Cozumel Thrasher
Encyclopedia
The Cozumel Thrasher, Toxostoma guttatum, is a bird
from the mockingbird family
(Mimidae), which is endemic to the island of Cozumel
off the Yucatán Peninsula
, Mexico
. It is believed to be the most critically endangered species of bird in Mexico - if it indeed still exists, which is probable but not certain.
This bird has brown upperparts and white underparts with black streaks. It has a grey face, a long black bill with a downward curve and two white wing bars.
hit this island on September 14, 1988. Until it was sighted in June 2004, this bird had last been seen in 1995, the same year that Hurricane Roxanne
hit Cozumel on October 11, and it was widely believed to have become extinct.
It is still unclear what damage the impact of Hurricanes Emily and Wilma
in 2005 caused; it seems that the bird was not found anymore during a survey in December 2006
The last - unconfirmed - sightings were in April 2006, where an apparent T. guttatum was sighted at the Cozumel Golf Club; in October and December 2007, thrashers were also seen but could not be reliably identified as T. guttatum. Relocation efforts continue; though at least a few birds seem to survive, the continuing existence of this species had not been verified as of January 2008.
Some scientists believe that other factors must have contributed to the bird's decline, because the Cozumel Thrasher likely survived hurricanes for millennia. Introduced species
, including predatory boa constrictor
s—which were released on the island in 1971 and are now abundant—may also have had a detrimental effect.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
from the mockingbird family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Mimidae), which is endemic to the island of Cozumel
Cozumel
Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the state of Quintana Roo...
off the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is believed to be the most critically endangered species of bird in Mexico - if it indeed still exists, which is probable but not certain.
This bird has brown upperparts and white underparts with black streaks. It has a grey face, a long black bill with a downward curve and two white wing bars.
Decline and status
The numbers of this bird declined rapidly when Hurricane GilbertHurricane Gilbert
Hurricane Gilbert was an extremely powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season and created widespread destruction in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin behind only...
hit this island on September 14, 1988. Until it was sighted in June 2004, this bird had last been seen in 1995, the same year that Hurricane Roxanne
Hurricane Roxanne
Hurricane Roxanne caused extensive flooding in Mexico due to its erratic movement. The seventeenth storm, tenth hurricane, and the fifth and final major hurricane of the very active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season, Roxanne developed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea from an area of low pressure on...
hit Cozumel on October 11, and it was widely believed to have become extinct.
It is still unclear what damage the impact of Hurricanes Emily and Wilma
Hurricane Wilma
Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Wilma was the twenty-second storm , thirteenth hurricane, sixth major hurricane, and fourth Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 season...
in 2005 caused; it seems that the bird was not found anymore during a survey in December 2006
The last - unconfirmed - sightings were in April 2006, where an apparent T. guttatum was sighted at the Cozumel Golf Club; in October and December 2007, thrashers were also seen but could not be reliably identified as T. guttatum. Relocation efforts continue; though at least a few birds seem to survive, the continuing existence of this species had not been verified as of January 2008.
Some scientists believe that other factors must have contributed to the bird's decline, because the Cozumel Thrasher likely survived hurricanes for millennia. Introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
, including predatory boa constrictor
Boa constrictor
The Boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied species of snake. It is a member of the family Boidae found in North, Central, and South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive...
s—which were released on the island in 1971 and are now abundant—may also have had a detrimental effect.
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...
: Cozumel Thrasher Species Factsheet. Retrieved 2007-FEB-08.