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Flufftail

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Flufftail
White-spotted flufftail
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Sarothruridae
Genus: Sarothrura
Heine, 1890
Type species
Gallinula jardinei[1]
A. Smith, 1839
Species

see list

Synonyms

"Corethrura" G.R.Gray, 1846 (non Hope, 1843[verification needed]: preoccupied, nomen nudum)
Corethrura Reichenbach, 1852 (non Hope, 1843: preoccupied)
Saurothrura Sharpe, 1894

Two red-chested flufftails. A female on the left and a male on the right.
A display of sexual dimorphism in two red-chested flufftails. A young female is shown on the left, and an adult male is shown on the right.

Flufftails (genus Sarothrura) are small birds related to rails and finfoots. There are nine species, seven of which are distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, with the remaining two in Madagascar. The genus was long placed with the rail family Rallidae, but is now placed in the family Sarothruridae, along with three other species of wood rails (genus Canirallus).[2]

Description

The group's common name is derived from the short tail which has degraded fluffy feathers. All species except the white-winged flufftail display sexual dimorphism in their plumage but not their size.[3] The bodies of males are mostly black, with each species having a characteristic pattern of white spots or streaks. The heads of males are chestnut-colored. Female plumage is predominantly black or brown, paired with the same characteristic patterns.[3] There are some exceptions, however, such as the white-spotted females that also carry the chestnut coloration of their males.[3]

Diet

White-winged flufftails feed on insects, crustaceans, and plant seeds in their wetland environment.[4] White-winged flufftails are waders, and wait for mature seeds to drop into the water.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Flufftails are highly secretive and seldom observed. Two species, the buff-spotted flufftail and the white-spotted flufftail, are inhabitants of dense forests and wetlands, while the remaining species are found in deep grasslands and marshes.[3] The red-chested flufftail and the chestnut-headed flufftail share the same habitat. They often compete with one another, with the former being the more successful species.[3] One species, the streaky-breasted flufftail, is known to be migratory, leaving Africa during the dry season.[3] It is uncertain whether other species are as well; the white-winged flufftail may breed in Ethiopia and winter in South Africa but this is not known for certain.[4] The first breeding population in the South African highlands was recorded via camera trap in 2018.[4]

Behavior

The breeding behavior of the flufftails has not been observed for many species. The use of camera traps and audio devices has helped capture vocalizations of these cryptic birds.[4] Many species breed in the wet season. All species are highly vocal during the breeding season, with repertoires including duets. In the Madagascar flufftail the courtship behavior consists of duetting, nest building (which is undertaken by the male), nest visits by the female, and copulation.[5] Flufftails build domed nests; the nest of the Madagascar flufftail is positioned high above the ground in vines, and the nest of the white-winged flufftail is placed in reeds over waterlogged ground. The eggs of all the species that have been studied are white, unlike most rails. The chicks are covered in black down at birth and have a slightly colored bill; adult plumage is quickly attained in most species.[3] Both parents care for the chicks.

Status and conservation

Although most of the species within this genus are classified to be of least concern, the majority of their populations are decreasing. The white-winged flufftail is currently considered critically endangered by the IUCN, and the slender-billed flufftail is classified as near threatened.[6][7] They are threatened with habitat loss caused by the draining of wetlands for cultivation and a limited amount of suitable breeding sites.[8] Other anthropogenic activities such as excessive cattle grazing, unplanned fires, mining, pollution, erosion, and construction contribute to their habitat degradation by creating drier conditions.[4][8] It has been difficult to development conservation management strategies for the white-winged flufftail due to data deficiencies and unknown habitat requirements.[4] Prohibiting grazing in peatlands during breeding season is one solution to prevent alterations to vegetation structure.[4] Population bottlenecks have reduced the diversity estimate patterns of the white-winged flufftail compared to estimates of the stable red-chested flufftail.[8] Having lower genetic diversity makes it harder for the species to adapt to environmental changes, in addition to the introduction of novel diseases as their habitat continues to fragment.[8]

Species

References

  1. ^ "Sarothuridae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  2. ^ Garcia-R, Juan C.; Gibb, Gillian C.; Trewick, Steve A. (2014-12-01). "Deep global evolutionary radiation in birds: Diversification and trait evolution in the cosmopolitan bird family Rallidae". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 81: 96–108. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.09.008. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 25255711.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Keith, Stuart; Benson, Constantine Walter; Irwine, Michael P. Stuart (1970). "The genus Sarothrura (Aves, Rallidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 143: Article 1. hdl:2246/1079.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Marais, A. J.; Lloyd, K.; Smit-Robinson, H. A.; Brown, L. R. (November 2021). "A vegetation classification and description of white-winged flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) habitat at selected high-altitude peatlands in South Africa". Royal Society Open Science. 8 (11): 211482. Bibcode:2021RSOS....811482M. doi:10.1098/rsos.211482. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 8586913. PMID 34786203.
  5. ^ De Roland, René; Arison, Lily (2004). "Observations on nest building and courtship behaviour of the Madagascar Flufftail Saraothrura insularis" (PDF). Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 11 (1): 42–43. doi:10.5962/p.309712. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27.
  6. ^ BirdLife International. (2021). "Sarothrura ayresi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22692245A179602552. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22692245A179602552.en.
  7. ^ BirdLife International. (2022). "Sarothrura watersi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T22692250A194662220. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T22692250A194662220.en.
  8. ^ a b c d Dalton, Desire L.; Vermaak, Elaine; Smit-Robinson, Hanneline A.; Kotze, Antoinette (2016-11-09). "Lack of diversity at innate immunity Toll-like receptor genes in the Critically Endangered White-winged Flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi)". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 36757. Bibcode:2016NatSR...636757D. doi:10.1038/srep36757. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5101489. PMID 27827442.
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