Amak Island
Encyclopedia
Amak Island is an uninhabited island in Aleutians East Borough
, Alaska
, USA. The island lies north of the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula
, and northwest of the mainland city of Cold Bay
. The island's land area is 5.828 square miles (15.1 km²) and its maximum elevation is 1601 feet (488 m). The island's volcano, Mount Amak, last erupted in 1796.
The local population of the Song Sparrow
was last seen on the island around New Year's Eve, 1980/1981, and has not been seen since; devegetation of the island played a part in its demise. These birds were formerly considered a separate subspecies
, Melospiza melodia amaka (Gabrielson and Lincoln, 1951), but are now considered to fall into the range of variation of the Aleutian Song Sparrow M. m. sanaka (Pruett et al., 2004). Unconfirmed reports from the late 1980s suggest that the island, should habitat quality improve, would in time be recolonized by the species.
Aleutians East Borough, Alaska
- See also :*List of airports in the Aleutians East Borough*National Register of Historic Places listings in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska-External links:*-References:...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, USA. The island lies north of the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula
Alaska Peninsula
The Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The peninsula separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea....
, and northwest of the mainland city of Cold Bay
Cold Bay, Alaska
Cold Bay is a city in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States.Cold Bay is one of the main commercial centers of the Alaska Peninsula, and is home to Cold Bay Airport.-History:...
. The island's land area is 5.828 square miles (15.1 km²) and its maximum elevation is 1601 feet (488 m). The island's volcano, Mount Amak, last erupted in 1796.
The local population of the Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow
The Song Sparrow is a medium-sized American sparrow.Adults have brown upperparts with dark streaks on the back and are white underneath with dark streaking and a dark brown spot in the middle of the breast. They have a brown cap and a long brown rounded tail. Their face is grey with a streak...
was last seen on the island around New Year's Eve, 1980/1981, and has not been seen since; devegetation of the island played a part in its demise. These birds were formerly considered a separate subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, Melospiza melodia amaka (Gabrielson and Lincoln, 1951), but are now considered to fall into the range of variation of the Aleutian Song Sparrow M. m. sanaka (Pruett et al., 2004). Unconfirmed reports from the late 1980s suggest that the island, should habitat quality improve, would in time be recolonized by the species.