Least poorwill

The least pauraque (Siphonorhis brewsteri), or least poorwill, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae of birds, and the only confirmed extant species of the genus Siphonorhis (after the extinction of the Cuban pauraque and presumed extinction of the Jamaican pauraque). It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic).

Least poorwill
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Caprimulgidae
Genus: Siphonorhis
Species:
S. brewsteri
Binomial name
Siphonorhis brewsteri
(Chapman, 1917)

Distribution and habitat

S. brewsteri is found in the central and west Dominican Republic (particularly on the north slope of the Sierra de Baoruco mountain range, and between Oviedo and Pedernales, in Pedernales Province), and in Haiti (between Arcahaie and Montruis in the Ouest department, north of Port-au-Prince) and, at least formerly, was numerous on Ile de la Gonâve. It is thought to be generally rare, although it can be locally common, and is possibly under-recorded, due to its silent nature and nocturnal habits; recorded sightings are most common in the Dominican Republic, with very little in Haiti. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

Conservation

As seen by the fact that it was only first described in 1917, S. brewsteri is an enigmatic and little-known bird. It was listed as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN from 1988 on, but in 2000, its status was changed to "Data Deficient", owing to the continuing uncertainty. With more information available, it is again listed as "Near Threatened" in the 2007 IUCN Red List.[2]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Siphonorhis brewsteri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. See BirdLife International (2007a,b)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.