Ecology of the Black-capped Petrel

A gadfly petrel endemic to the Caribbean, the Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) has a fragmented and declining population, and is considered endangered throughout its range (IUCN). Population estimates based on at-sea observations range from 2,000 to 4,000 individuals, with a fragmented breeding population estimated at 500 to 1,000 pairs. The only confirmed breeding areas are located on Hispaniola. The expansive marine range of the species exposes it to many conservation threats at sea including fisheries activity, offshore energy development, marine pollution including mercury bioaccumulation, and climate change. The current lack of information on the foraging ecology of the species, however, limits our...

At-sea movements of Masked Boobies from Pedro Cays, Jamaica, 2012

As part of a larger effort to examine individual-based movement patterns and habitat use at sea for seabirds in the Caribbean, a tracking study of Masked Boobies (Sula dactylatra) breeding on the Pedro Cays, Jamaica, was implemeted in 2012. This population is one of the largest of the few breeding groups in the region. The Masked Booby is considered to be declining and regionally-threatened with ca. 500-700 nests in the West Indies. This species faces numerous conservation threats at colony sites and potentally at foraging grounds. Management could be enhanced if data were available regaridng foraging ranges during the breeding season as well as extent of the wintering range. Therefore, the goal of this pilot project...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC)