Nightingale reed warbler
| Nightingale reed warbler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nightingale Reed-warbler | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Sylvioidea |
| Family: | Acrocephalidae |
| Genus: | Acrocephalus |
| Species: | A. luscinius |
| Binomial name | |
| Acrocephalus luscinius Quoy & Gaimard, 1830 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Acrocephalus luscinia | |
The Nightingale Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus luscinius) is a threatened song bird living on a few islands in the western Pacific. The Chamorro name for the bird is ga`ga` karisu (bird of the reeds).
Subspecies
Three subspecies have been described for the species Acrocephalus luscinius, i.e. the Nightingale Reed-warbler:[2]
- Acrocephalus luscinius luscinius, that is also considered a separate species (and if so, named Acrocephalus hiwae)[3]
- Acrocephalus luscinius nijoi
- Acrocephalus luscinius yamashinae
Acrocephalus luscinius luscinius / Acrocephalus hiwae originally occurred on three islands: on Guam and on the two Northern Mariana Islands Saipan and Alamagan. On Guam, there are no Nightingale Reed-warblers anymore; the last sighting dates from 1969. On Saipan, an estimated population of 2700 specimen was reported in 2009, and on Alamagan 950 specimen were reported in 2010.[2]
Acrocephalus luscinia nijoi originally occurred on the Northern Mariana Island Aguigan (also spelled Aguihan or Aguijan). Of this subspecies there never have been reports of a substantial population. In 1982 only four up to possibly 15 birds of the subspecies have been counted, and since 1995 none has been sighted, despite extended efforts to find specimens.[2]
Acrocephalus luscinia yamashinae originally occurred on the Northern Mariana Island Pagan and "was extinct by the late 1970s".[4] More precisely, in the 1970s, the 1980s, in 2000 and in 2010, the bird could not be found and is therefore presumed to be extinct.[2]
Threats to the Nightingale Reed-Warbler
The existing populations of the Nightingale Reed-warbler are rapidly declining and believed to be threatened by several introduced species. One of them is a snake, Boiga irregularis, that has spread from Guam to Saipan and already decimated the populations of several bird species on Guam. Others include rats, cats and feral ungulates, escaped domesticated animals living in the wild, for example goats or sheep.[2] An introduced plant, Ivy Gourd or Coccinia grandis, destroys the canopy of the trees Nightingale Reed-warblers build their nests in. Wetland destruction, fires and pesticides, as well as intense human land use (for example for agriculture, tourism or building homes) reduce the available habitat for the Nightingale Reed-warblers and others species.[5]
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2013). "Acrocephalus luscinius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Rounds, Rachel; Radley, Paul. "Nightingale Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus luscinia)". Web Page of Pacific Bird Conservation, Hawaii. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ↑ James F. Clements; Jared Diamond; Anthony White; John W. Fitzpatrick (August 2013). "2013 Updates and corrections, to accompany the eBird/Clements Checklist 6.8 spreadsheet". Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ↑ BirdLife International, ed. (2015). "Species factsheet: Acrocephalus luscinius". Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ↑ "Acrocephalus luscinius". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015-3. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2015.