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Black-Capped Petrel BCPE Pterodroma
hasitata |
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Pelecanus erythrorhynchos |
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Common Tern COTE Sterna
hirundo |
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Jamaican Petrel JAPE Pterodroma
caribbaea |
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Least Tern LETE Sterna
antillarun |
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Onychoprion anaethetus |
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Gull-billed
Tern GBTE Sterna nilotica |
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Onychoprion fuscatus |
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Black Noddy BLNO Anous
minutus |
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Cayenne Tern CATE Sterna
sandivicensis eurygnatha |
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KEY
The
presence of a photo indicates that the species has been identified during the surveys
between February- May 2009.
The
species is believed to be Extinct. *
The
species is Critically Endangered *1
NOTE to KEY
·
The International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) publishes lists of animals considered to be extinct,
endangered or threatened. The presence of a species or subspecies on the list
is based on strict, globally accepted criteria.
·
* ‘Extinct’ is defined as a species or subspecies
believed to no longer exist and which are represented by museum species.
·
*1 ‘Critically endangered’ is
defined as a species or subspecies which has declined dramatically to such low
population levels that their continued survival is in serious jeopardy. Active
steps must be taken to ensure their survival and in some cases extinctions may
have already occurred.
·
*3 Species considered to be of
conservation concern within the West Indies (Schreiber, E.A. and Lee, D.S. 2000
eds. Status and Conservation of West Indian Seabirds. Society of Caribbean
Ornithology). This is based upon the estimated number of pairs breeding in the
area and the threat to existing colonies.
GENERAL NOTE
Literature on the status,
distribution and population of seabirds in the Lesser Antilles is inconsistent,
often conflicting. Some of the islands in the chain have never been
scientifically surveyed. Many have only been partly surveyed, or have only
historic records or random observations. Whether the following species are in
fact sub-species, endemic to the West Indies is also disputed: Cayenne Tern,
Red-billed Tropicbird, White-tailed Tropicbird, Audubon’s Shearwater, Brown
Pelican, Black-capped Petrel, Jamaican Petrel and Bridled Tern. Baring this in
mind, it is no wonder that firm assertions on the conservation status of the
breeding seabirds is impossible. This illustrates the need for scientific
surveys, which we are undertaking, that will form the Lesser Antilles Seabird
Breeding Atlas.
A
DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIES ENCOUNTERED SURVEYING TO DATE
Also
known as Wedrego, Diablotin and Plimico.
AUSH,
Tobago Cays Marine Park, Lowrie, 2009
·
Highly pelagic (spending most of their
time at sea) species in the Procellariidae
family with Petrels. (Petrels and Shearwaters were the birds we most regularly
saw when crossing the Atlantic, hundreds of miles from land).
·
They feed primarily far out at sea often
grabbing squid which rise up the water column during the night.
·
They only return to land to breed in the
cover of darkness. They call to their partner, a repetitive laughing call.
·
Their legs are incapable of supporting
their bodies, so they shuffle on their bellies using their wings to propel them
forward.
·
They nest in burrows in the ground; within
natural rock cavities, created by other animals or excavated by themselves.
·
They do not breed until about 8 years of
age.
·
Like other species in their family, they
have heightened olfactory senses (rare amongst birds) allowing them to zero in
on their prey from many miles away.
·
During surveys they have dive bombed us
from the sky defending their territory against the huge ‘gorillas’ broadcasting
their songs on play-back min-disc.
·
Very few breeding populations have been
identified with the survey area.
Also
known as Tropic and Couac.
Immature
RBTR, St Eustatius, Hannah Madden, 2009
RBTR,
St Eustatius, Lowrie, 2009
·
We first saw Red-billed Tropicbirds when
approximately half way across the Atlantic. We heard their call and one or two
birds were sighted each day from then on until c. 30 miles from the Sint
Maarten.
