Rodrigues Warbler

Rodrigues Warbler (Acrocephalus rodericanus )

The Rodrigues Warbler (Acrocephalus rodericanus ) is a rare songbird that is endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues. He is closely related to the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis ).

Description

The Rodrigues warbler reaches a length of 13.5 centimeters. He is uniformly olive-brown on top and light dirty yellow at the bottom. The beak is long. At the lower beak he shows a pink coloration. The skull is characterized by an upright bonnet. The voice consists of a shrill, chattering alarm call and a melodious song.

Occurrence and life

The Rodrigues warbler is a territorial insectivores, which occurs in the thicket vegetation on Central Rodrigues. The introduced Malabarpflaume ( Syzygium jambos ) is the dominant plant species in this habitat. Furthermore, he inhabits plantations with Swietenia, Tabebuia and Araucaria sp.

Endangering

The Rodrigues warbler is one of the rarest birds in the Mascarene Islands. 150 individuals live in an approximately 3 km ² breeding ground. Previously, the Rodrigues warbler still came frequently to Rodrigues. However, until the 1970s, the stock declined so dramatically that in 1979 there were only 17 copies ( 8 pairs and a single bird). From 1982, the stock rose again, and since 1999 he is at about 150 birds. Timber production, farming and overgrazing have reduced habitat on a savannah landscape with few trees. Currently, the strongest threat of cats and rats go out.