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| The arrival of West Nile virus in Jamaica has raised concerns about the conservation
status of the endemic Corvus jamaicensis (Jamaican Crow), which has been largely
restricted to the interior highlands since the 17th century. We conducted an island-wide
survey of Jamaican Crow populations using playback of crow vocalizations from 2008
through 2013. Crows were detected at 370 of 1432 playback sites, mostly in the interior
highlands of St. Ann and Trelawny parishes where they are locally common. Crows were
absent from the Blue Mountains and from a broad band spanning the entire southern coast.
Some crows were found in moderately undisturbed limestone forest in Cockpit Country
and in the John Crow Mountains, but the majority was observed in anthropogenic habitats,
including the patchworks of agriculture, second-growth forest, and pasture that characterize
rural landscapes in Jamaica. Preliminary population estimates of <2900 individuals indicate
the Jamaican Crow is one of the rarer passerine species in the Western Hemisphere.
Status of the endemic Corvus jamaicensis (Jamaican Crow), which has been largely
restricted to the interior highlands since the 17th century. We conducted an island-wide
survey of Jamaican Crow populations using playback of crow vocalizations from 2008
through 2013. Crows were detected at 370 of 1432 playback sites, mostly in the interior
highlands of St. Ann and Trelawny parishes where they are locally common. Crows were
absent from the Blue Mountains and from a broad band spanning the entire southern coast.
Some crows were found in moderately undisturbed limestone forest in Cockpit Country
and in the John Crow Mountains, but the majority was observed in anthropogenic habitats,
including the patchworks of agriculture, second-growth forest, and pasture that characterize
rural landscapes in Jamaica. Preliminary population estimates of <2900 individuals indicate
the Jamaican Crow is one of the rarer passerine species in the Western Hemisphere. | |
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