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Straggling to Islands-South American Birds in the Islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire, South Caribbean

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Straggling to Islands-South American Birds in the Islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire, South Caribbean J. Yamashina Inst. Ornith., 14: 171-178, 1982 Straggling to Islands-South American Birds in the Islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire, South Caribbean K. H. Voous* Abstract The number of bird species up to 31 December 1981 recorded from the South Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire, 30-87km distant from the South American coast and 800km from the nearest islands north of the Caribbean Basin, is 231. Among these are 62 breeding species, divided up into 33 land birds, 19 fresh water birds and 10 seabirds. The balance of 169 species (73%) consists of non-breeding visitors, 61 of which (26%) are migrants from North America and 34 (15%) migrants and stragglers from South America; besides, there are 5 species and subspecies of inter-Caribbean migrants. Oversea-flights of land and fresh water birds in the South Caribbean have been studied and the cases recorded summarized. Oversea- flights appear to be a regular phenomenon, though the collecting of facts is largely a matter of chance. In view of the apparent stream of visitors, of which some can be considered as ecological prospectors, it is thought that not the stability of the ecological interactions of the insular land birds, but rather the stability of the specialized, and seemingly unfavourable conditions of aridity are responsible for the image of stability of the avian island faunas in the South Caribbean. Introduction In his stimulating book on island faunas David Lack (1976) attributes the relative stability of bird faunas of oceanic islands to the ecological poverty rather than to the rarity of oversea-dispersal. His considerations form part of a complex of theories on origin, diversity, stability and turn-over of the terrestrial faunas of oceanic islands. These theories will not be discussed here in full. Instead, the main purpose of this paper is to explore existing evidence of the degree of oversea-dispersal to three islands of the Netherlands Antilles in the South Caribbean, Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire, col- lectively known as the Netherlands South Caribbean Islands. Terrestrial and fresh water birds arriving on these islands come from either the South American mainland or from other parts of the Caribbean. To gain a more complete impression of the number of land and fresh water birds crossing the Caribbean in a variety of directions a summary will also be given of North American migrants that have reached the islands after their autumn flights over the Caribbean. Most of the data presented here have not been published before. They will be fully dealt with in the forthcoming second edition of the author's "Birds of the Netherlands Antilles' (1st ed. 1955, see also Voous 1957, 1965). Recording the occurrence of stragglers is dependent on the number of competent observers and, above all, on chance. The author is therefore most grateful to all those who have assisted him in the field or have provided him with material and photographs on which most of the data presented here are based. * Institute of Taxonomic Zoology (Zoological Museum) , University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 171 172 K. H. Voous Results and Discussion 1. South Caribbean Islands Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire are the largest of a belt of small semi-arid islands in the South Caribbean, being situated at distances of no more than 30, 70 and 87km, respectively, from the coast of Venezuela. The Caribbean Basin stretching to the north is at least 800km wide before the nearest islands, Jamaica and Hispaniola, are reached. Aruba measures 175km2, Curacao 472km2, and Bonaire 281km2. To get an idea of the size-scale: Guadeloupe is almost 2 times, Trinidad more than 5 times, Jamaica more than 12 times, Hispaniola more than 82 times, and Cuba more than 120 times as large as Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire combined. The number of bird species recorded per 31 Dec. 1981 from Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire is 231; among these are 62 breeding species, including 33 land birds, 19 fresh and brackish water birds and 10 seabirds. Passage migrants, winter visitors and stragglers are represented by the balance of 169 species, which is no less than 73% of the total recorded. However, in terms of individuals, non-breeding land birds are con- spicuous in numbers during short periods of the autumn migration only, but counts have never been made. What is concerning us here is the number of stragglers from South America and the Caribbean and the frequency of their occurrence. The turning up of fresh water birds in the South Caribbean islands is a subject of its own. It will be dealt with shortly. 