the black-capped petrel ( pterodroma hasitata ) is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus , pterodroma .

it is also known as the diablotín .

it is a long-winged petrel with a grey-brown back and wings , with a white nape and rump .

underparts are mainly white apart from a black cap ( that in some individuals extends to cover the eye ) and some dark underwing markings .

it picks food items such as squid from the ocean surface .

black - capped petrel

black - capped petrel <EOT> black - capped petrel “tet kay jak” meets biologist adam brown , photo courtesy of epic .

w0w , rediscovering populations of the black - capped petrel would be amazing . but what’s threatening its survival ?

black - capped petrel off of hatteras , north carolina , photograph by patrick coin ( wikimedia commons ) .

behind the scenes : first - ever black - capped petrel satellite tracking . june 2014 . american bird conservancy blog .

radar surveys for the endangered black - capped petrel on dominica , west indies . submitted april 2015 . report by adam brown .

radar surveys , nest monitoring and conservation of the black - capped petrel on hispaniola : february 2017 by adam brown , march 2017 .

a black - capped petrel at haiti’s central bank . 2012 . the happy story of a young petrel’s rescue in port - au - prince . see also a timeline of events .

acoustic surveys for black - capped petrel valle nuevo , hispaniola – 2016 / 17 by abram fleishman , 2017 , conservation metrics , inc .

one of the first - ever images of a black - capped petrel chick in the nest . photo by j . vólquez , grupo jaragua

acoustic surveys for black - capped petrel on hispaniola and dominica ( 2015 / 2016 ) . late 2016 . analysis of songmeter data by conservation metrics .

a new nesting location for black - capped petrel pterodroma hasitata has been discovered in haiti by the efforts of a joint dominican – haitian field team .

gadfly petrel with a silvery grey rump area . bears little resemblence to the black - capped petrel that has a gleaming white ventral plumage and a white forehead , neck rign , and rump area . so - called " dark phase " black - capped petrels have a reduced or absent neck collar . similarly dark brown

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one of the world’s rarest seabirds , the endangered black - capped petrel , is breeding on the island of dominica for the first time in over 150 years .

black - capped petrel conservation 2017 ; interim report # 1715 c : dated august 2017 by ernst rupp . includes information on the first nest found in valle nuevo .

plans / goals for hispaniola field work for the coming breeding season ( 2013 ) of the black - capped petrel ( pdf ) and images showing the landscape relevant to black - capped petrel conservation . powerpoints prepared by ernst rupp / esteban garrido and james goetz , respectively , for december 2012 webinar . see also working group notes .

radar surveys for black - capped petrels on hispaniola : january – march 2014 . report prepared by adam brown .

capturing black‐capped petrels at sea : report from the august 2012 expeditions . prepared by george e wallace to document the first attempt to capture black - capped petrels at sea . image of floating mist - net created for the expedition .

the taxonomic relationship of this petrel for decades remained unclear with many authors considering it to be a dark form of the black - capped petrel . recent evaluations however have shown the jamaica petrel to be a distinct smaller species more closely related to the cape verde petrel . this is further supported by the bird’s feather lice which show considerable differences with those of black - capped petrels . dna analysis is warranted but there is little question that this is a distinct species .

they thought the species was extinct until the 1960s , when david wingate – who is credited with single – handedly saving the bermuda petrel from extinction – found the black - capped petrel way up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere .

black - capped petrels in dominica and elsewhere , a narrative made up of 2010 emails clarifying sightings on or near dominica .

trip report : 2017 black - capped petrel technical exchange ( which occurred late april 2017 ) . report dated 7 / 19 / 2017 by ernst rupp , hannah nevins and stephen durand .

exceptionally difficult to study , black - capped petrel comes to shore for only a few months of the year , and it nests in underground burrows , which it approaches only at night .

( birdlife in the dominican republic ) spearheaded an initiative to search for black - capped petrel nests early in 2011 . the searches were a natural extension of the support provided to james goetz (

“finding this colony of petrels on dominica is a real game - changer for black - capped petrel conservation , ” said scientist adam brown , the leader of the expedition that discovered the birds .

black - capped petrel is a distinctive gadfly petrel with a clearly defined black cap separated from the dark mantle by a white collar and with conspicuous white uppertail coverts that form a broad u shape . discrete variation among individuals , mostly in the extent of dark " cap , " suggests that black - capped petrel might be a complex of multiple species with different nesting seasons ; more research is needed to determine the taxonomic status of these different types . although black - capped petrel can be seen readily off the coast of the southeastern united states , particularly in gulf stream waters from north carolina to florida , the global population is in fact quite small and faces threats both at the caribbean nesting colonies and at sea .

radar surveys conducted in dominica in january 2015 strongly suggest that black - capped petrels persist there ; hundreds of petrel - like targets were recorded over 17 separate coastal and inland flight corridors , and eight individual black - capped petrels were observed over 5 locations ( brown 2015 ) . these data , when coupled with recent observations of downed black - capped petrels on the island , suggests that there are still petrels breeding on the island , although the last confirmed nesting date was 1862 .

howell , s . n . g . and patteson , j . b . ( 2008 ) variation in the black - capped petrel : one species or more ? . alula , 14 : 70 - 83 .

haney , j . c . ( 1987 ) aspects of the pelagic ecology of and behaviour of the black - capped petrel ( pterodroma hasitata ) . wilson bulletin , 99 ( 2 ) : 153 - 168 .

treatment and rehabilitation of a black - capped petrel stranded in destin , florida . a write - up with photos of a bird treated in the emerald coast wildlife refuge rehabilitation center , september to november , 2011 .

black - capped petrels project . september 2014 . interim report to the u . s . fish and wildlife service submitted by american bird conservancy .

goetz j . ( 2009 ) interim report , march 2009 : study and conservation of black - capped petrel ( pterodroma hasitata ) at parc national la visite , haiti . unpublished report submitted to fondation seguin , haiti .

wingate , d . b . ( 1964 ) discovery of breeding black - capped petrels on hispaniola . the auk , 81 : 147 - 159 .

lee , d . s . and vina , n . ( 1993 ) a re - evaluation of the status of the endangered black - capped petrel , pterodroma hasitata , in cuba . ornitologia neotropical , 4 : 99 - 101 .

summary of black - capped petrel ( pterodroma hasitata ) nesting activity during the 2011 / 2012 nesting season at loma del toro and morne vincent , hispaniola . 2012 . report prepared by ernst rupp , esteban garrido , and george wallace .

40 cm . medium - sized , long - winged gadfly petrel . brownish - black cap extending to eye , nape and towards upper breast where forms partial collar . white hindneck . brownish - grey mantle and upperwing . white rump and uppertail - coverts . dark brown tail . entirely white underparts . white underwing with narrow black trailing edge , black tip , broad black edge between primaries and carpal joint . band extends weakly towards centre of wing from joint . black bill . pink legs , and feet pink proximally , black distally .

this dull - colored family is plumaged in dark browns , black , white , and gray . some species such as the sooty shearwater are all dark with silvery wing linings , while others such as the great shearwater are dark above and light below . the black - capped petrel and related species have gray and white plumage with bold black markings on the head , back , and wings .

the black - capped petrel breeds in a few , small areas in the mountains of hispaniola , and probably breeds in cuba and one or two other islands in the caribbean sea . it ranges in waters of the caribbean and the western atlantic ocean north to the gulf stream off the coast of virginia . the jamaican petrel , an extinct species , was formerly considered a subspecies of this bird . the black - capped petrel is threatened by introduced predators , hunting in haiti , and collisions with buildings and towers . this species has a conservation rating of endangered .

interim report on black - capped petrel : field research on hispaniola , 2008 - 2009 by jim goetz , conservation science program , cornell lab of ornithology , 30 april 2009 . informal report on field research in hispaniola in 2008 and 2009 .

black - capped petrels in dominica and elsewhere , a narrative made up of 2010 emails includes references to 2010 and much older at - sea sightings in the caribbean .

on september 1 , 2011 , wildearth guardians submitted a petition to protect the black - capped petrel under the endangered species act because of its low population and threats to its survival . the endangered species act required the service to determine whether listing the black - capped petrel as threatened or endangered was warranted no later than one year after it received the petition , or sept . 13 , 2012 . to date — more than two years after that response was due — the service has not made a decision .

douglas , l . 2000 . status of the jamaican petrel in the west indies .

