denotan la pre-sencia de la especie en la isla durante todos los me-ses del año. Bond (1980) informa a la especie en las Antillas desde el 13 de agosto hasta el 28 de mayo. Por su parte Raffaele et al. (1998) indican que hay records para la presencia de esta especie en las Anti-llas durante todos los meses del año sin ofrecer ma-yores detalles. Una posible explicación a nuestros avistamientos es la probabilidad de que algunos in-dividuos nacidos al final de la temporada reproduc-tiva, permanezcan en sus lugares invernales hasta adquirir su madurez sexual.

RECONOCIMIENTOS Los autores quieren agradecer al Programa AMP de la Universidad de Puerto Rico-Río Piedras, por la beca otorgada a los estudiantes para que pudieran hacer investigación durante el verano del 2002.

LITERATURA CITADA BIAGGI, V. 1974. Las aves de Puerto Rico. 2nda ed.

San Juan, PR: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico.

BOND, J. 1980. Birds of the West Indies. 4ta ed.

PRESENCIA DURANTE TODO EL AÑO DE LA PIZPITA DE MANGLE (SEIURUS NOVEBORACENSIS) EN PUERTO RICO

RAÚL A. PÉREZ-RIVERA, LIMARY RAMÍREZ, JOSÉ VELÁZQUEZ Y ALBERTO MOLINA Programa Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Humacao, PR 00791

Resumen.�Llevamos a cabo censos bimensuales en la Finca Hoyo-Mula, Carolina, Puerto Rico desde el 10 de

mayo hasta el 21 de diciembre de 2002. Por lo menos un individuo de Pizpita de Mangle (Seiurus noveboracen-sis) fue escuchado desde el 14 de mayo al 6 de diciembre de 2002. Estas observaciones extienden la presencia de esta especie en Puerto Rico a través de todos los meses del año.

Palabras clave: manglar, migrante, Pizpita de Mangle, Puerto Rico, registro, Seiurus noveboracensis Abstract.�YEAR-ROUND PRESENCE OF NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (SEIURUS NOVEBORACENSIS) IN PUERTO

RICO. We conducted bimonthly surveys at Finca Hoyo-Mula, Carolina, Puerto Rico, from 10 May to 21 Decem-ber 2002. At least one Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis) was heard or observed from 14 May to 6 December 2002. These observations extended the presence of this species in Puerto Rico throughout the year.

Key words: migrant, mangrove, Northern Waterthrush, Puerto Rico, record, Seiurus noveboracensis


London, England: Houghton-Mifflin Co. DANFORTH, S. 1936. Los pájaros de Puerto Rico.

New York, NY: Rand McNally y Co. DUNN, J. L. Y K. L. GARRETT. 1997. A field guide

to warblers of North America. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin y Co.

RAFFAELE, H. A. 1990. Una guía a las aves de Puer-

to Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. 2nda. ed. Santurce, Puerto Rico: Publishing Resources Inc.

RAFFAELE, H., J. WILEY, O. GARRIDO, A. KEITH Y J. RAFFAELE. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

PÉREZ-RIVERA ET AL.�PRESENCIA DE LA PIZPITA DE MANGLE (SEIURUS NOVEBORACENSIS) EN PUERTO RICO


THE FIRST RECORD of the Nutmeg Mannikin (Lonchura punctulata) for Cuba is an individual collected by Yaroddy Rodríguez on 6 March 2003 in the outskirts of the city of Ciego de Ávila. For several years before then, however, Lonchura punc-tulata was known in Cuba (Garrido 1997). Garrido (1997) had reported several flocks of this species in the province of Guantánamo (near Vilorio). Further-more, some �pájareros� had captured and kept sev-eral individuals in captivity. This bird is locally known as �Damero,� because of its resemblance to a chessboard. At present, we are aware of Lonchura punctulata only in the oriental provinces, but we do not doubt that the bird has dispersed to several other regions of Cuba; i.e., wherever they find a suitable habitat in rice and other plantations where running water is present.

Four specimens are deposited in the National Mu-seum of Natural History of Cuba (MNHNC�Nos. 1668, 1669, 1670, 1671). Rodríguez captured the first bird from among a flock of Lonchura malacca, a species that has been increasing rapidly in num-bers in several provinces of Cuba. In 2003, Pedro Cuadrado donated three birds that he had captured near Gibara, Holguín Province, and kept in captiv-ity. Although L. punctulata is also widespread and increasing in numbers, its settlement in Cuba is more recent than L. malacca.

LITERATURE CITED GARRIDO, O. H. 1997. Sicalis flaveola (Aves: Em-

berizidae)�nueva especie para la avifauna cuba-na. Pitirre 10:55.

FIRST RECORD OF NUTMEG MANNIKIN LONCHURA PUNCTULATA (AVES:ESTRILDIDAE) FOR CUBA

YARODDY RODRÍGUEZ1, ORLANDO H. GARRIDO2, AND ARTURO KIRKCONNELL3

1Calle H entre 2 y 3 No.370, Reparto Lugones, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba; 2Calle 60 No. 1706 entre 17 y 19, Marianao 13, La Habana, Cuba; and 3Museo Nacional de Historia Natural

de Cuba, Calle Obispo 61, Habana Vieja, Cuba

RECENT SIGHTINGS OF WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON AND BLACK SWIFT ON NEVIS

JULIAN FRANCIS 65 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1HS, England

Abstract.�White-crowned Pigeon (Columba leucocephala) and Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) were

sighted on Nevis on 16 April 2003. Key words: Black Swift, Columba leucocephala, Cypseloides niger, Nevis, White-crowned Pigeon

WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON (Columba leuco-cephala) and Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) are both mentioned in The birds of Nevis (Hilder 1989). White-crowned Pigeon is recorded as having been seen only once in February. No clear details are pro-vided of the frequency or the time of year of sight-ings in relation to Black Swift. Raffaele et al. (1998) give ranges which would include Nevis for both these birds but no other specific details for Ne-vis. Accordingly, my sightings of both these birds on 16 April 2003 are of value. A White-crowned Pigeon was seen in a palm next to Nelson Spring (a

small lake just behind Pinneys Beach in northwest-ern Nevis). Three Black Swifts were seen flying east over Gingerland (a village in southwestern Ne-vis) in stormy weather.

LITERATURE CITED HILDER, H. 1989. The birds of Nevis. Charlestown:

Nevis Historical and Conservation Society. RAFFAELE, H., J. WILEY, O. GARRIDO, A. KEITH,

AND J. RAFFAELE. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. London: Helm.


ON 21 JUNE 2002, Nicolas Corona, a local bird-watcher from Pedernales, informed Danilo Mejia of The Society for the Conservation and Study of Car-ibbean Birds about a �swallow� nesting on the wall of a canyon near Nicolas� property in Los Arroyos, Pedernales Province, on the southern slope of Sierra de Bahoruco. The next day Danilo Mejia, Vinicio Mejia, Mirasabel Paulino, and the senior author vis-ited the site. It is about 1500 m in elevation in thick, wet broadleaf forest just below the pine forest zone. The canyon is narrow, relatively dark, rather long, with smooth, nearly vertical sides in several parts. The floor of the canyon is covered with tree ferns, moss, vines, and other vegetation typical of humid forest. The walls of the canyon were damp, but the water did not appear to flow from anywhere in par-ticular. The first two nests both had adult Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger) sitting on them. One was about 3 m from the ground, the second only about 2 m above the canyon floor, and were about 3 m apart. Both nests were built of dark brown moss attached directly to the canyon wall. One bird was photo-graphed on the nest by the senior author; this color photograph will appear in Keith et al. (in press) and represents the first proved breeding record for His-paniola. Examination of the contents of the two nests revealed one egg in the first nest and one hatchling in the second nest. Further investigation revealed 11 more nests on the canyon wall, some of which appeared to be abandoned and may have been used in prior years. Other nests also had adults sitting on them; all the other nests were relatively close together.

