Project Goal
The status and breeding distribution of Black-capped Petrel, (Pterodroma
hasitata) is poorly documented. What is clear is that a combination of
factors including introduced predators, human harvesting, habitat loss,
and natural disasters have led to dramatic population declines
throughout its former breeding range in the Caribbean basin. Today, the
only documented breeding sites for the species are located in the
mountains of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Hispaniola. Recent
research led by Grupo Jaragua, Environmental Protection in the
Caribbean, and researchers from Cornell University on Hispaniola, has
greatly increased information about breeding sites, flight corridors,
and threats on that island. As useful as this new data has been, more
monitoring effort is needed to determine a conservation action plan.
Conservation Metrics
In a collaborative effort with Grupo Jaragua, Environmental Protection
in the Caribbean, and Cornell University, along with funding from the
American Bird Conservancy, Conservation Metrics helped to design and
analyze data from acoustic surveys to monitor activity at known breeding
sites and help the team discover new breeding sites.