·
Red-billed Tropicbirds are larger than White-tailed
Tropicbirds. They are quite difficult to tell apart when flying, but if you are
able to view the bird from above (often possible, as they often nest in cliffs)
you will notice the barred black-and-white plumage of the Red-billed
Tropicbird. As their name suggests they also have a ruby red bill, while the
White-tails’ is more orangey-yellow.
·
By the far most useful identifier is their
distinctive call, an escalating screech that resounds around their nest sites
and is sometimes issued way out at sea. It is quite different from the staccato
peeping call of the White-tail.
Juvenile
RBTR, Barbuda, Lowrie, 2009
·
Like the Shearwaters and Petrels,
Red-billed Tropicbirds have diminutive legs that are incapable of supporting
their bodies on land. They also propel themselves forward by their wings,
shuffling on their bodies.
·
They return to their chicks mostly during the
late afternoon. A typical sight is of the birds spiralling around their nest
sites repeatedly attempting to land.
·
They nest under boulders, in holes in
cliffs, crevices in rocks, rarely on the ground at the base of a cliff.
·
Red-billed Tropicbirds breed widely in the
Lesser Antilles, with a few key, large colonies on islands including Saba, St
Eustatius, Antigua and within the Grenadines
Also
known as Golden Bolsunbird, Boatswain Bird, Scissortail and Yellow-billed
Tropicbird
WTTR,
St Vincent, Lowrie 2009
·
Like the Red-billed Tropicbirds,
White-tails are highly pelagic spending all year at sea fishing for squid and
fish, before returning to the land to breed.
·
We recorded very few White-tails in our
study area, first registering them in St Vincent and later Bequia.
·
Literature suggest that the larger and
more aggressive Red-billed Tropicbird outcompetes the White-tailed Tropicbird for
nesting habitat, which likely compounds the wider threats to seabirds.
·
They look very similar to Red-bills but
have yellowish beaks and distinctive, bold black wing stripes.
Also
known as White booby, Fou Masque, Booby Azul and Blue-faced Booby
MABO,
Redonda, Lowrie, 2009
·
They are the largest of the Boobies in the
Lesser Antilles.
·
Viewed in the air they appear large and
white with a black tail.
·
Like the other Sulidae (Boobies and Gannet family) they dive for their prey, often
feeding far out at sea.
MABO,
Redonda, Lowrie, 2009
·
Their nest is a scrape on the ground
generally with clear sight lines.
·
They will sometimes arrange pebbles and
grit/ vegetation scraps in a necklace around it.
·
Like most of the other species they usually
lay only one or two eggs, raising one large, fluffy, white chick.
·
Our study has identified only two small
colonies of Masked Boobies on Redonda and near to Mustique.
Also
known as Boba Prieta, Gwo Fou Gri and Fou Brun
BRBO,
Dog Island, Collier
·
Brown Boobies are understood to nest all
year round, with peaks between March to June and September to October.
·
We have found them nesting to date in
greatest numbers in January, at various stages of breeding, but most frequently
with eggs or small chicks. We have observed them breeding widely, but in small,
dispersed colonies.
·
We have observed many roosting and
foraging Brown Boobies during our surveys and whilst sailing between islands.
·
They are the most commonly observed of the
Boobies as they frequent coastlines, bays and harbours, often perching on buoys.
·
They catch fish, squid or molluscs by
plunging from up to 20m in the air or diving after prey from the surface of the
water. Their bullet shaped body allows them to dive deep after shoals of fish.
·
Like Gannets, Brown Boobies can often be
seen flying in skeins low over the water back to their roosts, likely
benefitting from the back draft created by the bird in front.
BRBO,
Dog Island, Collier
Also
known as Tree Booby, Fou a Pieds Rouges
·
We encountered Red-footed Boobies breeding
on Redonda and three main islands in the Grenadines.
·
As the photos show, they nest in trees creating
‘scratty’, shallow, nests with a few twigs.
