Cozumel Thrashers, Toxostoma guttatum
Thrashers
The Cozumel Thrasher, Toxostoma guttatum, is a bird from the Mimidae family, which is found only on the island of Cozumel off the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.
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.
The numbers of this bird declined rapidly when Hurricane Gilbert 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 believed to be the most critically endangered species of bird in Mexico.[1]
It is still unclear what damage the impact of Hurricanes Emily and Wilma in 2005 caused; apparently, the bird was not found anymore during a survey in December 2006[2] The last, unconfirmed, sighting was in April 2006, where an apparent T. guttatum was sighted at the Cozumel Golf Club; relocation efforts are scheduled to continue in 2007 (Curry 2007).
Some scientists believe that other factors must have contributed to the bird's decline, because the Cozumel Thrasher likely survived hurricanes for millennia (Curry 2007). Introduced species, especially predatory boa constrictors introduced to the island in 1971 and now abundant, may also have had a disastrous effect.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Toxostoma guttatum. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is critically endangered.
- Curry, Robert L. (2007): El cuitlacoche de cozumel - The endemic thrasher of Cozumel Island. Version of 2007-FEB-05. Retrieved 2007-FEB-08.
Footnotes
- Environment News Service, July 9, 2004: The Cozumel Thrasher: One Bird Away From Extinction. Includes habitat photo. Retrieved 2007-FEB-08.
- Hopes Fade for the Survival of the Cozumel Thrasher
External links
- BirdLife International: Cozumel Thrasher Species Factsheet. Retrieved 2007-FEB-08.
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