ENDEMIC BIRDS OF PUERTO RICO / AVES ENDÉMICAS DE PUERTO RICO

187 30-MAR 306 18sep 725 3dic 823 2ene 1507 2abr 1897 21may 1996 6jun

The South American Classification Committee (SACC) has just accepted a proposal (based on a
paper published by Gary Stiles: see http://www.ornitologiacolombiana.org/oc8/Stiles.pdf) to split
the “blue-crowned” motmot into five species. The proposal can be viewed at: http://www.museum.
lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCprop412.html. The significance of this to the Caribbean is that the taxon in
Trinidad and Tobago has been split off to form the Trinidad Motmot Motmotus bahamensis (thus
forming another endemic to our region).

As background, SACC’s geographic area includes “islands in the Caribbean Sea close to South
America and not covered by the AOU Checklist (i.e. it includes the Netherlands Antilles, and
Trinidad and Tobago)”. See http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.html for more
details.

SACC country lists, including for T&T and the ABC islands are available as an Excel spreadsheet
from: http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.html

Continuing this taxonomic theme, a paper by Garrido, Wiley and Reynard ([2009] Taxonomy of the
Loggerhead Kingbird Tyrannus caudifasciatus complex [Aves: Tyrannidae]. Wilson J. Orn. 121[4]:
703-713) has proposed the separation of Loggerhead Kingbird populations in Puerto Rico and Isla
Vieques (T. taylori), and Hispaniola (T. gabbii) as distinct species (creating two more island
endemics).

David C. Wege
Senior Caribbean Program Manager/ Jefe, Programa del Caribe | BirdLife International |

CLÉRIGO
LOGGERHEAD KINGBIRD
Photos by Hilda Morales

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