Pterodroma caribbaea

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PROCELLARIIFORMES	PROCELLARIIDAE

Scientific Name:

Pterodroma caribbaea

Species Authority:

Carte, 1866

Common Name/s:

English

–

Jamaica Petrel

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered D ver 3.1

Year Published:

2010

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Calvert, R., Butchart, S., Bird, J.

Contributor/s:

Shirihai, H.

Justification:
This species was last collected in 1879, after a drastic decline in numbers through the 19th century, presumed to have resulted from the effects of introduced rats and mongooses. It was searched for without success during 1996-2000, but it cannot yet be presumed to be Extinct because nocturnal petrels are notoriously difficult to record, and it may conceivably occur on Dominica and Guadeloupe. Any remaining population is likely to be tiny, and for these reasons it is treated as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct).

History:

2009	–	Critically Endangered
2008	–	Critically Endangered
2004	–	Critically Endangered
2000	–	Critically Endangered
1996	–	Critically Endangered
1994	–	Critically Endangered
1988	–	Not Recognized

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Pterodroma caribbaea was a plentiful seabird up to the middle of the 19th century, but has suffered a drastic decline in numbers. The last confirmed record is of 22 birds collected in 1879. The only proven nesting was in the Blue and John Crow Mountains of eastern Jamaica, where it may conceivably survive. It may also have nested on Dominica and Guadeloupe². Several searches since the mid 1990s have so far failed to locate any birds.
Countries:	Possibly extinct: Jamaica Present - origin uncertain: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Bahamas; Cayman Islands; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Guadeloupe; Haiti; Honduras; Martinique; Mexico; Montserrat; Netherlands Antilles; Nicaragua; Puerto Rico; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Martin (French part); Turks and Caicos Islands; United States; Venezuela; Virgin Islands, British
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Any remaining population is assumed to be tiny, with the last confirmed records dating from 1879.

Population:

Any remaining population is assumed to be tiny, with the last confirmed records dating from 1879.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It nests in cliff burrows and holes under trees, above 1,000 m ¹. The courtship, mating and pre-laying period is October-December (when birds are most vocal), and young fledge by May². It visits nesting burrows nocturnally². Feeding is expected to be crepuscular and nocturnal in oceanic waters, matching the habits of the closely related Black-capped Petrel P. hasitata².
Systems:	Terrestrial; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The presumed cause of this species's demise was predation by introduced rats (which took eggs) and mongooses (capable of taking incubating adults). Introduced pigs may also have been an important factor¹. It was hunted for food until the middle of the 19th century².

Major Threat(s):

The presumed cause of this species's demise was predation by introduced rats (which took eggs) and mongooses (capable of taking incubating adults). Introduced pigs may also have been an important factor¹. It was hunted for food until the middle of the 19th century².

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway The Jamaica Petrel Research Group initiated searches for the species in 1996, and this effort continued until at least 2000¹, but these failed to find any birds⁴, while an at-sea search in November-December 2009 failed to locate the species⁵. A further search including at-sea chumming and an expedition into the Blue Mountains of Jamaica is planned⁵, but dependent on the necessary funding. Conservation Actions Proposed Search systematically above 1,000 m in the John Crow Mountains on Jamaica, coordinating searches at the beginning of the breeding season when the birds are most vocal^1,2. Search on Dominica and Guadeloupe². Continue searches at sea. Photograph any dark Pterodroma petrels encountered in the Caribbean⁴.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
The Jamaica Petrel Research Group initiated searches for the species in 1996, and this effort continued until at least 2000¹, but these failed to find any birds⁴, while an at-sea search in November-December 2009 failed to locate the species⁵. A further search including at-sea chumming and an expedition into the Blue Mountains of Jamaica is planned⁵, but dependent on the necessary funding.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Search systematically above 1,000 m in the John Crow Mountains on Jamaica, coordinating searches at the beginning of the breeding season when the birds are most vocal^1,2. Search on Dominica and Guadeloupe². Continue searches at sea. Photograph any dark Pterodroma petrels encountered in the Caribbean⁴.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2010. Pterodroma caribbaea. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 May 2012.
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