Génesis Ibarra Vázquez reports for El Nuevo Día: “Experts are calling for the reactivation of the captive breeding program that ended in 2003, at a time when the population of this subspecies, endemic to Puerto Rico, is believed to be less than 100 individuals. Ibarra Vázquez refers to the paloma sabanera, which translates as savannah dove, but is officially called the Puerto Rican plain pigeon—and scientifically, Patagioenas inornata wetmorei.
The distinctive song of the Puerto Rican plain pigeon is no longer heard, and its black beak, blue eyes, red legs, and white wing borders have disappeared from the foliage. At a time when the population is estimated to be less than 100 individuals, organizations, entities, and citizens joined forces to demand conservation and reintroduction measures, including the reactivation of the captive breeding program that ceased in 2003.
“There is a consensus among experts that the situation is critical for the paloma sabanera, and one more hurricane could leave us without it. Nothing more can be done because that could possibly be the end of it. And before that happens, we want—and experts recommend it—to reactivate the captive breeding program so we can ensure the species has, at least, a place where it will be protected if a catastrophe occurs and, at the same time, we can increase the wild population, which is currently declining,” said engineer Frank González, an expert on this endemic subspecies and former president of the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society.
The paloma sabanera (Patagioenas inornata wetmorei) was listed as an endangered species in 1970, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) website. It has managed to survive threats such as habitat destruction, unregulated hunting, and predation by rats and thrushes. Now, its survival faces a new challenge: the passage of increasingly intense hurricanes through the Caribbean, such as Hurricane Maria (2017), which significantly reduced its population. [. . .]
Excerpts translated by Ivette Romero. For full, original article (in Spanish), see https://www.elnuevodia.com/ciencia-ambiente/flora-fauna/notas/llego-a-un-peligro-extremo-urgen-tomar-medidas-para-salvar-a-la-paloma-sabanera-de-la-extincion/T
[Photograph above by Frédéric Pelsy: The Puerto Rican plain pigeon (paloma sabanera) was listed as an endangered species in 1970, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.]