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The Bluff (Cayman Islands)
The Bluff is the highest part of the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Sea. It stands at the eastern end of the island of Cayman Brac and has a maximum elevation of . Description The Bluff is a low plateau of karstic limestone, gently rising towards the eastern end of the island. Much of it supports a diverse dry forest dominated by '' Cedrela odorata'', '' Sideroxylon salicifolium'', '' Exothea paniculata'', ''Chionanthus caymanensis'' and '' Bursera simaruba''. The forest has a long history of logging and is a mosaic of old growth and second growth trees. Some 473 ha has been identified by BirdLife International as the Bluff Forest Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports significant populations of white-crowned pigeons, Cuban amazons, Caribbean elaenias, thick-billed vireos and vitelline warblers. The IBA encompasses the 82 ha National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Map Of Kayman Brac
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although most commonly used to depict geography, maps may represent any space, real or fictional, without regard to context or scale, such as in brain mapping, DNA mapping, or computer network topology mapping. The space being mapped may be two dimensional, such as the surface of the earth, three dimensional, such as the interior of the earth, or even more abstract spaces of any dimension, such as arise in modeling phenomena having many independent variables. Although the earliest maps known are of the heavens, geographic maps of territory have a very long tradition and exist from ancient times. The word "map" comes from the , wherein ''mappa'' meant 'napkin' or 'cloth' and ''mundi'' 'the world'. Thus, "map" became a shortened term referring to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old-growth Forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological features, and might be classified as a climax community. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines primary forests as naturally regenerated forests of native tree species where there are no clearly visible indications of human activity and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed. More than one-third (34 percent) of the world's forests are primary forests. Old-growth features include diverse tree-related structures that provide diverse wildlife habitat that increases the biodiversity of the forested ecosystem. Virgin or first-growth forests are old-growth forests that have never been logged. The concept of diverse tree structure includes multi-layered canopies and canopy gaps, greatly varying tree height ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Trust For The Cayman Islands
The National Trust for the Cayman Islands is the national trust serving the Cayman Islands. Its purposes are to preserve sites of artistic and architectural interest in the islands and to provide protection for local natural resources and wildlife. It also oversees a program in which sites of special historic interest are marked with a plaque noting their importance. Projects Grand Cayman * Bodden Town Guardhouse Park * Dr. Roy's Ironshore Historic Site * East End Light House Park * Fort George *Governor Michael Gore Bird Sanctuary *Heritage Beach *Old Savannah School House *Watler Cemetery * Mastic Reserve and Trail *Bodden Town Mission House, Grand Cayman *Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park * home of Nurse Leila Yates, the only original wattle and daub house in the Trust's care Cayman Brac *Cayman Brac Parrot Reserve *The Splits, Cayman Brac *Spellman McLaughlin Home *Eldemire House Little Cayman * Booby Pond Nature Reserve * National Trust Visitors Centre of Little Cayman Refer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vitelline Warbler
The vitelline warbler (''Setophaga vitellina'') is a songbird species in the New World warbler family (Parulidae). It is found in the Cayman Islands and on the Swan Islands in Honduras. Taxonomy This species is part of the large New World warbler genus Setophaga. Currently, there are three subspecies described: *''S. v. nelsoni'', (Bangs, 1919), Swan Islands *''S. v. vitellina'', (Cory, 1886), Grand Cayman Island *''S. v. crawfordi'', (Nicoll, 1901), Little Cayman and Cayman Brac These subspecies differ noticeably in underpart coloration and head patterning. Some taxonomists have considered this species conspecific with the North American prairie warbler. However, a genetic study confirmed its species status, while reaffirming a close relationship between the two species. Description This species bears a stark resemblance to the prairie warbler, sharing its streaking on the belly, yellow-green back, and subtle yellow wingbars, differing with the intensity of the black streaks. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thick-billed Vireo
The thick-billed vireo (''Vireo crassirostris'') is a small songbird. It breeds in the West Indies in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, Tortuga (Haiti), Tortuga Island in Haiti and on cays off the coast of Cuba. It occasionally can be found as a vagrant to south Florida in the United States. The subspecies ''V. c. approximans'' of Providencia Island is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the mangrove vireo (''V. pallens'') or as a separate species, the Providencia vireo. Breeding This vireo frequents bushes and shrubs in tropical thickets. The grass-lined nest is a neat cup shape, attached to a fork in a tree or bush branch. 2-3 dark-spotted white Egg (biology), eggs are laid. Both the male and female incubate the eggs. Description The thick-billed vireo is approximately 14 cm in length. Its head and back are a greyish olive, and the underparts are buffy white. The wings and tail are dark, and there are two white wing bars on each wing. The eyes have da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caribbean Elaenia
