Gough finch
| Gough finch | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Genus: | Rowettia Lowe, 1923
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| Species: | R. goughensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Rowettia goughensis (Clarke, 1904)
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| Synonyms | |
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Nesospiza jessiae | |
The Gough finch or Gough bunting (Rowettia goughensis) is a songbird species. Traditionally considered a bunting and placed in the family Emberizidae, it is actually neither a bunting nor a true finch, but belongs to a group of finch-like birds or tanager-finches in the family Thraupidae. In particular it shares some plumage characteristics with the South American genus Melanodera[2] which may be its nearest mainland relative.[3]
It is endemic to the remote South Atlantic Gough Island which politically belongs to the British overseas territory of Saint Helena. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subantarctic grassland.
It was formerly classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN.[4] 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,[5] competing with the birds for food and eating their eggs and nestlings. Consequently, it was uplisted to Critically Endangered in 2008.[6]
Footnotes
References
- BirdLife International (BLI) (2008): [2008 IUCN Redlist status changes]. Retrieved 2008-MAY-23.
- Rand, A. L. 1955. The origin of the land birds of Tristan da Cunha. Fieldiana (Zoology), 37, pp. 139–166.PDF fulltext
- Ridgely, R. S., & G. Tudor. 1989. The Birds of South America, vol. 1. Univ. Texas Press, Austin.
- Wanless, R.M.; Angel, A.; Cuthbert, R.J.; Hilton, G.M. & Ryan, P.G. (2007): Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions? Biol. Lett. 3(3): 241-244. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0120 PMID 17412667 PDF fulltext Supplementary video Supplementary image
- Vuilleumier, F. 1991. A Quantitative Survey of Speciation Phenomena in Patagonian Birds. Ornitologia Neotropical 2: pp. 20–21. PDF fulltext
External links
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