Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker

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Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker
Campephilus principalis bairdii.jpg
A male Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker photographed by John Dennis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Campephilus
Species:
C. principalis
Subspecies:
C. p. bairdii
Trinomial name
Campephilus principalis bairdii
(Cassin, 1863)

The Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker (Spanish: carpintero real) [1] (Campephilus principalis bairdii) is a subspecies of the ivory-billed woodpecker native to Cuba. Originally classified as a separate species, recent research has indicated that C. p. bairdii may, in fact, be sufficiently distinct from the nominate subspecies to once again be regarded as a species in its own right.

Contents

There have been no confirmed sightings of the bird since 1987; it is generally believed to be extinct, although the survival of some individuals is considered a remote possibility.

Taxonomy and appearance

Turnaround video of a female study skin RMNH 110097, Naturalis Biodiversity Center

C. p. bairdii was originally designated as a separate species (C. bairdii) by John Cassin, based on suggestions by Spencer Fullerton Baird. [2] Cassin described it as:

Much resembling C. principalis , but smaller and with the black anterior feathers of the crest longer than those succeeding, which are scarlet. White longitudinal line on the neck reaching quite to the base of the bill. ... It appears to be one of the singular insular species which have become well known to naturalists. [2]

The Cuban form was later redesignated as a subspecies of the American ivory-billed woodpecker, C. principalis. A more recent study by Fleischer, Kirchman et al. has, however, suggested that the Cuban and American forms are sufficiently genetically distinct to be regarded as separate species, which along with the imperial woodpecker (C. imperialis) form a distinct North American clade within Campephilus that appeared in the mid-Pleistocene. [3] The methods adopted by the study suggest that the split between C. principalis and the lineage represented by C. p. bairdii and C. imperialis occurred first. [3] The American Ornithologists' Union Committee on Classification and Nomenclature, while describing the data as "intriguing", has indicated that it is not yet ready to list the American and Cuban forms as two separate species. [4]

The first detailed description of the Cuban form's behavior and habitat was not published until 1893, when Juan Gundlach included it in Volume 1 of his Ornitología Cubana. In Cuba it was usually known by the name of carpintero real ("royal woodpecker"), although this name was also used for other birds.

Habitat

As with C. p. principalis, C. p. bairdii was thought to inhabit old-growth forests with a plentiful supply of dead or dying trees; these were a source of the cerambycid and other beetle larvae that formed the bulk of its diet. Most of Cuba's lowland deciduous forests had been cleared by the early 20th century, and the species became restricted to the montane pine forests dominated by Pinus cubensis and Pinus tropicalis in the northeastern part of the island. Its original range was given as through the Organ Mountains, in the lowland forests of the Ensenada de Cochinos and along the Hanabana River. [5]

Behavior

Relatively few accounts of the bird's behavior in the wild exist. The ornithologist John Dennis located a few birds in 1948 and noted some of their feeding and other habits, commenting that "they spent so much time [preening and scratching] that I considered it unusual". He observed that they were not especially shy or elusive once they had become used to his presence, eventually "seeming positively lethargic", although a male bird intervened quickly to drive a kestrel away from the nesting site. [6]

The breeding season of C. p. bairdii occurred from March–June. [7] It has been surmised that the woodpecker's foraging specialization may have led to its forming small groups, much like Campephilus imperialis which was occasionally reported in groups of eight or more individuals; this behavior would enable the birds to best exploit a patchily-occurring food source. [8]

Status

Although once common on the island, C. p. bairdii was already very rare by the late 1940s, when Dennis located a small population in a remnant of forest in the Cuchillas de Moa range which had already been cut-over for timber some years previously. [6] [9] George Lamb found six territories still there in 1956, and recommended that a conservation plan be implemented, but the 1959 Cuban Revolution was to intervene.

The last universally accepted sighting of a Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker occurred in 1987, when a single female specimen was identified in the mountains of eastern Cuba by Giraldo Alayón and Aimé Pasada, following a handful of observations of both male and female birds by a team of ornithologists, including Lester L. Short and his wife Jennifer F. M. Horne, in the area of Ojito de Agua, a hilly pine forest. [10] Although the area was immediately designated as protected by the Cuban government, searches in 1991 and 1993 failed to find any further traces of the bird, and it became clear that the birds seen in 1986–87 had already been in "dire" circumstances. [10] Thus the Cuban ivory-bill was inferred to have gone extinct around 1990. [11] The area given protection in the 1980s is now part of Alejandro de Humboldt National Park.

The IUCN Red List notes that calls were reportedly heard in 1998 in the highest reaches of the Sierra Maestra, but that a subsequent search failed to find any trace of the species or of good potential habitat: it is considered a (remote) possibility that some individuals may survive, as around 80% of suitable habitat in Cuba has yet to be searched. [7] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodpecker</span> Family of birds (Picidae)

Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known that live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts, and the Gila woodpecker specialises in exploiting cacti. Woodpeckers are known as the loudest birds of the forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial woodpecker</span> Possibly extinct species of woodpecker

The imperial woodpecker is a woodpecker species endemic to Mexico. If it is not extinct, it is the world's largest woodpecker species, at 56–60 cm (22–23.5 in) long. Researchers have discovered that the imperial woodpecker has slow climbing strides and a fast wing-flap rate compared with other woodpeckers. Owing to its close taxonomic relationship, and its similarity in appearance, to the ivory-billed woodpecker, it is sometimes called the Mexican ivory-billed woodpecker, but this name is also used for the extant pale-billed woodpecker. The large and conspicuous bird has long been known to the native inhabitants of Mexico and was called cuauhtotomomi in Nahuatl, uagam by the Tepehuán and cumecócari by the Tarahumara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimson-crested woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The crimson-crested woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Panama, Trinidad, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

