LIST OF AND NOTES ON THE OF THE ILES DES SAINTES, FRENCH WEST INDIES

CHARLES VAURIE

LES Saintes,a small archipelagothat lies south of ,has seldolnbeen visited by ornithologists.No list of its birdsseems to have beenpublished, although, to besure, 25 specieshave been mentioned froin theseislands by Noble (1916), Bond (1936, 1956), Danforth(1939), or Pinchonand Bon Saint-Come(1951). Three of thesewere recorded on doubtfulevidence and, pendingconfirmation, should be deletedfrom the list. Nineteen of the remaining 22 and an additional five were observedby me on 2-5 July 1960,when Mrs. Vaurie and I visitedthe FrenchWest Indiesfor the AmericanMuseum of Natural History. The speciesmentioned by Noble and Danforth were incorporatedin their reportson the birdsof Guadeloupe,those cited by Bondor Pinchonand Bon Saint-Comein generalworks on the birds of the West Indies. The birds reportedso far are listedbelow with a few notes. I aln grateful to James Bond for his very helpful advice, Eugene Eisenmannfor readingthe manuscript,and to the Gendarmerieof Basse Terre and Terre-de-haut for arranging our visit as there is no hotel in Les Saintes. Les Saintesare of volcanicorigin and are separatedfrom the Basse Terre in Guadeloupeby a stormychannel seven miles wide. They con- sist of two relativelylarge islandscalled Terre-de-bas and Terre-de-haut, the only islandsinhabited, and of six small islandsor islets, some of which appear to be the sites of sea- colonies. One of these, called La Redonde,lies only 300 metersoff Terre-de-hautbut, unfortunately, is quite inaccessibleas it risesperpendicularly out of the sea to a height of 46 metersand is poundedby huge waves that rise to nearly half its height. The top of La Redonde,which is about 170 meterswide, is alive all day with many seabirds. The other islets,which are probablyoccu- pied by birds also, are slightly lower than La Redondebut similar to it in structure. Terre-de-haut,the only island we visited, is five kilometerslong and variesfrom three quartersof a kilometerto two kilometersin width. The centralpart of the islandis relatively flat, and its coastlineis formed by two magnificentbeaches about one kilometer long. The beachon the lee of the island is quiet, lined by the street of the village and coconut trees;the oneto the windwardis very broad,backed by dunes,and swept by greatrollers. The islandof ,16 milesaway, is clearlyvisible from it. Two large, shallow,brackish ponds are found on this part of