90 - day finding for petition to list under the us endangered species act . june 12 , 2012 . the u . s . fish and wildlife service found that the petition presented substantial information indicating that listing the black - capped petrel may be warranted .

they are now working with local people to save the black - capped petrel from the edge of extinction . one of their greatest challenges in trying to understand and meet the needs of poor , rural communities while ensuring the long - term survival of the species .

in north american waters , thirty - five species of shearwaters in six genera have been identified . included among these are the thin - winged pterodrama species of the deep waters such as the black - capped petrel , and the stocky , gull - like northern fulmar .

st . petersburg , fla . — the center for biological diversity today filed a notice of its intent to sue the u . s . fish and wildlife service over the agency’s failure to determine if endangered species protections for the black - capped petrel are warranted . black - capped petrels are seabirds that forage off the atlantic coast from north carolina to florida ; they were once believed to be extinct , but a few breeding colonies remain in the caribbean .

it may fly inland for about 50 kilometres and it nests in a burrow 3 meters underground . this makes it terribly difficult to find and once you have it’s difficult to monitor . because of this people lost track of what was going on with the black - capped petrel .

new discoveries of the endangered black - capped petrel ( pterodroma hasitata ) in massif de la selle , haiti by anderson jean , joel timyan and enold louis - jean , société audubon haïti , describing results of a november 2011 field expedition . see also birdlife news story on this topic .

, but found no jamaica petrels . some scientists have interpreted flight of petrels at dusk towards the jamaican coastline to indicate that that species nest on jamaica , but there is no evidence of nesting there and there has never been a report or specimen of black - capped petrel on jamaica .

great - winged petrel ( ptrerodroma macroptera ) : a recent paper supported this split and recognizes gray - faced petrel ( pterodroma gouldi ) , which breeds on islands off the north island of new zealand , as distinct from great - winged petrel ( pterodroma macroptera ) , which breeds on islands in the southern oceans . only gray - faced petrel has occurred ( as a vagrant ) in north america , where there are several california records . in south america , there is one record of gray - faced petrel from chile and at least one record of great - winged petrel from brazil .

it is a truly fascinating time to study the black - capped petrel . this working group is currently using multiple methods to learn more about the nesting sites and nesting behavior of this species . this information will be used to guide conservation plans and help ensure the survival of this remarkable seabird .

birds disperse over the caribbean and atlantic from the north - east usa to north - east brazil , but the at - sea range has contracted in the north and west . occasionally birds are entrained in hurricanes and deposited far inland - for example , hurricane fran displaced what was probably many tens of black - capped petrels into the great lakes in the northeastern us . generally , in temperate summer months of june - september , black - capped petrel frequents the western edge of the gulf stream .

the black - capped petrel , known as the little devil by locals , is struggling for survival on the caribbean island of hispaniola . but how do you convince people to care about a bird when their children are starving ? this is the challenge facing adam brown and his conservation group , epic .

black - capped petrels are also known as diablotín , or " little devil” because of its night - time habits and odd - sounding mating calls , which reminded villagers of the sounds of evil spirits .

the monograph “diablotin pterodroma hasitata : a biography of the endangered black - capped petrel . marine ornithology vol 41 ( special issue issn 1018 - 3337 ) : s3 - s43 by t . simons , d . s . lee and j . c . haney” is now available at no cost online at urltoken .

i’m working with a species called the black - capped petrel . it’s a very difficult species to study because of a couple of unique things about it . it’s a seabird so it spends all of its day on the ocean feeding , but at night it comes into the centre of the island to nest .

nests are typically found along forested mountain slopes and cliffs at elevations from 1 , 500 metres up to 2 , 300 metres . during the non - breeding season , from approximately may to november , the black - capped petrel lives and forages permanently at sea with the largest numbers concentrated around areas of nutrient rich upwelling

black bill , occasionally with slight pinkish or grayish pink color visible at the base of maxilla and mandible ( age related or environment related ? ) . dull pink legs ; feet pink proximally but becoming black distally .

results of search for black - capped petrel ( pterodroma hasitata ) in dominica : report for 2000 - 2001 by brown , a . c . , and n . s . collier . 2001 . epic report no . 1 . unpublished report to the ministry of agriculture and the environment , forestry and wildlife division ; roseau , dominica .

not wanting to admit defeat , jairo isaa arache – a field assistant trained by grupo jaragua in the use of camera traps and telemetry – decided to search an adjacent ( as yet un - surveyed ) hill on his own . from somewhere up on the hill , the team heard jairo shout “i think i have found the bird ! ” inside a small cave an adult black - capped petrel was sitting motionless on a nest of dry pine needles and fern leaves . nothing seemed to disturb the bird , and each team member took turns to have a short look at this miraculous find . the first ever active nest of a black - capped petrel had been discovered !

black - capped petrels and communication towers . poster by adam brown , ernst rupp , anderson jean and holly freifeld , given july 2013 at the regional meeting of the society for the conservation and study of caribbean birds , grenada .

recent sightings of black - capped petrels , by theodore r . simons , john gerwin , jaime collazo , and rebecca a . hylton , 31 december 2006 ( chap 6 . from simons et al . 2006 compendium prepared for usfws )

to distinguish a jamaica petrel from the trinidade petrel , the dark morph trinidade would have white on the leading edge of the underwing , white in the tips of the primary and secondary underwing coverts , and white in the bases of the underside of the primaries and secondaries . the jamaica petrel lacked this white underwing feathering . similarly , a dark - morph kermadec petrel has white in the underside of the primaries , on the face adjacent to the bill , around the eyes , and on the leading edge of the underwing . the only light coloration on the jamaica petrel was the silvery rump .

" finding this colony of petrels on dominica is a real game - changer for black - capped petrel conservation , " says biologist adam brown from environmental protection in the caribbean , which carried out the survey . dominica ' s forests are well - protected , giving conservationists a " huge new opportunity " to try to secure the birds ' survival , he says .

nests are typically found along forested mountain slopes and cliffs at elevations from 1 , 500 metres up to 2 , 300 metres . during the non - breeding season , from approximately may to november , the black - capped petrel lives and forages at sea with the largest numbers concentrated around areas of nutrient rich upwelling ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 13 ) .

black - capped petrels previously nested on guadeloupe and martinique , but have not been documented there since before 1900 . however , hope persists for rediscovery on guadeloupe ( a . chabrolle in litt . ) based on offshore observations and the presence of inaccessible island peaks . likewise , hope persists for cuba . though there is no documentation of black - capped petrels nesting in cuba in the past or currently , there have been observations of birds flying inland at dusk from a known foraging area .

believed to be extinct . no evidence of occurrence after 1891 - 1892 reports of mongooses found in the empty petrel burrows .

but a re - discovery on the tiny island of dominica not only offers a huge ray of hope to a beleaguered population , but is also a statement about that nation’s established environmental movement , and the success that is within the reach of other caribbean nations . the black - capped petrel is once again confirmed to nest there , for the first time since 1862 .

