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The Significance of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, As a Breeding Site for Terns and Plovers

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The Significance of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, As a Breeding Site for Terns and Plovers THE J OURNAL OF CARIBBEAN O RNITHOLOGY SOCIETY FOR THE C ONSERVATION AND S TUDY OF C ARIBBEAN B IRDS S OCIEDAD PARA LA C ONSERVACIÓN Y E STUDIO DE LAS A VES C ARIBEÑAS ASSOCIATION POUR LA C ONSERVATION ET L’ E TUDE DES O ISEAUX DE LA C ARAÏBE 2006 Vol. 19, No. 1 (ISSN 1544-4953) Formerly EL P ITIRRE CONTENTS HISTORICAL B REEDING D ISTRIBUTION AND A BUNDANCE OF THE W HITE -CROWNED P IGEON (PATAGIOENAS LEUCOCEPHALA ) ON S T. C ROIX , US V IRGIN I SLANDS . Douglas B. McNair ………........... 1 GROUND V ERSUS A BOVE -GROUND N ESTING OF C OLUMBIDS ON THE S ATELLITE C AYS OF S T. C ROIX , US V IRGIN I SLANDS . Douglas B. McNair .................................................................................................. 8 VARIATION AND H YBRIDIZATION IN THE G REEN H ERON ( BUTORIDES VIRESCENS ) AND S TRIATED H ERON (B. S TRIATA ) IN T RINIDAD AND T OBAGO , WITH C OMMENTS ON S PECIES L IMITS . Floyd E. Hayes ............ 12 THE S IGNIFICANCE OF B ONAIRE , N ETHERLANDS A NTILLES , AS A B REEDING S ITE FOR T ERNS AND PLOVERS . Jeffrey V. Wells and Allison Childs Wells ................................................................................. 21 ENDANGERED P IPING P LOVERS ( CHARADRIUS MELODUS ) O VERWINTERING IN P UERTO R ICO . Allen R. Lewis, Adrianne G. Tossas, José A. Colón, and Beatriz Hernández .......................................................... 27 FIVE N EW S PECIES OF B IRDS FOR A RUBA , WITH N OTES ON O THER S IGNIFICANT S IGHTINGS . Steven G. Mlodinow .................................................................................................................................................... 31 ANÁLISIS DE LAS R ECUPERACIONES DE E JEMPLARES A NILLADOS DE G ARZAS Y C OCOS (C ICONIIFORMES ) EN EL P ERIODO DE 1913 A 1998. Dennis Denis Avila y Hector M. Salvat Torres …………....................... 36 SECOND AND T HIRD R ECORDS OF W ESTERN M ARSH -HARRIER ( CIRCUS AERUGINOSUS ) FOR THE WESTERN H EMISPHERE IN P UERTO R ICO . Christopher L. Merkord, Rafy Rodríguez, and John Faaborg ...................................................................................................................................................... 42 FIRST R ECORD OF THE W ESTERN R EEF -HERON ( EGRETTA GULARIS ) FOR S T. V INCENT AND THE GRENADINES . Michael R. Paice ................................................................................................................. 45 STATUS OF THE A MERICAN O YSTERCATCHER ( HAEMATOPUS PALLIATUS ) IN S T. V INCENT AND THE GRENADINES . Floyd E. Hayes, Michael R. Paice, Tony Blunden, P. William Smith, Susan A. Smith, Graham White, and Martin D. Frost .......................................................................................................... 48 HISPANIOLAN L IZARD -CUCKOO ( COCCYZUS LONGIROSTRIS ) T ETHERED BY C OMMON G REEN S NAKE (UROMACER CATESBYI ). Thomas H. White, Jr. ............................................................................................ 52 FIRST R ECORD OF A UDUBON ’S W ARBLER ( DENDROICA CORONATA AUDUBONI ) IN J AMAICA . Gary R. Graves ........................................................................................................................................................ 54 GREATER A NTILLEAN G RACKLE ( QUISCALUS NIGER ) P REYS ON ANOLIS GRAHAMI . Gary R. Graves ............ 56 PRIMER R EGISTRO SOBRE LA R EPRODUCCIÓN DEL O STRERO A MERICANO ( HAEMATOPUS PALLIATUS ) EN CUBA . Ernesto Hernández Pérez ............................................................................................................... 59 THE JOURNAL OF CARIBBEAN ORNITHOLOGY THE J OURNAL OF THE S OCIETY FOR THE C ONSERVATION AND S TUDY OF C ARIBBEAN B IRDS LA R EVISTA DE LA S OCIEDAD PARA LA C ONSERVACIÓN Y E STUDIO DE LAS A VES C ARIBEÑAS LE J OURNAL DE L’ A SSOCIATION POUR LA C ONSERVATION ET L’ E TUDE DES O ISEAUX DE LA C ARAÏBE Editor in Chief FLOYD E. H AYES , Department of Biology, Pacific Union College, 1 Angwin Ave., Angwin, CA 94508, USA; telephone: 707-965-6401; fax: 707-965-7577; e-mail: [email protected] Associate Editors WAYNE A RENDT , P. O. Box 534, Luquillo PR 00773-0534, USA; e-mail: [email protected]. P. A. B UCKLEY , 211 Meadowtree Farm Road, Saunderstown, RI 02874, USA; e-mail: [email protected] DENNIS D ENIS A VILA , Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana, Calle 25 e/J e I, Vedado, Ciudad Habana, Cuba; e-mail: [email protected] ANDREW D OBSON , Warwick Academy, 117 Middle Rd., Warwick PG01, Bermuda; e-mail: adobson@war- wickacad.bm PHILIPPE F ELDMANN , Cirad, TA 179/04, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; e-mail: [email protected] RUUD VAN H ALEWIJN , 14 Adelaarhof, Utrecht, 3514 TZ, The Netherlands; e-mail: [email protected] SUSAN K OENIG , Windsor Research