Patagioenas leucocephala

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	COLUMBIFORMES	COLUMBIDAE

Scientific Name:

Patagioenas leucocephala

Species Authority:

Linnaeus, 1758

Common Name/s:

English

–

White-crowned Pigeon

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Near Threatened ver 3.1

Year Published:

2012

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Butchart, S. & Symes, A.

Contributor/s:

Butcher, G., Maisels, F., Rosenberg, K. & Wells, J.

Justification:
This species is classified as Near Threatened because although it has quite a wide range, it is restricted to low-lying areas where deforestation and habitat degradation are most intense. Together with hunting pressure, this is thought to be causing a moderately rapid population reduction.

History:

2008	–	Near Threatened
2004	–	Near Threatened

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Patagioenas leucocephala is found primarily in the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica and Antigua. It breeds in smaller numbers in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands (to USA), the Virgin Islands (to UK), San Andres (Colombia), Isla de Providencia and the Corn Islands (Nicaragua), Cayman Islands, Anguilla (to UK), St Barthelemy (to France), and more rarely on St Martin and Guadeloupe (to France) (Bancroft and Bowman 2001). Populations extend west along the Caribbean coasts of Yucatan Mexico, Belize, Honduras and north-west Panama. It reaches the USA only in the Florida Keys and the southern tip of mainland Florida (del Hoyo et al. 1997, Bancroft and Bowman 2001).
Countries:	Native: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Bahamas; Belize; Cayman Islands; Colombia; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Jamaica; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Puerto Rico; Saint Martin (French part); United States; United States Minor Outlying Islands; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S. Vagrant: Costa Rica; Dominica; Martinique; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Rich et al. (2003)
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	In Florida, the Bahamas, the coastal Yucatan islets and the Lesser Antilles it requires isolated offshore mangrove islets with limited disturbance for breeding, for feeding it flies to humid evergreen or semi-deciduous hardwood forests on adjacent mainland areas (Bancroft and Bowman 2001, Gibbs et al. 2001). Elsewhere it generally occupies lower-lying forest habitats (Gibbs et al. 2001).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Degradation of foraging habitat is a threat to this species (del Hoyo et al. 1997). In Florida removal of poisonwood Metopium toxiferum, which can cause severe human dermatitis, affects the species as it feeds on the poisonwood's fruit (Bancroft and Bowman 2001, Gibbs et al. 2001). C. leucocephala is an important game species through much of its range, and although hunting regulations in the Bahamas have been changed, illegal hunting seems to be a threat (Bancroft and Bowman 2001). Collision with man-made objects is a major source of mortality in Florida, and pesticide use and human impact may also have detrimental effects (Bancroft and Bowman 2001).

Major Threat(s):

Degradation of foraging habitat is a threat to this species (del Hoyo et al. 1997). In Florida removal of poisonwood Metopium toxiferum, which can cause severe human dermatitis, affects the species as it feeds on the poisonwood's fruit (Bancroft and Bowman 2001, Gibbs et al. 2001). C. leucocephala is an important game species through much of its range, and although hunting regulations in the Bahamas have been changed, illegal hunting seems to be a threat (Bancroft and Bowman 2001). Collision with man-made objects is a major source of mortality in Florida, and pesticide use and human impact may also have detrimental effects (Bancroft and Bowman 2001).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway None is known. Conservation Actions Proposed Protect important breeding islets. Ensure protection of low-lying forests on larger islands where the species forages. Discourage removal of poisonwood where possible in Florida. Enforce hunting laws. Take measures to reduce collision with man-made objects. Educational programs that encourage people to plant native, fruit-producing trees in the Florida Keys should be enacted. Investigate the effects of pesticide use on the species. Monitor key populations throughout the species range.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
None is known.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Protect important breeding islets. Ensure protection of low-lying forests on larger islands where the species forages. Discourage removal of poisonwood where possible in Florida. Enforce hunting laws. Take measures to reduce collision with man-made objects. Educational programs that encourage people to plant native, fruit-producing trees in the Florida Keys should be enacted. Investigate the effects of pesticide use on the species. Monitor key populations throughout the species range.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2012. Patagioenas leucocephala. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2013.
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