Tropical Biology

Scouting Trip Report - Dominican Republic June 8-28, 2015

ANNOTATED BIRD LIST

Dominican Republic June 8-28, 2015

KEY *

BDA = Bahia De Los Aguillas; CA = Cachote; CRM = Cabo Rojo Marsh (Bahia De Los Aguillas); IB = Isla Ballenas; LE= Lago Enriquillo ; LO = Laguna Oviedo; LT= Las Terrenas and vicinity; RDC = Rancho Don Cesar; SD = Santo Domingo; SDBG = Santo Domingo Botanical Garden; U = Ubiquitous in the appropriate habitat(s). * See previous sections of this report for detailed descriptions of the above locations.

Numbers indicate maximum number of individuals observed at a particular location. Taxonomy generally follows AVIBASE and Clements, 2014 Checklist of Birds of the World.

Bold type indicates ENDEMIC to the island of Hispaniola.

BIRDS OBSERVED

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) 4 SD; 2 BDA.

Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) 1 BDA; 1 LO; 2 a pair circling above the same shoreline with fishing boats nearly every day, LT.

Great Egret (Ardea alba) 3 LE.

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) 1 CRM; 3 wading in weedy shallows near mudflats, LO (photo).

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) Laguna Oviedo, Dominican Republic 16 June 2015

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) 2 CRM; 1 LE.

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 1 CRM; 30 LE; 10 LT.

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) 40 U.

Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1 RDC.

Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 1 LE.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) 1 RDC.

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) 10 LO (photo).

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) Laguna Oviedo, Dominican Republic 16 June 2015

Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) 30 pairs foraging in shallows; many more along nw shore; flighty when approached to within 50 yards by boat, LO (photo).

Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) Laguna Oviedo, DR 16 June 2015

West Indian Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arborea) 10 swimming near shore; flying, LO; 2 atop palm stumps at edge of lake, LE (photo).

West Indian Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arborea) Lago Enriquillo, DR 13 June 2015

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 20 circling above pastures and roadways throughout region, LT.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1 circling above the shoreline and nearshore waters, LT.

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1 flying over open area @ 3,000 ft. elev., CA

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1 on statue in harbor, SD (photo); 1 BDA.

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) Santo Domingo harbor, DR 10 June 2015

Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 1 swimming at edge of marsh, CRM.

Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 2 flying over shore, LO (photo).

Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) Laguna Oviedo, Dominican Republic 16 June 2015

Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) 5 individuals scattered on shore; an immature molting into first basic plumage LO (photo).

Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) Laguna Oviedo, DR 16 June 2015

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 2 edge of marsh, CRM.

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 1 edge of marsh, CRM.

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) 1 ? flying low in front of breakwater but too distant for pos. ID; large with a dark mantle, SD.

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) 100 (ad, imm) ubiquitous on and near shore (photo).

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) Laguna Oviedo, Dominican Republic 16 June 2015

Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) 15 flying near and offshore, LO (photo).

Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) Laguna Oviedo, DR 16 June 2015

Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 1 flying over breakwater, SD.

Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) 1 ? flying low in front of breakwater; too distant for pos. ID, SD.

Royal Tern (Thalasseus maxima) 1 flying with GBTE and LETE, LO.

Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) 12 flying low over shore and offshore; one with small fish, LO (photo).

Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) Laguna Oviedo, Dominican Republic 16 June 2015

Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) 14 flying low, plunge diving for minnows; resting on island, IB (photo).

Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) Isla Ballenas, Samana Peninsula, Dominican Republic 24 June 2015

Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscata) 1? flying in front of harbor breakwater, SD.

Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) 40 pairs returning to island ledges between sorties diving for minnows with BRTE, IB (photo).

Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) IIsla Ballenas, Samana Peninsula, Dominican Republic 24 June 2015

Feral Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) Ubiquitous in and around towns.

White-crowned Pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala) 1 perched in tree on islet, w LO.

Plain Pigeon (Patagioenas inornata) 2 perched on palm tree stumps at edge of lake, LE.

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 4 on roadway through coffee plantation, CA.

Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita) common in clearings and gardens in and around towns, 1, LE; 2 CA; 4 LT.

White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Ubiquitous in towns and gardens.

Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina) 2 on lawn in shady area, SDBG; 2 around visitor center, LE.

Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina) Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic 13 June 2015

Hispaniolan Parakeet (Aratinga chloroptera) 60-80 highly vocal and gregarious; observed in a variety of trees (especially palms and other species flowering or with fruit), highest numbers found on the Ambassador Hotel grounds; pairs and small flocks elsewhere in town, e.g. Colonial District, SD (photo).

