Masafuera Rayadito

Island barbed tail, panties ( Aphrastura masafuerae )

The island spiny-tailed panties ( Aphrastura masafuerae ) is a rare species of bird in the family of Ovenbirds. It is endemic to Alejandro Selkirk in the Juan Fernández Islands.

Description

The island spiny-tailed panties reached a size of 16.5 centimeters. Hood and ears area are dark brown with a dull beige -gray eyes glancing. The underside is beige gray brown. The wings are black with two beige brown bars on the flight feathers. The tail is black with reddish brown means feathers and wide lace on the outer feathers. The beak is slender. His reputation consists of a whirring trrrt.

Occurrence and habitat

The island spiny-tailed panties lives in a 11 km ² area on Alejandro Selkirk ( Más Afuera ) in the Juan Fernández Islands. It occurs mainly in fern forests with Dicksonia externa, Drimys confertifolia and Lophosoria quadripinnata and is most frequently observed at altitudes between 600-1300 m along creeks where the Dicksonia ferns reach a height of five meters.

Way of life

Unlike its closest relatives, the social sting tail panties ( Aphrastura spinicauda ) from Chile and Argentina, the island - barbed tail, panties lives exclusively singly or in pairs. Each pair requires a territory size of at least 4 ha, which can fail even greater in poor habitat quality. The island - sting panties tail nests in small holes in steep Felswändern, usually five feet above the ground.

Status

Mid -1980s the population was estimated at about 500-1000 copies. During a counting action in the years 1992 to 1993, there were only about 200 individuals and 2001/ 2002, the population had dwindled to 140 copies. The trampling of vegetation by goats and bush fires have led to a strong degradation of the fern forests on Alejandro Selkirk. Introduced black rats and mice make after the young birds Rotrückenbussarde and feral domestic cats are a threat to the adult birds. The species is " critically endangered " by the IUCN ( critically endangered ) listed.