) . threats in dominica are unknown . threats at sea are not well - known , but there are concerns about mercury loads and offshore energy development in the key foraging area of black - capped petrels off the coast of north carolina ( simons

status of and conservation priorities for black - capped petrels in the west indies by david s . lee in schreiber and lee 2000 , society of caribbean ornithology , special publication no . 1 [ available in hard - copy , contact jim wiley ]

tracking the devil : radar surveys for black - capped petrels . presentation by adam brown , given july 2013 at the regional meeting of the society for the conservationa and study of caribbean birds , grenada . written report by epic , march 2013 .

black - capped petrel : occurs at sea from northern south america to the southeastern u . s . currently , the only known breeding colonies are located in the highlands of hispaniola , haiti and loma del toro in the dominican republic . the total population is small , and a mere handful drift northward along the gulf stream in summer and fall , after the breeding season .

is larger , darker and less contrasting above , lacks black edge to underwing and has slower wingbeats and less erratic flight .

suggested citation : lee , d . s . , w . a . mackin , zonfrillo , b . 2014 . jamaica petrel .

band - rumped storm - petrel ( oceanodroma castro ) : see above ; sacc and nacc use the same taxonomy for this species .

- published conservation action plan for the black - capped petrel . the action plan details three main objectives that will be the focus of work in the near future : defining distribution and abundance ; understanding the breeding ecology ; and working with local communities to conserve the species . the grupo jaragua team is already preparing for the 2012 season , and their part in the implementation of the conservation action plan .

nesting birds commute long distances from breeding to foraging sites , typically feeding in flocks . it is primarily nocturnal and crepuscular , feeding on squid , fish , crustaceans , and sargassum . in its primary foraging range , the black - capped petrel is most influenced by the position of the gulf stream , a dynamic current system , and not sea surface temperature or depth . ( simons et al . 2013 ) .

the jamaica petrel pelagic expedition . a pelagic expedition off jamaica , and off the islands of guadeloupe and dominica , november - december 2009 .

black - capped petrels are highly pelagic and undertake long - distance foraging trips . a compendium of about 5 , 000 at - sea observations indicates that waters in or adjacent to the florida current and the gulf stream between north florida and southern virginia provide a distinct and relatively confined foraging range of black - capped petrels , with concentrations observed there throughout the year . in the caribbean sea , black - capped petrels can occur within the inter - island regions , straits and offshore zones of both the greater and lesser antilles but still primarily east of 80°w . the first satellite tracking of this species ( three individuals ) suggest a similar but more spatially expansive range , including regular occurrence in the caribbean sea between hispaniola and south america and regular occurrence east of primary foraging area indicated by the at - sea observations ( jodice et al . 2015 ) .

no details known . in bermuda petrel , both parents feed young , and young bird flies out to sea 90 - 100 days after hatching .

a recently formed jamaican petrel research group has undertaken surveys of the adjacent ocean , offshore islets and local mountains in hopes of finding extant populations .

an international black - capped petrel conservation group has formed and facilitates communication and coordination among researchers and conservationists concerned about the species . partners have greatly advanced understanding of occurrence , abundance , threats , and breeding ecology and continue to undertake research as they embark on conservation strategies to reduce threats . community engagement to improve socioeconomic conditions and reduce unsustainable agriculture is underway adjacent to nesting sites on the haitian - dominican republic border ( ibcpcg 2016 ) .

one . white . incubation period unknown ; in the closely related bermuda petrel , incubation is by both parents , 51 - 54 days . young : no details known . in bermuda petrel , both parents feed young , and young bird flies out to sea 90 - 100 days after hatching .

the black - capped petrel forages predominantly in multispecies flocks throughout the night but with peak activity at dawn and dusk ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 13 ) . while some time is spent foraging on the ocean surface , the preferred technique is to snatch items with their bills whilst in flight ( 3 ) ( 13 ) . fish , squid and invertebrates all form part of the petrel’s diet , with fauna associated with sargassum seaweed reefs being particularly popular . in addition , these birds are not averse to occasionally scavenge behind fishing vessels ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 13 ) .

the black - capped petrel ( pterodroma hasitata ) , also known as the diablotin , is one of the caribbean’s most fascinating seabirds , and one of its most threatened . spending most of its life at sea , this species comes to land only to breed , nesting in burrows or crevices which they visit only in cover of darkness . almost wiped out by overhunting , the species only persists in remote mountain areas of a few caribbean nations .

imber , m . j . 1991 . the jamaican petrel – dead or alive . gosse bird club broadsheet no . 57 : 4 - 9 .

as its name suggests , this species has a clearly defined cap , separated from the dark mantle by a weak white collar . the conspicuous white ' rump ' ( uppertail coverts ) forms a broad ' u ' shape . distinctive black and white underwing pattern , comprising a broad black trailing edge and diagonal black bar across the secondary coverts . throat and underparts snowy white . darker upperparts intrude at the shoulder , forming a weak half collar . sexes similar . in general , upperparts appear dark or blackish , with the exception of variable white or whitish patches on the uppertail coverts , nape and forehead . the white on the nape accentuates the brownish black cap ; dark coloration extends from cap to eye , nape and towards upper breast , forming partial collar . brownish grey mantle and upperwing . white rump and uppertail coverts . dark brown tail . entirely white underparts . white underwing with narrow black trailing edge , black tip , broad black edge between primaries and carpal joint . band extends towards center of wing .

recently , through the pioneering use of new techniques like radar observation and old - fashioned field work , great strides have been made in understanding this bird . nesting sites have been located on hispaniola and individual nests have been located and studied . on the island of dominica , a breeding population was confirmed for the first time in over 150 years . and the black - capped petrel was recently featured in zing magazine , liat airlines in - flight magazine .

conservation status of black - capped petrels ( pterodroma hasitata ) : colony surveys at sierra de bahoruco , dominican republic , january 2002 by theodore r . simons , jaime collazo , david lee , and john gerwin , december 2002 ( chap 3 . from simons et al . 2006 compendium prepared for usfws )

this important discovery is the result of a huge collaborative effort on behalf of the black - capped petrel for which grupo jaragua and james goetz would like to sincerely thank the support of many individuals and organizations including : abdel abellard , jesus almonte , j . hart , anderson jean , miguel landestoy , enold louis jean , t . mejia , rené jeune , evanita sanon , djeff alexis , markus kleber , jerbin volquez , u . s . fish and wildlife service ,

the atlantic seabird tracking website provides background and maps for the petrel tracking project . results are reported in the journal endangered species research at this open access link .

recent sightings of black - capped petrels , by theodore r . simons , john gerwin , jaime collazo , and rebecca a . hylton , 31 december 2006 ( chap 6 . from simons et al . 2006 compendium prepared for usfws ) . contact brian patteson trip reports from seabird trips off cape hatteras , north carolina .

simons , t . r . , collazo , j . , lee , d . and gerwin , j . ( 2002 ) conservation status of black - capped petrels ( pterodroma hasitata ) : colony surveys at sierra de baoruco , dominican republic , january 2002 , unpublished report . north carolina state university , raleigh , nc .

in january 2015 , epic teamed up with scientists from dominica’s ministry of agriculture and fisheries to conduct a systematic survey of the island aimed at determining the petrel’s status .

the endangered black - capped petrel was last confirmed as nesting on the island in 1862 . but a survey that started in january recorded 968 of the birds over the mountains , where they could potentially be making nests , the birds caribbean organisation says . until now , the only known colonies were on the island of hispaniola - now divided between haiti and the dominican republic . only 1 , 000 to 2 , 000 breeding pairs are estimated to live there , and their habitat is under threat .

a relatively large , distinctive , long - winged pterodroma ( " gadfly " ) petrel . the clearly defined black cap , separated from the dark mantle by a weak white collar , and the conspicuous white ' rump ' ( uppertail coverts ) forming a broad ' u ' shape , are unmistakable , even from substantial distances .

consequently , brown’s team of researchers adopted a technique developed to study petrels on hispaniola : they employed a portable marine - radar array and nightvision scopes to locate and identify birds as they flew to and from potential nest areas in the island’s highest peaks . and the biologists were successful , counting no fewer than 968 black - capped petrels .

the presumed breeding season of the black - capped petrel was already underway when the grupo jaragua team ( of ernst rupp , jairo issa arache , gerson feliz , and josé luis castillo ) started the expedition to search for nests on 3 rd march . the team was joined by two members ( djeff alexis and evanita sanon ) of ojaa – a youth organization in anse - à - pitres , haiti – who have been involved with grupo jaragua - led conservation efforts for the critically endangered ricord’s iguana cyclura ricordi .