The Caribbean elaenia (''Elaenia martinica'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae found in the West Indies and parts of Central America. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and heavily degraded former forest. Taxonomy In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the Caribbean elaenia in his ''Ornithologie'' based on a specimen collected on the island of Martinique. He used the French name ''Le gobe-mouche hupé de la Martinique'' and the Latin ''Muscicapa Martinicana cristata''. The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his ''Systema Naturae'' for the tw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-crowned Pigeon
The white-crowned pigeon (''Patagioenas leucocephala'') is a fruit and seed-eating species of bird in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. It is found primarily in the Caribbean. John James Audubon painted these pigeons, including the watercolour painting in his work, '' Birds of America'', published in the early 19th century. Taxonomy In the first half of the 18th century the white-crowned pigeon was described and illustrated by several naturalists including John Ray in 1713, Hans Sloane in 1725 and Mark Catesby in 1731. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his ''Systema Naturae'' for the tenth edition, he placed the white-crowned pigeon with all the other pigeons in the genus ''Columba''. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name ''Columba leucocephala'' and cited the earlier authors. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek ''leukos'' meaning "white" and ''-kephalos'' meaning "-headed". Although Linnaeus gave the location a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International. There are over 13,000 IBAs worldwide. These sites are small enough to be entirely conserved and differ in their character, habitat or ornithological importance from the surrounding habitat. In the United States the Program is administered by the National Audubon Society. Often IBAs form part of a country's existing protected area network, and so are protected under national legislation. Legal recognition and protection of IBAs that are not within existing protected areas varies within different countries. Some countries have a National IBA Conservation Strategy, whereas in others protection is completely lacking. History In 1985, following a specific request from the European Economic Community, Birdlife International ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding important sites for birds, maintaining and restoring key bird habitats, and empowering conservationists worldwide. It has a membership of more than 2.5 million people across 116 country partner organizations, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Wild Bird Society of Japan, the National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy. BirdLife International has identified 13,000 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas and is the official International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List authority for birds. As of 2015, BirdLife International has established that 1,375 bird species (13% of the total) are threatened with extinction ( critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable). BirdLife International p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Secondary Forest
A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. It is distinguished from an old-growth forest (primary or primeval forest), which has not recently undergone such disruption, and complex early seral forest, as well as third-growth forests that result from harvest in second growth forests. Secondary forest regrowing after timber harvest differs from forest regrowing after natural disturbances such as fire, insect infestation, or windthrow because the dead trees remain to provide nutrients, structure, and water retention after natural disturbances. However, often after natural disturbance the timber is harvested and removed from the system, in which case the system more closely resembles secondary forest rather than seral forest. Description Depending on the forest, the development of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bursera Simaruba
''Bursera simaruba'', commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florida to Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. ''Bursera simaruba'' is prevalent in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán, where it is a subdominant plant species to mangroves. Specimens may be found along the western coast of Florida. Description ''Bursera simaruba'' is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 30 meters tall, with a diameter of one meter or less at 1.5 meters above ground.Foster (2007) The bark is shiny dark red, and the leaves are spirally arranged and pinnate with 7-11 leaflets, each leaflet broad ovate, 4–10 cm long and 2–5 cm broad. Gumbo-limbo is semi-evergreen. The gumbo-limbo is referred to, humorously, as the tourist tree because the tree's bark is red and peeling, like the skin of the sunburnt to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
