Fulica caribaea

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	GRUIFORMES	RALLIDAE

Scientific Name:

Fulica caribaea

Species Authority:

Ridgway, 1884

Common Name/s:

English

–

Caribbean Coot

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Near Threatened ver 3.1

Year Published:

2010

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Calvert, R., Symes, A., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species is classified as Near Threatened because it is declining moderately rapidly throughout its range owing to hunting and wetland drainage.

History:

2008	–	Near Threatened
2004	–	Near Threatened

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Fulica caribaea is an uncommon and local resident in northern Venezuela (especially eastern Falcon), on Haiti, Dominican Republic (where it has declined markedly during the last century, mirrored throughout the region) and Puerto Rico (to USA), and a rare resident on Jamaica, British Virgin Islands (to UK), US Virgin Islands (to USA) and Colombia^3,4,5. It is a rare wanderer in the Lesser Antilles with a few recent breeding records on Martinique (to France) and Guadeloupe (to France), regular recent breeding on Antigua and Barbuda (Antigua)⁶, and breeding is also suspected on Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago^1,3. It formerly bred on St Kitts and Nevis, but is now only an uncommon migrant, and it is a very rare non-breeding transient on Cuba with other records from Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK), Montserrat (to UK), St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla (to UK), north-west Venezuela and Netherlands Antilles (Curaçao)^1,2,4. The population in the Dominican Republic is estimated at a minimum of 5,000-10,000 individuals⁹, though the global population size is unknown.
Countries:	Native: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Barbados; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Guadeloupe; Haiti; Jamaica; Martinique; Netherlands Antilles; Puerto Rico; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; Venezuela; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S. Vagrant: Colombia; Dominica; Grenada; Montserrat; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (French part); Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Although the population in the Dominican Republic has been estimated at a minimum of 5,000-10,000 individuals (D. Wege in litt. 2010), there are currently no estimates for the global population size.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It is found on freshwater lakes, ponds, marshes and less frequently coastal brackish lagoons from lowlands to 500 m in Venezuela⁴, and in similar habitats elsewhere.
Systems:	Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	It has suffered a marked decline throughout the Caribbean as a result of hunting pressures (including the taking of eggs for local consumption), habitat degradation and introduced predators³. Recent research suggests that these threats have not abated, recording drainage or land reclamation as the most common threat, closely followed by hunting (including egg collection) and pollution. Only at four sites out of 49 were there no recorded threats⁸.

Major Threat(s):

It has suffered a marked decline throughout the Caribbean as a result of hunting pressures (including the taking of eggs for local consumption), habitat degradation and introduced predators³. Recent research suggests that these threats have not abated, recording drainage or land reclamation as the most common threat, closely followed by hunting (including egg collection) and pollution. Only at four sites out of 49 were there no recorded threats⁸.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway None is known. Conservation Actions Proposed Conduct a thorough population survey throughout its range. Conduct a public education campaign to discourage draining of wetlands and hunting of wetland birds. Provide alternatives to taking eggs and adults from the wild. Monitor populations at key sites throughout the region.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
None is known.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct a thorough population survey throughout its range. Conduct a public education campaign to discourage draining of wetlands and hunting of wetland birds. Provide alternatives to taking eggs and adults from the wild. Monitor populations at key sites throughout the region.

Bibliography [top]

	ffrench, R. 1992. A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Christopher Helm, London. Hilty, S. L. 2003. Birds of Venezuela. A&C Black, London. Keith, A. R.; Wiley, J. W.; Latta, S. C.; Ottenwalder, J. A. 2003. The birds of Hispaniola: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. British Ornithologists' Union, Tring, UK. Meyer de Schauensee, R.; Phelps, W. H. 1978. A guide to the birds of Venezuela. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Nijman, V.; Aliabadian, M.; Debrot A. O.; de Freitas, J. A.; Gomes, L. G. L.; Prins, T. G.; Vonk, R. 2008. Conservation status of Caribbean coot Fulica caribaea in the Netherlands Antilles and other parts of the Caribbean. Endangered Species Research 4(3): 241-246. Nijman, V. in press. The importance of small wetlands for the conservation of the endemic Caribbean Coot Fulica caribaea. Caribbean Journal of Science. Prins, T. G.; Roselaar, K.; Nijman, V. 2005. Status and breeding of Caribbean Coot in the Netherlands Antilles. Waterbirds 28: 146-149. Raffaele, H.; Wiley, J.; Garrido, O.; Keith, A.; Raffaele, J. 1998. Birds of the West Indies. Christopher Helm, London. Taylor, P. B. 1996. Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules and Coots). In: del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (ed.), Handbook of the birds of the world, pp. 108-209. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.

ffrench, R. 1992. A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Christopher Helm, London.

Hilty, S. L. 2003. Birds of Venezuela. A&C Black, London.

Keith, A. R.; Wiley, J. W.; Latta, S. C.; Ottenwalder, J. A. 2003. The birds of Hispaniola: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. British Ornithologists' Union, Tring, UK.

Meyer de Schauensee, R.; Phelps, W. H. 1978. A guide to the birds of Venezuela. Princeton University Press, Princeton.

Nijman, V.; Aliabadian, M.; Debrot A. O.; de Freitas, J. A.; Gomes, L. G. L.; Prins, T. G.; Vonk, R. 2008. Conservation status of Caribbean coot Fulica caribaea in the Netherlands Antilles and other parts of the Caribbean. Endangered Species Research 4(3): 241-246.

Nijman, V. in press. The importance of small wetlands for the conservation of the endemic Caribbean Coot Fulica caribaea. Caribbean Journal of Science.

Prins, T. G.; Roselaar, K.; Nijman, V. 2005. Status and breeding of Caribbean Coot in the Netherlands Antilles. Waterbirds 28: 146-149.

Raffaele, H.; Wiley, J.; Garrido, O.; Keith, A.; Raffaele, J. 1998. Birds of the West Indies. Christopher Helm, London.

Taylor, P. B. 1996. Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules and Coots). In: del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (ed.), Handbook of the birds of the world, pp. 108-209. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2010. Fulica caribaea. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2012.
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