| Hispaniolan crossbill | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Fringillidae |
| Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
| Genus: | Loxia |
| Species: | L. megaplaga |
| Binomial name | |
| Loxia megaplaga Riley, 1916 | |
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The Hispaniolan crossbill (Loxia megaplaga) is a crossbill that is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and the only representative of the Loxia genus in the Caribbean.
It was formerly regarded as conspecific with the two-barred crossbill (L. leucoptera), from which it is now assumed it evolved.
There is general acceptance that the origin of L. megaplaga can be traced to southern populations of L. leucoptera that were stranded on the highest pine-forested mountains in Hispaniola (the highest in all of the Caribbean) when the glaciers and vast temperate coniferous forests started receding northward after end of the last glacial period at the beginning of the Holocene, some 10,000 years ago. The distance that now separates both species is of thousands of kilometers (from the Caribbean to the northern U.S. and Canada), making the story of the Hispaniolan crossbill an interesting one from an ecological and environmental point of view. This isolation is similar to that of the rufous-collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis), whose native range stretches from southern Mexico as far south as Cape Horn, and is also absent from all Caribbean islands except Hispaniola.
The bird feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of the Hispaniolan pine tree (Pinus occidentalis) cones.
Because of its restricted range, small population size, and reliance on threatened Hispaniolan pine forests, this species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources; BirdLife International 2008). [2] The population is highly fragmented and is currently thought to be declining, primarily due to increased agricultural clearance and habitat loss. The mature population, which is thought to range somewhere between 400 - 2300 individuals, is concentrated primarily in the Sierra de Baoruco National Park, which lacks any active protection.
The Scottish crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only terrestrial vertebrate species endemic to the United Kingdom. The Scottish crossbill was confirmed as a unique species in August 2006, on the basis of having a distinctive bird song.
The two-barred crossbill or white-winged crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.
Pico Duarte is the highest peak in the Dominican Republic, and in all the Caribbean. At 3,101 m (10,174 ft) above sea level, it gives the Dominican Republic the 16th-highest maximum elevation of any island in the world. Additionally, it is 85 kilometres northeast of the region's lowest point, Lake Enriquillo, in the Cordillera Central range, the largest in the country and island. The Cordillera Central extends from the plains between San Cristóbal and Baní to the northwestern peninsula of Haiti, where it is known as Massif du Nord. The highest elevations of the Cordillera Central are found in the Pico Duarte and Valle Nuevo massifs.
The palm crow is a relatively small corvid that occurs on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and Cuba, where it was formerly very frequent, but is now reduced in population.
The Hispaniolan pine forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The ecoregion covers 11,600 km2 (4,500 sq mi), or about 15% of the island. It lies at elevations greater than 800 m (2,600 ft) in the mountains of Hispaniola, extending from the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic and into the Massif du Nord of Haiti. It is surrounded at lower elevations by the Hispaniolan moist forests and Hispaniolan dry forests ecoregions, which cover the remainder of the island. Annual rainfall is 1,000–2,000 mm (39–79 in).
Pinus occidentalis, also known as the Hispaniolan pine or Hispaniola pine, is a pine tree endemic to the island of Hispaniola.
The Hispaniolan solenodon is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Like other solenodons, it is a venomous, insect-eating animal that lives in burrows and is active at night. It is an elusive animal and was only first described in 1833; its numbers are stable in protected forests but it remains the focus of conservation efforts.
The Hispaniolan hutia is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal endemic to forests on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. It lives in burrows or trees, and is active at night when it feeds on roots and fruits. A member of the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), it is endangered from habitat loss and introduced species, such as rats or mongoose.
The Hispaniolan woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
The golden swallow is a swallow endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and was once native to Jamaica, but is now extirpated there. It is restricted to isolated montane forests that primarily consist of the Hispaniolan pine. This species is considered to be a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The exact cause of its extirpation from Jamaica is unknown, but likely factors include predation by introduced mammals and habitat loss, although the habitat loss theory is not supported by much evidence. The last sighting of the nominate subspecies was in Hardwar Gap, with three birds being seen on 8 June 1989.
The Hispaniolan yellow tree frog, or common treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Hispaniola, where it is found in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Hispaniolan nightjar is a nightjar species endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Hispaniolan lizard cuckoo is a species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola that is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The Hispaniolan amazon or Hispaniolan parrot, colloquially known as cuca, is a species of Amazon parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to Hispaniola, and has been introduced to Puerto Rico. The main features that differentiate it from other amazons are the white forehead, pale beak, white eye-ring, blue ear patch, and red belly.
The Hispaniolan parakeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae that is endemic to the island of Hispaniola. Localized feral populations also exist in Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, and the Miami, Florida area, where they sometimes associate with canary-winged parakeets. It is often captured for the parrot trade.
The white-winged warbler, also called the white-winged ground-warbler, is a Vulnerable species of bird of the family Phaenicophilidae, the Hispaniolan tanagers. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The Hispaniolan trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It is one of the only two trogon species found in the Caribbean. It is the national bird of Haiti.
The Hispaniolan oriole is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
The wildlife of Haiti is important to the country because of its biodiversity. According to the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Haiti is considered to be "one of the most biologically significant countries of the West Indies". With an estimated 5,600 plant species on the island of Hispaniola, some of which only occur in Haiti, 36% are considered as endemic to the island. A mountainous area country, it is situated in the western three-eighths of Hispaniola and shares a border with the Dominican Republic. There are nine life zones, from low desert to high cloud forests, as well as four mountain ranges, and hundreds of rivers and streams and the coral reefs in the seas that surround the islands. Issues of environmental damage, expanding population, deforesting and erosion are of concern; less than 2% of the original forest remains on account of deforestation. This degradation is traced from the 17th century to 19th century starting with the French colonization of the Haiti and population explosion during the 20th century and for the purpose of forestry and sugar-related industries, degraded the forests. and the environment.
José Armando Bermúdez National Park is a Dominican Republic National Park spanning the northern slopes and central portions of the Central Mountain Range.
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