·
They nest colonially, sometimes amongst
Magnificent Frigatebirds who will pinch their chicks if left unattended.
RFBO
chick and brown morph, Battowia, Lowrie, 2009
·
They have several colour morphs; often brown
with white tails or white with black primaries and secondary’s. Their red feet
are only visible when on land.
·
Like the Masked Boobies they will hunt far
out at sea, often hunting through the night.
·
Like the Brown Boobies, we observed
Red-footed Boobies in long skeins flying to and from breeding and foraging
grounds in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
RFBO,
Diamond Rock, Lowrie, 2010
Also
known as Old Joe, Ganuche, Pelican Brun, Grand Gosier, Gangagie.
BRPE,
Barbuda, Lowrie, 2009
·
Brown Pelicans are adept plunge divers,
dropping from 10m in the air into the sea.
·
We watched between five and six Brown
Pelicans in English Harbour, Antigua, who had perfected the art of diving and
shot into the sea repeatedly each day. They dive is shallow, with fish caught
just below the water surface due to their considerable buoyancy.
·
Plunge diving requires considerable
technique, with juveniles often being unsuccessful in their first years, until
they have learnt the required art.
·
They will also sit on the water (often in
Pelican ‘rafts’) grabbing fish from the seated position.
·
Unlike the other species we are surveying,
Brown Pelicans are the only birds that catch fish by scooping them into their
large pouches and then draining the water out.
BRPE,
Barbuda, 2009, Lowrie
·
They nest in trees (rarely on the ground) and
are extremely sensitive to disturbance, potentially knocking their young or
eggs off their nests if the adults take fright and flap away.
·
The adults lay 2-4 eggs. We have observed
up to three chicks per nest (at various stages of maturity) unlike all the
other breeding seabirds, bar the Laughing Gulls, we have surveyed, who have
only ever had a single chick.
·
We have often observed roosting birds on
the islands or parties patrolling coastlines for fish. They do not venture far
out to sea.
·
We have recorded only three small c Brown
Pelican colonies on Sint Maarten and Antigua.
BRPE,
Antigua, Friesen, 2009
Also
known as Hurricane Bird, Weather Bird, Man-o-War Bird, Scissors, Malfini,
Fregate Superbe
Females
MAFR on nests, Redonda, Lowrie, 2009
·
They exhibit an extreme life history: long
incubation of single egg by both parents (50-60 days), long nestling (150-207
days) and post-fledgling stages.
·
The female is bigger than the male, with a
wingspan of up to 2.5m and a body mass of 1100-2000 grammes.
·
Magnificent Frigatebirds have the lightest
wing loading of any bird, facilitating their incredible acrobatic flight.
·
The male has a red pouch which he inflates
during courtship. It is not otherwise visible. The species appears like a ‘kite
type’ of bird soaring on thermals high in the sky.
Male MAFR displaying to females in
mangrove, Barbuda, Sarah Trefry, 2009
·
The females have a white breast. The
juveniles moult through various phases with white heads and breasts.
Male
MAFR, Antigua, Lowrie, 2009
·
They nest in trees including mangroves and
inaccessible shrubs/trees growing in gauges on cliff-sides. Goats and other
herbivores are a threat as they remove their nesting habitat.
·
They are threatened as they nest in five
main colonies in the West Indies. Barbuda is the largest colony with c.2000
pairs nesting.
·
They are ‘commensal’ feeders which means
they benefit from fishing with other species. We saw this sailing across the
Atlantic. Frigates were following
hunting Dorado fish which were causing aggravated flying fish to scud into the
air into the awaiting beaks of the Frigates.
·
They are also ‘kleptoparasitic’, which
means they steel prey from other bird species, robbing Terns and Boobies of
their catch when they return to their nesting sites.
Also
known as Mauve, Gullie, Laughing Bird, Davy, Pigeon La Mer, Mauve a Tete Noire
Non-breeding
LAGU in the foreground and breeding LAGU behind, Collier.
