July
09th 2011
The
White-Breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus brachyurus
santaeluciae)
 For
the past weeks you’ve been introduced
to five endemics St Lucian birds; St Lucia
Oriole, St Lucia Parrot, St Lucia Black Finch,
St Lucia Warbler and St Lucia Pewee. By definition
endemic species are only found in one country
and nowhere else in the world.
In the coming weeks we will be introducing
our endemic subspecies. The white-breasted
Thrasher is a Lesser Antillean Regional endemic
found both in St Lucia and Martinique which
comprises their entire global range. This
charismatic bird is a perfect example of an
endemic subspecies because of their separate
island homes and an accepted subdivision of
its biological classification or the difference
in the third name in Latin; Ramphocinclus
brachyurus sanctaeluciae (St Lucia) and Ramphocinclus
brachyurus brachyurus (Martinique).
What
does this bird look like?
The santaluciae race is 23 – 25 cm in
length; with dark brown upperparts, white
underparts and long bill. Very interestingly
also is that this bird often drops its wings
when excited or curious. The immature bird
is dark brown, developing a creamy white patch
on the breast as it ages.
How
many are out there in the wild?
The White-breasted Thrasher is also rare and
endangered, restricted to the northeast coast
from Praslin to Petite Anse. Present research
shows that the majority of thrashers (75%)
of the global population are found in the
dry forest areas of Praslin with between 1100
– 2400 breeding adults on St Lucia.
Where
do they live and what do they eat?
It inhabits dry and semi-dry woodland and
scrub with abundant leaf-litter, often in
areas with a clear understorey but sometimes
in dense bushy areas. In the northern part
of its range on St Lucia (Petite Anse-Dennery
Knob) it tends to occur along ravines and
river-valleys, but in the rest of its range
on St Lucia it also occurs on dry hillsides
well away from streams. It primarily forages
on the ground tossing aside leaf litter in
search for invertebrates, small frogs and
lizards but have also been seen taking berries.
When
can we expect to see baby thrashers?
Breeding occurs with the beginning of the
rainy season. The Thrasher builds a deep cup-shaped
nest in saplings or shrubs and is placed 0.5
- 3 m from the ground. Usually two eggs are
laid from May to August. Those cute young
thrashers spend much time on the ground before
finding a home of their own and are sometimes
very noisy attracting terrestrial predators
like rats, mongoose and snakes.
Are
there any threats to its survival?
The thrasher faces a real threat of habitat
loss to agriculture, charcoal burning and
wood cutting, and other development pressure.
It is still legally protected but sad to say
most of its home range falls on privately
own land.
Major conservation measures have to be in
place for the survival of the species and
these are what have been proposed. Future
plans include;
• Protected areas need to be established
and effectively protect coastal dry woodland
and scrub within the thrasher's range.
• Allow adjacent farmlands to regenerate
into scrub woodland, providing additional
habitat and allowing populations to expand.
• Enact legislation to protect critical
wildlife sites.
• Consult with the hotel developer to
preserve and protect suitable areas of thrasher
habitat in a private reserve.
Janice
Mathurin-Poleon
Forestry Department
Photos © Forestry Department
For further information, please contact the
Forestry Department at 468-5648/5645 or visit
our blog at forestryeeunit.blogspot.com.
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