SOUTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY

Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club         Southeastern Caribbean Bird Alert         Trinidad and Tobago Rare Bird Committee

VIRGIN ISLANDS

White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

Adult at Red Hook, St. Thomas, September 2002. Photo © by Laurel Brannick. First documented record for St. Thomas. This species is rapidly expanding its range in the Virgin Islands. It was first recorded in St. Thomas "about 3 years" earlier (Mario Francis personal communication), and found regularly since September 2002, with up to 24 birds seen by Floyd Hayes at various points of the island in a single day (18 May 2003).

Adult on nest at Compass Point, St. Thomas, 1 June 2003. Photos © by Floyd Hayes. First breeding record for St. Thomas. Note the absence of dark spotting on upper wings typical of Zenaida Dove (Z. aurita) in photo at left and partially visible white secondary bar in wing in photo at right. A second active nest was found nearby.

Three adults at Coral Bay, St. John, 2 April 2003. Photo © by Floyd Hayes. First reported from St. John on 2 May 1982 (see: Norton, R. L. 1982. West Indies region. American Birds 36:897-898), this species occurred sporadically on the island with up to 80 individuals seen (Guy Benjamin personal communication). Its occurrence appears to be seasonal, with most individuals leaving in winter and reappearing in spring.