·
Laughing Gulls are migratory, although they
are resident in small numbers on some islands in the Lesser Antilles.
·
They return to the Lesser Antilles to
breed between May-July. We recorded large numbers breeding in the Grenadines in
2009.
·
As their name suggests, they emit a
cackling laugh as they sit on a pier or buoy.
·
Like other Gulls they generally frequent
inshore habitat, often being observed in large congregations near to fishing
coves. We have also viewed them at sea, flying between islands or fishing in
congregations with other birds.
·
Their generalist diet and nesting
requirements appears to be allowing their increase in the Lesser Antilles,
possibly to the detriment of other breeding seabird species.
LAGU
nest, St Vincent Grenadines, Lowrie, 2009
Also
known as Egg Bird, Gaby, Gullie, Sprat Bird, Sterne Royale, Foquette
Two RYTE in breeding plumage (to the
right) with black crowns and one non-breeding bird, Collier.
·
Like the Gulls and other terns, Royal
Terns do not breed until the Summer Months (generally May- July).
·
Unlike the other terns they are resident
all year in the Lesser Antilles. We observed the majestic birds on arrival in
Sint Maarten in January and have viewed them throughout our surveys.
·
They generally inhabit harbours and
coastal areas, patrolling beaches for sprats and other fish. They hover above
the surface of the water and plunge dive, catching prey near the surface of the
water.
·
As one of their local names suggests, like
other terns and seabirds in the West Indies, Royal Tern eggs or young may be taken
by locals as a delicacy. This is becoming less common, but still proliferates
on some islands.
·
No birds were recorded breeding during the
2009 surveys. Hopefully, breeding will be recorded in the northern islands in
2010.
Also
known as Gaviota de Pico Amarillo, Grote Stern, Sterne Caugek
SATE,
Collier
·
Sandwich Terns were observed infrequently
foraging near shore around islands.
·
They are rare in the region, generally
breeding in the north of the chain- Anguilla, Virgin Islands and the Greater
Antilles.
·
The first breeding colony was found in the
West Indies in 1965.
·
They also breed on the Atlantic coast of
the US and in the British Isles, Southern Scandinavia south to the
Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Sea.
·
No breeding was observed in the southern
area of the study.
Also
known as Egg Bird, Gaviota Monja Prieta, Fou Nwa, Sterne Noire, Twado, Touaou,
Bonte Stern
SOTE,
St Lucia, Lowrie, 2009
·
We first encountered Sooty Terns returning
to their breeding grounds when sailing passed Dominica in April 2009. Large
garrulous flocks of black and white birds spiralled and dived through the air
far out at sea. It is unclear where they spend the non breeding season,
potentially the Pacific and off the coast of the USA.
·
They are highly pelagic, migrating long
distances (breeding birds from Florida have been found to migrate to the Western
Coast of Africa).
·
It is generally thought that they remain
on the wing between breeding seasons, as they have a poorly developed oil gland
that prevents them from alighting on the sea. This is likely to be aided by
their long wingspan and short body allowing long periods of soaring and
low-cost energy-saving flight.
SOTE,
St Lucia, Lowrie, 2009
·
We observed over one thousand birds on the
Maria Major Island of St Lucia, they were not yet breeding, but showing signs
of preparation; mating and alighting in likely breeding areas and gathering
nesting materials. Other important islands for the species in the study area
are Petit Canouan, St Vincent Grenadines and Dog Island, Anguilla.
·
The birds selected a range of nesting
sites on the island; from exposed grassy areas or boulders to under cacti and
other vegetation, but always on the ground.
·
They usually lay one egg per breeding
season, but will relay if the egg or chick is lost.
·
They are very similar in appearance to
Bridle Terns, but are a little larger, lack a white hind neck, do not have the
Bridled Tern’s white line which extends from the forehead to behind the eye and
are blacker above.
