Masafuera Rayadito
Encyclopedia
The Masafuera Rayadito, Aphrastura masafuerae, is a rare bird
endemic to Alejandro Selkirk Island
(Isla Más Afuera, Outermost Island) in the Juan Fernández Islands
. The species is a member of the ovenbird
family
and only one of two species in the rayadito genus
. The species' natural habitat is humid montane scrub, dominated by tree ferns (Dicksonia
externa) and fern
s (Lophosoria quadripinnata
) between 800–1300 m above sea level (though they will descend lower during the austral winter).
Masafuera Rayaditos travel in pairs while feeding on arthropods; feeding occurs in the wood understory and occasionally on the ground in the leaf-litter
. Nesting occurs at high altitudes (above 1200 m), in small natural crevices in rocks.
The Masafuera Rayadito is a critically endangered species. The species once occurred on Surveys of the species in the 1980s found between 500-1000 birds but by 1992 that had dropped to 200 and by 2002 only 140. The species is threatened by introduced species
, particularly goat
s which trample and degrade habitat, but also probably rats and feral cat
s.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
endemic to Alejandro Selkirk Island
Alejandro Selkirk Island
Alejandro Selkirk Island, previously known as Isla Más Afuera and renamed after Alexander Selkirk, is the second largest and most westernly island of the Juan Fernández Islands archipelago of the Valparaíso Region of Chile...
(Isla Más Afuera, Outermost Island) in the Juan Fernández Islands
Juan Fernández Islands
The Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first...
. The species is a member of the ovenbird
Ovenbird (family)
Ovenbirds or furnariids are a large family of small suboscine passerine birds found in Mexico, and Central and South America. They form the family Furnariidae...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
and only one of two species in the rayadito genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. The species' natural habitat is humid montane scrub, dominated by tree ferns (Dicksonia
Dicksonia
Dicksonia is a genus of tree ferns in the order Cyatheales. It is regarded as related to Cyathea, but is considered more primitive, dating back at least to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record includes stems, pinnules, and spores....
externa) and fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s (Lophosoria quadripinnata
Lophosoria quadripinnata
Lophosoria quadripinnata or ampe in Chilean Spanish is a medium-sized fern with a distribution in the Americas spanning from Cuba and Mexico to Chile. In Chile it is present in the area between Talca and Aysén including Juan Fernández Islands. In Argentina it grows only in the humid valleys of...
) between 800–1300 m above sea level (though they will descend lower during the austral winter).
Masafuera Rayaditos travel in pairs while feeding on arthropods; feeding occurs in the wood understory and occasionally on the ground in the leaf-litter
Plant litter
Plant litter, leaf litter or tree litter is dead plant material, such as leaves, bark, needles, and twigs, that has fallen to the ground. Litter provides habitat for small animals, fungi, and plants, and the material may be used to construct nests. As litter decomposes, nutrients are released to...
. Nesting occurs at high altitudes (above 1200 m), in small natural crevices in rocks.
The Masafuera Rayadito is a critically endangered species. The species once occurred on Surveys of the species in the 1980s found between 500-1000 birds but by 1992 that had dropped to 200 and by 2002 only 140. The species is threatened by introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
, particularly goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s which trample and degrade habitat, but also probably rats and feral cat
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
s.