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UK Scientists Plan Expedition
to Find & Test Rare Nevis Bullfinch
| Local Naturalist and tour
guide, Jim Johnson has forwarded on a photo (taken by Jane Molle)
of what is believed to be the rare Nevis Bullfinch to several
noted British ornithogologists, Robert Ricklefs at BirdLife
International and his colleagues, David Wege; Wayne Arendt and
Joseph Wunderle. They were so intrigued by the photo that they are
planning an expedition to Nevis in January 2009 to verify the discovery
for themselves, inlcuding using DNA testing, to distinguish the Nevis
Bullfinch as a distinct species from any of the other species of finches
in the Eastern Caribbean.
Dr. Ricklefs and his colleagues,
replied to Jim's message..."The photos are very interesting. The bird
in the photo 'Nevis bullfinch' has a very heavy beak. There was a
large bullfinch on St. Kitts that is now almost certainly extinct, and
one wonders whether high elevations on Nevis might have a remnant of
that population?."
They go on to say, "We capture birds, take a very small blood sample
(about a drop) from a vein exposed on the underside of the wing, and
release them (the birds are not harmed in anyway).
The blood sample is used for DNA sequencing to determine evolutionary
relationships".
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The rare Nevis Bullfinch
(photo: J.Molle) |
The NHCS pledges their
support for this project, and hope that if the Nevis Bullfinch, can be
scientifically documented as a unique species, endemic only to Nevis, then it
should provide the Nevis Island Administration a significant boost in their
efforts to have the Nevis Peak area declared a 'National Park' and thus off
limits to future developments, especially when combined with the presence of the
previous thought extinct 'Megalomys'
Mouse.
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