Seychelles warbler
| Seychelles warbler | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).JPG) |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Sylvioidea |
| Family: | Acrocephalidae |
| Genus: | Acrocephalus |
| Species: | A. sechellensis |
| Binomial name | |
|
Acrocephalus sechellensis (Oustalet, 1877) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Bebrornis sechellensis |
|
Bebrornis sechellensis
The Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis), also known as Seychelles brush warbler, is a small songbird found on five granitic and corraline islands in the Seychelles. It is a greenish-brown bird with long legs and a long slender bill. It is primarily found in forested areas on the islands. The Seychelles warbler is a rarity in that it exhibits cooperative breeding, or alloparenting; which means that the monogamous pair is assisted by nonbreeding female helpers.
A few decades ago the Seychelles warbler was on the verge of extinction, with only 26 birds surviving on Cousin Island in 1968. Due to conservation efforts there are more than 2500 of the species alive today with viable populations on Denis, Cousine and Aride Islands, as well as Cousin Island. In December 2011, 59 Seychelles warblers were translocated to Frégate Island in order to establish a fifth population.
The Seychelles warbler is closely related to the Rodrigues warbler (Acrocephalus rodericanus) and the two species have sometimes been placed in their own genus, Bebrornis. The two species have also been considered allied to the Malagasy genus Nesillas. A 1997 study confirmed however that the two species were part of a clade of Afrotropical warblers within Acrocephalus that also includes the Madagascan swamp warbler, the greater swamp warbler, the lesser swamp warbler and the Cape Verde warbler.
The Seychelles warbler is a small, plain Acrocephalus warbler, between 13 to 14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) in length and with a wingspan of 17 cm (6.7 in). It has long grey-blue legs, a long horn coloured bill, and a reddish eye. Adults show no sexual dimorphism in their plumage, the back, wings, flanks and head are greenish brown and the belly and breast are dirty white. The throat is a stronger white and there is a pale supercilium in front of the eye. Juvenile birds are darker with a more bluish eye.
...
Wikipedia