monitoring breeding black - capped petrels at morne vincent , haiti and loma del toro , dominican republic . presentation by esteban garrido , ernst rupp , adam brown , james e . goetz , given july 2013 at the regional meeting of the society for the conservation and study of caribbean birds , grenada . written report by grupo jaragua , may 2013 .

presentation on how the conservation of the petrel is being undertaken through human poverty alleviation , given at the birdscaribbean international conference in cuba , july 2017 . presented by anderson jean .

carte , a . 1866 . on an undescribed species of petrel from the blue mountains of jamaica . proceedings of the zoological society of london . 1866 : 93 - 95 .

it is primarily nocturnal and crepuscular , feeding on fish , invertebrate swarms , fauna associated with sargassum seaweed reefs , and squid . it is attracted to localised upwellings , where the mixing of surface and deep oceanic waters produces nutrient - rich areas . the black - capped petrel forages predominantly in multispecies flocks throughout the night but with peak activity at dawn and dusk . while some time is spent foraging on the ocean surface , the preferred technique is to snatch items with their bills whilst in flight . fish , squid and invertebrates all form part of the petrel ' s diet , with fauna associated with sargassum seaweed reefs being particularly popular . in addition , these birds are not averse to occasionally scavenge behind fishing vessels

for pelagic birders on the east coast , it doesn’t get much better than a black - capped petrel in a breeze . like all pterodroma s , they cruise on the wind like a fine italian sportscar on a mountain road , effortlessly and with breathtaking abandon . for decades the only known nest sites of this charismatic seabird were in patches of high mountain forest on the island of hispaniola – including some of the last remaining patches of native forest in haiti – where rampant destruction of natural resources continue to make their long - term survival uncertain .

due to their prevalence off the coast of the u . s . some researchers believe that there are other breeding colonies not yet accounted for . expeditions to find breeding birds in cuba have been made , but no colonies have been found thus far . likewise , reports of black - capped petrels in dominica have not been followed by the discovery of other nesting sites .

adam brown , co - founder and lead scientist at epic states , “finding this colony of petrels on dominica is a real game - changer for black - capped petrel conservation . for years we thought the only remaining colonies of petrels were on hispaniola , where nesting habitat is diminishing at an alarming rate and pressures of human activity are significant . dominica is an island - nation where nature conservation is a high priority and forests needed by petrels are well protected , so we now have a huge new opportunity to undertake conservation efforts to preserve this imperiled species . ”

presentation on recent five years of research , monitoring and conservation of the petrel on hispaniola , given at the given at the birdscaribbean international conference in cuba , july 2017 . presented by hector andujar .

black - capped petrels presumably bred historically in the sierra maestra mountain range of southeastern cuba ( nicasio viña , personal communication ) . this area shares its name with a nearby town , as well as an adjacent point of land also named la bruja where the petrels are known to feed at night . locals in the area reported hearing strange nocturnal sounds in 1976 which n . viña assured residents were birds , not demons or witches ( garrido 1985 ) . cuban ornithologists affiliated with the havana national museum of natural history collected six specimens of black - capped petrels as the petrels were coming ashore at dusk . although this potential breeding colony was never found , as the cliffs within the sierra maestra range are largely inaccessible , there is additional recent evidence to suggest that a stronger survey effort in this area is warranted .

howell and patteson ( 2008 ) suggest that variation in black - capped petrels may reflect multiple cryptic species , as evidenced by different plumage characters and different molt sequence and timing . their discussion is the most extensive and comprehensive treatment to date for this species , but even they suggest that additional information is needed to understand whether this variation is a functional of subpopulations , geographic variation , multiple cryptic species , molt timing , or some combination of these .

this species may seem variable in appearance , but at least one recent treatment of the species suggests that such variation may be more discrete than previously thought ( howell and patteson 2008 ) . " black - faced " and " white - faced " individuals form discrete plumage and morphological clusters : " black - faced " birds tend to show dark or black cheeks and auricular areas , with larger and more obvious dark collar , more extensive dark cap , and darker plumage on the nape ; " white - faced " birds are primarily opposite of these patterns , in showing substantially reduced dark coloration in these areas . note , however , that this variation is not particularly well understood , nor is it completely discrete - intermediate plumages exist .

the only known extant black - capped petrel breeding populations are located in the highlands of hispaniola , predominantly in southern haiti but also in low numbers across the border in the dominican republic ( 7 ) ( 8 ) ( 9 ) ( 10 ) . historically , breeding populations were also recorded on several other caribbean islands , including martinique , guadeloupe , dominica and cuba ( 4 ) ( 10 ) ( 11 ) . it is almost certainly extinct on martinique and guadeloupe ( 4 ) but recent reports suggest the presence of breeding birds on cuba ( 12 ) . its foraging range extends throughout the caribbean and the atlantic , but is observed most frequently on the western edge of the gulf stream from northeast south america to northeast usa ( 2 ) ( 3 ) .

is actually a cryptic complex of several species . only cape verde storm - petrel ( o . jabejabe ) and monteiro ' s storm - petrel ( o . monteiroi ) have been recognized thus far , but ultimately at least one other atlantic taxon is likely to be split from band - rumped . the form , band - rumped storm - petrel ( grant ' s ) is yet undescribed , but increasingly well - known in its east atlantic breeding areas and its vocal differences have been described by the sound approach team . in addition , at least two and maybe more pacific taxa ( including the galapagos form , also available in ebird ) surely will be split . debate continues about which form ( s ) occur ( s ) in united states waters . while this has no effect on current lists ( since only nominate and the undescribed taxa are yet documented or believed to visit north american waters ) , it is worth keeping in mind that the ebird / clements definition of band - rumped storm - petrel is different from that of the aou .

not only is this a fantastic conservation story , but there’s an interesting taxonomic angle as well . birders in the gulf stream have long noted that black - capped petrels come in two varieties , “light - faced” and “dark - faced” . these two forms not only look different , but they have different molt timing and , as a study using museum specimens published in 2013 found , significant genetic distance as well . known breeding populations on hispaniola consist of dark - faced birds so the breeding grounds of the light individuals was long suspected to be dominica .

to be honest , i’m a biologist , i’m not a humanitarian so this not my area of expertise . but i know these things need to be done for the petrel to survive on haiti . there’s a delicate balance between the poverty of the people and the success of the bird .

this is not unique in the world ; if it’s not the petrel , than it’s the elephant or the bengal tiger . it’s that poor , rural communities live next to areas where there are endangered species . i know programmes like this have had success , so i know this one can too .

“this is a nocturnal seabird with a deadly attraction to oily surfaces , so an oil spill in the petrel’s habitat could drive it to extinction , ” said jacki lopez , florida director at the center . “this cliff - dwelling bird urgently needs protection from imminent plans to open its fishing grounds to oil drilling . ”

field investigations on hispaniola suggest that black - capped petrels are laying eggs in mid - to late january , chicks are hatching in mid - to late march and fledglings are departing the colony sites in mid - june to early july ( simons et al . 2013 ) . all nests located to date are at high elevations ( > 1500 m ) and while most are in inaccessible areas ( steep slopes , heavily forested ) some are not ( e . rupp , in litt . ) nesting success from monitoring over 4 years was 70 - 77 % ( n = 47 nests ) with abandonment and predation causing most failures ( e . rupp , in litt . )

i feel optimists about it . being in dominica , where i am right now , where the conservation challenges are different helps with that . if the petrels are here on dominica – where the forests are really protected and the people care a lot about keeping the island the same – then i feel really good about the future of the petrel .

there are only 13 known breeding colonies in haiti and the dominican republic and fewer than 2 , 000 breeding pairs . the petrel is considered endangered by the international union for conservation of nature , the international authority on endangered species ; it is threatened by the destruction of its breeding habitat through deforestation , as well as contamination and oil and gas development .

president obama recently opened the atlantic coast to seismic exploration activities for oil and gas , and the department of the interior is reviewing 10 applications for permits . additionally , the administration proposed a plan to offer an area off the mid - atlantic for drilling in its five - year plan for offshore oil leases . these industrial activities threaten the petrel and its habitat .

