Research & Monitoring

Understanding the Grenada Dove requires methods that are scientifically robust but also sensitive to a critically small population. The approaches below form the core of ongoing research and monitoring. Each method contributes different information—population size, habitat use, genetic health, and long-term risk—while working together to guide conservation planning.

• Population Dynamics & Trends: Standardized territory mapping documents singing males across the breeding season, reducing double-counting and allowing reliable year-to-year comparison. When combined with distance-sampling techniques, these surveys produce population estimates with confidence intervals—critical for detecting real changes in such a small, fragmented population.

• Habitat Requirements: Long-term vegetation studies show that Grenada Doves consistently select dry forests with over 50% canopy cover and characteristic tree species such as Haematoxylum campechianum (logwood), Bursera simaruba (gumbo limbo), and Leucaena leucocephala. These thorny, legume-rich forests provide food, cover, and the structural complexity the species relies on.

• Genetic Insights: DNA samples from feathers and blood indicate extremely low genetic diversity, a warning sign for long-term viability. Recent analyses show patterns consistent with male-skewed sex ratios, which reduce effective population size and further constrain breeding potential.

• Population Viability Analysis: Recent PVA modelling (2023–2026) identifies the west-coast population as carrying the highest extinction risk. Habitat loss—especially at Mt. Hartman—sex-ratio bias, and disease outbreaks all accelerate decline. Model outputs highlight priority interventions: securing remaining dry-forest habitat, controlling invasive predators, and carefully evaluating population supplementation under specific conditions.

How We Monitor

The Grenada Dove monitoring program combines field-based observation, acoustic technology, and habitat assessment to track one of the Caribbean’s most elusive and threatened bird species. Each method contributes a different piece of the picture—territory use, detectability, habitat quality, breeding success, and population connectivity—while maintaining strict non-disturbance protocols suited to a critically small population.

• Territory Mapping: the long-term trend engine.
  Trained observers map singing males repeatedly across the breeding season, building a spatial picture of territories while minimizing double-counting. Given genetic evidence of possible male bias, population estimates rely on conservative multipliers with clearly stated assumptions.

• Acoustic Monitoring: the coverage extender.
  Passive acoustic recorders (AudioMoths and comparable devices) capture dawn choruses, nighttime calling, and periods when field teams are not present. These recordings expand temporal coverage, improve detectability, and create an archive for future re-analysis as methods evolve.

• Distance Sampling: abundance estimation with confidence intervals.
  Observers record precise distances to detections, allowing statistical correction for detectability. This method performs best in more open habitat and provides calibration for territory-mapping estimates.

• Habitat Assessment: defining what constitutes “good” dove habitat.
  Fixed-radius vegetation plots document canopy cover, tree species composition, and forest structure at dove locations versus surrounding areas. These data clarify the habitat features most strongly associated with dove presence and help guide restoration and protection priorities.

• Breeding Monitoring: extremely challenging and strictly non-invasive.
  Nests are difficult to locate and easily abandoned, so monitoring relies on remote trail cameras and strict non-disturbance protocols. These tools document nesting attempts, predation events, and fledging success without placing additional pressure on breeding pairs.

• Future Work — Individual Tracking.
  Mist-netting and banding will follow protocols designed for critically endangered species: minimal handling time, priority processing, and the collection of feather or blood samples for demographic and genetic analysis. This work will help clarify movement, connectivity, and survival rates across sites.

All methods prioritize rigor, repeatability, and long-term comparability—the only reliable way to detect real population change in a species this rare.