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Saint Lucia Conservationists Welcome New Bird Species

Two Saint Lucia conservationists have joined BirdsCaribbean in celebrating a major milestone for the region’s biodiversity.

This week, BirdsCaribbean announced six newly recognised endemic bird species in the Caribbean.

The announcement followed updates by the American Ornithological Society, expanding the region’s endemic bird list to an impressive 185 species.

They include four new species from the revision of the House Wren into seven distinct species, with the Grenada Wren, Saint Lucia Wren, Saint Vincent Wren, and Kalinago Wren now listed as Caribbean endemics.

Additionally, the White-breasted Thrasher has been reclassified into two species: the Martinique Thrasher and the Saint Lucia Thrasher.

Recognising the new species is particularly significant for Saint Lucia, adding two new birds to the island’s roster of endemic wildlife.

Pius Haynes, Assistant Chief Forest Officer, spoke on the ‘remarkable’ achievement, saying, “The scientific recognition of the Saint Lucia Wren (Troglodytes mesoleucus) and the Saint Lucia White Breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus sanctaeluciae) as two separate bird species belonging to Saint Lucia is a great boost for our island’s biodiversity.”

Haynes noted that Saint Lucia is among the Eastern Caribbean islands with the highest level of bird endemicity.

The Saint Lucia conservationist explained that recognising two birds as Caribbean endemics strengthens this status.

“This signifies that Saint Lucia now has seven endemic bird species, meaning birds that naturally exist only in Saint Lucia and nowhere else in the world,” Haynes told St. Lucia Times.

In addition to the valuable environmental benefits, Haynes noted that this has tremendous potential to widen the socioeconomic base of rural communities especially and enhance their livelihoods through nature-based tourism like bird watching.

Another Saint Lucia conservationist and wildlife biologist, Donald Anthony, elaborated on the broader impact of the endemic bird species development.

“The Caribbean is a biodiversity hotspot,” he explained. “With additional endemic species, it makes the area even more important and worthy of higher conservation measures to protect endemic species.”

Anthony emphasized the significance for Saint Lucia, where the new species inhabit fragile ecosystems. “Having two more endemic species brings our endemic birds tally to eight. However, the Saint Lucia Wren and Saint Lucia Thrasher are both found in secondary dry forests. Most of their habitat is on private lands. There is a dire need, more than ever now, for habitat protection for these species,” he stressed.

Both experts agree that protecting the unique bird species requires a unified, proactive approach.

“We need to make a deliberate, concerted, and collected effort to protect our island biodiversity as a whole,” Haynes urged. “Priority needs to be placed on the protection of wildlife habitats in Saint Lucia. Instead of the constant degradation, fragmentation, and contamination of our natural environment, we as Saint Lucians, with national pride, need to appreciate the gift that nature has given to us and use it in a sustainable manner so that the benefits can be enjoyed now and perpetuated for future generations.”

For his part, Anthony added, “Our government must take real action to save the habitats of those endangered species, especially along the northeast coast. The public must be educated on the value of endemic species to our island.”

He expressed that the threats posed by deforestation and burning, feral cats and dogs, and illegal hunting must be highlighted.

Anthony told St. Lucia Times that habitat protection is pivotal in saving species.

PHOTO: (L to R) Saint Lucia Wren by Charlie Bostwick and Saint Lucia Thrasher by Blake Matheson. 

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5 COMMENTS

  1. Here is the question.

    If these two birds species are endemic to Saint Lucia, meaning it’s found in no other place on earth except Saint Lucia, then the question is, if god created those birds, with those birds now found in Saint Lucia ( and only in Saint Lucia ), were these birds on Noah’s ark for preservation during the flood?….now if Noah’s ark settled in mount Ararat ( somewhere in Asia near Turkey ) how is it that the Saint Lucian birds are not found anywhere in Asia but found only in Saint Lucia? ….the answer is evolution.

    Evolution explains clearly that this unique bird species evolved over a long period of time to have it’s distinct characteristics making it unique only to Saint Lucia. Now let me hear the sky god worshippers blow a gasket. The evidence is right before your eyes to see. Evolution is a scientific fact proven and explained.

  2. Volcanic islands like Saint Lucia are relatively young geologically, typically only a few million years old. This raises the question about how unique species, such as the Saint Lucia Wren and White-breasted Thrasher, could evolve (macroevolution) in such a short period.
    Saint Lucia’s birds might not have originated as new species solely from a local ancestor but rather could have descended from birds that migrated from neighboring islands or mainland areas. Caribbean islands are known for their role in “island hopping,” where birds from the mainland or nearby islands occasionally colonize new volcanic islands.

  3. @ Isadora

    Although you did not say much, you short contribution suggests you understand clearly the process that is taking place.

    @ Einstein.

    Excellent. I totally agree. Although Saint Lucia is geologically very young, and island hoping is a feature in migratory patterns in both animal and human species ( the island hoping of the Carib and Arawak comes to mind), it’s does show that despite Saint Lucia being young geologically, that time frame is indeed enough to allow the Saint Lucia Wren and White Breasted Thrasher to evolve as a unique species. Indeed, certain environmental pressures and other factors may and would have influenced the rapid evolution of these bird species in such a relatively short space of time.

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