Thumbnail Image
Publication

Gone with the wind: The proximate and ultimate causes of the decline and extinction of the Bahama Nuthatch Sitta insularis

Gardner, Matthew, A.
; 
Pereira, David, J.
; 
Geary, Matt
; 
Collar, Nigel, J.
; 
Bell, Diana, J.
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
Affiliation
University of East Anglia; University of Chester; BirdLife International, Cambridge
EPub Date
Publication Date
2024-10-17
Submitted Date
Collections
Biological Sciences
Show all metadata
Files
Thumbnail Image
Article - VoR
Adobe PDF, 480.13 KB
Other Titles
Abstract
Newly elevated to species rank, the Bahama Nuthatch Sitta insularis is or was a bark- and twig-gleaning insectivore only known in life from the pine forests of Grand Bahama in the Bahamas archipelago. It became increasingly difficult to find in the past 50 years, seemingly in part in response to multiple hurricanes in this century. In spring (June–April) 2018, when it was still known to be extant, we divided the island into seven sections and carried out point count transects with playback and measured habitat variables at 464 locations in pine forest across Grand Bahama. We made only six observations at six locations, all in the region of Lucayan North and each involving a single nuthatch (possibly all the same individual). Fourteen count points were within 500 m of the six locations, and tree size at these sites was greater in height and girth than at sites with no observations and indeed than at other sites within Lucayan North. Count points within 500 m of nuthatch records in 2004–2018 had larger trees and more snags than survey points over 500 m away from previous detections, while count points within 500 m of our 2018 nuthatch records tallied more snags than did those within 500 m of the 2004–2007 records. Declines in habitat quality, habitat extent, nesting substrate, and food availability (driven by logging, attritional island development, and the direct and indirect effects of hurricanes), plus speculated increases in populations of invasive predators/competitors and in major mortality events (hurricanes, increasing in force and frequency with climate change), are suspected to be the ultimate causes of the decline of the nuthatch, with Hurricanes Matthew and Dorian the proximate causes of its evident extinction in 2019.
Citation
Gardner, M. A., Pereira, D. J., Geary, M., Collar, N. J., & Bell, D. J. (2024). Gone with the wind: The proximate and ultimate causes of the decline and extinction of the Bahama Nuthatch Sitta insularis. Bird Conservation International, 34, e28. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270924000236
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Journal
Bird Conservation International
Research Unit
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10034/629110
DOI
10.1017/S0959270924000236
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Type
Article
Language
Description
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International
Series/Report no.
ISSN
0959-2709
EISSN
1474-0001
ISBN
ISMN
Gov't Doc
Test Link
Sponsors
unfunded
Additional Links
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bird-conservation-international/article/gone-with-the-wind-the-proximate-and-ultimate-causes-of-the-decline-and-extinction-of-the-bahama-nuthatch-sitta-insularis/4F0B80C6964CDAC1B69F6EA8F9D2CB8B