| Bahama nuthatch | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sittidae |
| Genus: | Sitta |
| Species: | S. insularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sitta insularis Bond, 1931 | |
| Synonyms | |
Sitta pusilla insularis | |
The Bahama nuthatch (Sitta insularis) is a nuthatch species endemic to the pineyards of Grand Bahama island in the Bahamas. [1] It may be extinct as of 2019. [2]
It has some notable differences from its closest relative, the brown-headed nuthatch (S. pusilla), including a darker brown facial stripe, a longer bill, shorter wings, and a unique warbling call. [3]
It was previously considered a subspecies of the brown-headed nuthatch by most taxonomic authorities. [3] A 2020 study found further evidence for it being a distinct species, finding significant vocal differences based on voice recordings and a notable genetic difference from the brown-headed nuthatch that was even larger than that of some birds unanimously considered distinct species from their mainland relatives, such as the Bahama warbler (Setophaga flavescens) compared the yellow-throated warbler (S. dominica). [4] The International Ornithological Congress has since reclassified it as a distinct species. [5]
Some previous studies considered it a subspecies of S. pusilla based on the fact that the species was only ever historically known from Grand Bahama, which only separated from the Abacos about 2,500 years ago, which would indicate they only ever colonized Grand Bahama and was too recent for total speciation to occur. [4] However, later research using genetic markers indicates that both species likely diverged around 685,000 years ago [6] and late Pleistocene fossil remains of S. insularis from Abaco and Long Island have since been described, indicating that it likely had a much wider distribution across the Bahamas until for unknown reasons, it was restricted to Grand Bahama by the Holocene. [6]
It is officially considered critically endangered and is very likely extinct. Due to its very restricted range, it is highly threatened by habitat destruction and degradation, fires, and hurricane damage. Invasive species such as the corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus), raccoon (Procyon lotor), house sparrows (Passer domesticus) and common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) may have also played a role in its decline. Almost all of the pine forest on Grand Bahama was logged in the 1950s but portions have since regenerated, and the species was reported as locally common in surveys in 1969 and 1978. However, only 2 individuals were detected in extensive 1993 surveys, indicating that the nuthatch had since massively declined for unknown reasons. All observations since the 2000s have been in or around a patch of private land known as Lucaya Estates. A 2004 estimated that 1,800 individuals existed, but it was admitted by the authors that this was an overly optimistic number, and a 2007 survey only found about 23 individuals. Grand Bahama was hit by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, causing significant damage, and monthly surveys by a local bird guide and 4 days of intensive surveys in January 2018 failed to find any birds, leading to fears that the bird was extinct until extensive surveys in the spring and summer of 2018, which resulted in a small number of sightings, including one in which two birds were found. [7] [8]
The extremely destructive effects of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 may have killed off the Bahama nuthatch population, especially the historically significant destruction and saltwater flooding of the pineyards from the lingering Category 5 storm. [2] A post-hurricane press release by the American Bird Conservancy indicated that the area in which the birds were last seen still had standing pines but had experienced saltwater intrusion, which could kill the trees over a period of time, and supported further surveys to look for the nuthatch. [9] However, it is unlikely that the birds withstood the 24-hour 295 km/h winds that the area experienced. [4] A 2020 post-hurricane assessment by the IUCN Red List still entertains the probability of the species being extant, although likely having a maximum population size of only 50 individuals and likely well below that, and indicates that extensive surveys for the species will be needed to confirm its status. [1]
The Bahamas are a group of about 700 islands and cays in the western Atlantic Ocean, of which only between 30 and 40 are inhabited. The largest of the islands is Andros Island, located north of Cuba and 200 kilometres southeast of Florida. The Bimini islands are to its northwest. To the North is the island of Grand Bahama, home to the second-largest city in the country, Freeport. The island of Great Abaco is to its east. In the far south is the island of Great Inagua, the second-largest island in the country. Other notable islands include Eleuthera, Cat Island, San Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, and Mayaguana. Nassau is the capital and largest city, located on New Providence. The islands have a tropical savannah climate, moderated by the Gulf Stream. The total size is 13,878 km2 (5,358 sq mi). Due to the many widespread islands it has the 41st largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 654,715 km2 (252,787 sq mi).
The nuthatches constitute a genus, Sitta, of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs. Most species exhibit grey or bluish upperparts and a black eye stripe.
Kirtland's warbler, also known in Michigan by the common name jack pine bird, or the jack pine warbler, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae). Nearly extinct just 50 years ago, populations have recovered due to the conservation efforts of Phil Huber and the U.S. Forest Service. It requires large areas, greater than 160 acres, of dense young jack pine for its breeding habitat. This habitat was historically created by wildfire, but today is created through the harvest of mature jack pine, and planting of jack pine seedlings.
