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Vol. 7: 77–84, 2009 ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH Printed May 2009 doi: 10.3354/esr00184 Endang Species Res Published online May 5, 2009 OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS Status and conservation of the critically endangered Trinidad piping-guan Aburria pipile Floyd E. Hayes1, 4,*, Bryan Sanasie2, 5, Ishmaelangelo Samad3 1Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago 2Department of Biology, University of the Southern Caribbean, Maracas Valley, Trinidad and Tobago 3El Tucuche Hiking Lodge and Nature Retreat, Loango Village, Maracas, Trinidad and Tobago 4Present address: Department of Biology, Pacific Union College, 1 Angwin Avenue, Angwin, California 94508, USA 5Present address: 4867 Greenfield Drive Apt. 1, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103, USA ABSTRACT: The Trinidad piping-guan Aburria pipile is endemic to the island of Trinidad, where it is critically endangered. We reviewed previously published historical records of the piping-guan and compiled reports from local residents and visiting birders. The piping-guan formerly occurred throughout much of Trinidad at all elevations, except perhaps along the west coast. Currently it is most abundant in the eastern half of the Northern Range, where considerable forest habitat remains, yet it remains rare and local. A few piping-guans may persist in forested areas of southern Trinidad, where the species was last reported in 2000. It may be extirpated in central Trinidad, where it was last reported in 1983. Hunting is clearly the major threat but appears to have declined in the past decade, at least in the Northern Range, due to recent public education campaigns. Recent sightings in areas where the piping-guan had previously not been reported for a century suggest a growing population in the Northern Range. Although deforestation has also contributed to its decline, the piping-guan tolerates limited human disturbances in small-scale agricultural plantations of rural communities as long as canopy trees are left intact in nearby forest and it is not hunted. From 1999 to 2001, we conducted variable-radius point counts in suitable habitat at or near selected localities in the Northern Range where the piping-guan had been reported within the past 2 decades. We detected piping- guans in only 3 of 284 (1.6%) point counts, resulting in an estimated density of 0.22 birds km–2. KEY WORDS: Aburria pipile · Conservation · Cracidae · Status · Trinidad Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION p. 280). Subsequently, only a few scattered sightings were reported in the technical literature prior to the The Trinidad piping-guan Aburria pipile, known early 1980s (Worth 1973, ffrench 1969, 1977, 1986). locally as the pawi, is a medium-sized species of the From 1982 to 1987, extensive surveys and interviews avian family Cracidae that is endemic to the island of with local hunters were conducted by the Wildlife Sec- Trinidad, off the coast of northeastern South America, tion of the Trinidad Forestry Division (James & Hislop where it is critically endangered (James & Hislop 1988, 1988, 1997), providing the first detailed assessment of 1997, Collar et al. 1992, Temple 1998, Hayes 2006). the piping-guan’s status and revealing that it was more The decline of the Trinidad piping-guan was first widespread than previously thought, with recent sight- noted in the late 19th century, when it was already ings reported from the Central Range. Further surveys ‘rapidly becoming a rare bird’ (Chapman 1894, p. 75). of 5 potential study sites in the Northern Range were By the mid-1930s it was incorrectly thought to be ‘con- conducted by a group of students from the University fined to the eastern half of the northern range and the of Glasgow in 1989 and 1991 (Alexander et al. 1990, extreme south of the island’ (Belcher & Smooker 1935, 1992, Alexander 2002). In this paper we review the his- *Email: [email protected] © Inter-Research 2009 · www.int-res.com 78 Endang Species Res 7: 77–84, 2009 torical status of the species, provide data Caribbean Sea on surveys conducted in the northern range of Trinidad from 1999 to 2001, and discuss the species’ conservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Topography Piping-guan We reviewed previously published his- 700–925 m <1960 torical records of the piping-guan and 300–700 m 1960s River/reservoir 1970s compiled reports from local residents Natural wetland 1980s and visiting birders. The known locali- 0102030 1990s 2000s ties of piping-guans at different time km periods were plotted on a map to com- pare the past and present distributions of the species. To quantitatively assess the abun- dance of the piping-guan in the North- ern Range, where it is most often reported, we conducted variable-radius point counts (Reynolds et al. 1980) from Fig. 1. Historical distribution of the piping-guan Aburria pipile on the island 