Fanning reed warbler

Fanning reed warbler
	Fanning reed warbler ( Acrocephalus aequinoctialis )
Systematics
Order :	Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination :	Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily :	Sylvioidea
Family :	Reed warbler (Acrocephalidae)
Genre :	Reed warbler ( Acrocephalus )
Type :	Fanning reed warbler
Scientific name
	Acrocephalus aequinoctialis
	( Latham , 1790)

Fanning reed warbler (Photo: 2011)

The Fanning Warbler ( Acrocephalus aequinoctialis ), known in Kiribati as Bokikokiko , is a species of bird from the genus of the Reed Warbler , which is endemic to Kiribati .

features

The Fanning reed warbler reaches a body length of 16 cm and a weight of 25 g. In contrast to the gray upper side are the light rump , the light upper tail covers and the dark gray tail. The tips of the middle and large arm covers form two whitish wing bands, the edges of the wing feathers form a light wing mirror . Adult specimens of the subspecies A. a. aequinoctialis show a conspicuous, long, white stripe above the eyes, which extends from the base of the beak to behind the ear covers , but is pale gray behind the eye. The underside is whitish with pale gray spots on the chest. The subspecies A. a. pistor is slightly larger than the nominate form. It wears a grayish, indistinct stripe over the eyes, its underside is washed out light gray and the lower throat and upper breast are indistinctly dashed.

The relatively short beak is dark gray, the base of the beak pale pink towards the lower beak. The legs are also dark gray. The iris is dull brown.

Occurrence

The bokikokiko today comes only on the Northern Line Islands scoring atoll Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island or Christmas Island ) and Teraina ( Washington Iceland ) in front on which the endemic breeding bird was more common even in the 1980s, used to be on Tabuaeran ( Fanning Island ), where the name Fanning reed warbler comes from and has not been detected there since 1972.

Way of life

The Fanning Warbler is a stationary, reluctant to fly bird. It usually looks for its food on the ground, in low ground cover and in dead or low branches near the ground. It feeds on insects, including flies and dragonflies , and small lizards .

It is believed that the animals are monogamous and the couples stay together for life. The nest is built in beach solstices at a height of six to seven meters. It consists mainly of grass, but also of parts of the coconut palm and, in the vicinity of human settlement, of artificial materials such as plastic. The clutch consists of two to four eggs and is only incubated by the female. However, the nestlings are fed by both parents. Nothing is known about the incubation period and the time until the nestlings fledge.

Danger

The range of the species is limited to a few atolls of the Northern Line Islands . The Fanning Warbler is endangered by introduced rats and cats, poorly planned immigration, fire and loss of habitat due to deforestation for the cultivation of coconut palms and subsequent vegetation by Pluchea indica . Hunting with slingshots by children also posed a threat. The declining population is estimated at 3,500–15,000 individuals. The Fanning reed warbler is therefore listed by the IUCN in the category endangered ( EN , endangered).

Subspecies

Two subspecies are described:

Acrocephalus aequinoctialis aequinoctialis ( Latham , 1790) - Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island, "Christmas Island", Northern Line Islands ).
Acrocephalus aequinoctialis pistor Tristram , 1883 - Teraina and Tabuaeran (two atolls of the Northern Line Islands), now extinct on Tabuaeran.

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d Peter Kennerley, David Pearson: Reed and Bush Warblers. Christopher Helm, 2010, ISBN 978-0-7136-6022-7 , pp. 441-442.
↑ Peter Kennerley, David Pearson: Reed and Bush Warblers. Christopher Helm, 2010, ISBN 978-0-7136-6022-7 , p. 89.
↑ ^a ^b Acrocephalus aequinoctialis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2013.

literature

HD Pratt, Philipp L. Bruner, Delwyn G. Berrett: A field guide to the birds of Hawaii and the tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1987, ISBN 0-691-08402-5 .
R. Pierce, R. Anderson, E. VanderWerf, L. Young: Surveys and capacity building in Kiritimati (Christmas Island, Kiribati), June 2007, to assist in restoration of populations of Bokikokiko and seabirds. 2007.
R. Pierce, D. Brown: Technical support and capacity building for the Wildlife Conservation Unit and Quarantine at Kiritimati, Kiribati, May-June 2009. Eco Oceania Pty Ltd Report for Government of Kiribati and NZAID 2009.
R. Pierce: Technical support and capacity building for the Wildlife Conservation Unit and Quarantine at Kiritimati, Kiribati, Report No. 2 December 2010. Eco Oceania Pty Ltd Report for Government of Kiribati and NZAID 2010.
Greg Sherley: Bird conservation priorities and a draft avifauna conservation strategy for the Pacific Islands region. South Pacific Regional Environment Program, Apia, Samoa 2001.
Charles G. Sibley, Burt L. Monroe: Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven, USA 1990, ISBN 0-300-04969-2 .

Web links

Commons : Fanning Reed Warbler ( Acrocephalus aequinoctialis ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Kiritimati Reed-warbler on The Internet Bird Collection (IBC)website, as seen on February 14, 2013.
BirdLife International (2013): Species factsheet: Acrocephalus aequinoctialis , viewed February 14, 2013.

[Kennerley_Pearson_441-1] A ^b ^c ^d Peter Kennerley, David Pearson: Reed and Bush Warblers. Christopher Helm, 2010, ISBN 978-0-7136-6022-7 , pp. 441-442.

[Kennerley_Pearson-2] Peter Kennerley, David Pearson: Reed and Bush Warblers. Christopher Helm, 2010, ISBN 978-0-7136-6022-7 , p. 89.

[IUCN-3] Acrocephalus aequinoctialis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2013.