Jamaican Petrel
Scientific Name: Pterodromo caribbaea
Other Common Name: Blue Mountain Duck
Status: Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
Range: Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Dominica
Habitat : Marine, Forest
Mating: October – December
Average Lifespan: 16 yrs
Description
The Jamaican Petrel is a seabird endemic to Jamaica that was last positively identified in 1879.
It is a medium sized petrel that is dark brown in colour with a cream upper-tail and black bill and feet. Petrels can live an average of 16 years in the wild.
From published records, there are only 26 collected specimens of the Jamaican Petrel with only two located in Jamaica.
Range & Habitat
The only known breeding site of the Jamaican Petrel is the Blue and Johncrow Mountains of Eastern Jamaica. It is also thought to have nested on Guadeloupe and Dominica.
Nests are made in cliff burrows and holes under trees over 1000m in altitude.
Mating
The mating season for the Jamaican Petrel is thought to be between October to December when courtship and egg laying generally occurs.
Pelagic seabirds such as the Jamaica Petrel generally have small breeding populations and smaller clutch sizes which limits their rate of recovery and range of breeding sites making them vulnerable to a variety of threats.
Conservation Status
Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
The once popular seabird declined in the 19th century possibly due to the introduction of the Indian Mongoose and foreign rats. The petrel was also hunted for food until the mid-19th century.
Rare nocturnal petrels are very hard to detect therefore the Jamaican Petrel is not classified as extinct.
Current threats to seabirds are fishermen, sea pollution, habitat degradation, invasive species and human disturbances on land.