, of south trinidade island has been documented in summer from the outer continental shelf of the southeastern united states and this species is also expected to occur in the west indies region . although the two species are not closely related , its size and dark phased plumage are superficially similar to that of the jamaica petrel . at sea sightings of reported jamaica petrels need to be evaluated with caution .

we have made an effort to include many known hybrids that occur in the wild . while this is not a list of every single hybrid combination reported , we have tried to include those that are frequent enough and distinctive enough that they might be reported by birders . these range from the common combinations like " american black duck x mallard " and " western x glaucous - winged gull " to considerably rarer combinations like "

as such , the petrel is highly vulnerable to threats of anthropogenic - related mortality ( including disorientation by artificial lighting and collision with tall structures ) and rampant habitat destruction . as a result of these activities and events , and the potential for increasing activities that expose these petrels to risks , this species is seriously threatened . it ' s conservation status is rated by birdlife international as endangered ; birdlife international estimates that the total population is 5 , 000 individuals , and that the population is in decline .

the black - and - white bird was once a common sight on the island , but was wiped out in the late 1800s by hunting and the introduction of predators . they are notoriously hard to spot , spending only a few months on land each year , and flying to their underground burrows at night . biologists used radar and night - vision scopes to count those discovered in dominica . they now plan to trek into the mountains early next year to look for nests , to confirm that the birds are breeding .

western swamphen ( porphyrio porphyrio ) ; african swamphen ( porphyrio madagascariensis ) ; gray - headed swamphen ( porphyrio poliocephalus ) ; black - backed swamphen ( porphyrio indicus ) ; philippine swamphen ( porphyrio pulverulentus ) ; and australasian swamphen ( porphyrio melanotus ) . the species was recently added to the north american list because of an established , introduced population of gray - headed swamphen in florida . since that time , a vagrant african swamphen has also appeared on bermuda . the nacc considered this split in 2016 but chose not to split purple swamphen at this time .

mass : females range from 347 - 545 grams , with substantial clustering into three different classes of mass that relate to black - , white - , and intermediate - face color patterns ; males of the same mass classes range from 349 - 591 grams . wing chord : females range from 268 - 305 mm ; males range from 279 - 317 mm . exposed culmen : females range from 28 . 8 . 39 . 9 mm ; males range from 30 . 1 - 34 . 7 mm . all data summarized from howell and patteson ( 2008 ) .

unlike many species of seabird that are critically threatened or highly endangered , " considerably more is known about the petrel ' s marine ecology than its breeding biology " ( simons et al . 2006 ) . this species has a small , fragmented and declining breeding range and population and has been extirpated from a number of sites ; declines are likely to continue as a result of habitat loss and degradation , hunting and invasive predators ( e . g . norway rat , indian mongoose ) . these factors remain key threats in haiti . birds are also predated by introduced mammals , and urbanization and increases in artificial lights may disorient birds into colliding with trees , wires and buildings . a telecommunications mast with guy wires erected in 1995 in the dominican republic poses a major , potential collision hazard .

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brooke , m . de l . 2004 . albatrosses and petrels across the world . oxford university press , oxford .

is smaller and usually lacks white hindneck and rump , but separation may sometimes be impossible . great shearwater

this species is classified as endangered because it has a very small , fragmented and declining breeding range and population . it has already been extirpated from some sites , and declines are likely to continue as a result of habitat loss and degradation , hunting and invasive predators .

pterodroma hasitata is confirmed as breeding in hispaniola ( comprising the nations of haiti and the dominican republic ) . the population there is estimated as no more than 1 000 breeding pairs , perhaps as few as 500 , and a total population of 2 000–4 000 birds . the highest density of nests and most of the population occurs on la visite ridge in the western extent of the massif de la selle , haiti . smaller populations occur eastward along the massif de la selle and across the border in the sierra de bahoruco of the dominican republic , as well as around pic macaya in massif de la hotte in western haiti . radar surveys and aural observations indicate that small populations occur in other areas to the north and east in the dominican republic but nests have yet to be located ( e . rupp , in litt . ) taking into account each of these known and suspected breeding sites , all of which are quite small , an area of occurrence estimate of 20 km 2 is reasonable ( e . rupp , in litt . ) .

anguilla ; antigua and barbuda ; aruba ; bahamas ; barbados ; bermuda ; bonaire , sint eustatius and saba ; cayman islands ; colombia ; curaçao ; nicaragua ; puerto rico ; sint maarten ( dutch part ) ; virgin islands , british ; virgin islands , u . s .

the population undoubtedly declined through the 19th and 20th centuries during which time breeding populations on guadeloupe , dominica and martinique may have been entirely extirpated . this decline is thought to have continued during recent years but requires confirmation .

2013 ) . the most significant current threat on haiti is loss of habitat from encroachment of humans for agriculture and forest product collection . habitat loss from fire , and fatal attraction to lights ( flames , cities , communication towers ) are threats for all populations in hispaniola . collection by humans and predation do account for some mortality , but burrow monitoring by camera trap and nest success rates indicate that these are not significant drivers of population decline . ( e . rupp

develop and undertake conservation strategies to halt encroachment in haiti and improve park management ( e . g . fire control ) in haiti and the dominican republic . continue surveys to determine distribution on hispaniola , dominica and at - sea and to determine presence on cuba , jamaica and guadeloupe . research key threats in order to reduce and / or mitigate them , and monitor population status throughout range . ( goetz et al . 2012 ) .

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a colony of one of the world ' s rarest seabirds has been found on the caribbean island of dominica , according to scientists .

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“when it comes to protecting endangered species like this seafaring bird , delay can mean death , ” said lopez .

the center for biological diversity is a national , nonprofit conservation organization with more than 825 , 000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places .

at one time , this bird was known in north america only from scattered waifs blown inland by hurricanes . now it is known to occur regularly in the gulf stream , far offshore from the southeastern states . it breeds only in the west indies , and has disappeared from most former nesting areas ; should be considered at risk of extinction .

formerly an abundant nester on several islands , but numbers dropped sharply in middle of 19th century . decline often blamed on introduction of mongoose , but that occurred in 1870s , after decline already apparent . introduced rats more likely responsible , along with humans catching petrels for food . now known to nest in mountains in haiti , dominican republic , and cuba , and vulnerable in these few spots .

open ocean . forages over warm deep water far off southeastern coast of north america , especially over western edge of gulf stream . also over seamounts or submarine ridges where turbulence may bring food nearer surface . nests around steep forested cliffs in west indies ; may have nested in burrows on more level ground before exotic predators were introduced there .

often in loose small flocks , associated with other seabirds . forages by dipping to surface of water , with feet down and pattering on water , or by settling briefly on water with wings upstretched ; sometimes feeds while swimming . may do most feeding early morning and late evening , when some prey items are closer to surface .


orthetrum sabina , the slender skimmer or green marsh hawk , is a species of dragonfly in the family libellulidae .

it is widespread , being found from south-eastern europe and north africa to japan and south to australia and micronesia .

adults are grayish to greenish yellow with black and pale markings .

it is very similar to orthetrum serapia in appearance , with both species appearing in northern australia .

pale markings on segment four of the abdomen do not extend into the posterior section when viewed from above on orthetrum sabina .

it is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 60-85mm .

this dragonfly perches motionless on shrubs and dry twigs for long periods .

it voraciously preys on smaller butterflies and dragonflies .

orthetrum sabina

orthetrum sabina <EOT> dragonflies & damselflies of thailand : 52 . orthetrum sabina sabina ( drury , 1770 )

maggie whitson marked " slender skimmer or green marsh hawk orthetrum sabina ( male ) " as trusted on the " orthetrum sabina " page .

