The Grenada Dove - Leptotila wellsi is a medium-sized tropical dove which is endemic to Grenada. It is the national bird of Grenada. This dove is considered to be one of the most critically endangered doves in the world.

The Grenada Dove has a white throat, face and forehead pale pink shading to dull brown on crown and nape, upperparts olive brown, underwing chestnut; neck and upper breast pink-buff fading to white on lower breast, belly and undertail coverts.

Very little is known about this species.

Population estimates by various researchers indicate that there may be fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild.

Conservation Status - critically endangered.

Grenada Dove in trouble: -

The Grenada Government is planning to sell Mount Hartmann National Park to Four Seasons for a mega-resort with golf course and marina that would destroy about half of the remaining habitat for the endangered endemic.

Great news: -

According to Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson of
BirdLife International that admirable process of communication between developers, scientists and government, along with a willingness on all sides to share information, has led to very significant improvements to the Four Seasons project at Mt Hartman. C88, the project's developer, has been working with scientists to do everything it can to reduce the impacts of its work at Mt Hartman, and to give the dove its best possible chance of thriving. The most obvious achievement has been the consolidation and strengthening of the Dove sanctuary.

The population of the Grenada Dove (based on extensive surveys in the latter half of 2007 by Bonnie Rusk, Grenada Dove expert) is 68 calling males (c.136 birds in total). There are 58 birds in the Mount Hartman Estate, 50 of which are within the boundaries of the new national park (which was re-designed based on the distribution and centre of abundance for the dove). Thus there will be more doves in the new national park (which is one contiguous area of habitat) than there were in the old park (which comprised three totally separate areas), and the new park includes significant opportunities for habitat creation.

The Four Seasons development will result in the habitat loss of four territorial male doves, which means the birds will be displaced. A loss of habitat of 6% of a Critically Endangered species is significant and regrettable and could have serious consequences. The Grenada Government recognises this, and is working hard to designate other critical habitat -- on the west coast -- as a national park. This area, like the new Mount Hartman National Park, includes lands suitable for habitat restoration that will ultimately -- through the activities of the Dove Trust -- allow for the Grenada Dove population to increase.

In spite of the loss of habitat mentioned above, we are very pleased and relieved to report that:

• 1. Excellent progress has been made to mitigate the loss of Grenada Doves to the Mount Hartman development,
• 2. In terms of sustaining a viable population of the dove, the newly defined national park looks stronger and more robust than the old one. Everyone concerned should be congratulated on this.
• 3. This area has already begun to regenerate and will likely be left to do so naturally. It is important that the Dove Trust be established with enough financing to enable such critical management actions to take place.
• 4. Because a the habitat of a number of territorial male doves will be lost to this development, we sincerely hope that additional areas can be found in which formal protection can be given to other dove populations -- in the Beausejour area, for example.

In the next stages of this increasingly impressive process, the outstanding issues seem to be:

• 1. What will be the terms of reference and the responsibilities of the Dove Trust?
• 2. How much funding will be needed to ensure the Trust functions effectively.
• 3. Where will the funds come from?
• 4. How can everyone involved contribute to the establishment of an additional national park, such as Beausejour. We will endeavour to keep this website updated as events warrant.