Semper's warbler (''Leucopeza semperi'') is an extremely rare or possibly extinct

New World warbler The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Most ...

which is endemic to

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

, part of the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...

. The common name and Latin binomial name commemorate Reverend John E. Semper, an amateur ornithologist who lived in St. Lucia.

Description

The bird is about 14.5 centimetres in length. The plumage of the adults is dark gray at the upperparts and greyish white at the underparts. The immatures are brownish-grey above and have buffish underparts, and the long legs are pale yellow. The call consists of tuck-tick-tick-tuck noises.

Distribution and habitat

Semper's warbler is endemic to

. It lives in the undisturbed undergrowth of lower montane rainforests and elfin woodlands.

Ecology and behavior

Nothing is known about its ecology but it is probably a ground-nesting bird.

Status

It was rather abundant in the 19th century but there are only a few reports of this species in the 20th century. According to West Indian ornithologist

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

, it was last collected on the summit of Piton Flores in 1934, another report was from March 1947 where it was sighted between the Piton Lacombe and the Piton Canaries.Greenway, James (1967): ''Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World'' The last reliable sighting was in 1961. Though unconfirmed sightings were in 1965, 1972, 1989, 1995 and 2003 there is a weak hope for a rediscovery because suitable habitat still remains. A cause for its decline was probably the introduction of mongooses. Due to its possibly ground-nesting habits it was an easy prey for the mongooses. Another cause might be

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

References

External links

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 ...

(2006) Species factsheet
Leucopeza semperi
Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25 October 2006

Semper's warbler Semper's warbler (''Leucopeza semperi'') is an extremely rare or possibly extinct New World warbler which is endemic to Saint Lucia, part of the Lesser Antilles. The common name and Latin binomial name commemorate Reverend John E. Semper, an amat ...

Birds of Saint Lucia Endemic fauna of Saint Lucia

{{Parulidae-stub