| Bahama oriole | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Icteridae |
| Genus: | Icterus |
| Species: | I. northropi |
| Binomial name | |
| Icterus northropi J. A. Allen, 1890 | |
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The Bahama oriole (Icterus northropi) is a species of songbird in the New World blackbird family Icteridae (the orioles). It is endemic to the Bahamas, and listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.
The species was originally classified as its own distinct species in 1890 by Joel Asaph Allen before it was lumped with the Cuban oriole (Icterus melanopsis), Hispaniolan oriole (Icterus dominicensis), and Puerto Rican oriole (Icterus portoricensis) into a single species by the ornithologist James Bond in his book "Birds of the West Indies". It wasn't until 2010 that all four birds were again elevated to full species status based on a combination of evidence from DNA, plumage and song differences. [2] [3] Since it was not recognized as a distinct species for so long, the Bahama oriole's preferred non-breeding season habitat is unknown and current estimates of its exact numbers remain vague.
The Bahama oriole is a black and yellow oriole that has small white markings on the wings and tail. It shows the most yellow out of all the Caribbean orioles. The adult male and females are mostly black with yellow underparts, ranging from the mid-breast to the vent, thighs, rump, and lower back. [4] The greater coverts and primaries are thinly fringed with white. The wing linings are yellow and the outer tail feathers have small white tips. The bill and eyes are dark black, and the legs are blue-grey. Like most tropical oriole species, the females are similar or identical to the males in coloring. [5] The immature Bahama oriole is more of an olive-grey with the head a yellowish color. [4]
Historically, the Bahama oriole has been known to inhabit only two major islands in the Bahamas: Abaco and Andros. It became extirpated from Abaco in the 1990s, and today remains only on Andros. [6] The exact reasons for their extirpation from Abaco remain unknown, but it was likely a consequence of Hurricane Andrew. [7] The oriole is now found on the three major islands of Andros: North Andros, Mangrove Cay, and South Andros. It is likely the oriole also occurs on some of the smaller cays, but current documentation is lacking. The species was recognized as endangered by Birdlife International in 2011 [8] with population estimates of 300 or fewer individuals remaining. [9] [10] However, this population estimate conducted by Price et al. (2011) was exclusive to populations in developed habitats near the coast; new findings suggest that the population size could be much larger than previously estimated now that researchers have documented extensive populations in the pine forest. [11]
In the past, it was assumed the Bahama oriole preferred to live around settlements and nest in Coconut Palms (Cocos nucifera), but now research has shown that they likely prefer to nest in the vast pine forest of Andros. [11] Developed habitats are important for nesting since the species often uses introduced Coconut Palm. [10] Bahama Orioles were recently discovered nesting within the pine forest, building nests in understory palms Leucothrinax morrisii and native Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea.) [11] More recently the Bahama oriole has been recorded nesting in many other tree species including other native palms ( Sabal palmetto , Coccothrinax argentata ) and bananas ( Musa ). Though the general habitats of the Bahama oriole during the breeding season are known, the preferred habitat of the oriole during the non-breeding season is still unknown, although birds can be encountered in all terrestrial habitat types. [12]
The future of the Bahama oriole remains tenuous. The shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis), a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of other bird species, has expanded its South American and West Indies range northward, and reached Andros in the mid-1990s. [13] [14] Although still relatively uncommon, the cowbirds regularly parasitize the nests of orioles in developed habitats. [15] [10] Also, in developed areas orioles frequently nest in Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), which are dying off because of lethal yellowing disease brought in with introduced palms. [10] As of 2017, lethal yellowing disease has not spread to Mangrove Cay or South Andros. The bigger threats, however, are continued habitat loss from human development, introduced predators (including cats, rats, dogs and hogs) and stochastic processes that, because of the oriole's small population size, increase the risk of extinction. It is also important to conserve the pine forests because it is known that they serve as important habitats for orioles. [11] Ongoing studies are continuing to assess these risks and better estimate the remaining population size. [11]
Icterids or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae, of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. The family contains 108 species and is divided into 30 genera. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red. The species in the family vary widely in size, shape, behavior, and coloration. The name, meaning "jaundiced ones" comes from the Ancient Greek ikteros via the Latin ictericus. This group includes the New World blackbirds, New World orioles, the bobolink, meadowlarks, grackles, cowbirds, oropendolas, and caciques.
