Seychelles Magpie-Robin
Female Magpie on Cousin, Seychelles
The Magpie Robin ( Copsychus sechellarum, english Seychelles Magpie Robin ) is a very rare bird that is endemic to the Seychelles. The species prefers occurs in coastal forests with closed canopy and little undergrowth, but an insect- rich leaf litter. The English name Magpie Robin received the bird because he removed with his white stripes on the wings and the blue - black body recalls a magpie, although it belongs to the family of flycatchers ( Muscicapidae ).
Besides Seychelles scops owl, Seychelles warbler and Mahe Brillenvogel the Magpie Robin is another type of Seychelles that could be preserved only with very great effort from extinction. He has since been reintroduced to several Seychelles islands. The stock has so far recovered that the IUCN no longer considered threatened since 2005, the Magpie Robin extinction, but only classifies as endangered.
Appearance and way of life
In appearance, size and way of life of the European Magpie Blackbird is similar. Seychellendajale reach a body length of about 25 centimeters. The plumage is glossy black. On the wings of each is a white wing mirrors. For their body size Seychellendajale achieve an unusually high age and can be at least ten years old.
The habitat of Seychellendajale are forests, plantations and thickly overgrown gardens. In the dark forest floor they seek diligently after insects. However, since the density of prey animals on the nutrient-poor granite rock is very low, the Seychellendajale have developed a strategy to increase their food intake significantly: they accompany the chemical also found in the Seychelles giant tortoises, which push aside with their lumbering gait permanently reduce fallen leaves and thus constantly spinning exposing millipedes and insects. The pair bond is very strong in this type.
Area of distribution and inventory
The bird lives in the Seychelles Islands Aride, Cousin, Cousine and Fregate. Until about 200 years, the species was common on several of the small granite islands of the Seychelles, the clearing of forests and the introduction of cats and rats on the islands from almost exterminated him. By 1960 there were only about 10 Dajal pairs on the tiny island of Fregate. The fact that the species has survived at all, short of a miracle: Fregate had been randomly rat -free and beginning of the 20th century, all entrained cats died from a disease out there. However, it was not possible for decades to increase the population of this species on Fregate, despite intensive conservation efforts. In the meantime, we counted 41 copies in 1978, but in subsequent years, the stock broke again to 20 individuals.
1990 there were 22 individuals, as finally the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ( RSPB) and BirdLife Seychelles launched an elaborate rescue program. Since then, the bird was located on the two stationary nature reserve islands of Cousin and Cousine again. Just then found reintroductions place on Aride, which initially failed, but then succeeded. 2003 existed a total of 110 specimens of endangered species on the islands, in 2006 there were 178 birds ( 82 Fregate, 46 Cousin, 32 on Cousine and 18 on Aride ). Thus, the rescue program so far seems to be quite successful.