DOCSLIB.ORG

Master in Biodiversity and Conservation in Tropical Regions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Master in Biodiversity and Conservation in Tropical Regions Master in Biodiversity and Conservation in Tropical Regions Biogeography and Conservation Status of Diurnal Raptors in Venezuela By Adrian Naveda-Rodríguez A thesis submitted In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Advisor: Keith L. Bildstein, Ph.D. Academic year 2012 – 2013 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was possible thanks to logistical and financial support provided by the Spanish Research Council (CSIC), Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, The Peregrine Fund and Wild4Ever. I wish to thank all those who contributed throughout the course of this work. I am absolutely indebted to my lovely wife Gabriela Lugo, my parents Maritza Rodriguez and Rafael Naveda who supported me in this process. I am very grateful to Dr. Keith Bildstein for introducing me to raptor conservation sciences and for all the opportunities he has given me since 2006. I am also grateful to Dr. Hernán Vargas and Dr. Gary Riggs for their confidence and support for this project. Marcial Quiroga-Carmona, José Gustavo León, Tony Crease, Alan Highton and Christian Olaciregui provided valuable information on raptors of Venezuela and Colombia. I sincerely appreciate the efforts of Marcial Quiroga-Carmona, Jorge Peralta and Bayron Calles for their help with statistical analyses. I appreciate the improvements in English usage made by Phillip Schwabl I kindly appreciate Francisco Bisbal, Alexis Araujo, Miguel Lentino, Jurahimar Gamboa, Marcos Salcedo, Carlos Rengifo and Rosana Calchi for providing information on voucher specimens in ornithological collections under their care. ABSTRACT Aim: Natural history data is crucial to monitor the vulnerability of birds of prey. In Venezuela, this information is non-existent for almost all species of raptors. Here, I examine the biogeography and conservation status of birds of prey of the order Cathartiformes, Acciptriformes and Falconiformes in Venezuela. Location: Venezuela, northern South America. Method: By means of ecological niche modeling, the geographic distribution (SDM) of 65 species of diurnal raptors was described. Nine climatic and seven landscape metrics were used as environmental predictors. In a GIS environment the extent of occurrence (EOO) was estimated for each species using the minimum presence training threshold. SDM were stacked to examine species richness (S) patterns. Predictors of S were investigated using a regression model. The EOO was used to re-evaluate the conservation status of diurnal raptors in Venezuela, applying the criterion B1 of the IUCN Red List. Furthermore, a gap analysis was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of strict protected areas in the conservation of raptor diversity. Results: The EOO ranged from 1,072 km2 to 881,918 km2. 40 species showed a continuous distribution, while a disjunct distribution was observed in 25 species. S differed among bioregions. However, six pairwise compared bioregions did not show differences. Highest S values were located in the Guiana Shield and the mountains ranges of northern Venezuela. S was explained mainly by landscape features, specifically forest canopy height, land cover and terrain slope. Five species met the B1 criterion and were re-classified. Main conclusions: Environmental heterogeneity affects the configuration of EOO areas and the distribution of S and is therefore an important aspect to consider in conservation planning for neotropical birds of prey. The computation of EOO areas is susceptible to the applied estimation methods, and responses from environmental variables used to predict S are scale-dependent; therefore, it is necessary to standardize methods and experimental design to study the biogeography of raptor species. Priority-setting for the conservation of raptor species in Venezuela must consider rare species, even if they are not threatened. A territorial re-ordering is urgent to improve the protection of this group of birds. 