Gough finch

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Gough finch
Gough Bunting Male.JPG
Male on Gough Island
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Rowettia
Lowe, 1923
Species:
R. goughensis
Binomial name
Rowettia goughensis
(Clarke, WE, 1904)
Rowettia goughensis map.svg
Synonyms

Nesospiza goughensis (protonym)
Nesospiza jessiae

The Gough finch (Rowettia goughensis) or Gough bunting, is a critically endangered species of songbird.

Taxonomy

The Gough finch was formally described in 1904 by the British ornithologist William Eagle Clarke from a specimen collected on Gough Island in the South Atlantic. Clarke coined the binomial name Nesospiza goughensis. [2] The Gough finch is now the only species placed in the genus Rowettia that was introduced in 1923 by the English ornithologist Percy Lowe. [3] [4] The genus name was chosen to honour John Quiller Rowett, an English businessman and the sponsor of the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition. [5] The Gough finch was traditionally considered to be a bunting in the family Emberizidae, [6] but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that it is a member of the subfamily Diglossinae in the tanager family Thraupidae and is sister to a clade containing birds in the genus Melanodera . [7] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [4]

Another species of finch was described from Gough Island, Nesospiza jessiae, in 1904. This species was later identified as a juvenile of the Gough finch. [3]

Description

The Gough finch is 22 to 26 cm (8.7–10.2 in) in length and weighs 50–56 g (1.8–2.0 oz). [8]

Distribution and habitat

It is endemic to the remote Gough Island, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, and nearby stacks, in the South Atlantic. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subantarctic grassland.

The immature was described as Nesospiza jessiae NesospizaJessiaeGoodchild.jpg
The immature was described as Nesospiza jessiae

Status and conservation

It was formerly classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN. [1] But new research has shown that its population has collapsed and it is on the verge of extinction due to the introduced population of house mice (Mus musculus), noted for its unusual aggressiveness, [9] competing with the birds for food and eating their eggs and nestlings. Consequently, it was uplisted to Critically Endangered in 2008. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanager</span> Family of birds

The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropical birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine-primaried oscine</span> Group of birds

The nine-primaried oscines is a group of bird families in the suborder Passeri (oscines) of the Passeriformes. The composition of the group has changed since the term was introduced but is now considered to consist of seven major families—Fringillidae, Emberizidae, Cardinalidae, Thraupidae, Passerellidae, Parulidae and Icteridae—plus some small families. When Fringillidae is omitted the remaining six families are referred to as the "New World" nine-primaried oscines.

<i>Haplospiza</i> Genus of birds

Haplospiza is a small genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. Formerly classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown it to belong in the Thraupidae. Its two members breed in subtropical or tropical moist forest in Central and South America. They are often associated with bamboo.

<i>Nesospiza</i> Genus of birds

Nesospiza is a genus of seed-eating birds in the tanager family Thraupidae found on the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Emberizoides</i> Genus of birds

Emberizoides is a small genus of finch-like tanagers found in grassy areas in Central and South America.

<i>Embernagra</i> Genus of birds

Embernagra is a genus of South American finch-like birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.

<i>Idiopsar</i> Genus of birds

Idiopsar is a genus of Neotropical seed-eating birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinereous finch</span> Species of bird

The cinereous finch is a species of South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Piezorina. It is found in arid coastal regions of northern Peru, with a single record, presumably a straying bird, from immediately adjacent Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slender-billed finch</span> Species of bird

The slender-billed finch is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Xenospingus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inca finch</span> Genus of birds

The Inca finches form the genus Incaspiza, of finch-like birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. They were traditionally placed in the family Emberizidae, but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that they belong in Thraupidae instead. Both their scientific and common name refer to the Incan civilization.

<i>Camarhynchus</i> Genus of birds

Camarhynchus is a genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. All species of Camarhynchus are endemic to the Galápagos Islands, and together with related genera, they are collectively known as Darwin's finches. Formerly classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent molecular genetic studies have shown it to belong in the tanager family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-masked finch</span> Species of bird

The black-masked finch is a species of South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Coryphaspiza. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Geospiza</i> Genus of birds

Geospiza is a genus of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. All species in the genus are endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Together with related genera, they are collectively known as Darwin's finches. Although in the past, they were classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown they belong in the tanager family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-shouldered grassquit</span> Species of bird in the family Thraupidae.

The yellow-shouldered grassquit is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae that is endemic to Jamaica. It is the only member of the genus Loxipasser. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

<i>Melanospiza</i> Genus of birds

Melanospiza is a genus of Neotropical birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilkins's finch</span> Species of bird

Wilkins's finch, also known as Wilkins's bunting or the grosbeak bunting, is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is restricted to Inaccessible Island and Nightingale Island of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subantarctic grassland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay-chested warbling finch</span> Species of bird

The bay-chested warbling finch is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to southeastern Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warbler-finch</span> Genus of birds

The warbler-finches are a genus Certhidea of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae that are endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Together with related genera, they are collectively known as Darwin's finches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tristan da Cunha–Gough Islands shrub and grasslands</span>

The Tristan da Cunha–Gough Islands shrub and grasslands is a terrestrial ecoregion which covers the Tristan da Cunha archipelago and Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. The islands' remote location gave rise to many endemic species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2017). "Rowettia goughensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22723149A119142383. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22723149A119142383.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Clarke, W. Eagle (1904). "Nesospiza goughensis, n. sp". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 15: 18.
  3. 1 2 Lowe, Percy R. (1923). "Notes on some land birds of the Tristan da Cunha group collected by the 'Quest' expedition". Ibis. 65 (3): 511–528 [512]. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1923.tb08110.x.
  4. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Tanagers and allies". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  5. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 338. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1970). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 112.
  7. Burns, K.J.; Shultz, A.J.; Title, P.O.; Mason, N.A.; Barker, F.K.; Klicka, J.; Lanyon, S.M.; Lovette, I.J. (2014). "Phylogenetics and diversification of tanagers (Passeriformes: Thraupidae), the largest radiation of Neotropical songbirds". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 75: 41–77. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.02.006. PMID   24583021.
  8. Ryan, P. & Sharpe, C.J. (2017). Gough Finch (Rowettia goughensis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/62039 on 28 March 2017).
  9. Wanless, R.M.; Angel, A.; Cuthbert, R.J.; Hilton, G.M.; Ryan, P.G. (2007). "Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions?" (PDF). Biology Letters. 3 (3): 241–244. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0120. PMC   2464706 . PMID   17412667.

Further reading