page_title: Elfin woods warbler
section_title: Threats
hierarchical_section_title: Elfin woods warbler / Status and conservation / Threats
caption_attribution_description: English: Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned hawk sitting on tree branch
context_page_description: The elfin woods warbler is a bird, endemic to Puerto Rico, where it is a local and uncommon species. Discovered in 1968 and described in 1972, it is the most recently described species of New World warbler.
  The species name, angelae, is a tribute to Angela Kepler, one of its discoverers. The species birds are insectivores, as they feed by gleaning small insects off the habitat leaves.
  Due to its small populations and restricted habitats, conservation efforts were begun in 1982 to protect this species, but as of 2005, the warbler was still in need of protection. The species is not in immediate danger as the majority of its habitat is protected forest, but introduced species, habitat reduction, and natural disasters represent potential threats to the population.
context_section_description: The survival of the elfin woods warbler faces two main threats, predation and the destruction or alteration of suitable habitat. Confirmed native predators are the pearly-eyed thrasher (Margarops fuscatus), the Puerto Rican sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus venator) and the extirpated white-necked crow (Corvus leucognaphalus), while unconfirmed native predators include two endemic snakes and several carnivores (from fossil records). Introduced species, such as cats (Felis domesticus), dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), black rats (Rattus rattus) and small Asian mongooses (Herpestes javanicus), are also potential nest predators. These species have proliferated due to the presence of human-developed facilities, mainly for communication purposes, in the Maricao State Forest and El Yunque National Forest. Two factors contribute to the destruction of the elfin woods warbler's habitat: humans and nature. Human-related habitat destruction includes the construction of communication towers, acquisition of timber, and expansion of roads and trails. Nature's contribution comes from natural disasters such as forest fires and hurricanes.
caption: Puerto Rican sharp-shinned hawk, a natural predator of the elfin woods warbler
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS4 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2010:11:04 13:10:34", "Image ExifOffset": "2182", "Image Padding": "[]", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2400", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3000", "EXIF Padding": "[]"}