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Rock Wren (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Rockwren (Xenicus gilviventris), or Rock Wren, is a small New Zealand wren
(family
Acanthisittidae) endemic to the South Island
of New Zealand
. It is sometimes known as the South Island Wren, a name used to separate it from the unrelated Rock Wren
of North America. While the species is currently restricted to alpine
areas of the South Island, fossil
evidence indicates it was once present in the North Island
as well. It is the rarer of the two surviving species of New Zealand wrens and is threatened by introduced mammals
.
The Rockwren is the only surviving species in the genus
Xenicus, and is thought to have been closely related to the formerly more widespread Bushwren. Like the Bushwren and the Rifleman
it is a poor flier, rarely flying more than two metres off the ground or for distances or more than 30 m. It is highly terrestrial, feeding in low scrub and open scree and rockfalls in alpine areas.
A University of Otago
study of over 2,000 sightings between 1912 and 2005 showed areas the wren inhabited had declined by 24% since 1984.
New Zealand wren
The New Zealand wrens, Acanthisittidae, are a family of tiny passerines endemic to New Zealand. They were represented by six known species in four or five genera, although only two species survive in two genera today...
(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...
Acanthisittidae) endemic to the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is sometimes known as the South Island Wren, a name used to separate it from the unrelated Rock Wren
Rock Wren
The Rock Wren is a small songbird of the wren family. It is the only species in the genus Salpinctes.The 12 cm long adults have grey-brown upperparts with small black and white spots and pale grey underparts with a light brown rump...
of North America. While the species is currently restricted to alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
areas of the South Island, fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
evidence indicates it was once present in the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
as well. It is the rarer of the two surviving species of New Zealand wrens and is threatened by introduced mammals
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...
.
The Rockwren is the only surviving species in the 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...
Xenicus, and is thought to have been closely related to the formerly more widespread Bushwren. Like the Bushwren and the Rifleman
Rifleman (bird)
The Rifleman is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is endemic to New Zealand. It belongs to the Acanthisittidae family, also known as the New Zealand wrens, of which it is one of only two surviving species...
it is a poor flier, rarely flying more than two metres off the ground or for distances or more than 30 m. It is highly terrestrial, feeding in low scrub and open scree and rockfalls in alpine areas.
A University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
study of over 2,000 sightings between 1912 and 2005 showed areas the wren inhabited had declined by 24% since 1984.