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Public release date:
9-Jul-2004
Scientists thrilled by first confirmed sighting in almost a decade
July 9, 2004 (Washington, DC) – The Cozumel Thrasher (Toxostoma guttatum),
a bird not seen or recorded by scientists for close to a decade and thought
by some to have gone extinct, was sighted last month by a team of field
biologists, American Bird Conservancy and Conservation International announced
today. Its rediscovery immediately makes it the single most threatened bird
in Mexico.
The Cozumel Thrasher, an endemic bird found only on the island of Cozumel
off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, appears to have experienced a precipitous
decline in 1988 after Hurricane Gilbert tore through the island. It immediately
became rare, but small numbers of the bird were known to exist until it
was last sighted in 1995. That same year, Hurricane Roxanne ripped through
Cozumel and may have also contributed to the species' decline. Scientists
estimate that as many as 10,000 once thrived on the island.
Previous recent expeditions to find the Cozumel Thrasher proved futile.
Last month, a team of field biologists working in conjunction with Villanova
University and the Mexican counterpart of the Island Endemics Institute,
spotted a single individual, confirming that the species was not yet extinct.
The field biologists were on a rediscovery mission sponsored by American
Bird Conservancy and Conservation International.
"This is terrific news for the species," said Dr. George Wallace, vice
president for International Programs at American Bird Conservancy. "It
opens a door to a range of possibilities that we hope will lead to the
establishment of a protected area if more birds are found."
The Cozumel Thrasher is a medium-sized (23 cm. long) bird, similar to
a mockingbird. It is brown and white with a long, curved bill. Its upper
parts are a rich chestnut-brown with two white wing-bars. It has a gray
face, black bill and legs, and white underparts heavily streaked black.
Its song is described as a complex scratchy warbling.
"The rediscovery of the Cozumel Thrasher is a reminder of two key things:
the importance of tropical islands for biodiversity conservation, and
the importance of never giving up on a species - no matter how rare,"
said Dr. Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International.
Although the hurricanes are believed to have had a major negative impact
on the birds, scientists believe that other factors must have contributed
to the decline, because the Cozumel Thrasher likely survived hurricanes
for millennia. Introduced species, especially predatory boa constrictors
introduced to the island in 1971 and now abundant, may also have had a
disastrous effect.
Fortunately, large tracts of deciduous and semi-deciduous forest, thought
to be the species' preferred habitat, still remain, and the birds are
not hunted or trapped for the pet trade. Formal protection and management
of Cozumel's habitat could benefit other species on the island, including
two other endemic bird species, fifteen endemic bird subspecies, and at
least three endemic and threatened mammal species.
The team will next try to determine the size and range of the population
represented by this single bird, and then return next January, when the
birds are known to sing more frequently, to attempt further surveys. To
protect this and potentially other birds from disturbance, the exact location
of the discovery is not being disclosed to the public.
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