{"id":67,"date":"2025-06-25T19:55:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T23:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/barbados-endemic-species\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T10:06:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:06:28","slug":"barbados-endemic-species","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/projects\/barbados-endemic-species\/","title":{"rendered":"Barbados Endemic Species"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"container-fluid page-wrapper site-font\">\n<section>\n<div class=\"lc-block\">\n<div editable=\"rich\">\n<h1 class=\"page-header\">Endemic Species of Barbados <\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"lc-block\" editable=\"rich\">\n<div class=\"faculty-content-page\">Barbados is home to numerous unique species found nowhere else in the world. Learn more about the fascinating organisms featured below!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"lc-block\">\n<div editable=\"rich\">\n<h3>Species Fact Sheets<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"lc-block\" editable=\"rich\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Resources\/Endemics\/Phyllanthus-anderssonii-Broom-v3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Loxigillabarbadensis_FS.png\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/broom.jpg\" style=\"float: left; margin: auto 20px;\">&nbsp;<\/a><em>Phyllanthus anderssonii or Broom<\/em> is a shrub endemic to Barbados, commonly found in gullies, with green leaves, zigzag stems, and distinctive 3-lobed fruit. It thrives in rocky, low-soil environments and shows ecological plasticity, growing under both open and closed canopies. The species has limited genetic information and evolutionary study but is adapted to local alkaline soils. Reproduction peaks in wetter months, with seed dispersal likely by gravity or small animals. Habitat degradation, especially gully destruction, threatens its survival despite recent reports of local abundance. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Resources\/Endemics\/Phyllanthus-anderssonii-Broom-v3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Read full article.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Resources\/Endemics\/FactSheet_Loxigillabarbadensis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Loxigillabarbadensis_FS.png\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Projects\/Loxigillabarbadensis_FS.png\" title=\"Loxigillabarbadensis_FS.png\" style=\"float: left; margin: auto 20px;\"><\/a><\/em>The Barbados Bullfinch, often called &#8220;Sparrow&#8221; or &#8220;Sparky&#8221;, is the island&#8217;s only truly endemic bird \u2013 meaning you won&#8217;t find it anywhere else in the world. These small, dark olive-grey birds have stout, conical black beaks and are incredibly common and adaptable. You&#8217;ll often spot them hopping around gardens, hotel grounds, and even inside buildings looking for food, snacks or even drinks! Sparkys are known for being quite bold and clever, sometimes even figuring out how to open sugar packets. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Resources\/Endemics\/FactSheet_Loxigillabarbadensis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Read full article.<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Resources\/Endemics\/FactSheet_Phyllodactyluspulcher.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ppulcher_FS.png\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Projects\/Ppulcher_FS.png\" title=\"Ppulcher_FS.png\" style=\"float: left; margin: auto 20px;\"><\/a><\/em>The Barbados leaf-toed gecko, a Critically Endangered species, is found nowhere else in the world but here in Barbados! These small, nocturnal geckos, about the size of a finger, are masters of camouflage, blending into rocky vegetation. If you spot one, look out for their distinctive &#8220;leaf-toed&#8221; feet, which help them to grip surfaces, and their brown to cream-colored bodies marked with unique patterns of darker spots. This Critically Endangered endemic gecko faces significant threats because of habitat loss, degradation, and invasive alien predators.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Resources\/Endemics\/FactSheet_Phyllodactyluspulcher.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"> <br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tRead full article.<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"lc-block\">\n<div editable=\"rich\">\n<h3>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tSpecies Spotlights<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"lc-block\">\n<div editable=\"rich\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Projects\/Loxigillabarbadensis.png\" style=\"float: left; margin: auto 20px;\">The Barbados Bullfinch (<em>Loxigilla barbadensis<\/em>), sometimes called Sparky or Sparrow, is the only endemic bird species found on the Caribbean island of Barbados, making it a true local avian treasure. Characterized by its small, stocky build and distinctive brown-black plumage, complemented by a solid black, cone-shaped bill, the Barbados Bullfinch plays a crucial role in the island&#8217;s ecosystems and biodiversity. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/Resources\/Loxigillabarbadensis_BarbadosBullfinch.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Read full article.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t&nbsp;\n\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Endemic Species of Barbados Barbados is home to numerous unique species found nowhere else in the world. Learn more about the fascinating organisms featured below! Species Fact Sheets &nbsp;Phyllanthus anderssonii or Broom is a shrub endemic to Barbados, commonly found in gullies, with green leaves, zigzag stems, and distinctive 3-lobed fruit. It thrives in rocky, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":0,"parent":41,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"iawp_total_views":18,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-67","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/388"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":564,"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67\/revisions\/564"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/41"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/fst-bcs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}