1999 to 2001 in suitable habitat at or of Trinidad, based on decade of last report for each locality. Note that many near selected localities where the pip- of these localities are vague and imprecisely plotted. See Table 1 for ing-guan had been reported within the further details past 2 decades. Each count was conducted over a period of 5 min with a distance between successive counts of approximately North slope 250 m (estimated by counting paces, adjusted for ter- rain). The distance (m) between the observer and Along the north slope of the Northern Range, the each piping-guan detected (seen or heard) was esti- westernmost report is of 3 birds (one shot by a hunter) mated. Point counts were conducted only during the along Mamoral Trace to the east of the Arima- early morning from 05:45 to 08:00 h, when the piping- Blanchiseusse Road near Morne La Croix in 1999 (H. guan was most active and easily viewed (F. E. Hayes Diaz pers. comm.) (Fig. 1, Table 1). A subsequent sur- et al. unpubl. data). Of 284 point counts, 172 were vey of Mamoral Trace on 13 April 2001 (Table 2) conducted by F. E. Hayes, 60 by B. Sanasie, 36 by revealed the habitat to be highly degraded with many I. Samad, 7 by B. D. Hayes, 5 by M. Kenefick, and 4 small farms. Farther east, where human settlements by F. Lucas. Each observer was previously experi- are sparse and the habitat is less disturbed, piping- enced with identifying piping-guans based on both guans occurred through the 1990s and early 2000s at visual and vocal cues. several localities off the Paria Waterfall trail: north of Brasso Seco (K. Fitz-James pers. comm.), eastward to La Cuesa (Lapas) Road, and south of Sans Souci (M. RESULTS Julien pers. comm.), with ≤14 observed at a time in the remote Madamas River forest (R. Lee-Quay pers. Northern Range comm.) (Fig. 1, Table 1). Habitat destruction is considerable to the east of San Souci, where the piping- The piping-guan probably once occurred through- guan may be extirpated, although up to 25 ind. were out the Northern Range, although it may have been apparently seen in the vicinity of La Par, Toco, near absent toward the western portion where there are the northeast tip of the island, as late as 1982–1983 no historical records, possibly because the decidu- (James & Hislop 1988, 1997) (Fig. 1, Table 1). At read- ous seasonal forest habitat typical of the drier west- ily accessible Grande Riviere, along the north coast, a ern part of the island (Beard 1946) may have been small population of ≤6 birds has persisted since 1963 inadequate. The species is distributed mainly in at a site (11° 49’ N, 61° 03’ W) along the west side of remote areas of the eastern half of the Northern Monte Video Road, about 0.75 to 1.25 km south of the Range (Fig. 1), to the east of the Arima-Blan- Paria Main Road (L. Marin pers. comm.), and others chiseusse Road. have been seen nearby (Fig. 1, Table 1). Hayes et al.: Status of Aburria pipile 79 Table 1. Historical records of the Trinidad piping-guan Aburria pipile through 2002. Note that many of these locations are vague. Geographical sectors are given in parentheses. CT: central Trinidad; NR-ES: Northern Range, east slope; NR-NS: Northern Range, north slope; NR-C: Northern Range, crest; NR-SS: Northern Range, south slope; ST: southern Trinidad Date (mo/d/yr) Location Details of records Source pre-1950 ? Platanal Valley (NR SS) Specimen Vaurie (1967) 04/??/1893 11 km SE of Princes Town (ST) Specimen Chapman (1894), Vaurie (1967) 04/19/1902 Caparo (CT) Specimen Hellmayr (1906), Vaurie (1967) 05/20/1934 Cerro del Aripo (NR-C) Heard only Belcher & Smooker (1935) 1940s Guayaguayare (ST) Adults and chicks observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1940s Toco (NR-NS) Groups of >12 observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1940s Trinity Hills (ST) Groups of >12 observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1950s 1950s Toco (NR-NS) Observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1950s Catshill (ST) Groups of >15 observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1960s 1960s Cumaca (NR-SS) ≤5 observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1960s Guayaguayare (ST) ≤9 observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1960s Aripo (NR-SS) Groups of 15 to 20 observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1963/1969 Grande Riviere (NR-NS) Few observed L. Marin (pers. comm.) 3/28/63 to 4/25/63 Bush Bush (CT) 1 observed Worth (1973) 1966 Catshill (ST) Seen twice James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 04/11/69 Trinity Hills (ST) 2 observed ffrench (1969) 1970s 1970s Grande Riviere (NR-NS) Few observed L. Marin (pers. comm.) 04/05/75 Matura (NR-ES) 1 observed ffrench (1977) 08/??/75 to 09/??/75 Cumaca (NR-SS) 1 observed with chicks ffrench (1977) 1979 La Par, Toco (NR-NS) 2 observed James & Hislop (1988, 1997) 1980s 1980s Grande Riviere (NR-NS) Few observed L.

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