Title
Distribution and Natural History of the Caribbean Osprey (Pandion haliaetus ridgwayi)
Author(s)
Wiley, J. W.;Poole, A. F.;Clum, N. J.
Published
2014
Publisher
Journal of Raptor Research
Abstract
The Caribbean Osprey (Pandion haliaetus ridgwayi) is a nonmigratory Osprey that nests in scattered numbers across the northwestern Caribbean, from the Bahamas through Cuba to the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize. Distinguished from its North American counterpart (P. h. caroli-nensis) by paler plumage and a whiter head, this bird remains in many ways the least known and certainly the least studied of the world’s four subspecies of Osprey. Given its apparent low numbers and restricted range, this bird mayeven be at risk. We present here an overview of the status and distribution of this little-known bird, with a focus on delineating areas of nesting concentration; we also provide brief notes on natural history as well as directions for future research. Because little is known, we base much of this report on a study of museum specimens, but include published and unpublished field reports, where available, as well as notes from a preliminary study of a small colony of Ospreys nesting in southern Belize. Wink et al. (2004) recommended elevation of the four recognized Osprey subspecies (P. h. haliaetus, carolinensis,ridgwayi,and cristatus) to species level. That study, however, was limited to the calculated genetic distance of a single mtDNA gene (cytochrome b), and included no molecular data fromridgwayi, so we regard these conclusions as premature. See Prevost (1983) for a detailed discussion of Osprey subspecific taxonomy.
Keywords
Osprey;Pandion haliaetus ridgwayi;Belize;Caribbean;diet;nesting;nest platforms;West Indies;Yucatan

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PUB15385