1 INTRODUCTION The Neotropic, an area of more than 20 million km2 comprising South and Central America, the Caribbean islands, parts of Mexico and southern Florida, is the richest biogeographic region in the world (Ojasti 2000, García-Moreno et al. 2007, Rodríguez & Rojas- Suárez 2008). In this context, Venezuela holds a special ecological significance due to its geography, which includes part of the Cordillera de Los Andes, the Guiana Shield, the Llanos, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. These locations give the country a wide diversity of biomes along 27 climatic zones, giving rise to 650 natural vegetation types, 23 landforms and 37 major geological units. In consequence, Venezuela is among the 17 countries with the greatest biological diversity in the world (megadiverse countries), with 15,000 higher plant species, 351 mammal species, 1,400 bird species, 340 reptile species, 315 amphibian species and over 1,800 fish species (Mittermeier et al. 1997, MARN 2000, Aguilera et al. 2003, Rodríguez & Rojas- Suárez 2008). Birds are the best known vertebrate group in Venezuela due to the interest of the scientific community (Lentino 2003); nevertheless, the development of the ornithological knowledge in the country is still incipient, particularly in specific cases such as with birds of prey, which include about 90 species of diurnal and nocturnal raptors (Ferguson-Lees & Christie 2001, König & Weick 2008). The diurnal raptors of Venezuela are comprised of 68 species distributed in four families of the order Cathartiformes, Accipitriformes and Falconiformes (Ascanio et al. 2012, Hilty 2003). As are other tropical raptors species, they are confronting threatening factors such as habitat loss and destruction, environmental pollution and human persecution (Bierregaard 1998, Bildstein et al. 1998). Thus, conservation action is required to prevent species loss. In the last evaluation of extinction risk of Venezuelan wildlife, six species of diurnal raptors were included (Rodríguez & Rojas-Suarez 2008), one species was listed as critically endangered, two species as vulnerable, three species as near threatened and six species as data deficient. The conservation status assessment of Venezuelan raptors has been in some cases underestimated whereas in others overestimated. According to IUCN (2012), the evaluation of the global conservation status of any species is based on any of the following five criteria: (A) 2 Reduction in population size, (B) Geographic range in the form of Extent of Occurrence or Area of Occupancy, (C, D) Population size estimates and (E) Quantitative analysis showing the probability of extinction in the wild. The information required to apply any of these criteria is not available in Venezuela due to the lack of biological information on birds of prey. The natural history of diurnal raptors in Venezuela has been poorly studied, and only a few species have been subject of detailed description and analysis of their autoecology (Alvarez- Cordero 1996, Balgooyen, 1989, Beissinger et al. 1988, Mader 1982); basic (but not less important) aspects such as species richness and geographic distribution patterns and the factors determining them, remain unstudied for most species. Consequently, little is known about how the number of species varies among the biogeographic regions of Venezuela. Available distribution maps in field guides and in Ridgely et al. (2007) lack metadata and incur omission/commission errors. The deficiency in knowledge of the natural history and population biology of birds of prey do not allow the correct assessment of the conservation status, as well as the design and implementation of effective conservation strategies. Sound scientific evidence based on a number of biological factors, the knowledge of geographic distribution and population density (Bierregaard 1998) as well as species richness patterns are crucial in monitoring and mitigating the vulnerability of raptors species. In an attempt to fill this gap, I performed biogeographic analysis and an evaluation of conservation status by means of geographic distribution of the Cathartiformes, Accipitrifomes and Falconiformes of Venezuela. I addressed my effort by: (1) describing the geographic distribution of diurnal raptors, (2) describing patterns of species richness, (3) determining the environmental variables that shape species richness patterns, (4) assessing the current conservation status of diurnal raptors in Venezuela. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study area Venezuela is in northern South America, between latitudes 00º45’ North and 15º40’ North and between meridians 59º45’ West and 73º25’ West. Its total land mass occupies 916,445 km2 and its maritime territory covers around 900,000 km2. Venezuela is bordered in the south by 3 Colombia and Brazil, in the west by Colombia and in the east by Guyana. The Dominican Republic, Netherlands Antilles and United States of America (Puerto Rico and Virgin Island) lie to the north and France (Martinique and Guadalupe Islands) and Trinidad and Tobago lie to the East (MARN 2000). Delimitations of natural regions or bioregions of Venezuela vary according to the author and definition criteria. Nonetheless, there is a general consensus in recognizing at least nine spatial units with distinct environmental and geographical characteristics (PDVSA 1992, Linares 1998). In this work I included the 13 bioregions defined by Huber & Alarcón (1988). These include: Insular, Coastal, Central Coastal Range, Eastern Coastal Range, Orinoco Delta, Maracaibo Lake Basin, Llanos, Mountain Range of Mérida, Mountain Range of Perijá, Lara- Falcón Hill System, Guayana Massif,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Memorial to Carlos Schubert 1938-1994 THO M a S W
    Memorial to Carlos Schubert 1938-1994 THO M A S W. DONNELLY Dept, o f Geological Sciences, State University o f New York, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000 Friends of Carlos Schubert Paetow were shocked and saddened upon hearing of his death in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 22, 1994, following an aneurism and a mesenteric stroke. Carlos, a longtime Fellow of the Geological Society of America, was one of the dominant figures of Venezuelan geology, specializing in his later years in neotectonics and in Quaternary geology. His untimely passing leaves a large void in Latin American—and in Quaternary—geology. His publications were voluminous and spanned a wide range of topics, but dominantly centered in Venezuelan studies. Carlos was bom in Hamburg, Germany, on October 9, 1938, and went to Caracas as an infant. He had a youthful interest in many subjects, but not especially in geology. His decision to pursue this field was the result of parental advice that geology and chemistry were the major fields of the future. Because he was uncom­ fortable with chemistry, he chose geology. Undoubtedly one of his important inspirations was the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt. Indeed, one of Carlos’s most prized possessions was his German 1815 edition of Humboldt’s Travels. In much of Carlos’s later work we can find a thread linking him to the founder of South American earth science. When he completed his high school studies in Caracas in 1957, he faced the problem that Pérez Jiménez, the president of Venezuela, had closed all Venezuelan universities. Fortunately, Carlos was awarded a scholarship from the Shell Oil Company to attend the University of Arizona, where he received his bachelor’s degree in geology in 1961.
    [Show full text]
  • 198 Pursuit and Capture of a Ring-Billed Gull by Bald
    198 Florida Field Naturalist 28(4):198-200, 2000. PURSUIT AND CAPTURE OF A RING-BILLED GULL BY BALD EAGLES ANDREW W. KRATTER1 AND MARY K. HART2 1Florida Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 117800, University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 3261; email: kratter@flmnh.ufl.edu 2Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida Gainesville, Florida, 32611 Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are opportunistic hunters that employ a num- ber of techniques to capture a wide variety of prey (Bent 1937, Brown and Amadon 1968, Sherrod et al. 1976, McEwan and Hirth 1980). These eagles are known to occasionally pursue prey, including flying birds, in pairs or larger groups (McIlhenny 1932, Sherrod et al. 1976, Folk 1992). Here we report three Bald Eagles giving a prolonged chase of a Ring- billed Gull (Larus delawarensis), which resulted in the gull’s capture by one of the eagles. At approximately 1500 on 12 December 1998, we were kayaking east across Newnan’s Lake in eastern Alachua County, Florida, when we noticed a group of approximately 50 Ring-billed Gulls sitting on the water near the center of the lake. As we approached to approximately 100 m, the gulls lifted off when an adult Bald Eagle flew toward them at a height of about 75 m. The eagle immediately started to chase a first-winter individual. The chase was linear at first, but the gull evaded the faster flying eagle with sharp turns. Over the next three minutes, the eagle continued to chase the gull with rather slow stoops from heights of 25-100 m followed by short, fast linear pursuits.