<i>Campephilus</i> Genus of birds

Campephilus is a genus of large American woodpeckers in the family Picidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Maestra</span> Mountain range of Cuba

The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges, which join with others to the west. At 1,974 m (6,476 ft), Pico Turquino is the range's – and the country's – highest point. The area is rich in minerals, especially copper, manganese, chromium, and iron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-billed woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The pale-billed woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found from Mexico to Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magellanic woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The Magellanic woodpecker is a species of large woodpecker found in southern Chile and southwestern Argentina; it is resident within its range. This species is the southernmost example of the genus Campephilus, which includes the famous ivory-billed woodpecker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Functional extinction</span> End of viability for a population

Functional extinction is the extinction of a species or other taxon such that:

  1. It disappears from the fossil record, or historic reports of its existence cease;
  2. The reduced population no longer plays a significant role in ecosystem function;
  3. The population is no longer viable. There are no individuals able to reproduce, or the small population of breeding individuals will not be able to sustain itself due to inbreeding depression and genetic drift, which leads to a loss of fitness.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powerful woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The powerful woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-necked woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The red-necked woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmeted woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The helmeted woodpecker is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuban green woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The Cuban green woodpecker is a species of woodpecker in the family Picidae and tribe Melanerpini, known locally in Cuban Spanish as carpintero verde. It is the only species within the genus Xiphidiopicus and is one of two woodpeckers endemic to Cuba. It is the most widespread and common woodpecker in Cuba, inhabiting primarily woodlands, as well as dry and wet forests, pine forests and mangroves. The population of the Cuban green woodpecker is stable and its status is listed as "Least Concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuchillas del Toa</span> Biosphere reserve in Cuba

Cuchillas del Toa is a Biosphere Reserve in Cuba. It is located in the eastern part of the country, mostly in the Guantánamo Province and reaching to the north into the Holguín Province. Most of the reserve is established in the drainage area of the Toa River, which flows for 118 km (73 mi) to the Atlantic Ocean in Baracoa.

Lester Leroy Short is an American ornithologist. His main research field is the order Piciformes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuban pine forests</span>

The Cuban pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. They cover an area of 6,400 km2 (2,500 sq mi), occurring in separate sections in eastern Cuba and western Cuba and Isla de la Juventud.

Richard Pough was a major figure in American conservation for more than half of the 20th century. The impact of his work was so broad that he "seemed to be almost everywhere." He initiated efforts to purchase and preserve habitats at locations such as Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, Corkscrew Swamp in Florida, Aravaipa Canyon in Arizona, and Congaree Swamp in South Carolina. Pough was born in Brooklyn, New York. Following in the footsteps of his parents, he graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1926, with a degree in chemical engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivory-billed woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The ivory-billed woodpecker is a woodpecker that is native to the bottomland hardwood forests and temperate coniferous forests of the Southern United States and Cuba. Habitat destruction and hunting have reduced populations so thoroughly that the species is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on its Red List as critically endangered, and by the American Birding Association as "definitely or probably extinct". The last universally accepted sighting of an American ivory-billed woodpecker occurred in Louisiana in 1944, and the last universally accepted sighting of a Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker occurred in 1987, after the bird's rediscovery there the prior year. Sporadic reports of sightings and other evidence of the persistence of the species have continued since then.

John Value Dennis was an American ornithologist and botanist.

References

  1. ↑ Peña, C.M.; Navarro, N.; Fernández, A. (1999). "Status actual del Carpintero Real (Campephilus principalis bairdii) en Cuba". Pitirre. 12 (3): 85–87.
  2. 1 2 Cassin, J. (1863). "Notes on the Picidae". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences. 6: 322.
  3. 1 2 Robert C Fleischer; Jeremy J Kirchman; John P Dumbacher; Louis Bevier; Carla Dove; Nancy C Rotzel; Scott V Edwards; Martjan Lammertink; Kathleen J Miglia; William S Moore (2006). "Mid-Pleistocene divergence of Cuban and North American ivory-billed woodpeckers" (PDF). Biology Letters . 2 (#3): 466–469. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0490. PMC   1686174 . PMID   17148432.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ Leonard, Pat; Chu, Miyoko (2006). "DNA Fragments Yield Ivory-bill's Deep History". BirdScope. 20 (#4). Archived from the original on June 5, 2011.
  5. ↑ Tanner, J. The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, Dover, 2003 (first publ. 1942), p.102
  6. 1 2 Dennis, J. V. (1948). "A Last Remnant of Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers in Cuba" (PDF). Auk. 65 (#4): 497–507. doi:10.2307/4080600. JSTOR   4080600.
  7. 1 2 BirdLife International (2020). "Campephilus principalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T22681425A182588014. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22681425A182588014.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Lammertink, Rojas-Tome et al. The extinction process of the Imperial Woodpecker Campephilus imperialis, worldwildlife.org; cites Dennis, 1948, reporting a group of six C. p. bairdii
  9. ↑ The survey conducted by Short in 1986-7 found that this forest had disappeared in the intervening period.
  10. 1 2 Lammertinck, M. No More Hope for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Archived 2004-07-09 at archive.today , Cotinga 3, 1993
  11. ↑ Lammertink, Martjan; Estrada, Alberto R. (March 1995). "Status of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis in Cuba: almost certainly extinct". Bird Conservation International. 5 (1): 53–59. doi: 10.1017/S095927090000294X .
  12. ↑ The Sierra Maestra was not part of the species' recorded range.
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