maggie whitson marked " file : orthetrum sabina feeding tetrathemis platyptera at kadavoor . jpg " as trusted on the " orthetrum sabina ( drury 1770 ) " page .

maggie whitson added the english common name " green marsh hawk " to " orthetrum sabina drury 1773 " .

embed this arkive thumbnail link ( " portlet " ) by copying and pasting the code below . < a href = " urltoken " title = " arkive species - slender skimmer ( orthetrum sabina ) " > < img src = " urltoken " alt = " arkive species - slender skimmer ( orthetrum sabina ) " title = " arkive species - slender skimmer ( orthetrum sabina ) " border = " 0 " / > < / a >

maggie whitson marked the classification from " species 2000 & itis catalogue of life : april 2013 " as preferred for " orthetrum sabina drury 1773 " .

orthetrum sabina sabina . everywhere in the lowlands , you can spot this species . often you will hear it first as it makes a rather loud ' clacking ' sound as it takes off . this is the fifth dragonfly species from the

schneider w . 1995 . ein paarungskette between orthetrum sabina ( drury 1770 ) und crocothemis erythraea ( brullé 1832 ) ( odonata : anisoptera : libellulidae ) . entomologische zeitschrift 105 : 462 - 463 .

watson , j . a . ( 1984 ) a second australian species in the orthetrum sabina complex ( odonata : libellulidae ) . australian journal of entomology , 23 ( 1 ) : 1 - 10 .

yan wong changed the thumbnail image of " file : libélula ( orthetrum sabina ) sobre un gymnocalicium mihanowichii , ciudad ho chi minh , vietnam , 2013 - 08 - 14 , dd 05 . jpg " .

the slender skimmer ( orthetrum sabina ) is a striking green to greyish - yellow dragonfly with black markings ( 3 ) . the sides of the thorax and abdomen are striped with black , and the abdomen is distinctly swollen towards the base . a small dark spot is present at the base of the hindwing ( 4 ) .

dumont , h . j . and verschuren , d . 2005 . odonata from the ennedi and ounianga regions of northern chad , with a note of the status of orthetrum kollmannspergeri buchholz , and a checklist of the species currently known from the republic of chad . odonatologica 34 : 291 - 297 .

orthertrum sabina is a very widespread and common oriental species , whose range extends to australia and china . the westernmost populations are found in the maghreb and along the turkish mediterranean coast . its european distribution is limited to cyprus and the greek islands of samos , kos and rhodos where less than 20 localities are known .

dijkstra k . - d . b . and boudot j . - p . 2010 . first update of the atlas of the odonata of the mediterranean and north africa : orthetrum machadoi longfield , 1955 new to the palearctic and agriocnemis sania nielsen , 1959 new to the egyptian nile valley . libellula , 29 ( 1 / 2 ) : 107 - 125 .

justification : european regional assessment : least concern ( lc ) eu 27 assessment : least concern ( lc ) orthertrum sabina has a very wide global range and only marginally occurs in europe ( cyprus , kos , samos , rhodos ) . in total , less than 20 european localities are known . it occupies a broad range of habitats and there is no indication that it may be declining and the species is therefore assessed as least concern in europe .

joshi , s . , p . koparde , p . dawn , p . roy , and k . kunte ( eds . ) .

copyright © 2018 , all rights reserved . national centre for biological sciences ( ncbs ) holds copyright for all the original material and compilations on this website , although contributing writers and photographers may hold copyright for their material as cited . material from this website can be used freely for educational , basic research and conservation purposes , provided that this website is acknowledged and properly cited as the source . contact us to obtain prior permission for any other use , including for large data downloads and collaborative research .

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schorr , m . and paulson , d . 2015 . world odonata list . tacoma , washington , usa available at : urltoken . ( accessed : 10 july 2015 ) .

lieftinck , 1942 , has been described from the highlands of central new guinea . it is sometimes regarded as a synonym of

( drury , 1773 ) urltoken a genetic study of the species throughout its huge range is needed to understand its variability and possible subspeciation .

justification : this is a very widespread species that is well adapted to various kinds of habitats in fresh and brackish waters , including disturbed ones . it is assessed as least concern .

is an oriental species showing a huge range going from australia , japan and micronesia to north africa .

afghanistan ; algeria ; armenia ; australia ( new south wales , northern territory , queensland , western australia ) ; azerbaijan ; bahrain ; bangladesh ; bhutan ; brunei darussalam ; cambodia ; chad ; china ( fujian , guangdong , guangxi , hainan , hubei , sichuan , yunnan ) ; cyprus ; egypt ( egypt ( african part ) , sinai ) ; eritrea ; ethiopia ; georgia ( abkhaziya , adzhariya , gruziya ) ; greece ; hong kong ; india ( assam , bihar , himachal pradesh , meghalaya , punjab , tripura , uttaranchal , uttar pradesh , west bengal ) ; indonesia ( bali , jawa , kalimantan , lesser sunda is . , maluku , papua , sulawesi , sumatera ) ; iran , islamic republic of ; iraq ; israel ; japan ; jordan ; kazakhstan ; kuwait ; lao people ' s democratic republic ; lebanon ; libya ; malaysia ( peninsular malaysia , sabah , sarawak ) ; micronesia , federated states of ; myanmar ; nepal ; new caledonia ; oman ; pakistan ; papua new guinea ( papua new guinea ( main island group ) ) ; philippines ; qatar ; russian federation ; samoa ; saudi arabia ; singapore ; solomon islands ; somalia ; sri lanka ; sudan ; syrian arab republic ; taiwan , province of china ; tajikistan ; thailand ; timor - leste ; tunisia ; turkey ( turkey - in - asia ) ; turkmenistan ; united arab emirates ; uzbekistan ; viet nam ; yemen ( north yemen , socotra , south yemen )

this species occupies a broad range of slow flowing and still water habitats , from ponds and lakes to wet rice fields , irrigation ditch and marshes . it is very tolerant of high salt contents and to habitat disturbance .

no conservation measures are needed but a study about the genetic variability or homogeneity of the species throughout its range is recommended .

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ris , f . 1912 . ergebnisse der mit subvention aus der erbschaft treitl unternommenen zoologischen forschungsreise dr . franz werner ' s nach dem ägyptischen sudan und nord - uganda . sitzungsberichte der königlichen akademie der wisseschaften , mathematisch - naturwissenschaftliche klasse , abteilung 1 , wien 121 : 149 - 170 .

ris , f . 1928 . zur erforschung des persischen golfes . beitrag 8 , libellen ( odonata ) . wiener entomologische zeitung 44 : 155 - 164 .

sadhegi , s . and mohammadalizadeh , j . 2009 . additions to the odonata fauna of iran . iranian journal of science and technology , transaction a 33 : 355 - 359 .

sage , b . l . 1960 . notes on the odonata of iraq . iraq natural history museum publication : 1 - 11 .

samraoui , b . and menai , r . 1999 . a contribution to the study of algerian odonata . international journal of odonatology 2 : 145 - 165 .

schmidt , e . 1954 . die libellen irans . sitzungsberichte der österreischichen akademie der wissenschaften ( abt . i ) 163 : 223 - 260 .

schneider , w . 1981 . on a dragonfly collection from syria . odonatologica 10 : 131 - 145 .

schneider , w . 1986 . systematik und zoogeographie der odonata der levante unter besonderer berücksichtigung der zygoptera . biologie , institut für zoologie , johannes gutenberg - universität .

schneider , w . 1988 . dragonflies ( odonata ) of the wahiba sands and adjacent areas , eastern oman . journal of oman studies special report 3 : 377–388 .

schneider , w . and dumont , h . j . 1997 . the dragonflies and damselflies ( insecta : odonata ) of oman . an updated and annotated checklist . fauna of saudi arabia 16 : 89 - 110 .

schneider , w . and dumont , h . j . 1998 . checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies of soqotra island ( insecta : odonata ) . first international scientific symposium on socotra island : present and future 1 : 211 - 231 . aden , 1996 .