    [Show full text]
  • Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii
    Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 2nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC2) Bonn, Germany, 10 – 14 July 2017 UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II (Prepared by the Appointed Councillors for Birds) Summary: The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. The document has been prepared by the COP Appointed Scientific Councilors for Birds. This is a supplementary paper to COP document UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3 on Taxonomy and Nomenclature UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II 1. Through Resolution 11.19, the Conference of Parties adopted as the standard reference for bird taxonomy and nomenclature for Non-Passerine species the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines, by Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar (2014); 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Bald Eagles 101 Name ______
    Bald Eagles 101 Name __________________________ Go to the Science Spot (http://sciencespot.net/) and click “Kid Zone” to find the link for the “Links for Eagle Days” page! Site: Eagles to the Nest Click “Lesson 1: Bald Eagles 101” and choose “Who Are They?” 1. How many species of eagles are found around the world? _________ 2. The term raptor comes from the Latin word for ________________, which stems from the term “rapture” meaning “____ _________ _____ _________ ________.” 3. Search the page to find the answers to each question. 1st Group - Sea and Fish Eagles (1) How many species belong to this group? ______ (2) Where do they live? _________________________________________________________ (3) What do they like to eat? ____________________________________________________ 2nd Group - Snake Eagles (1) How many species belong to this group? ______ (2) What do they eat? _________________________________________________________ (3) Where can you find these eagles? ___________________________________________ 3rd Group - Harpy Eagles (1) How many species belong to this group? ______ (2) Where do they live? _________________________________________________________ (3) What do they eat? __________________________________________________________ 4th Group - Booted Eagles (1) What do they eat? __________________________________________________________ (2) What one characteristic do all booted eagles have in common? _______________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Identify each eagle by its group using SF for Sea and Fish eagles, S for Snake eagles, H for Harpy eagles, and B for Booted eagles. _____ American Bald Eagle _____ Harpy Eagle _____ Golden Eagle _____ Bateleur _____ Crested Serpent Eagle _____ Steller’s Sea Eagle _____ Black Solitary Eagle _____ Ayres’ Hawk Eagle 4. Where are bald eagles found? ______________________________________________________ 5. Which is larger: a female or male bald eagle? ______________________________________ 6.
    [Show full text]
  • The State of Venezuela's Forests
    ArtePortada 25/06/2002 09:20 pm Page 1 GLOBAL FOREST WATCH (GFW) WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE (WRI) The State of Venezuela’s Forests ACOANA UNEG A Case Study of the Guayana Region PROVITA FUDENA FUNDACIÓN POLAR GLOBAL FOREST WATCH GLOBAL FOREST WATCH • A Case Study of the Guayana Region The State of Venezuela’s Forests. Forests. The State of Venezuela’s Págs i-xvi 25/06/2002 02:09 pm Page i The State of Venezuela’s Forests A Case Study of the Guayana Region A Global Forest Watch Report prepared by: Mariapía Bevilacqua, Lya Cárdenas, Ana Liz Flores, Lionel Hernández, Erick Lares B., Alexander Mansutti R., Marta Miranda, José Ochoa G., Militza Rodríguez, and Elizabeth Selig Págs i-xvi 25/06/2002 02:09 pm Page ii AUTHORS: Presentation Forest Cover and Protected Areas: Each World Resources Institute Mariapía Bevilacqua (ACOANA) report represents a timely, scholarly and Marta Miranda (WRI) treatment of a subject of public con- Wildlife: cern. WRI takes responsibility for José Ochoa G. (ACOANA/WCS) choosing the study topics and guar- anteeing its authors and researchers Man has become increasingly aware of the absolute need to preserve nature, and to respect biodiver- Non-Timber Forest Products: freedom of inquiry. It also solicits Lya Cárdenas and responds to the guidance of sity as the only way to assure permanence of life on Earth. Thus, it is urgent not only to study animal Logging: advisory panels and expert review- and plant species, and ecosystems, but also the inner harmony by which they are linked. Lionel Hernández (UNEG) ers.