57 58 V^um•:, Birds of lies des 3'aintcs [ Auk [Vol. 78 the island,and one of theseis surroundedby extensiveflats that probably receiveshore birds and perhapsducks during the migration;but, so far, the only migrantnoted for Les Saintesis the Oven-bird(Seiurus auro- capillus). There are also several small, artificial ponds for watering cattle. The rest of Terre-de-hautis ruggedand formed by a seriesof trans- verse hills separatedby narrow, deep valleys, and the coastline,except at the westernend of the island,is very deeplyindented by numerous bays and coves. This western end is formed by a double-headedhill, called Le Chaineau,which rises to 309 meters (over 1,000 feet) and drops into the valley by a seriesof cliffs or steepslopes. These cliffs are the homeof a colonyof the Antillean Martin (Pro•7nedominicensis) and of one pair of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius). Le Chameau and the hill facing it acrossthe valley are heavilywooded, many of the trees being large but giving way on the lower slopesto densescrub consistingchiefly of mesquite. The floor of the valley is given over to pasture,one or two small gardens,and grovesof mangos,citrus, or other leafy trees. The westernend of Terre-de-hautis the least disturbedand supports a good bird life. Some ,such as the hawk, pigeon,two of the doves,flycatcher, bullfinch, and PlumbeousWarbler, were seenonly there. On the rest of the islandthe vegetationbecomes more meager and the birds fewer. The many large iguanas(It7uana delicatissma), whichare foundin its valley,add much to its charmand interest. They are not molestedand sun themselvesor stroll about unconcernedly.A snake,endemic to Les Saintes,is foundthere also but wasnot seenby us. Terre-de-hautis very beautifuland interesting. It has preservedits fauna, sincethe mongoose,which has causedso much destructionin the rest of the West Indies, has never beenintroduced, and as its inhabitants haveshown little interestin exploitingthe island. The peopleare all descendants of Breton seamen and fisherfolk to whom the sea is home andliving, although some older men make a desultoryeffort at cultiva- tion and keep a few cows,sheep, and goats. Terre-de-basis muchmore regular in shapeand uniform in its topog- raphy thornis Terre-de-haut. It is squarish,measuring about three kilometers on a side, and rises to 293 meters. It is said to be more woodedthan Terre-de-haut, a fact attestedto by the mapof vegetation. Our visitcoincided with a periodof greatactivity on the part of the birdsand insects, as the rainshad started only about two weeksbefore, afterfive months of drought.Some birds were very vocal, and I observed chasing,suggesting territorial activity, although,no doubt,some had Auk 1 V^umE, Birds of lles des Saintes 59 Vol. 78 1 started to nest earlier as Bond writes to me that "The height of the breedingseason in the LesserAntilles is in May, and many birds nest there in April." In the list below, I have onfitted three birds that were included by Danforth (1939) becausethey had beenmentioned from Les Saintesby Noble (1916). These are: Sula leucogaster(Brown Booby), S. sula (Red-footed Booby), and Thalasseusmaximus (Royal Tern). But Noble did not collector see thesebirds, stating that they had been re- ported to him by fishermen. Danforth questionedthe validity of two of these records,and it seemssignificant that Noble omitted all three birds from his list, •nentioningthem merely (with reservation)in the introductionto his paper. Danforthvisited Terre-de-haut on the afternoonof 5 July 1937,spend- ing most of the morning on Terre-de-bas,or on the stoneday and month we visited Terre-de-haut. I have, therefore,quoted his observations when they differ from mine to someextent, and have also mentionedhis records for Terre-de-bas, as all the records from that island in the litera- ture, with the exceptionof Crotophagaani, are to be foundin his paper.

ANNOTATED L•ST OF THE B•RDS OF LES SAINTES

l'ui•nus lherminieri, Audubon'sShearwater. Several seenbetween Terre-de-haut and Guadeloupeand also flying to and from La Redonde. Not recordedpreviously. Pha•thon aethereus,Red-billed Tropic-bird. Reported by Danforth (1939) and Bond (in littO. ? Pha•thon lepturus, White-tailed Tropic-bird. Six birds were seen flying off La Redoride,but too far away to be identified as to specieswith certainty. The light was good, however, and I noted that they appearedto be all white on the back. After comparingskins, and beforereading Danforth and hearingfrom Bond,I •elt confidentthat they were P. lepturu,•. But Bond writes to me that the only species he observedwas P. aethereus. The latter is also the only tropic bird reported by Dan forth. Pelecanusoccidentalis, Brown Pelican. Singlebirds and bandsof three, perhaps vagrants. Not recordedpreviously. Fre•ata ma•nificens,Magnificent Frigate-bird. Common,but Danforth saw only one eachat Terre-de-haut and Terre-de-bas. They are tamed also by the fishermen, and birds are found in the village. ButoridesviresceJts, Green Heron. Commonand Noble (1916) reportssix adult and half-grown birds taken during the first week in September,but only singlebirds were seen by Danforth on Terre-de-haut and Terre-de-bas. Falco sparverius,American Kestrel. Two pairs in the valley at the westernend of the island. This valley is divided in the middle by a small ridge, which consti- tutes apparently the limit of the territories as the birds were not seen to cross it. One pair had youngand was seencarrying food to the nest,the prey consistingon all occasionsof lizards. The nest was in leafy trees at the base of the cliff, or perhapsOn the cliff that was difficult of approach. The martins mentionedabove and the kestrel paid no apparent attention to one another, but the latter was put 60 V^URtE,Birds of lles des Saintes [Vol.[ Auk 78

to flight once by an Emerald-throated . Danforth collected this speciesalso on Terre-de-bas. 3'ter•zadou9allii, Roseate Tern. Common. Danforth did not find it on Terre-de- haut, but stateshe "observedmany, apparentlynesting on Terre-de-Bas and Grand l let." The latter is the largest of the smaller islands. 3'teresafuscata, Sooty Tern. Commonand the most abundantof the terns. Bands of about 150 individualswere seen pursuing schoolsof small fish in companywith a few Brown Noddies. It was very abundant also off La Redonde,but Danforth saw only three at Terre-de-haut and apparentlynone at Terre-de-bas. The Sooty is tamed by the natives also, and pets xvere seen on the doorstepsof houses. •4•oiis stolidus, Brown Noddy. Common. Danforth states he "found it nesting commouly on Grand Ilet and on the cliffs of Terre-de-bas, and observeda few (apparently not nesting) around Terre-de-Haut." Columba squamosa,Scaly-•aped Pigeon. Two flying together. Danforth saw "a few" on Terre-de-haut and says it was common on Terre-de-bas. Zenaida a,trita, Zenaida Dove. Common. Not recorded for Terre-de-bas. Columbigalli•tapasserina, Ground Dove. The amost abundant Columbidae and seeu throughout the island. Danforth says it is "fairly commou"on Terre-de-bas. The birds of this family seem to be the only ones that are hunted, people coming over from Guadeloupefor this purpose. Geotrygon•3,stacea, MoustachedQuail Dove. This bird, which is recordedby Bond, was not seen,but its distinctivebooming note was heard from the woods on Le Chaineau. Danforth saw it only on Terre-de-bas on the higher part of the mountaiu. Coccyxusmirror, Mangrove Cuckoo. In mangrove or densescrub near the shore. Not recorded previously. Crotophaga a•i, Smooth-billed Ani. Associated with cows in bands of six or .eight and remarkably unsuspiciousfor an aui. On other trips to the West Indies I notedthat this bird, althougheasily watched, never alloweda very closeapproach, hut on Terre-de-haut I could walk to within five or six feet of the birds in full view. They •vere feedingon a groundmoth, abouthalf an inch long, the only insectwe could find. Some of the moths,which were abundant,were flushedby the cows, others by the bird itself. Danforth "found it [to be] perhapsthe commonestbird ou Terre-de-Haut, fre- quentingpastures and brushyland, but observednone on Terre-de-Bas"from where it has been reported,however, by Pinchonand Bon Saint-Come (1951). Danforth collectedtwo individualsand states"One stomachcontained 15 weevils,Lach•op•s curvipcs,and the other 6 Lach•opuscurvipes and a grasshopper."This is of interest,as Mrs. Vaurie (a coleopterist)and I foundthis weevilemerging in great uumbers,mating on floweringmesquite, but the anisnever approached the mesquite .during our stay. Rand (1953), who has studiedthe feedingrates of the Groove-billedAni (C. sulcirostris)in CentralAmerica, found that whenthe birdswere feeding with cows at the begimfingof the rainy seasonthey capturedor tried to capturean insecton an average of 1.8 per mhmte. It did not occur to me to time the anis of Terre-de- haut, but they were certainly feedingat a much faster rate. It seemsto me in retrospectthat they wouldpause only for a few secondsbetween captures, and, no doubt,the feeding rate varies with the abundance of prey. I do not recallthat they missed,probably because the insectwas relatively slow aud large. Vol.Auk 78] VAURIE,Birds of ]los des Saintes 61