2. Stragglers from South America The number of visiting South American species recorded in the islands is 42 (18% of total bird fauna); among these, 7 are migrants (some of them trans-equatorial) or regular visitors, whereas 32 must be considered stragglers of supposedly resident species. Of these, 15 refer to water birds and 17 to land birds (with 2 additional subspecies of species with an otherwise different status in the islands). In view of the small chance that stragglers will come to the attention of bird-watchers, let along professional ornitho- logists, the total number of cases recorded here is remarkably large. Obviously the actual number of stragglers is considerably larger. South American stragglers (land birds) *=specimen available **=photographic document A=Aruba B=Bonaire C=Curacao Elanus leucurus ** 13 June 1980 A Florisuga mellivora * 24 Apr. 1908 A, ** 4 June Milvago chimachima 19 Jan. 1952 C 1958 C, Nov. 1958 C Columbigallina talpacoti ** 8 Aug. 1980 B Pyrocephalus rubinus * autumn 1957 A Forpus passerinus 1868, 1943 C (otherwise in- [Muscivora tyrannus monachus * 1 Oct. 1951 C] troduced C) Tachycineta albiventer 1967 C [Coccyzus minor minor * 22 Apr. 1908 A] Cyanerpes cyaneus * 16 Jan. 1961 B Coccyzus lansbergi * 14 Oct. 1981 B Volatinia jacarina ** 21 Sept. 1966 C, * 18 Guira guira * 12 June 1954 C March 1976 B Steatornis caripensis * Apr./May 1976 A Quiscalus lugubris ** 7 March 1980 B Chordeiles acutipennis 26 May 1977 C, 22 Oct. Sturnella magna 2 Nov. 1977 B 1979 B Agelaius icterocephalus 15 Aug. 1975 C, 18 Jan. Glaucis hirsuta * 26 Oct. 1977 C 1977 B, 9 March 1979 B Straggling to Islands-South Caribbean 173 South Americna stragglers (water birds) Botaurus pinnatus ** 18 Jan. 1972 A Dendrocygna autumnalis (autumnalis) ** 10 Cochlearius cochlearius ** 7 Oct. 1972 B Sept. 1977 A, 29 Jan. 1981 B, 8 July 1981 A Mycteria americana ** 16 Feb. 1977-25 Apr. Sarkidiornis melanotos ** 30 March 1971 C, 3 1981 A Apr. 1975 B, 18 Apr. 1981 B Plegadis chihi ** June 1978 A Oxyura dominica ** 22 Feb. 1981 B Platalea ajaja *, ** four records A, 11 Apr. 1960 Aramus guarauna (guarauna) ** Feb. 1975 A B Jacana jacana (intermedia) * 1971 B Dendrocygna bicolor ** Apr.-May 1965 A, Burhinus striatus ** July 1934 C March-May 1975 A Belonopterus chilensis (cayennensis) ** 6 June Dendrocygna viduata ** May 1957 C, 28 Apr. 1979 A 1972 C Phaetusa simplex * 12 May 1908 A History of remarkable chance-records Coccyzus lansbergi Grey-capped Cuckoo. 14 Oct. 1981 a wounded bird was caught by hand by a school teacher at Nikiboko in the open country of Bonaire. For treatment rather than for scientific purposes it was handed over to Brother Candidus, a competent bird-watcher in the island and good firend and regular correspondent of the author. The bird succombed and was sent deep-frozen to the Zoological Museum at Amsterdam, where it is now preserved as a study-skin. This species of which virtually nothing has been reported of its life-habits, is known from Venezuela from four specimens only (Phelps & Phelps 1958: 148). Steatornis caripensis Oilbird or Guacharo. Shortly after sunrise in April or May 1976 a strange bird was noticed by one or more boys perched on a washing line in a village garden at Brazil, Aruba, where it was harassed by Caracaras Polyborus plancus which probably wounded it. After some flying around it was eventually caught by hand, but it died the same day. It was given to Mrs. Vera V. Rooze, a prominent member of a ladies' organization in the island, who preserved it in the refrigerator, but it did not reach the Zoological Museum at Amsterdam before more than a year later. The bird is a female, not yet fully grown, estimated at 80-90 days old. It probably got lost during its first flight out of the darkness of its nesting cave, the nearest known ones being the Cueva Coy-Coy de Acurigua and the Cueva Coy-Coy de Uria, Sierra de San Luis, Falcon, Venezuela (Bosque 1978), at distances of 127 and 138km, respectively, from the place of capturing, including a sea passage of at least 30km. This is apparently the first oversea-flight of this elusive species recorded. Glaucis hirsuta Rufous-breasted Hermit. Hummingbirds frequently enter the large, semi-open hall of the Brothers' Convent at Soto, Curacao. When exhausted from flying against the windows they are often caught and released. On 26 Oct. 1977 an exhausted hummingbird landed on a vacant seat beside one of the brothers, who took it up, but the bird died soon afterwards. It was shown to a colleague who recognized it as a species unknown to him from the islands. It was saved and mummified, but it took a long time before the author got hold of its whereabouts and identified it. This species is not a bird of the xerophytic scrub, but of swampy fern and arum bush along creeks and of edges of mangroves along river mouths. 174 K. H. Voous 3. Migrants and Other Non-Breeding Visitors from South America As South American migrants have to cross the South Caribbean Sea before reaching the islands as well, the following list of trans-equatorial migrants recorded from the islands might be of interest: Elaenia parvirostris * 6 May 1908 A Muscivora tyrannus (tyrannus) *, ** numerous records, A, C, B Tachycineta leucopyga 15 May 1977 C Other non-breeding visitors from South America refer to the following water birds: Phalacrocorax olivaceus *, ** numerous re- Eudocimus albus ** at least 27 records A, C cords, A, C, B Eudocimus ruber ** at least 13 records A Egretta caerulea idem Rynchops nigra ** numerous records A, B Egretta alba idem Plegadis falcinellus ** at least 22 records A, C, B 4.
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