    [Show full text]
  • Chromosome Painting in Three Species of Buteoninae: a Cytogenetic Signature Reinforces the Monophyly of South American Species
    Chromosome Painting in Three Species of Buteoninae: A Cytogenetic Signature Reinforces the Monophyly of South American Species Edivaldo Herculano C. de Oliveira1,2,3*, Marcella Mergulha˜o Tagliarini4, Michelly S. dos Santos5, Patricia C. M. O’Brien3, Malcolm A. Ferguson-Smith3 1 Laborato´rio de Cultura de Tecidos e Citogene´tica, SAMAM, Instituto Evandro Chagas, Ananindeua, PA, Brazil, 2 Faculdade de Cieˆncias Exatas e Naturais, ICEN, Universidade Federal do Para´, Bele´m, PA, Brazil, 3 Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 4 Programa de Po´s Graduac¸a˜oem Neurocieˆncias e Biologia Celular, ICB, Universidade Federal do Para´, Bele´m, PA, Brazil, 5 PIBIC – Universidade Federal do Para´, Bele´m, PA, Brazil Abstract Buteoninae (Falconiformes, Accipitridae) consist of the widely distributed genus Buteo, and several closely related species in a group called ‘‘sub-buteonine hawks’’, such as Buteogallus, Parabuteo, Asturina, Leucopternis and Busarellus, with unsolved phylogenetic relationships. Diploid number ranges between 2n = 66 and 2n = 68. Only one species, L. albicollis had its karyotype analyzed by molecular cytogenetics. The aim of this study was to present chromosomal analysis of three species of Buteoninae: Rupornis magnirostris, Asturina nitida and Buteogallus meridionallis using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments with telomeric and rDNA probes, as well as whole chromosome probes derived from Gallus gallus and Leucopternis albicollis. The three species analyzed herein showed similar karyotypes, with 2n = 68. Telomeric probes showed some interstitial telomeric sequences, which could be resulted by fusion processes occurred in the chromosomal evolution of the group, including the one found in the tassociation GGA1p/GGA6.
    [Show full text]
  • Field Identification of the Field Identification of the Field
    TOPICS IN IDENTIFICATION he Solitary Eagle ( Harpyhaliaetus solitarius ) is a large raptor that is closely related and similar in adult and immature plum- Tages to the black-hawks in the genus Buteogallus (Lerner and Mindell 2005). It is a rare and very local resident in a variety of wet and dry forested hills and highlands from northern Argentina to northern Mexico (del Hoyo et al. 1994, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). The species has been collected in Mexico not far from the Texas border (see Discussion, pp. 72 –73), so it is possible that it has occurred in the ABA Area. The handful of specimens and nest records of this eagle are from 700 to 2,000 meters above sea level (Brown and Amadon 1968). FFiieelldd IIddeennttiifificcaattiioonn ooff tthhee SSOOLLIITTTAAARRRYYY EEAAAGGGLLLEEE Nevertheless, sightings of this eagle are occasionally reported from lowland tropical rain forest, e.g., at Tikal, Guatemala (Beaver et al. 1991) and the Tuxtlas Mountains of south - William S. Clark ern Veracruz, Mexico (Winker et al. 1992). The species has been reported on some pro - 2301 South Whitehouse Circle fessional bird tours at such lowland sites as Palenque and the Usumicinta River in south - Harlingen, Texas 78550 ern Mexico. All of these accounts have relied on large size and gray coloration as the [email protected] field marks to distinguish the eagles from the much more abundant Common Black- Hawk ( Buteogallus anthracinus ) and Great Black-Hawk ( B. urubitinga ). H. Lee Jones Howell and Webb (1995) were skeptical and stated that most lowland records of the 4810 Park Newport, No.