The site is not part of the nearby National Park system. It is hoped that measures can be taken by local authorities to protect the site and a buffer zone of surrounding property. The Palmchat (Dulus dominicus) has previously been reported only nesting in trees, most often Royal Palms (Roystonea hispaniolana), or very rarely on poles. Usually the large stick nests are used by several pairs. Here we report an exceptional nest built on a rock in the ocean just off the edge of the shoreline at the old Alcoa Hotel at Cabo Rojo, Pedernales Province (Fig. 1). This appears to be the first documented terrestrial nest of this species. The nest was discovered by John Prather and was photo-graphed by the senior author in October 2001. Only a single pair of birds was observed entering and leaving the nest.

THREE UNUSUAL BIRD NESTS FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

ELADIO M. FERNÁNDEZ¹ AND ALLAN R. KEITH²

¹Alberto Larancuent #23, Edificio Stephanie Marie 1, Naco, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and ²Turtle Brook Farm, PO Box 247, Chilmark, MA 02535, USA

Abstract�We report unusual nests of Black Swift (Cypseloides niger), Palmchat (Dulus dominicus), and Golden Swallow (Tachycineta euchrysea), all in southwestern Dominican Republic.

Key words: Black Swift, Cypseloides niger, Dominican Republic, Dulus domincus, Golden Swallow, nests, Palmchat, Tachycineta euchrysea,

Resumen�Reportamos tres nidos inusuales de Vencejo Negro (Cypseloides niger), Cigua Palmera (Dulus dominicus) y Golondrina Verde (Tachycineta euchrysea), todos en la region suroeste de la República Domini-cana.

Palabras clave: Cigua Palmera, Cypseloides niger, Dulus dominicus, Golondrina Verde, República Domini-cana, Tachycineta euchrysea, Vencejo Negro

Fig. 1. Palmchat nest on a seaside rock, Domininican Republic.


Golden Swallows (Tachycineta euchrysea) typi-cally nest in old woodpecker holes, more rarely un-der the eaves of houses or just inside cave en-trances, and are often colonial. Here we report an

unusual nest site of a single pair in a crevice only about 0.2 m above ground level along the side of an open pit bauxite mine at 1200 m elevation at Acetil-lar, Sierra de Bahoruco, Pedernales Province (Fig. 2). The entrance to the mine is about 350 m off the main Acetillar road and the nest site is about 150 m inside the mine entrance at the far end of the pit. The pit is surrounded by pine forest. Vinicio Mejia and the senior author discovered the nest on 23 June 2002 after Marisabel Paulino had become suspi-cious earlier that month that the birds might have a nest nearby. This appears to be the first reported virtually terrestrial nest of this species.

LITERATURE CITED KEITH, A. R., J. W. WILEY, S. C. LATTA, AND J. A. OTTENWALDER. In press. The birds of His-paniola � Dominican Republic and Haiti. BOU Checklist No. 21. London: British Ornithologists� Union.

FERNÁNDEZ AND KEITH�UNUSUAL BIRD NESTS FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Fig. 2. Golden Swallow in nest within a crevice along the side of an open pit bauxite mine, Acetillar, Sierra de Ba-horuco, Dominican Republic.


A BIRDWATCHING GUIDE TO BERMUDA.�Andrew Dobson. 2002. Arlequin Press, Essex, United King-dom. ISBN 1900159716. 176 pp. Maps and color photographs. £13.95. Paper.

