St. Helena Plover
| St. Helena Plover | ||||||||||
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St. Helena Plover ( Charadrius sanctaehelenae ) |
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| Charadrius sanctaehelenae | ||||||||||
| ( Harting , 1873) |
The Saint Helena Plover ( Charadrius sanctaehelenae ), the thin because of its legs as a wire bird (local English Wirebird ) is known, is a small wader that on the island of St. Helena in the middle Atlantic is native. The bird is similar in appearance to the shepherds plover in Africa south of the Sahara , but is slightly larger. He is the national bird of St. Helena and was depicted on the country's coins . The total population is declining. The threats include cats , the introduction of the Shepherd Maina , the deforestation of forests , the use of all-terrain vehicles, the Saint Helena airport and a planned wind farm . In 2016 the stock had recovered from an earlier minimum of less than 200 in 2006 to around 560. As a result, the species has been downgraded from its previous rating from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable .
description
The shepherd's ringed plover is the closest relative of the St. Helena bird. The St. Helena plover is generally larger, but not as pronounced, as the shepherd's plover, which is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Their size is approximately 15 cm.
The bird was first mentioned in 1638 and is the national bird of St. Helena, featured on the island's coat of arms and flag . Some older local 5 pound coins (issued before 1998) have the bird on the back.
This plover is native to the open areas of St. Helena year-round, and it is believed that the widespread deforestation of the island's forests , while detrimental to the island's ecosystem in general, actually benefited this particular species because he lives in open clearings in the forest .
Status and conservation
St. Helena plover numbers fluctuate, but in general the trend has been declining since at least the 1970s. It is believed that feral cats and accidentally introduced rats played a significant role in the decline. The reasons for the previous decline and the persistent inhibition of population growth are still unclear. Habitat loss - due to changes in agricultural practice, increases in invasive plant populations, and development - has almost certainly had an impact. The increasing use of all-terrain vehicles threatens nests and eggs. Wildcat populations are increasing as catch numbers have decreased. Construction appears to have dispersed some of the smaller subpopulations. The newly built St. Helena Airport on Prosperous Bay Plain has changed one of the most important areas of the remaining habitat, especially as other grassland areas are now earmarked for reforestation to help restore the island's ecosystem. There are currently projects under the direction of the RSPB to monitor the birds and stop their decline.
Web links
- Charadrius sanctaehelenae in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2019. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on June 15 of 2019.
Individual evidence
- ↑ St Helena Plover (Charadrius sanctaehelenae) | HBW Alive. In: Handbook of the Bird of the World - Alive. Retrieved June 15, 2019 .
- ↑ St Helena Plover (Charadrius sanctaehelenae) - BirdLife species factsheet. In: BirdLife International. Retrieved June 15, 2019 .