The Abaco Islands lie in the northern Bahamas, located about 193 miles east of Miami, Florida. The main islands are Great Abaco and Little Abaco, which is located just west of the northern tip of Great Abaco. There are several smaller barrier cays, of which the northernmost are Walker's Cay and its sister island Grand Cay. To the south, the next inhabited islands are Spanish Cay and Green Turtle Cay, with its settlement of New Plymouth, Great Guana Cay, private Scotland Cay, Man-O-War Cay, and Elbow Cay, with its settlement of Hope Town. Southernmost are Tilloo Cay and Lubbers Quarters. Another of note off Abaco's western shore is Gorda Cay, now a Disney-owned island and a cruise ship stop renamed Castaway Cay. Also in the vicinity is Moore's Island. On the Big Island of Abaco is Marsh Harbour, the Abacos' commercial hub and the Bahamas' third largest city, plus the resort area of Treasure Cay. Both have airports. A few mainland settlements of significance are Coopers Town and Fox Town in the north and Cherokee and Sandy Point in the south. Administratively, the Abaco Islands constitute seven of the 31 Local Government Districts of the Bahamas: Grand Cay, North Abaco, Green Turtle Cay, Central Abaco, South Abaco, Moore's Island, and Hope Town.
Grand Bahama is the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, with the town of West End located 56 nautical miles east of Palm Beach, Florida. It is the third largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays. The island is roughly 530 square miles (1,400 km2) in area and approximately 153 kilometres (95 mi) long west to east and 24 kilometres (15 mi) at its widest point north to south. Administratively, the island consists of the Freeport Bonded Area and the districts of East Grand Bahama and West Grand Bahama. Nearly half of the homes on the island were damaged or destroyed in early September 2019 by Hurricane Dorian.
The brown-headed nuthatch is a small songbird endemic to pine forests throughout the Southeastern United States. Genetic analyses indicated low differentiation between northern and southern populations in Florida, but the study also found lower genetic diversity among south Florida populations that may be a result of the increased habitat fragmentation that was documented. The Bahama nuthatch was formerly considered a subspecies (S. p. insularis), has since been reclassified as its own separate species. Two recent studies assessing vocalizations in Bahama and continental nuthatch populations found important differences. One of the studies also demonstrated that continental and Bahama populations did not respond aggressively to calls of the other population. This type of call-response study is often used to help define cryptic species.
The Bahama yellowthroat is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeder endemic to the Bahamas.
The Cuban amazon, also known as the Cuban parrot and the rose-throated parrot, is a medium-sized mainly green parrot found in woodlands and dry forests of Cuba, the Bahamas and Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. Although they have been observed in the wild in Puerto Rico, they are probably the result of escaped pets, and no reproduction has been recorded.
The Bahama swallow is an endangered swallow endemic to The Bahamas.
The olive-capped warbler is a species of New World warbler that is native to the western and eastern ends of Cuba as well as Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Its natural habitat is pine forests and occasionally adjacent mixed forests.
The West Indian woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Cuba.
The Bahamian hutia or Ingraham's hutia is a small, furry, rat-like mammal found only in the Bahamas. About the size of a rabbit, it lives in burrows in forests or shrubland, emerging at night to feed on leaves, fruit, and other plant matter. It was believed extinct until rediscovery in 1964, and it remains the focus of conservation efforts. The Bahamian hutia is a member of the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean, many of which are endangered or extinct.
The Bahamian pineyards are a tropical and subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Bahama oriole is a species of songbird in the New World blackbird family Icteridae. It is endemic to the Bahamas, and listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.
The Bahama warbler is an endangered species of bird in the family Parulidae that is endemic to The Bahamas.
Hurricane Dorian was an extremely powerful and catastrophic Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, which became the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and is tied with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the strongest landfall in the Atlantic basin in terms of maximum sustained winds. The 2019 cyclone is regarded as the worst natural disaster in the Bahamas' recorded history. With winds peaking at 185 mph (295 km/h), it was also one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic Ocean in terms of 1-minute sustained winds, and the strongest since Wilma in 2005. Dorian was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, the first major hurricane, and the first Category 5 hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Dorian struck the Abaco Islands on September 1 with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h), tying with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the highest wind speeds of an Atlantic hurricane ever recorded at landfall. Dorian went on to strike Grand Bahama at similar intensity, stalling just north of the territory with unrelenting winds for at least 24 hours. The resultant damage to these islands was catastrophic; most structures were flattened or swept to sea, and at least 70,000 people were left homeless. After it ravaged through the Bahamas, Dorian proceeded along the coasts of the Southeastern United States and Atlantic Canada, leaving behind considerable damage and economic losses in those regions.
Hurricane Dorian was the strongest hurricane to affect The Bahamas on record, causing catastrophic damage on the islands of Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama, in early September 2019. The cyclone's intensity, as well as its slow forward motion near The Bahamas, broke numerous records. The fifth tropical cyclone, fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, Dorian originated from a westward-traveling tropical wave, that departed from the western coast of Africa on August 19. The system organized into a tropical depression and later a tropical storm, both on August 24.
The effects of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019 were among the worst experienced for any natural disaster in the country. Hurricane Dorian struck the Abaco Islands as a Category 5 hurricane on September 1, and a day later hit Grand Bahama Island at the same category. The hurricane then stalled over Grand Bahama for another day, finally pulling away from the island on September 3. Damage amounted to US$3.4 billion, and there were at least 74 deaths in the country. Another 282 people were left missing after the hurricane.
