Semper's Warbler

Blassfußwaldsänger ( Leucopeza semperi )

The Blassfußwaldsänger ( Leucopeza semperi ) is an extremely rare or already extinct passerine bird in the family of warblers. He is or was endemic to the island of St. Lucia and is the only known species of the genus Leucopeza. The generic name is the Greek derivation of the Creole name pied blanc meaning " white feet ". The specific epithet honors Reverend John E. Semper, who collected the type specimen in the 1870s.

Description

The Blassfußwaldsänger reaches a length of 14.5 centimeters. The plumage of adult birds is dark gray at the top and gray white at the bottom. The young birds are on the upper side brownish gray and yellowish brown on the bottom. The legs are bright yellow. The call consists of sounds, sound like tuck -tick -tick -tuck.

Habitat and behavior

The Blassfußwaldsänger lives in the undergrowth of mountain forests. About his life nothing is known; but he is probably a ground-nesting birds.

Status

The Blassfußwaldsänger was in the 19th century still fairly common, but there are only a handful of observations from the 20th century. According to the ornithologist James Bond, one of the leading experts of the Caribbean avifauna, a female was shot in 1934 at the summit of Piton Flores. Another individual was seen in March 1947 between the Piton Piton Lacombe and the Canaries. The last reliable evidence comes from the year 1961. Though it 1965, 1972, 1989, 1995 and 2003 only were unconfirmed evidence, there is a faint hope of a rediscovery, as some pristine forest areas are available. Reasons for the decline were probably introduced mongooses and habitat destruction.