Centre, Sherwood Content P.O., Trelawny, Jamaica; e-mail: wind- [email protected] OLIVER K OMAR , SalvaNATURA, Colonia Flor Blanca, 33 Ave. Sur #640, San Salvador, El Salvador; e- mail: [email protected] LOURDES M UGICA V ALDES , Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana, Calle 25 entre J e I, Vedado, Ciudad Habana, Cuba; e-mail: [email protected] ANTONIO R ODRÍGUEZ S UÁREZ , Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana, Calle 25 entre J e I, Ve- dado, Ciudad Habana, Cuba; e-mail: [email protected] JOSEPH W UNDERLE , International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 507, Palmer, Puerto Rico 00721; e-mail: [email protected] Book Review Editor STEVEN C. L ATTA , PRBO Conservation Science, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA; e-mail: [email protected] Editorial Assistants MELISSA C HROWL , B RETT H AYES , AND C HRISTIAN V ON P OHLE ; Department of Biology, Pacific Union Col- lege, 1 Angwin Ave., Angwin, CA 94508, USA; e-mail: [email protected] © Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds, 2006 The Society for Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB) is a non-profit organization under sec- tion 501(c)3 of the United States Internal Revenue Code. All contributions are fully tax-deductible to the ex- tent allowed by U. S. law. We welcome private support from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Out- right gifts and pledges may be made by contacting the SCSCB Treasurer at [email protected] or by writing to PO Box 863208, Ridgewood, NY 11386, USA. Typeset in Microsoft Office Publisher by Floyd E. Hayes. Printed by Preferred Images, Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA, USA. ISSN 1544-4953 J. Carib. Ornithol. 19:1-7, 2006 HISTORICAL BREEDING DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF THE WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON ( PATAGIOENAS LEUCOCEPHALA ) ON ST. CROIX, US VIRGIN ISLANDS DOUGLAS B. MCNAIR Division of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Planning and Natural Resources, 45 Mars Hill, Frederiksted, United States Virgin Islands 00840, USA; current address: Sapphos Environmental, Inc., 133 Martin Alley, Pasadena, CA 91105, USA; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract : I critically assessed historical data (before 2002) on the breeding distribution and abundance of the White-crowned Pigeon ( Patagioenas leucocephala ) on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, since the first confirmed breed- ing record in 1858. White-crowned Pigeons have formed moderate to large colonies at three colony sites, two cays (Green Cay, Ruth Island) and a mangrove wetland (the former Krause Lagoon; destroyed in 1962), although only one of these three colony sites has ever been documented to be a large active colony at a given time. The largest certain documented site was at the former Krause Lagoon, where up to 600 birds nested in the 1950s, although the colony at Green Cay in the 1910s and 1920s may have been much larger. Historical data for the White-crowned Pigeon on St. Croix are generally sparse because of insufficient observer effort, and the difficulty of obtaining reli- able population estimates is further compounded because of poaching of adults and squabs at the largest colony sites, most recently at Ruth Island, a man-made cay located just south of the former Krause Lagoon. Key words: abundance, colony site, distribution, Green Cay, Krause Lagoon, Patagioenas leucocephala , poaching, Ruth Island, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, White-crowned Pigeon Resumen: DISTRIBUCIÓN DE H ISTÓRICA DE C RÍA Y A BUNDANCIA DE LA P ALOMA C ABECIBLANCA ( PATAGIOENAS LEUCOCEPHALA ) EN S T. C ROIX , I SLAS V ÍRGENES DE EEUU . Se realizó una revisión crítica de los datos históricos (anteriores al 2002) acerca de la distribución de cría y la abundancia de la Paloma Cabeciblanca ( Patagioenas leuco- cephala ) en St. Croix, Islas Vírgenes de EEUU, desde el primer registro confirmado de su cría en 1858. La Paloma Cabeciblanca ha formado colonias de moderadas a grandes en tres localidades, dos cayos (Green Cay, Ruth Island) y un manglar (la antigua Laguna Krause; destruida en 1962). Solo una localidad ha sido documentada actualmente como una gran colonia activa. El mayor sitio documentado fue el de la antigua Laguna Krause, donde hasta 600 aves anidaron en la década de los años 50, aunque la colonia en Green Cay, alrededor de 1910 y 1920, podría haber sido mucho mayor. Los datos históricos para la Paloma Cabeciblanca en St. Croix son generamente escasos a causa de un insuficiente esfuerzo de observación, y la dificultad de obtener estimados poblacionales confiables se ha derivado de la caza furtiva de adultos y pichones en la mayor colonia, más recientemente en Ruth Island, un cayo artificial locali- zado justo al sur de la anterior Laguna Krause. Palabras clave: abundancia, caza furtiva, colonias, distribución, Green Cay, Islas Vírgenes de EEUU, Laguna Krause, Paloma Cabeciblanca,
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