Bahama oriole

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Bahama oriole
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Icterus
Species:
I. northropi
Binomial name
Icterus northropi

The Bahama oriole (Icterus northropi) is a species of

Bahamas, and listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List
.

Taxonomy

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.

Description

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

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]

Habitat

Historically, the Bahama oriole has been known to inhabit only two major islands in the Bahamas:

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]

The Bahama oriole's

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]

Conservation Status

The future of the Bahama oriole remains tenuous. The

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]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22736369A197193663.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Chesser, R. T., R. C. Banks, F. K. Barker, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, A. W. Kratter, I. J. Lovette, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr, J. D. Rising, D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2010. Fifty-first supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 127(3):726-744.
  3. ^ Omland, Kevin; Cant, Shelley; Johnson, Scott; Jeffery, Matt; Tschirky, John; Robertson, Holly; Price, Melissa; Sillett, Scott (2015). "Conservation Biology of the Critically endangered Bahama Oriole: Status, Threats, and Reversing the Decline". Bahamas Natural History Conference.
  4. ^ a b Jaramillo, A., P. Burke. 1999. New World Blackbirds Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press
  5. ^ Hofmann, C., T. Cronin, K. Omland. 2008. Evolution of sexual dichromatism. 1. Convergent losses of elaborate female coloration in New World orioles (Icterus spp.). Auk, 125:778-789.
  6. ^ White, J. W. 1998. A birder’s guide to the Bahama Islands (including Turks and Caicos). American Birding Association, Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado.
  7. ^ "Bahama Oriole". American Bird Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2011-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ Price, M. R. and W. K. Hayes. 2009. Conservation taxonomy of the Greater Antillean Oriole (Icterus dominicensis): diagnosable plumage variation among allopatric populations supports species status. Caribbean Ornithology 22:19-25.
  10. ^ a b c d Price, M. R., V. Robinette, and W. K. Hayes. 2010. Population status and breeding ecology of the Bahama Oriole (Icterus dominicensis northropi). Pg. 75 in the COS/AOU/SCO Meeting Abstracts [1]
  11. ^ a b c d [Stonko, D.C., L.E. Rolle, L.S. Smith, A.L. Scarselletta, J.L. Christhilf, M.G. Rowley, S.S. Yates, S. Cant-Woodside, L. Brace, S.B. Johnson, and K.E. Omland. 2018. New documentation of pine forest nesting by the Critically Endangered Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi). Journal of Caribbean Ornithology 31:1–5.]
  12. ^ Omland, Kevin; Schulwitz, Sarah (2015). "Population Assessment of the Critically Endangered Bahama oriole: Status and Habitat usage During the Breeding and Non-Breeding Season". The Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund Application Form.
  13. ^ Baltz, M. E. 1995. First records of Shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) in the Bahama Archipelago. Auk 112:1039-1041.
  14. ^ Baltz. M. E. 1996. The distribution and status of the Shiny Cowbird on Andros Island. Bahamas Journal of Science 3(2):2-5.
  15. ^ Baltz, M. E. 1997. Status of the Black-cowled Oriole (Icterus dominicensis northropi) in the Bahamas. Unpublished report to the Department of Agriculture, Nassau, Bahamas.
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