This species occurs in the
Dominican Republic and formerly occurred in Haiti, with historical reports from the adjacent Haitian islands of Gonâve; the Cayemite Islands, where it was reportedly common in 1934; Île-à-Vache, where it was reportedly common in 1962 (Wiley and Wiley 1981) but is now apparently extinct (T. Brooks
in litt. 2000), and the Dominican islands of Isla Beata and Alto Velo. There is a single record from the island of Culebra off Puerto Rico (to U.S.A.) (Raffaele
et al. 1998). It was formerly widespread, but has been extirpated from over 96% of its original Extent of Occurrence during the last century (Woolaver 2011). Its population has declined steeply and it is now rare (A. Keith
in litt. 1999), with c.80-120 pairs estimated in 2006 (Woolaver 2005, 2006) and 200-300 individuals in 2010 (J. L. Brocca
in litt. 2010). The latest estimates put the population at 91-109 pairs or 182-218 individuals (Woolaver 2011), confined to one locality in Los Haitises National Park, north-east Dominican Republic. In 2003, 93 individuals were recorded there, including 37 pairs, 30 of which attempted nesting with eight successful pairs fledging 10 chicks (Thorstrom
et al. 2005). In 2005, 19 fledglings were produced from 11 successful (out of 28 total) attempts (Woolaver 2005, 2006), while in 2007, 40 fledglings were produced from 22 successful nests (Woolaver 2007). There have been very few recent records outside Los Haitises National Park (S. Latta
in litt. 1998). It was also recorded in human-modified habitat on the Samaná Peninsula in 2003 (Thorstrom
et al. 2005). The species has been reported from Isla Beata and Valle Nuevo in 1981 (Wiley and Wiley 1981); both sites have not been surveyed significantly since then and confirmation of its status at these two sites is a priority. The Peregrine Fund is attempting to establish a new population in the private reserve of Loma la Herradura by translocating individuals from the Los Haitises National Park (Thorstrom 2008). The species is declining rapidly with an annual loss of c.5-10% of pairs recorded at a key study site, Los Limones, within Los Haitises National Park. Furthermore, forest loss at the same site is estimated at 10-15% (L. Woolaver
in litt. 2007, 2008)
annually with no park infrastructure in place to prevent slash-and-burn agriculture.
Rights Holder: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Bibliographic Citation: BirdLife International 2013.
Buteo ridgwayi. In: IUCN 2014 . IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1 . <
www.iucnredlist.org>
