The Hispaniolan Ornithological Society ( es, Sociedad Ornitológica de la Hispaniola), is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to nature conservation, particularly of birds and their habitats, on the island of
Hispaniola (
Haiti and the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
). SOH's mission is to "conserve Hispaniolan birds and their habitats through research, community education, and professional training".
Established in the Dominican Republic in 2001 and incorporated by presidential
decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...
#85504, the SOH was founded by a group of
bird watcher
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, ...
s and biologists committed with the conservation of birds and their natural environments.
Education programs include promoting bird watching as well as giving presentations on local birds in public schools, private schools, and in rural communities. SOH has also been involved in publishing several books on birds of the Hispaniola, the latest one being "The Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti", by Dr. Steven Latta, et al.
SOH has strong relationships with other conservation organizations, with which it has partnered in important projects. These partners include the U.S.
National Aviary
The National Aviary, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the only independent indoor nonprofit aviary in the United States. It is also the country's largest aviary, and the only one accorded honorary "National" status by the United States Co ...
, The Peregrine Fund, and the Audubon Society of Haiti. Field work conducted in collaboration with these entities includes studies of the critically endangered
Ridgway's hawk
Ridgway's hawk (''Buteo ridgwayi'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae endemic to the island of Hispaniola (both Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean. It is classified as Critically Endangered because of habitat destructi ...
(''Buteo ridgwayi''), nest cavity restoration for the
Hispaniolan parrot
The Hispaniolan amazon or Hispaniolan parrot (''Amazona ventralis''), colloquially known as cuca, is a species of Amazon parrot in the family Psittacidae
The family Psittacidae or holotropical parrots is one of three families of true parrot ...
(''Amazona ventralis''), and wintering ecology of the
Bicknell's thrush
Bicknell's thrush (''Catharus bicknelli'') is a medium-sized thrush, at and . One of North America's rarest and most localized breeders, it inhabits coniferous mountain tops and disturbed habitats of the Northeast. While very similar in appeara ...
(''Catharus bicknelli'').
Interesting facts
* SOH is the local administrator of
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
's and
National Audubon Society's
eBird
eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project ...
project
.
* Through some of its members, SOH has the most complete database of bird and nature images on the island, which are used extensively as visual aides for nature and conservancy public awareness.
* It is the Dominican institution with the most members who are fully trained to perform professional studies of
Bird, avifauna. The group has several year's experience collaborating and assisting in multiple research and bird monitoring projects, most of them conducted by ornithologists from the United States.
Publications
* Aves Comunes de la República Dominicana by Steve Latta y La Sociedad Ornitológica de la Hispaniola (Spanish)
External links
Sociedad Ornitológica de la Hispaniola webpage
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Ornithological organizations
Environment of the Dominican Republic
Environment of Haiti
Animal welfare organizations based in the Dominican Republic