Is the Cozumel Thrasher Extinct?

Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle Aug 27, 2007

At the British Birdwatching Fair, Aug 17 – 19, 2007, BirdLife International introduced "Preventing Extinctions: Saving the World's Critically Endangered Birds", plans to save 189 critically endangered bird species from extinction. The Cozumel Thrasher, Toxostoma guttatum, is one of them. Rarely seen since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, and never seen again after Hurricane Roxanne in 1995, the bird may still be living on the island in low numbers. Ironically, just hours after the fair wound up, the massive category five Hurricane Dean threatened Cozumel—but missed.

Had Hurricane Dean hit Cozumel directly as a category five hurricane, the survival of the Cozumel Thrasher would have been even more in doubt, but past assessments of the bird’s situation question whether severe hurricanes are sufficient to explain the species' decline. The first measures planned for conservation are a careful survey to establish whether the Cozumel Thrasher is still there, along with discussions with local people to try to identify other possible threats.

Other possibly extinct birds, such as the Ivory-billed Woodpecker are on the list of birds targeted for conservation by BirdLife International. It will be fascinating to see whether this project helps to definitively establish the presence or absence of these very rare birds.

Read about all the critically endangered bird species that BirdLife International hopes to save at the Critically Endangered Bird List.