The Altamira oriole is a New World oriole. The bird is widespread in subtropical lowlands of the Mexican Gulf Coast and northern Central America, the Pacific coast and inland. They have since spread to southern Texas, but this was not until 1939.
The hooded oriole is a medium-sized New World oriole. The male of this species ranges in color from a bright orange to a paler yellow, with a black back, face, tail and bib, with the wing containing two white bars. The female is more of an olive color with some yellow accents.
New World orioles are a group of birds in the genus Icterus of the blackbird family. Unrelated to Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae, they are strikingly similar in size, diet, behavior, and strongly contrasting plumage. As a result, the two have been given the same vernacular name.
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 moriche oriole is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It is unrelated to Old World orioles. It is a breeding resident in the tropics of eastern South America. This bird is noted for its close association with the palm Mauritia flexuosa.
The yellow-shouldered blackbird, known in Puerto Rican Spanish as mariquita de Puerto Rico or capitán, is a species of blackbird endemic to Puerto Rico. It has black plumage with a prominent yellow patch on the wing. Adult males and females are of similar appearance. The species is predominantly insectivorous.
Audubon's oriole, formerly known as the black-headed oriole, is a New World passerine inhabiting the forests and thickets of southeastern Texas and the Mexican coast. It is the only species to have a black hood and yellow body. It is divided into four subspecies and two allopatric breeding ranges. The westernmost range extends from Nayarit south to southern Oaxaca, whereas the eastern range stretches from the lower Rio Grande valley to northern Querétaro. The most common in the western range are the subspecies I. g. dickeyae and I. g. nayaritensis; I. g. graduacauda and I. g. audubonii can be found in the eastern range. Like most Central American birds, it is not a migratory species and does not display significant sexual dimorphism. DNA analysis of the ND2 and cyt-b genes strongly suggests that I. graduacauda is most closely related to I. chrysater, the yellow-backed oriole. It is a member of the genus Icterus and therefore should not be confused with the Old World orioles.
The Bahama swallow is an endangered swallow endemic to The Bahamas.
The Martinique oriole is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to Martinique, French West Indies. Martinique is a part of the Lesser Antilles, and is located in the Eastern Caribbean.
The yellow-backed oriole is a species of bird in the family Icteridae.
The Saint Lucia oriole is a species of bird, in the family Icteridae and genus Icterus. It is endemic to Saint Lucia.
The black-cowled oriole is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is common and widespread in the Caribbean lowlands and foothills from southern Mexico to western Panama. It lives primarily in humid or semihumid forest, as well as in clearings, along forest edges, in plantations, in semi-open areas with scattered trees and bushes, and in gardens. The adult male is black, with yellow on the belly, shoulder, rump, wing lining, and crissum. The female's plumage varies depending on location. In the south of its range, it is similar to that of the male. In the north, its crown and upperparts are olive-yellow, while its face, throat, upper breast, wings, and tail are black.
The loggerhead kingbird is a species of sub-oscine passerine bird belonging to the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. This species is found in wooded habitats in the islands of the northern Caribbean, with records of vagrants from Florida.
The Hispaniolan oriole is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
The Cuban oriole is a species of songbird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to Cuba.
The Bahamas National Trust is a non-profit organisation in the Bahamas that manages the country's 32 national parks. Its headquarters is located in New Providence in the Bay Street Business Centre, East Bay Street. Its office was formally located at The Retreat Gardens on Village Road. The Bahamas National Trust was created by an Act of Parliament in 1959, through the efforts of two groups of conservationists.
The Bahamian pineyards are a tropical and subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Puerto Rican oriole, or calandria is a species of bird in the family Icteridae, and genus Icterus or New World blackbirds. This species is a part of a subgroup of orioles that includes the North American orchard oriole, Icterus spurius, and the hooded oriole, Icterus cucullatus.
The Bahama warbler is an endangered species of bird in the family Parulidae that is endemic to The Bahamas.
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