Semper's Warbler
Encyclopedia
The Semper's Warbler is an extremely rare or possibly extinct New World Warbler
which is endemic to Saint Lucia
, part of the Lesser Antilles
.
, it was last collected on the summit of Piton Flores in 1934, another report was from March 1947 where it was sighted between the Piton Lacombe and the Piton Canaries. The last reliable sighting was in 1961. Though unconfirmed sightings were in 1965, 1972, 1989, 1995 and 2003 there is a weak hope for a rediscovery because suitable habitat is still remain. A cause for its decline was probably the introduction of mongooses. Due to its possibly ground-nesting habits it was an easy prey for the mongooses. Another cause might be habitat destruction.
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
which is endemic to Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, part of the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
.
Description
The bird is about 14.5 centimetres in length. The plumage of the adults is dark gray at the upperparts and greyish white at the underparts. The immatures are brownish-grey above and have buffish underparts, and the long legs are pale yellow. It lives in the undergrowth of montane and elfin forests. The call consists of tuck-tick-tick-tuck noises. Nothing is known about its ecology but it is probably a ground-nesting bird.Status
It was rather abundant in the 19th century but there are only a few reports of this species in the 20th century. According to West Indian ornithologist James BondJames Bond (ornithologist)
James Bond was a leading American ornithologist whose name was appropriated by writer Ian Fleming for his fictional spy, James Bond.-Biography:...
, it was last collected on the summit of Piton Flores in 1934, another report was from March 1947 where it was sighted between the Piton Lacombe and the Piton Canaries. The last reliable sighting was in 1961. Though unconfirmed sightings were in 1965, 1972, 1989, 1995 and 2003 there is a weak hope for a rediscovery because suitable habitat is still remain. A cause for its decline was probably the introduction of mongooses. Due to its possibly ground-nesting habits it was an easy prey for the mongooses. Another cause might be habitat destruction.
External links
- BirdLife InternationalBirdLife InternationalBirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
(2006) Species factsheet: Leucopeza semperi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25 October 2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is Critically endangered