schneider , w . and krupp , f . 1993 . dragonfly records from saudi arabia , with an annotated checklist of the species from the arabian peninsula ( insecta : odonata ) . fauna of saudi arabia 13 : 63 - 78 .

shalaby , f . 1961 . a preliminary survey of the insect fauna of saudi arabia . bulletin de la société entomologique d ' egypte 45 : 211 - 228 .

skvortsov , v . e . 2010 . the dragonflies of eastern europe and caucasus : an illustrated guide . kmk scientific press ltd ( distributed out of russia by pensoft ) , moscow .

subramanian , k . a . 2005 . dragonflies and damselflies of peninsular india – a field guide . project lifescape . indian academy of sciences , bangalore , india .

subramanian , k . a . 2009 . a checklist of odonata ( insecta ) of india . zoological survey of india : 33 .

tang , h . b . , wang , l . k . , and hämäläinen , m . 2010 . a photographic guide to the dragonflies of singapore . raffles museum of biodiversity research , singapore .

tariq chauldry , m . 2010 . systematics of dragonflies ( anisoptera : odonata ) of pakistan . department of entomology , arid agriculture university , faculty of crop and food sciences .

theischinger , g . and hawking , j . h . 2006 . the complete field guide to dragonflies of australia . csiro , collingwood , australia .

tourenq , c . , barcelo , i . , kumari , a . and drew , c . 2005 . the terrestrial mammals , reptiles and invertebrates of al wathba wetland reserve - a species list and status report . . terrestrial environment research centre , environmental research and wildlife development agency , p . o . box 45553 , abu dhabi .

van der weide , m . j . t . and kalkman , v . j . 2008 . some new records of dragonflies from oman . agrion , newsletter of the worldwide dragonfly association 12 : 52 - 54 .

wang , liang - jong . 2000 . dragonflies of taiwan . wild bird society of taipei .

waterston , a . r . 1980 . insects of saudi arabia . odonata . fauna of saudi arabia 2 : 57–70 .

waterston , a . r . 1984 . insects of southern arabia . odonata from the yemens and saudi arabia . fauna of saudi arabia 6 : 451–472

waterston , a . r . and pittaway , a . r . 1991 ( 1989 ) . the odonata or dragonflies of oman and neighbouring territories . journal of oman studies 10 : 131 - 168 .

watson , j . a . l . , theischinger , g . and abbey , h . m . 1991 . the australian dragonflies . a guide to the identification , distribution and habitats of australian odonata . csiro , canberra and melbourne .

wilson , k . d . p . 2004 . field guide to the dragonflies of hong kong . agriculture , fisheries and conservation department , friends of the country parks and cosmos books ltd . , hong kong .

wilson , k . d . p . 2008 . a brief trip to united arab emirates and northern oman . agrion , newsletter of the worldwide dragonfly association 12 : 56 - 57 .

to make use of this information , please check the < terms of use > .

amphibians & reptiles birds mammals dragonflies fishes plants world biomes bird wing & tail images library resources publications pacific nw moths ( external site ) bug guide ( external site ) a catalogue of butterflies of the united states and canada , j . pelham , 2012 usfws feather atlas an identification manual to the small mammals of british coumbia tags silphidae of washington state

note : please inform dennis paulson ( dennispaulson @ comcast . net ) of any errors of commission or omission . thank you .

we were recently presented with a list of " mystery synonyms " of species that had been posted on inaturalist but were not in this world list . considerable effort was expended to solve this problem , and it led to a substantial number of errors being corrected on this list . we thank matthew muir , greg lasley and john abbott for calling our attention to this and the opportunity to make the corrections . the list was considered updated as of 21 september 2017 .

subsequently an attempt was made to have the list of world odonata used by the iucn in its red list assessments conform to the world odonata list , and this also pointed out some errors in the wol . we thank caroline pollock of iucn for making this possible and k - d dijkstra , viola clausnitzer and rory dow for furnishing information of importance as we worked out the problems . as of 30 march 2018 , the list is considered updated .

genera modified after 30 march 2018 : amphicnemis , anisogomphus , argia , coeliccia , coenagrion , cora , drepanosticta , euthore , forcepsioneura , heliogomphus , indocypha , mattigomphus , microgomphus , miocora , nososticta , protosticta . genera in which the changes involve only addition of synonyms or orthographic changes are not listed here .

thanks to john abbott ( special thanks ) , yahya abdal - aziz , pekka alestalo , matjaz bedjanic , viola clausnitzer , prosenjit dawn , cyrille deliry ( special thanks for ongoing detective work ) , k - d dijkstra , rory dow , günther fleck , heinrich fliedner , ryo futahashi , dirk gassmann , arjen van het hof , marcel hospers , rasmus hovmoller , kwang - soo jung , vincent kalkman , oleg kosterin , noppadon makbun , alan manson , andreas martens , michael may , jose martin meléndez quinto , sarah miller , johann hendrik nüss , fons peels ( special thanks ) , felix reimann , richard rowe , dominic rupprich , csilla vajda , don - alexander van bergen , nancy van der poorten , martin villet , liang - jong wang , florian weihrauch , keith wilson , reiner work , xin yu , ondrej zicha and dan zimberlin ( special thanks ) for corrections and additions over the years . and thanks to martin lindeboom for his early contributions to this list .

this is an ongoing attempt to list all of the valid species of odonata . it is based on past compilations by the authors listed below and constant additional literature research . it includes the author and year of description for all genera and species . it also includes all synonyms for new world species ( from garrison 1991 ) and the great majority of synonyms for african and australian species , but the effort for eurasia is still quite incomplete . nevertheless , we consider the list a good starting point for estimates of biodiversity in this insect order . we must also point out that many typographical errors were introduced into the list when it was first typed , and as we continue to find these we correct them , but some of them persist . the list is not error - free . in fact , it is presently in a stage of making changes almost every week as these errors are discovered by the work of cyrille deliry , and

we have been asked if there is any way that revisions of the list can be shown clearly . right now this is impractical , both because the revisions are frequent , at least several times per month , and we have not come up with a method that would make this both easy on the compiler and easily recognized by the user . because of the volume of changes , we also cannot cope with the responsibility of informing other workers who are maintaining their own versions of the list about every little change ( e . g . , correcting typographical errors in names or dates ) . we are listing the genera in which substantive changes ( e . g . , new species , new synonymies , taxonomic changes ) have been made since the last " edition . "

we have not recognized any subspecies of odonata . instead , we have listed all named subspecies as synonyms of the species under which they were named . we are not able to judge the validity of these subspecies , and as many of them have been questioned , we chose to treat them all in the same fashion .

the list includes zygoptera through coenagrionidae , then anisozygoptera for epiophlebiidae , then anisoptera . within each suborder the families are in some semblance of phylogenetic order , then the genera and species are in alphabetical order within the family . indented names ( not indented very far on some browsers ) indicate ( a ) generic placement in the original description if different from the current generic placement , and ( b ) synonyms following " syn . "

you can use the find function in your web browser to locate families , genera , and species .

bridges , c . a . 1993 . catalogue of the family - group , genus - group and species - group names of the odonata of the world ( second edition ) . c . a . bridges , urbana , illinois .

davies , d . a . l . , & p . tobin . 1984 . the dragonflies of the world : a systematic list of the extant species of odonata . vol . 1 . zygoptera , anisozygoptera . societas internationalis odonatologica rapid comm . ( suppl . ) no . 3 , utrecht .

davies , d . a . l . , & p . tobin . 1985 . the dragonflies of the world : a systematic list of extant species of odonata . vol . 2 . anisoptera . soc . int . odonatol . rapid comm . ( suppl . ) no . 5 . , utrecht .

dijkstra , k - d . b . , g . bechly , s . m . bybee , r . a . dow , h . j . dumont , g . fleck , r . w . garrison , m . hämäläinen , v . j . kalkman , h . karube , m . l . may , a . g . orr , d . r . paulson , a . c . rehn , g . theischinger , j . w . h . trueman , j . van tol , n . von ellenrieder , & j . ware . 2013 . the classification and diversity of dragonflies and damselflies ( odonata ) . zootaxa 3703 ( 1 ) : 36 - 45 .