Brown-winged
Tern, Booby, Egg Bird, Dog Tern, Smaller Sooty Tern
BRTE,
ST Vincent, Lowrie, 2009
·
We first encountered breeding Bridled
Terns in the Grenadines in May. Like the other species of terns (save the Royal
Tern) they are not resident in the Lesser Antilles, only returning to breed.
·
Bridled Terns have a puppy like ‘yerk’
call. They are not as vocal as the Sooty Terns, whose colonies resound with
calls, particularly when they are disturbed from their nest during surveys.
·
Bridled and Sooty Terns often nest
together in colonies, although the Bridled Terns are usually fewer in number.
BRTE,
St Vincent, Lowrie, 2009
·
Bridled Terns are said to have an ‘elastic
flight’, with shallow, slower wing beats than Sooty Terns.
·
Their nests are often difficult to find-
under a rock over-hang or rocky crevice. The nest is a scrape, with one
buff-grey egg mottled with fine brown spots.
·
When foraging, they dip towards the water
surface, with short plunge dives.
Also
known as Mackeral Gull, Graceful Tern
ROTE, St Vincent, Lowrie, 2009
·
We first saw Roseate Terns fishing along
the coastline of St Vincent and perched on a small island off the country in
May. Subsequently we have seen them in the Grenadines nesting.
·
They are extremely agile, ‘butterfly’
terns, appearing very white from a distance, with their long, deeply forked
tails.
·
We have typically found them fishing in
rough water, at the edge of islands, diving from 2-3 metres into churning, nutrient
rich up-wellings.
·
The Caribbean species do not have the
pinkish underbelly flush of the North Atlantic Roseate Terns and only the tip
of the bill of the Caribbean birds is black (the rest being red).
·
They have fast, deep wingbeats.
ROTE, St Vincent, Lowrie, 2009
·
The voice is a high- pitched, rasping
‘aaak’ and soft ‘chivy’.
·
Whole colonies may shift between nesting sites
in different years, possibly as a result of human disturbance.
Also
known as Blackbird, Booby Blackbird, Gaviota Boba, Cevero, Catbird, Moien,
Noddi Brun.
BRNO,
Collier
·
As with the terns and gulls, Brown Noddies
do not return to breed in the Lesser Antilles until the Summer. We recorded
them in association with Sooty Terns on Maria Major Island, St Lucia.
·
They will nest in trees, constructing
elaborate nests out of twigs and sea grass or on rock ledges or crevices where
they decorate the nest sparingly with shells, pebbles and feathers.
·
They are monogamous, with the female
laying a single, large egg (c.19% of her body mass).
·
Male Brown Noddies are larger than females
in all body measurements.
BRNO
and SOTE, St Lucia, Lowrie, 2009
·
The photo shows the difference in size
between Brown Noddies and Sooty Terns. It also shows the small body size
compared to wing of the Sooty Tern compared to the Brown Noddy.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Raffaele,
H., Wiley, J., Garrido, O., Keith, A., and Raffaele, J. (eds.) 1998. Birds of the West Indies. Christopher Helm
Ltd.
Schreiber,
E.A. & Burger, J. (eds.) 2002. Biology
of Marine Birds. CRC Press LLC.
Schreiber,
E.A. & Lee, D.S. (eds.) 2000. Status
and Conservation of West Indian Seabirds. Society of Caribbean Ornithology,
Special Publication Number 1.
PHOTOS
Collier,
Natalia and Brown, Adam. Founders and Presidents of EPIC. Initiated and
commissioned the Seabird Breeding Atlas of the Lesser Antilles.
Friesen,
Megan. Intern on the Lesser Antilles Seabird Survey.
Lowrie,
Katharine and Lowrie David. Project Field Manager and Captain/Surveyor... and
you know the rest.
Trefry,
Sarah. PhD candidate New Brunswick University, Canada. Studying Magnificent
Frigatebirds on Barbuda.