Puerto Rico Critical Wildlife Areas - Puerto DRNA - Gobierno de ...

79- Rio Abajo State Forest, Arecibo-Utuado, Puerto Rico
Area Description:
The Río Abajo State Forest (RASF), with 2284 ha, is located between Dos Bocas Lake
and the Tanamá River in the municipalities of Utuado and Arecibo. This moist limestone forest
has very irregular topography, subterranean drainage, caves, natural depressions or sinkholes
and haystack hills all characteristic of karst geological development. Elevation within the forest
ranges between 200m and 424 m.
Life zones consist of two vegetation associations derived from limestone soils: limestone
hillside and mogotes top, sinkholes and narrow valleys between the hills (DRN 1976).
Special Recognition:
The area was established as a Forest in 1935 (Silander et al., 1986). In 2004, BirdLife
International and SOPI recognized RASF as an Important Bird Area. The karst region of Puerto
Rico, and specifically the RASF, has been identified for the reintroduction of the Puerto Rican
Parrot outside the Caribbean National Forest (USFWS 1999). Releases of Puerto Rican Parrots
in the RASF have been scheduled for February/March, or May/June 2006 (DNER 2004). For the
first time, RASF is recognized as a primary CWA.
Wildlife
Birds
Thirty-three bird species have been reported in the RASF: Red-tailed hawk Buteo
jamaicensis, Puerto Rican Broad-winged hawk B. platypterus, Scaly-naped pigeon Patagioenas
squamosa, Zenaida dove Zenaida aurita, Common ground dove Columbina passerina, Ruddy
quail-dove Geotrygon montana, Puerto Rican Lizard cuckoo Saurothera vieilloti, Puerto Rican
Screech owl Megascops nudipes, Puerto Rican Emerald Chlorostilbon maugaeus, Antillean
Mango Anthracothorax viridis, Puerto Rican Tody Todus mexicanus, Puerto Rican Woodpecker
Melanerpes portoricensis, Gray kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis, Loggerhead kingbird T.
caudifasciatus, Puerto Rican Flycatcher Myiarchus antillarum, Puerto Rican lesser Antillean
Pewee Contopus portoricensis, Cave swallow Petrochelidon fulva, Northern mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos, Pearly-eyed thrasher Margarops fuscatus, Red-legged thrush Turdus
plumbeus, Puerto Rican Vireo latimeri, Black-whiskered vireo V. altiloquus, Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola, Greater Antillean Oriole Icterus dominicensis, Shiny cowbird Molothrus
bonariensis, Puerto Rican Spindalis Spindalis portoricensis, Antillean Euphonia Euphonia
musica, Bronze mannikin Lonchura cucullata, Black-faced grassquit Tiaris bicolor, Yellowfaced
grassquit T. olivacea, Greater Antillean Grackle Quiscalus niger, White-crowned pigeon
Patagioenas leucocephala (Silander et al 1986).
Reptiles
Crested anole Anolis cristatellus, Puerto Rican giant anole A. cuvieri, Emerald anole A.
evermanni, Yellow bearded anole A. gundlachi, Upland grass anole A. krugii, Common grass
anole A. pulchellus, Barred anole A. stratulus, Green iguana Iguana iguana, Puerto Rican
ground lizard Ameiva exsul, Klauber’s dwarf gecko Sphaerodactylus klauberi, Brook’s house
gecko Hemidactylus brookii, Amphisbaena sp., Typhlops sp., Puerto Rican boa Epicrates
inornatus, Puerto Rican Racer Alsophis portoricensis (Silander et al 1986).
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