Hispaniolan Parakeet (Aratinga chloroptera) Ambassador Hotel, Santo Domingo, DR 28 June 2015

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) 2 (ad, imm) adult feeding a fledgling on horizontal branch in subcanopy of shade tree in coffee plantation, CA (photo).

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) Cachote, DR 14 June 2015

Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo (Saurothera longirostris) 1 subcanopy of shade trees in coffee plantation (photo); CA; 1 subanopy and tall understory shrubs, RDC, 1 in shady understory and subcanopy, SDBG..

Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo (Saurothera longirostris) Cachote, DR 14 June 2015

Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) 2 together in crown of tree, SDBG; 1 in tall shrubs along fence line, LT.

Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) Santo Domingo Botanical Garden, Dominican Republic 9 June 2015

Antillean Palm Swift (Tachornis phoenicobia) 50 ubiquitous; common at SDBG.

Antillean Mango (Anthracothorax dominicus) 10 ubiquitous, esp. in and around towns (photo).

Antillean Mango (Anthracothorax dominicus) adult fem. (same individual in both images) with young Santo Domingo, DR 10 June 2015

Vervain Hummingbird 1 (Mellisuga minima) perched on a shrub in an open field, @ about 2,500 ft. elev., CA (photo).

Vervain Hummingbird (Mellasuga minima) Cachote, DR 14 June 2015

Broad-billed Tody (Todus subulatus) 2 a pair in a dry mesquite woodland, sallying between shrubs; shy, LE.

Narrow-billed Tody (Todus angustirostris) 2 snatch-gleaning from understory vegetation on roadside; relatively approachable, elev. 3,000 ft., CA (photo).

Narrow-billed Tody (Todus angustirostris) Cachote, Dominican Republic 14 June 2015

Hispaniolan Woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus) ubiquitous; a vocal, gregarious nesting colony in SDBG; preferential to large palms (photo).

Hispaniolan Woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus) Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, DR 9 June 2015

Hispaniolan Pewee (Contopus hispaniolensis) 2 sallying from lower branches of trees in dry mesquite woodland and beach scrub, BDA.

Stolid Flycatcher (Myiarchus stolidus) 1 sallying in mid-story level of dry mesquite woodland near visitor center, LE.

Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis) ubiquitous; often on utility lines; nesting in SD (photo).

Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 10 June 2015

Purple Martin (Progne subis) 3 flying back and forth high over rooftops with APSW, SD; 2 aerial foraging @ 100 - 150 ft. agl., LT

Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva) 1 flying low over beach and adjacent scrubby vegetation, BA

Palm Chat (Dulus dominicus) ubiquitous in and around towns; gregarious; nesting colonially in palms, SD (photo).

Palm Chat (Dulus dominicus) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 8 June 2015

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) ubiquitous vocal; in and around towns and gardens; dry scrub, LE, SDBG, LT.

Rufous-throated Solitaire (Myadestes genibarbis) 1 repeated song from exposed perch on utility line, 3,000 ft. elev. Cachote (photo).

Rufous-throated Solitaire (Myadestes genibarbis) Cachote, DR 14 June 2015

Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) 1 on ground beneath large shade tree, SDBG (photo).

Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) Santo Domingo Botanical Garden, DR 9 June 2015

White-necked Crow (Corvus leucognaphalus) 6 shy and wary; vocal, gregarious; apparently raiding a nesting colony of Palm Chat, RDC.

Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus) 20 ubiquitous; vocal, common but difficult to observe in canopy of deciduous trees (photo) ; a pair of young birds being raised by local boys, CA.

Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus) Santo Domingo Botanical Garden, DR 9 June 2015

Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) ubiquitous, vocal, esp. in and around gardens (photo).

Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) Santo Domingo, DR 8 June 2015

Black-crowned Palm Tanager (Phaenicophilus palmarum) 2 RDC; 2 @ 2,500 ft. elev. in coffee plantation, CA (photo).

Black-crowned Palm Tanager (Phaenicophilus palmarum) Cachote, DR 14 June 2015

Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivacea) 2 a pair staying close together on ground in shaded area ,SDBG (photo); 2 in forested area, LT.

Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivacea) Santo Domingo Botanical Garden, DR 9 June 2015

Greater Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla violacea) 1 in subcanopy of dry mesquite woodland near visitor center, LE.

Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger) ubiquitous; vocal, gregarious, on ground and in palms, SDBG (photo).

Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger) Santo Domingo Botanical Garden, DR 9 June 2015

Hispaniolan Oriole (Icterus dominicensis) 1 in gardens and coconut palms at our hotel, LT.

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) ubiquitous in and around towns.