Christopher Taylor Bird Nature Wildlife Mammal Photography
nature photography
GALLERIES > BIRDS > FURNARIIDA > FURNARIIDAE > MASAFUERA RAYADITO [Aphrastura masafuerae]


Masafuera Rayadito Picture
 
 

bird photography

SPECIES INFO

The Masafuera Rayadito, Aphrastura masafuerae, is a rare bird endemic to Alejandro Selkirk Island in the Juan Fernández Islands. The species is a member of the ovenbird family and only one of two species in the rayadito genus. The species' natural habitat is humid montane scrub, dominated by tree ferns (Dicksonia externa) and ferns (Lophosoria quadripinnata) between 800-1300m above sea level (though they will descend lower during the austral winter).

Masafuera Rayaditos travel in pairs while feeding on arthropods; feeding occurs in the wood understory and occasionally on the ground in the leaf-litter. Nesting occurs at high altitudes (above 1200m), in small natural crevices in rocks.

The Masafuera Rayadito is a critically endangered species. The species once occurred on Surveys of the species in the 1980s found between 500-1000 birds but by 1992 that had dropped to 200 and by 2002 only 140. The species is threatened by introduced species, particularly goats which trample and degrade habitat, but also probably rats and feral cats.





HOME · ABOUT ME · GALLERY · STOCKLIST · VIDEO · SEARCH · PRESS · CONTACT · BLOG · NEW STUFF
nature photography
All images and video © Copyright 2006-2024 Christopher Taylor, Content and maps by their respective owner. All rights reserved.
bird photography