Gough Island Finch
Rowettia goughensis
A large striking finch with a dagger-like bill and different looking sexes. Male is mostly olive with a black throat and yellow eye-ring and moustache; female is brownish and lacks the black throat. Juvenile similar to female but heavily streaked. A critically endangered species endemic to Gough Island, where it is the only songbird; pairs and family groups are widespread on the island, preferring areas above 300 meters of elevation. Male sings a high-pitched whistle, while female answers with a chatter.
识别特征
The Gough finch is 22 to 26 cm (8.7–10.2 in) in length and weighs 50–56 g (1.8–2.0 oz).
分类信息
The Gough finch was formally described in 1904 by the British ornithologist William Eagle Clarke from a specimen collected on Gough Island in the South Atlantic. Clarke coined the binomial name Nesospiza goughensis. The Gough finch is now the only species placed in the genus Rowettia that was introduced in 1923 by the English ornithologist Percy Lowe. The genus name was chosen to honour John Quiller Rowett, an English businessman and the sponsor of the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition. The Gough finch was traditionally considered to be a bunting in the family Emberizidae, but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that it is a member of the subfamily Diglossinae in the tanager family Thraupidae and is sister to a clade containing birds in the genus Melanodera. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.<p>Another species of finch was described from Gough Island, Nesospiza jessiae, in 1904. This species was later identified as a juvenile of the Gough finch.
- 学名
- Rowettia goughensis
- 命名信息
- (Clarke, WE, 1904)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Emberizidae
- 属
- Rowettia
分布与栖息地
It is endemic to the remote Gough Island, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, and nearby stacks, in the South Atlantic. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subantarctic grassland.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
保护状况
It was formerly classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN. But new research has shown that its population has collapsed and it is on the verge of extinction due to the introduced population of house mice (Mus musculus), noted for its unusual aggressiveness, competing with the birds for food and eating their eggs and nestlings. Consequently, it was uplisted to Critically Endangered in 2008.
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
其他鸟类
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Selasphorus platycercus
Common hummingbird of high elevations. Breeds in open woodland with meadows and scrub. In winter, found at lower elevations. Male is distinctive in range with beautiful rosy-red throat and glistening green upperparts. Female is duller with buffy sides and speckled throat. Note broadly rounded tail feathers with restricted rufous. Feeds on nectar and small insects. Visits feeders.
Yellow-wattled Lapwing
Vanellus malabaricus
Elegantly long-winged brown lapwing. Breeding adult has clean black cap, bright yellow facial wattles, and a white belly. Non-breeding adults and juveniles are more mottled overall and lack a solid black cap. Note contrasting wing and tail pattern when in flight. Prefers dry open areas, often well away from water. Gives a loud rasping tern-like call and a loud “cheeeee’it” in alarm; generally not as noisy as other lapwings.
Crested Drongo
Dicrurus forficatus
Bold black fork-tailed bird with a towering crest. Juveniles have some pale fringes and a reduced crest, but still show the forked tail. Found in all types of forest at low and middle elevations, and less commonly in scrub, in villages, in plantations, and at high elevation. Perches prominently in the open, swooping out to catch insects on the wing. Often joins mixed feeding flocks with other birds. Fearless bird that doesn’t hesitate to mob mammalian predators or raptors. Song is a repeated sequence of whistles, creaks, and rasps. Forked tail and crest make it unmistakable within its range.
开始您的观鸟之旅
在户外识别鸟类，并在下一次观察时随手查阅鸟类图鉴。