How many bird-finding guides offer specifica-tions for building nest-igloos for White-tailed Tropicbirds? The uniqueness of Andrew Dobson�s new book, A birdwatching guide to Bermuda, is intimated in its title: a birdwatching guide. This book, perhaps the most comprehensive text covering a geographic area of its scope (some 55 km2 � a few well-watched �patches� in England excepted), orients the naturalist not just toward bird-finding but to all as-pects of bird-watching; that is, the prolonged obser-vation, study, and appreciation of birds. The care in preparation of this text is evident on every page, and its distinctiveness within its genre (the tropicbird igloo is merely the tip of the iceberg) and fidelity to the charming archipelago that forms its subject will please even the armchair traveler with no plans to visit Bermuda. Dobson has left the critic precious little opportu-nity to find fault with his work, which covers in minute detail virtually every aspect of Bermudian birdlife that the visiting or resident naturalist could find of interest: local bird conservation; plantings and nest-boxes for birds; travel by air, land, and sea; lodgings for birders; wheelchair-accessible birding sites; geography and climate; relevant web-sites; hints for novices, tour guides, and groups; and much more. As would any true naturalist, Dobson cannot resist compiling and including complete lists of Ber-muda�s mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, damselflies, and dragonflies. For a non-resident in particular, having all this information together in a single (very handsomely laid out) text is manna from heaven. In the past, one had to surf the World Wide Web endlessly to locate even a small part of this material; and a decade or so ago, the visiting birder could turn only to David Wingate�s brief but pioneering A checklist and guide to the birds of Bermuda (1973), now out of print, and to correspondence with local naturalists. Dobson has answered virtually every potential ques-tion about Bermudian travel and logistics in his in-troductory material. The remainder of the book treats the location by habitat, site, and season of Bermuda�s birds. As with Eric J. R. Amos�s 1991 book, A guide to the birds of Bermuda, also now out of print, Dobson wisely separates treatments of the breeding from the

nonbreeding species, offers commentary on the four seasons� birding potential, and discusses the habitats and birding sites of each parish in easy-to-follow sections arranged naturally, in the order in which they might be birded. Where Amos�s book used original artwork to illustrate habitats and species, Dobson�s employs color photographs, mostly by the author. Both books are gems, but Dobson�s is the more exhaustive and up-to-date of the two, and his maps are nonpareil for a birding guide. There are aspects of this book both useful and informative that deserve special mention. The maps make a fine example. If one turns, for instance, to the map for Spittal Pond, a lovely freshwater body that holds a good diversity of waterfowl and waders over the course of a year, one finds the numbers one through 16 on the map. These numbers are keyed to a legend that points the birder toward a key sea-watching site, a permanent population of monarch butterflies, and a small patch known for wintering wood-warblers, among many other tips. This level of detail will be appreciated by even a casual ob-server, and it is rather remarkable for a nine-acre pond! Bermuda has a healthy population of wintering American wood-warblers, often over 25 species, and these will be seen in numbers by birders, espe-cially in autumn visits but also in winter. But how common are the various species? Under the section �Wintering warblers in Bermuda,� all 38 species known from Bermuda are classed by their estimated wintering populations, whether 300+ (Yellow-rumped Warbler and Ovenbird only), 100�299, 50�99, 10�49, or the rarest of the rare, some 16 species that number from one to nine per year, such as Golden-winged, Connecticut, and Swainson�s war-blers. With this table, birders can quickly assess the relative abundance of the warblers they discover, can decide whether extensive notes, sketches, and photographs are needed�and finally whether local birders should be contacted (contact information is provided at the end of the guide). Very few site guides provide this nuanced sort of ranking, much less a numerical guide borne of decades of record-keeping and good communication among the is-land�s birders. Another advantage for visiting birders is the con-cluding section entitled �Where to find non-resident sought-after birds,� which treats difficult groups such as gulls and tubenoses. Here Dobson offers the insider�s micro-strategies for finding birds both regular and rare, saving the visitor the pain of trial-and-error birding in unfamiliar terrain. (For these, as

BOOK REVIEW


well as for other seabirds, shorebirds, and wading birds, a spotting scope is clearly essential for the visiting birder, not to mention for the Snow Bun-tings, Whimbrel, and American Golden-Plovers that might turn up beyond the closed fences of the Inter-national Airport!) What more could one hope for? The list is short. As with Cornelius Hazevoet�s The birds of the Cape Verde Islands (British Ornithologists� Union, 1995), here too one searches in vain for an image of the island�s star endemic petrel, which is in Dobson�s book represented only by a fluffy nestling Bermuda Petrel, or �Cahow,� as Bermuda�s residents have named their bird. Now that this species is docu-mented annually off the coast of North America (specifically, off North Carolina), good photographs of birds in flight are available, and this guide would be an ideal venue for such an image, inasmuch as standard field guides such as David Sibley�s Sibley guide to North American birds (Knopf, 2000) do not even mention the Cahow, and good photographs have been published only in a few American maga-zines and journals. Thankfully, Dobson offers the visiting birder several potentially successful strate-gies for seeing this famous, attractive, and critically endangered seabird, either from an afternoon sea-watch or a short pelagic trip�the first birding guide to do so. Another area of the text in which one hankers for more is the section entitled �Rare bird sightings since 1990.� It is only comparatively recently that Bermudian bird records have been collectively com-piled; older records are scattered among observers� notes dating back a half-century or more. Though rarities are not the focus of this or any other bird-finding guide, it would be marvelous to see such a

