Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi)

The theory of island biogeography explains that bigger islands would have a more

species than that of a smaller island. It deals with the factors that affect the diversity and the

species richness of an ecosystem. In this essay we will investigate the critically endangered

bird, the Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi), which is native to Grenada in the Lesser Antilles.

Other common names for this species are pea dove or Well’s dove. The study of this species

is particularly interesting as it is endemic and the national bird of Grenada, and is also “one of

the most critically endangered doves in the world” as reported by International Union for

Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (BirdLifeInternational 2018)

The Grenada Dove is distinguishable by its white throat. It has a light pink forehead

and face which transitions into a brown on the crown and nape of the bird. The upper part of

its body is brown with a lighter brown underwing. The neck and upper chest are pink which

shades into white on the lower chest, belly and under the tail. (Goodwin 1977) they are

estimated to live for approximately 4.2 years. (BirdLifeInternational 2018)

The Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi)

The Grenada Dove is found exclusively in Grenada. It resides in forested hills and

valleys of dry forests (BirdLifeInternational 2018) It’s mainly found in south west Grenada in

the dry, coastal scrub-woodlands. These woodlands have a closed canopy of trees and shrubs
3-6 meters tall. The tree Haematoxylum campechainum is abundant in these areas. On the

western coast, the habitat is evergreen and deciduous vegetation. (BirdLifeInternational 2018)

Leptotila wellsi was first discovered in 1988 when its status was considered

Threatened and later on in 1994 attained Critically Endangered status. It was first described

as a member of the Engyptila genus by Lawrence in 1884, but later became known as a

membr of the Leptotila genus by Blockstein and Hardy in 1988. (Lawrence 1884) It is

estimated that this bird was more widespread throughout Grenada and possibly this species

was also found in offshore islands. This species has always been rare and its population has

steadily declined since. (BirdLifeInternational 2018) The Leptotila wellsi owes it declining

population to be an effect of hurricanes, fires, destruction of land to facilitate tourism,

industrial and residential buildings and roads, along with the predation and grazing by

invasive species.

The conservation status of the Leptotila wellsi is Critically Endangered and its

population size is decreasing. It has a very small and fragmented population and due to loss

of habitat and fragmentation, the species number continues to decline. The estimated

population size is approximately 160 individuals, globally. In 2003 there was an estimated

population of 182 birds, but in 2004, the population size declined due to the devastating

impact of Hurricane Ivan. In 2007, the population was then estimated to be 136 individuals.

In the most recent survey done in 2013, the approximate number of mature individuals was

found to be 110 (90-130 range). (BirdLifeInternational 2018)

This species is limited to roughly 2 to 5 locations throughout Grenada residing

predominantly along the west coast. They are found in the Woodlands of Grenada, Mount

Hartman Grenville Vale, Perseverance and Woodford in Grenada The geographic range of

the Leptotila wellsi was documented post-Hurricane Ivan. It is estimated that in the west

coast, there was a reduction from 36 calling males to 3 -10 calling males. Within the Mt.
Hartman area, there was a decline from estimated 55 males to 30-48 males. The current

whereabouts of the Leptotila wellsi are mainly in Mt. Hartman Estate with 43% of the

remaining birds existing there. 28 of the species are located in protected areas, 29 on private

land, and 11 on unprotected crown land. (BirdLifeInternational 2018)

Distribution of Leptotila wellsi

The Grenada Dove has been found to eat papaya (Twyman 2008) or forage on the

forest floor for food. (Rusk 2017) Other species in the Leptotila genus are said to have been

documented eating mealworms, fruits, seeds and grains. (Skutch 1964)

There are many threats facing the Leptotila wellsi population today, and all are

directed toward the decline of the existing populations. Residential and commercial

development as well as lands being cleared for agriculture and aquaculture purposes all

contribute to decreasing the habitat area of the Grenada Dove. The presence of invasive

species such as mongoose, also contributes to the declining populations. Mongoose, rates,

cats and opossum all hunt the Grenada dove and eggs. Mongoose and cats are bale to climb

the trees and reach the birds thus making them a threat. (Bolton et al. 2016) Storms, floods

and changing weather patterns, along with pollution also have an effect on the populations.

(BirdLifeInternational 2018)
 There are a number of conservation actions being implemented to recover the

populations of the Grenada Dove as it is the national bird of Grenada. In 1996, the

Perseverance and Mt. Hartman estates were established as protected and a national park,

respectively. A plan to recover the dove population was drafted in 1988. In 2008, a ten-year

conservation and recovery plan was drafted. In 2011, the dove populations on crown lands

received approval for protection, but a housing development is being scheduled for the site. It

is illegal to collect eggs from these birds, as well as to hunt them. However, these threats are

not strong enough to deter the hunters of Grenada.

In conclusion, the Grenada Dove, discovered in 1884, is critically endangered today

with its total population size estimated at 136 individuals. Grenada Dove is native to Grenada

and is its national bird, hence it is of utmost importance to Grenada. The Grenada Dove has

not been recorded in offshore regions, though it is suspected that it may be possible. These

birds are found mainly in protected habitats or national parks along the western and south

western coasts of Grenada and they are legally protected. They feed mainly on fruit and are

foragers on the forest floor. There are several conservation actions in place to attempt to

restore the Grenada Dove population after the devastating effects of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Commercial developments and clearing of land for agriculture and aquaculture are some

factors which threaten the existence of the Grenada Dove, along with invasive species,

pollution, climate change and diseases. There are not many accessible papers on the Leptotila

wellsi probably due to its low population size. Most information was found on the IUCN red

list where some of the articles cited were inaccessible to the average reader.

WORD COUNT: 1087

References

BirdLifeInternational. 2018. "BirdLife International (BirdLife. “The IUCN Red List of

Threatened Species.”." IUCN Last Modified August 7, 2018.
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22690874/131031811. .
Bolton, NM, C Van Oosterhout, NJ Collar, and DJ Bell. 2016. "Population constraints on the
Grenada Dove Leptotila wellsi: preliminary findings and proposals from south-west
Grenada." Bird Conservation International 26 (2): 205-213.
Goodwin, Derek H. 1977. Pigeons and doves of the world. Comstock Pub. Associates.
Lawrence, George N. 1884. "(New York City.) Characters of a new species of pigeon of the
genus Engyptila, from the island of Grenada, West Indies." The Auk.
Rusk, Bonnie L. 2017. "Long-term population monitoring of the critically endangered
Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi) on Grenada, West Indies." Journal of Caribbean
Ornithology 30 (1): 49-56.
Skutch, Alexander F. 1964. "Life histories of Central American pigeons." The Wilson
Bulletin 76 (3): 211-247.
Twyman, Walter Dan. 2008. "Grenada Dove Ecology in a Post-hurricane Environment: A
Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Tennessee Technological
University." Tennessee Technological University.