Some Initial Effects of Hurricane Hugo on Endangered and Endemic Species of West Indian Birds
Haney, J.C., J.M. Wunderle, and W.J. Arendt
American Birds, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 234-236, 1991 WHOI-R-91-004
Hurricane Hugo, a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140-150 miles per hour and gusts over 180 miles per hour, was perhaps the most violent storm ever to hit islands of the eastern Caribbean. The hurricane passed directly over or near Puerto Rico, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, and Dominica. Each of these islands harbor endangered, threatened, or otherwise vulnerable species of endemic forest birds. Hurricane Hugo’s initial impacts on and consequences for some West Indian birds following the storm’s landfalls during mid-September 1989 are reported, along with damage to each island. Hugo’s impacts on birds are contrasted with those of other historical hurricanes, and implications for future conservation strategies for island birds are noted.