section expanded to an annotated checklist contain-ing all records of extralimital or vagrant species (the book�s checklist sometimes provides a year or dec-ade for pre-1990 vagrants, but the curious birder will thirst for greater detail). Even with all available published information on Bermuda�s birds (including David Wingate�s Checklist and guide) at hand, it is not possible to get a full picture of the status and distribution of the 365 species docu-mented to have appeared on the island. Wingate�s and Amos�s texts attempted to qualify and quantify this information graphically, with bar graphs of sev-eral sorts for regular species (a popular way to rep-resent seasonal relative abundance in American guides). Dobson, in his guide�s checklist, offers col-umns for overall status and abundance by the four seasons, which can be more difficult to interpret. This lacuna in the ornithological literature on Ber-muda will hopefully be remedied by a monograph on the island�s birds in the future, a project worthy of such a well-studied and idyllic place. A glance at Dobson�s efforts in his admirable book can be dangerous�birding Bermuda can be-come addictive, and the House Wren or Red-tailed Hawk that scarcely occasions a raised binocular on the mainland can become the occasion for a raised pint in one of St. George�s popular pubs! (And who knows what sort of celebration visitors to Bermuda such as Booted Eagle, Siberian Flycatcher, Ferrugi-nous Duck, Large-billed Tern, Gyrfalcon, Bohe-mian Waxwing, Corn Crake, or Common House-Martin might have occasioned?) The reader peruses the book and its tempting topics at peril!�EDWARD S. BRINKLEY, Editor, North American Birds, 9 Randolph Avenue, Cape Charles, VA 23310, USA.

BRINKLEY� REVIEW OF A BIRDWATCHING GUIDE TO BERMUDA BY DOBSON


PARTICIPANTS AT THE FIRST SOCIETY OF CARIBBEAN ORNITHOLOGY MEETING

ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS 1988

FOR THE OLD-TIMERS

First President, Jorgé Moreno, and The Bell


FIRST SCO MEETING � ST. CROIX, 1988


ADVERTISEMENT


JUST PUBLISHED

THE SOCIETY FOR THE CONSERVATION AND STUDY OF CARIBBEAN BIRDS

PRESIDENT: Mr. Eric Carey VICE PRESIDENT: Mr. Leo Douglas

SECRETARY: Dr. Anne Haynes Sutton TREASURER: Dr. Rosemarie S. Gnam

THE SOCIETY FOR THE CONSERVATION AND STUDY OF CARIBBEAN Birds is a non-profit organization whose goals are to promote the scientific study and conservation of Caribbean birds and their habitats, to provide a link among island ornithologists and those elsewhere, to provide a written forum for researchers in the region, and to provide data or technical aid to conservation groups in the Caribbean.

___________________________

LA SOCIEDAD PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN Y ESTUDIO DE LAS AVES CARIBEÑAS es una organización sin fines de lucro cuyas metas son promover el estudio científico y la conservación de la avifauna caribeña, auspiciar un simpo-sio anual sobre la ornitología caribeña, ser una fuente de comunicación entre ornitólogos caribeños y en otras áreas y proveer ayuda técnica o datos a grupos de conservación en el caribe.

___________________________

LA SOCIÉTÉ POUR LA CONSERVATION ET L�ÉTUDE DES OISEAUX DE LA CARAÏBE est une organisation à but non lucratif, dont les objectifs sont de promouvoir les études scientifiques et la conservation des oiseaux de la Caraïbe et de leurs habitats, afin d�assurer un lien entre les ornithologistes des îles et ceux venus d�ailleurs, dans l�objectif de mettre en place un groupe de discussion pour les chercheurs de la région, et pour fournir des données ou une aide technique à la conservation de groupes d�espèces dans la Caraïbe.

MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

Any person interested in West Indian birds may become a member of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB). All members receive the Society�s journal, The Journal of Caribbean Orni-thology. Annual individual membership dues are $20.00 (U.S.). Annual institutional membership dues are $120 (U.S.) for U.S. and European based institutions and $50.00 (U.S.) for Caribbean based institutions. Life Member-ships are also available for $300 (U.S.) and this fee is payable in three annual installments � contact the Treasurer for further details. Send check or money order in U. S. funds with complete name and address to: Dr. Rosemarie S. Gnam, PO Box 863208, Ridgewood, NY 11386 USA. Toute personne intéressée par les oiseaux des Antilles peut devenir un membre de la Société pour la Conserva-tion et l�Etude des Oiseaux de la Caraïbe (SCEOC). Tous les membres reçoivent Le Journal de l�Ornithologie Ca-ribéenne. La cotisation annuelle des membres (individuels) est de 20 (USD). La cotisation annuelle des membres (institutionnels) basés aux Etats Unis et en Europe est de 120 (USD), et de 50 (USD) pour les institutions basées dans la Caraïbe. La qualité de membre permanent est aussi possible pour un montant de 300 USD, et cette cotisa-tion est payable en trois versements annuels � contacter la Trésorière pour plus de détails. Prière envoyer chèques ou espèces à l�ordre de U.S. funds avec votre nom et votre adresse complète à : Dr Rosemarie S. Gnam, PO Box 863208, Ridgerwood, NY 11386 USA. This year the SCSCB Executive Officers are asking members to sponsor a SCSCB member in the Caribbean that has a keen interest in the Society's mission but is unable to afford membership at this time. These members will be active in SCSCB activities and will work on their respective islands to conserve birds. The cost of a spon-sorship is $20.00 (US.). Sponsorship awards these persons full benefits of SCSCB membership, including the right to vote in SCSCB. Thank you for your help.

FIRST RECORD OF NUTMEG MANNIKIN LONCHURA PUNCTULATA (AVES:ESTRILDIDAE) FOR CUBA. Yaroddy Rodríguez, Orlando H. Garrido, and Arturo Kirkconnell ................................................................ 72

RECENT SIGHTINGS OF WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON AND BLACK SWIFT ON NEVIS. Julian Francis ..................... 72 THREE UNUSUAL BIRD NESTS FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Eladio M. Fernández and Allan R. Keith .... 73 A BIRDWATCHING GUIDE TO BERMUDA.�Andrew Dobson. 2002. Arlequin Press, Essex, United

Kingdom. ISBN 1900159716. 176 pp. Maps and color photographs. £13.95. Paper. Edward S. Brinkley ... 75 THE FIRST SOCIETY OF CARIBBEAN ORNITHOLOGY MEETING, ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS, 1988 �

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES. .......................................................................................................................... 77 ADVERTISEMENT ................................................................................................................................................ 79 JUST PUBLISHED: AVES DE CUBA, EDITED BY HIRAM GONZÁLEZ ALONSO ......................................................... 80


SOCIETY FOR THE CONSERVATION AND STUDY OF CARIBBEAN BIRDS SOCIEDAD PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN Y ESTUDIO DE LAS AVES CARIBEÑAS

SOCIÉTÉ POUR LA CONSERVATION ET L�ETUDE DE LA CARAÏBE

Spring 2003 Vol. 16, No. 1

CONTENTS (CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER)

The Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds thanks Winged Ambassadors and the Division of International Conservation of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their support. We thank the Coereba Society (www.coereba.org) for their editorial and translation assistance.

A special thanks to Alma Ramírez and Shawn O�Brien for their help with this issue. The outgoing Editor thanks all who have contributed to the development of the Society�s bulletin over the first 15 years, through their submission of manuscripts and notices, reviews, translations, suggestions, and, especially, their moral support and friendship.

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