The White-Crowned Pigeon in Puerto Rico: Status, Distribution, and Movements

Abstract

White-crowned pigeons (Columba leucocephala) were studied in Puerto Rico and offshore islands from December 1973 through September 1975. Additional observations were made from October 1975 to November 1976. White-crowned pigeons in Puerto Rico in the past century have declined to a few remnant populations. The decline resulted from destruction of habitat and over-shooting. In 1974 and 1975 an estimated 4,000 pigeons were located with largest breeding concentrations along the north and east coasts. Small populations occurred on Vieques (estimated 400 birds) and Culebra (estimated 300 birds) islands, while Mona Island had the largest population (estimated 6,000 birds) in Puerto Rican territory. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 43(2):402-413 The white-crowned pigeon is widely distributed throughout the Caribbean. It is found from southern Florida and the Florida Keys to the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, east and south to Antigua in the Lesser Antilles, and on the islands off the Caribbean coast of Central America from Yucatan to northwestern Panama (Bond 1956). The species has been reduced in numbers throughout much of its range, primarily due to habitat destruction and hunting, including squabbing. The white-crowned pigeon was formerly common in Puerto Rico (Taylor 1864, Gundlach 1878, Bowdish 1902) but has suffered a substantial decline. In 1911-12 Wetmore (1916a) found them in only a few localities as did Struthers (1927) in 1922. By 1931, Danforth considered the white-crown rare in Puerto Rico. Recently, however, McCandless (1958) and Leopold (1963) listed it as a fairly common, though local, resident in Puerto Rico. Despite growing international concern for the white-crowned pigeon, little has been reported on its biology. My purpose here is to present data on its past and present distribution, abundance, and movements in Puerto Rico. The U.S. Navy allowed me to conduct research on the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, for which I am grateful. M. Hickman, U.S. Navy Ecology Coordinator, was particularly helpful in the field and in acquiring permits to work on the Station. L. Casasus, J. Gracia, J. Taapken, E. Litovich, and the late H. O'Neill assisted with interviewing and censusing. H. Raffaele generously allowed me to examine his field notes and showed me the Dorado Beach Hotel site. C. Braun, N. Snyder, and F. Wadsworth reviewed early drafts of this paper. My wife, Beth, has been involved in all phases of the work for which I am most grateful. This research was supported by Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Projects W-8-17, 18, and 19.