NEWTON'S PUERTO RICAN SCREECH OWL Otus nudipes newtoni (Lawrence) 



Order: STRIGIFORMES Family: STRIGIDAE 



Distinguishing characteristics : Small, resembing North American screech owl but lacks 

 ear -tufts . In general, brownish gray or reddish brown (two color phases) . Flanks and 

 belly lighter, streaked brown and white. Differs from the common subspecies on Puerto 

 Rico (G_. n . nudipes ) by lighter and more grayish coloration above and more sparse 

 streaking below. 



Present distribution : Possibly still exists on St. Croix, Virgin Islands. 



Former distribution : Vieques off Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix 

 of the Virgin Islands . 



Status : Apparently never common and little known about it. Special efforts by William 

 Robertson on St . John and by Cameron Kepler on St . Croix failed to find it . George Seaman 

 (in personal communication with Cameron Kepler) says that it may exist in Caledonia Gorge 

 in the forests of northwestern St. Croix. If still extant it must be extremely scarce. 



Estimated numbers : No estimate . 



Breeding rate in the wild : Unknown . 



Reasons for decline : Unknown . 



Protective measures already taken : Creation of a National Park at St . John . 



Measures proposed : Repeated effort to locate a population of the species so that studies 

 can be made to determine what the limiting factors are . 



Number in captivity : None known. 



Breeding potential in captivity : Unknown . 



References : 



Bond, J. 1956. Check-list of birds of the West Indies (revised). Acad. Nat. 



Sci. Phil. p. 81. 

 . 1961. Birds of the West Indies (field guide) . Houghton Mifflin Co. , 



Boston, p. 121. 

 Kepler, C. B. 1969. Administrative report of Bureau of Sport Fisheries and 



Wildlife on investigations of Puerto Rican parrot ecology and management 



status of other threatened wildlife species in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands . 

 Ridgway, R. 1914. The birds of North and Middle America. U.S. Nat. Mus . Bull. 50 



(Part VI), p. 679. 



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