The islanderstold us that they call the bird "Merle ." According to Pinchon and Bon Saint-Come, it is called "Merle de Porto-Rique" on Guadeloupe, and "Gros Merle de Sainte-Lucie" on Martinique, each island thus attributing it to another. On Guadeloupeand Martinique the name "Merle," without a qualifter, is givento the LesserAntillean Grackle (Quiscaluslugubris). It is curiousto note that this grackle, although very adaptableand very widely distributedin the , is not found on Les Saintes, only seven miles away from Guadeloupe. Eulampis jugularis, Garnet-throated Hummingbird. Recorded by Bond (1936, 1956), who writes to me that "I was told that the striki•gly colored Eulampis has been seen [on Terre-de-bas] occasionally,"but that the only two he saw in Les Saintes were Serfcotes holosericeusand Orthorh3mchuscristatus. He saw these on Terre-de-bas. Eulampis ju.quIaris was not seen by me or Danforth. Sericotes holoserice,ts,Emerald-throated Hummingbird. Common everywhere in open areas. Not recordedpreviously, although Bond (1956) implied that it occurs in Les Saintes and (see above) has seenit on Terre-de-bas. Orthorhynchus cristatus, Antillean Crested Hummingbird. Equally corotnon as the preceding speciesand in the same habitat. Common also on Terre-de-bas, according to Danforth. EIacnia martinica, Lesser Antillean Elaenia. Two individuals that were very vocal were seen in the orchards or groves. Danforth saw it on Terre-de-haut and found it to be commonon Terre-de-bas. The specimenhe collectedhad been eating fruit. Pro.•mcdominicc•sis, Antillean Martin. Common and apparently nesting in the cliffs mentioned. Danforth "found it 1)reedingon the cliffs on both Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haut." l'irco altiloquus, Black-whiskered Vireo. Common. Danforth states it is com- mon also on Terre-de-bas. Dc•droica petechia, Golden Warbler. Commonthroughout but more so near the shore in bushes and especially manchineel trees. Danforth found it to be common on both Terre-de-haut and Terre-de-bas. Dcndroica plumbea, PlumbeousWarbler. Two individualssinging in densescrub at the foot of the hills at the western end of the island. They were located with difficulty as they were furtive and never came out in the open, but when finally tracked down after many scratchesthey prove to be not particularly nervous. They wag their tail constantlyup and down like a Palm \•.rrbler when perchedand si•g from a low, shelteredbranch. The song is loud and musical,not typical of a warbler, and the call or alarm •ote a sharp "chick." The next day the two birds were heard and found at the same sites, a behavior that suggeststhey had estab- lished territories. Some old, cup-shapednests that were found while searching {or the birds may have belonged to this species. This warbler was known hitherto only from Dominica, Marie Galante. and Guadeloupe. It will probably be found also on Terre-de-bas. Sciurus aurocapillus, Oven-bird. A winter visitor according to Bond. Coerebaflaveola, Bananaquit. Common. Not seenby Danforth, who was sur- prisednot to find it on Terre-de-haut,as he statesit was commonon Terre-de-bas. Tiaris bicolor, Black-faced Grassquit. Very common,the most abundantland hird. It may have beenless abundant when Danforth visited the islandas he says he "observed" it on Terre-de-haut, whereas he found it to be "common" on Terre-de-bas. 62 VAURIE,Birds of Iles des Saintes [Vol.[ Auk 78

Loxigilla noctis, Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. Danforth states it is "Commonon Terre-de-Bas, but not found on Terre-de-Haut." It seemsto be rare in this last island, as I saw only one male accompaniedby a female in habitat that seems eminently suitable for this species.

LITERATURE CITm) Born), J. 1936. Birds of the West Indies. Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences. Born), J. 1956. Check-list of birds of the West Indies. Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences. DANFORTH,S. T. 1939. The birds of Guadeloupeand adjacent islands. Jour. Agr. Univ. , 23 (1): 9-46. Nom.•, G. K. 1916. The resident birds of Guadeloupe. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zo61., 60: 359-396. PINCHON,R. and M. BoN SAI•T-Co•. 1951. Notes et observationssur les oiseaux des Antilles franqjaises. L'Oiseau, 21: 229-277. RAm), A. L. 1953. Factors affecting feeding rates of anis. Auk, 70: 26-30.

The AmericanMuseum o i Natural History,New York 24, New York.