Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wildlife
The problems of colonizing an island are clear, with plants heavily reliant on seeds and
roots arriving on floating rafts of vegetation, often with animal hitchhikers. Reptiles make
the best long-distance voyagers and over 140 species are found on the island, compared to
around 60 amphibians and 20 land mammals (only two of which survived the arrival of
Europeans).
Published in 2013,
Ruta Barrancolí: A Bird Finding Guide to the Dominican Republic
, by Steven Latta and
Kate Wallace has 33 maps and descriptions of 44 sites.
Birds
More than 300 species of bird have been recorded in the DR, including more than two
dozen found nowhere else in the world. Species include the white-tailed tropicbird, magni-
ficent frigatebird, roseate spoonbill and greater flamingo, plus unique endemic species such
as the Hispaniolan lizard-cuckoo, ashy-faced owl and Hispaniolan emerald hummingbird.
Travelers are most likely to encounter birds on beaches and coastal waterways - spe-
cifically herons, egrets, ibis, rails, pelicans and gulls. Some of the best spots for twitchers
in the DR are Parque Nacional Jaragua (
Click here
), Parque Nacional Los Haitises (
Click
here
)
, Parque Nacional Monte Cristi (
Click here
)
and Laguna Limón. More-determined
travelers taking the time to wander into some of the rich wildlife areas in the DR's interior
can expect to encounter a tremendous variety of forest birds.
Favorites among birdwatchers include the odd palmchat, DR's national bird, which
builds large apartment-like nests where each pair sleeps in its own chamber.
Bats are the only nonendangered, protected species on the island. They eat as many as 2000
mosquitoes a night, helping to reduce the transmission of dengue and other mosquito-borne
diseases.
Land Mammals
The arrival of Europeans, who introduced many disruptive species of their own, proved
disastrous for Hispaniola's land mammals. Rats, cats, pigs and mongooses all tore through
the local wildlife with severe consequences.