    [Show full text]
  • The Venezuelan Hydrocarbon Habitat, Part 1: Tectonics, Structure, Palaeogeography and Source Rocks
    Journal of Petroleum Geology, vo1.23(1), January 2000, pp 5-53. 5 THE VENEZUELAN HYDROCARBON HABITAT, PART 1: TECTONICS, STRUCTURE, PALAEOGEOGRAPHY AND SOURCE ROCKS K. H. James* Venezuela forms part of an important hydrocarbon province, defined by the presence of prolific Cretaceous source rocks, which extends across northern South America. By early 1997, the country had produced 53 billion barrels of oil. Reserves are estimated to total 73 billion barrels of oil and 146 TCF of gas with 250 billion barrels recoverable in the Heavy Oil Belt. Most reserves are located within the intermontane Maracaibo and foreland Barinas-Apure and Eastern Venezuela BasinxThey correspond to more than 1.5 trillion BOE originally in place. The province S hydrocarbon history began with a broad passive margin over which the sea transgressed throughout much ofthe Cretaceous. Limestones and shales followed basal sands and included rich source rocks. Convergence between the distal part of the area and the Caribbean Plate created an active margin that migrated southwards, so that flysch and wildflysch followed the transgressive facies. The process culminated in Lute Cretaceous to Middle Eocene orogeny with the emplacement of southward-vergent nappes and the development of northward-deepeningforedeeps. Flysch and wildflysch formed in the north while important deltaic - paralic reservoir sands accumulated in the south. Major phases of hydrocarbon generationfrom Jurassic-Cretaceoussource rocks occurred across the entire margin of northern South America during the orogeny. They are recorded by Jurassic - Middle Cretaceous graphitic marbles, schists and quartzites (metamorphosed, organic limestones and shales and oil-bearing sandstones) in the Coastal and Northern Ranges of Venezuela and Trinidad.
    [Show full text]
  • Trinidad & Tobago 2018 Species List
    Trinidad Tobago Leader: Ernesto Carman Eagle-Eye Tours Nov 29 - Dec 9, 2018 Bird Species Seen/ Common Name Scientific Name Heard TINAMOUS 1 Little Tinamou Crypturellus soui H GUANS, CHACHALACAS, AND CURASSOWS 2 Trinidad Piping-Guan Aburria pipile S 3 Rufous-vented Chachalaca Ortalis ruficauda S FLAMINGOS 4 American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber S TROPICBIRDS 5 Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus S FRIGATEBIRDS 6 Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens S BOOBIES AND GANNETS 7 Brown Booby Sula leucogaster S 8 Red-footed Booby Sula sula S CORMORANTS AND SHAGS 9 Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus S ANHINGAS 10 Anhinga Anhinga anhinga S PELICANS 11 Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis S HERONS, EGRETS, AND BITTERNS 12 Pinnated Bittern Botaurus pinnatus S 13 Great Egret Ardea alba S 14 Little Egret Egretta garzetta S 15 Snowy Egret Egretta thula S 16 Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea S 17 Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor S 18 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis S 19 Green Heron Butorides virescens S 20 Striated Heron Butorides striata S 21 Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax S 22 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea S 23 Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius S IBISES AND SPOONBILLS 24 Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber S NEW WORLD VULTURES Page 1 of 8 www.eagle-eye.com Trinidad Tobago Leader: Ernesto Carman Eagle-Eye Tours Nov 29 - Dec 9, 2018 Bird Species Seen/ Common Name Scientific Name Heard 25 Black Vulture Coragyps atratus S 26 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura S OSPREY 27 Osprey Pandion haliaetus S HAWKS,
    [Show full text]
  • Estimations Relative to Birds of Prey in Captivity in the United States of America
    ESTIMATIONS RELATIVE TO BIRDS OF PREY IN CAPTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA by Roger Thacker Department of Animal Laboratories The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 43210 Introduction. Counts relating to birds of prey in captivity have been accomplished in some European countries; how- ever, to the knowledge of this author no such information is available in the United States of America. The following paper consistsof data related to this subject collected during 1969-1970 from surveys carried out in many different direc- tions within this country. Methods. In an attempt to obtain as clear a picture as pos- sible, counts were divided into specific areas: Research, Zoo- logical, Falconry, and Pet Holders. It became obvious as the project advanced that in some casesthere was overlap from one area to another; an example of this being a falconer working with a bird both for falconry and research purposes. In some instances such as this, the author has used his own judgment in placing birds in specific categories; in other in- stances received information has been used for this purpose. It has also become clear during this project that a count of "pets" is very difficult to obtain. Lack of interest, non-coop- eration, or no available information from animal sales firms makes the task very difficult, as unfortunately, to obtain a clear dispersal picture it is from such sourcesthat informa- tion must be gleaned. However, data related to the importa- tion of birds' of prey as recorded by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife is included, and it is felt some observa- tions can be made from these figures.
