South Sea runner
| South Sea runner | ||||||||
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South Sea Sandpiper ( Prosobonia cancellata ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Prosobonia cancellata | ||||||||
| ( Gmelin , 1789) |
The South Sea Sandpiper ( Prosobonia cancellata ) is a Polynesian species of bird from the family of snipe birds . It is endemic to the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia . In Pa'umotu , a Polynesian language, it is also called kivi-kivi .
Discovery and Specification
The South Sea runner was probably first described by John Latham on January 1 or 2, 1778. An exact specification was very difficult at this time as there were other similar subspecies of Prosobonia in Polynesia , an area as large as China.
The description of Latham could be classified relatively safely in the nomenclature of Gmelin . The species was native to many Polynesian atolls in the 18th century before it was significantly decimated by rats and cats.
description
The South Sea runner is 15.5 - 16.5 cm long, narrow, has short wings and is spotted brown. Its short, sharp beak is typical of an insect eater. One can distinguish two types of plumage . On the one hand, the somewhat paler, medium-brown, with white spots on the chest or white lines on the head. The wing feathers on this plumage are also medium brown with white tips and triangular white markings at the ends.
The second plumage is of a darker brown, the white parts of the plumage are darker than those of the first and turn into a yellowish brown. Also the wings and the chest are now dark brown. The iris of the South Sea runner is also brown, the beak black, the feet are dirty yellow to olive green. Males and females are very similar, the toes have not grown together.
distribution
The South Sea runner is native to the following atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago (2002):
- Rangiroa , Niau , Kauehi and Fakarava , atolls of the Palliser Islands .
- Raraka , Katiu , Tahanea , Tuanake , Hiti and Tepoto Sud
- Puka-Puka on the Îles du Désappointement ( Islands of Disappointment ),
- Anuanuraro , an atoll of the Îles du Duc de Gloucester ,
- Nukutavake and Pinaki between the Raevski and Actéon Islands ,
- Tenararo , Vahanga , Tenarunga , Matureivavao , Marutea Sud and Maria Est near the Actéon Islands,
- Morane , south of the Actéon group, and
- Makaroa , Kamaka and Manui , islands of the Gambier Islands .
It died out on Kiritimati .
Way of life
The South Sea runner often lives on uninhabited, remote atolls, where it prefers open areas such as beaches and coasts. It is seldom found near the thicket of the hollow roots of screw trees , which are typical of the Tuamotus.
Its preferred food is insects , ants , grasshoppers , wasps and other small animals that it finds in coral debris and leftover leaves. It feeds on plants less often.
His typical singing is a high- pitched whistle, an MEH sound, first described by Harry Payne Whitney .
The sandpiper usually breeds between April and June, but the breeding season can vary from atoll to atoll. The nests are then mostly on the edge of the atoll lagoon and consist of remnants of corals, small branches and leaves. The eggs, usually two pieces, are white with purple and purple spots, similar to the brood clutch of the prairie runner .
Today the South Sea runner is threatened with extinction. Of the Europeans entrained rats and the piece-wise destruction of its habitat by use and occupation of the population have shrink to an estimated 250 to 1000 animals. First steps to help the shrinking population is the establishment of biosphere reserves by UNESCO on atolls of the Tuamotu group. Protection against rats that harm the sand runner, especially its open breeding nest, would prevent further decimation of the species.
swell
- Prosobonia cancellata onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- Description by James Cook
- Species identification (PDF) (999 kB)