dijkstra , k - d . b . , v . j . kalkman , r . a . dow , f . r . stokvis & j . van tol . 2014 . redefining the damselfly families : a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of zygoptera ( odonata ) . systematic entomology 39 ( 1 ) : 68 - 96 .

garrison , r . w . 1991 . a synonymic list of the new world odonata . argia 3 ( 2 ) : 1 - 30 .

tsuda , s . 1991 . a distributional list of world odonata . published by author , osaka .

slater museum of natural history 1500 n . warner st . # 1088 tacoma , wa 98416 253 . 879 . 3356

de knijf , g . , ferreira , s . & riservato , e .

the species is common and often abundant at the turkish coast . most european records ( cyprus , kos , samos and rhodos ) pertain to less than 10 individuals .

the species inhabits all kind of unshaded standing and slow - flowing waters . it is found at channels , runnels , ponds and easily inhabits man made waters like ditches .

the larvae of the slender skimmer reach a total length of 19 to 21 millimetres and have spines in the middle of their abdominal segments ( 3 ) .

there is very little specific information available about the biology of the slender skimmer . like all dragonflies , the slender skimmer starts its life as an aquatic larva or nymph , and passes through a series of developmental stages or ‘stadia’ , and undergoes several moults as it grows ( 5 ) .

the length of the larval stage varies between species , although it may range from a few weeks to several years . the larva emerges from its final moult having metamorphosed into an adult dragonfly with characteristic features such as wings and enlarged compound eyes ( 5 ) . the wings of the newly emerged adult expand and harden rapidly , enabling flight soon after the final moult ( 5 ) ( 6 ) .

after emergence , the adult dragonfly leaves the water and spends anything from a few days to several months feeding and maturing . it is in this maturation period where the dragonfly normally develops its full adult colour ( 5 ) .

although little is known specifically about reproduction in the slender skimmer , there is often fierce competition between male dragonflies for access to reproductive females . females typically begin to lay eggs in water immediately after copulation , often guarded by the male . however , females of some dragonfly species can store live sperm in their body for a number of days ( 5 ) .

the slender skimmer is renowned for feeding on other dragonfly species , including some species larger than itself ( 7 ) .

an extremely widespread species , the slender skimmer occurs from south - eastern europe to japan and south to australia and micronesia ( 1 ) .

the slender skimmer occupies a broad range of slow - flowing and still water habitats , from ponds to wet rice fields and marshes . it is very tolerant of disturbance ( 1 ) , and will sometimes occupy temporary water sources ( 3 ) .

the slender skimmer is classified as least concern ( lc ) on the iucn red list ( 1 ) .

there are currently no threats to the slender skimmer , which is a common species with an ability to thrive in disturbed habitats ( 1 ) .

there are currently no specific conservation measures known to be in place for the slender skimmer ( 1 ) .

environment agency - abu dhabi is a principal sponsor of arkive . ead is working to protect and conserve the environment as well as promoting sustainable development in the emirate of abu dhabi .

moore , n . w . ( ed . ) ( 1997 ) dragonflies - status survey and conservation action plan . iucn / ssc odonata specialist group . iucn , gland , switzerland and cambridge , uk . available at : urltoken

this information is awaiting authentication by a species expert , and will be updated as soon as possible . if you are able to help please contact : arkive @ urltoken

abdomen in arthropods ( crustaceans , insects and arachnids ) the abdomen is the hind region of the body , which is usually segmented to a degree ( but not visibly in most spiders ) . larvae stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg . larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults ; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce . moult in insects , a stage of growth whereby the hard outer layer of the body ( the exoskeleton ) is shed and the body becomes larger nymph stage of insect development , similar in appearance to the adult but sexually immature and without wings . the adult form is reached via a series of moults , and the wings develop externally as the nymph grows . thorax part of the body located between the head and the abdomen in animals . in insects , the three segments between the head and the abdomen , each of which has a pair of legs . in vertebrates the thorax contains the heart and the lungs .

theischinger , g . , and hawking , j . ( 2006 ) the complete field guide to dragonflies of australia . csiro publishing , australia .

subramanian , k . a . ( 2005 ) dragonflies and damselflies of peninsular india - a field guide . project lifescape , indian institute of science and indian academy of sciences , india .

o’toole , c . ( 2002 ) the new encyclopedia of insects and their allies . oxford university press , oxford .

silsby , j . ( 2001 ) dragonflies of the world . smithsonian institution press , washington d . c .

terms of use - the displayed portlet may be used as a link from your website to arkive ' s online content for private , scientific , conservation or educational purposes only . it may not be used within apps .

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team wild , an elite squadron of science superheroes , needs your help ! your mission : protect and conserve the planet’s species and habitats from destruction .

this species is featured in jewels of the uae , which showcases biodiversity found in the united arab emirates in association with the environment agency – abu dhabi .

wildscreen is a registered charity in england and wales no . 299450 wildscreen usa is a registered 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non - profit organisation in the usa

this page contains information for about slender skimmers that we found in the brisbane area , queensland , australia .

slender skimmer is yellow to greenish yellow in colour , with black markings . there are the yellow and black strips on the body sides and brown spot at base of hindwings . male and female look the same . as its common name implied , its body is slender .

formed in karawatha forest . we saw some of these slender skimmers flying around those shallow ponds .

the male is as common as the female and can be seen in equal numbers . the thorax is green with black stripes and the abdomen has distinctive black and white markings .

the young male is very similar to the adult male , yet is more of a brown colour .

the female is identical to the male . the only difference are the end segments , where the males appendages are closed together , and the females are splayed ( see below ) . i have to take a photo and zoom in just to see the difference in sex .

this is something i have seen on numerous occasions , but have struggled to get good photos as they fly away at the slightest movement . this shows clearly just how similar they are . the markings are slightly different and the female ' s abdomen is more robust .

from barren grassy areas to paddy fields , and from ponds to rivers , i have seen this species everywhere in the lowlands all year round . in fact , it was the first ever species i took a photo of . . . and got me into travelling the country in search of them .

i am too lazy to write about my past , but i now love photographing dragonflies , manchester city football club , fishing and , of course , my girlfriend .

98 . ischnura sp . ( rufostigma selys , 1876 - group ) . . .

number : 186 family : libellulidae genus : nannophya species : nannophya pygmaea common name ( s ) : the scarlet dwarf . . .

number : 182 family : coenagrionidae genus : ceriagrion species : ceriagrion malaisei common name ( s ) : n / a synonyms : . . .

location : phu kao - phu phan kham national park , khon kaen date : saturday 28th may , 2016 habitat : lowland , shallow lake on the edg . . .

number : 176 family : lestidae genus : platylestes species : platylestes platystylus common name ( s ) : n / a synonyms : n / a . . .

location : phu khieo wildlife sanctuary , chaiyaphum date : saturday , 12th november , 2016 habitat : mid - to upland forested ponds . . .

number : 175 family : libellulidae genus : lyriothemis species : lyriothemis sp . common name ( s ) : n / a synonyms : n / a ha . . .

location 1 : tat fa and pha ing waterfalls , tat ton national park , chaiyaphum date : saturday 26th march , 2016 habitat : lowlands ( a . s . l . . . .

number : 189 family : libellulidae genus : amphithemis species : amphithemis curvistyla common name ( s ) : n / a synonyms : . . .

number : 185 family : coenagrionidae genus : ceriagrion species : ceriagrion pallidum common name ( s ) : n / a syn . . .

number : 57 family : libellulidae genus : trithemis species : trithemis aurora common name ( s ) : crimson marsh glider , crimson dropwing , . . .

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a subspecies o . s . viduatum is known from the highlands of central new guinea .

classification from species 2000 & itis catalogue of life : april 2013 selected by maggie whitson - see more .

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