    [Show full text]
  • Morpho Menelaus
    58 TROP. LEPID. RES., 30(2): 58-64, 2020 BLANDIN ET AL.: New subspecies of Morpho menelaus Morpho menelaus (Linnaeus, 1758), in north-eastern Venezuela: description of a new subspecies Patrick Blandin¹, Peter Johnson², Marcial Garcia³ and Andrew F. E. Neild⁴* ¹Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles. CP 50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France. ²25592 Spinnaker Drive, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675, USA. ³Avenida Guzmán Blanco casa S/N, Caripe, Monagas, Venezuela ⁴Courtesy Research Scientist (Lepidoptera), Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center, University of Florida, PO Box 112710, Gainesville, FL 32611- 2710, USA. *Corresponding author: [email protected] Date of issue online: 15 July 2020 Zoobank Registered: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:472C167A-E11B-4976-A311-43176281A945 Electronic copies (ISSN 2575-9256) in PDF format at: http://journals.fcla.edu/troplep; https://zenodo.org; archived by the Institutional Repository at the University of Florida (IR@UF), http://ufdc.ufl.edu/ufir;DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.3931775. © The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Abstract: A new subspecies of the common species Morpho menelaus (Linnaeus, 1758) is described from north-eastern Venezuela, and named Morpho menelaus chantalae Neild, Johnson & Blandin ssp. nov. Its relationship with M. menelaus orinocensis Le Moult, 1925, described from the Orinoco Delta, is discussed. The discovery of this new taxon emphasises the importance of the conservation of forest ecosystems in north-eastern Venezuela, where the distribution and diversification of species may have been driven by local geodynamics and the evolution of ecological contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • GUYANA November 2014 TRIP REPORT by Diego Calderon
    Sunrise Birding LLC GUYANA November 2014 TRIP REPORT by Diego Calderon Photos top to bottom: Spotted Puffbird, Road to Kanuku Mountains, Blood-colored Woodpecker, Kaietuer Falls, Waved Woodpecker, Sun Parakeet by Diego Calderon. Sunrise Birding LLC – GUYANA TRIP REPORT – November 2014 www.sunrisebirding.com Sunrise Birding, LLC GUYANA TRIP REPORT November 2014 Leaders: Ron Allicock, Diego Calderon & local guides HIGHLIGHTS (Rarities, specialties, or simply a group favorite): • Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo Top birds chosen by the clients and guides • Red Siskin for rarity, the experience, etc… • Sun Parakeet There was a tie for the sixth place between the • Harpy Eagle stunning Guianan Cock-of-the-rock, the • White-winged Potoo unexpected lifer for nearly all, Pale-bellied • Guyana Cock-of-the-rock Tyrant-Manakin, those fun to watch Grey- • Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin winged Trumpeters, and the handsome White- plumed Antbirds. Fifth place went to the rare • Grey-winged Trumpeter White-winged Potoo that made us return to the • White-plumed Antbird • Canopy Walkway after dusk but showed really Yellow-throated Woodpecker well. Third place was a tie between the stunning • Ferruginous-backed Antbird and rare Sun Parakeets we enjoyed at close • Hoatzin range and the mighty Harpy Eagle chick we • Black Manakin found near its nesting tree. Second place went • Black Curassow for the gorgeous Red Siskin for all the effort • Painted Parakeet spent to see them. First place went to the • Rio Branco Antbird mythical and not easy to find Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo that gave us such a show just three meters away from the group! Above, right: Rufous Crab Hawk (Photo: Diego Calderon) Nov 02 During the day, most of the group landed in Georgetown (named after King George III of the United Kingdom).
    [Show full text]