- Mauritius Fody
-
Mauritius Fody 
Mauritius Fody, Île aux Aigrettes nature reserve Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Ploceidae Genus: Foudia Species: F. rubra Binomial name Foudia rubra
(Gmelin, 1789)The Mauritius Fody (Foudia rubra) is a rare species of bird in the weaver family. It is endemic to the island of Mauritius. It is classified by BirdLife International as being endangered.[2] It is also on the United States' Endangered Species List with an endangered status.[3]
This bird is 14 centimeters long. It is brown with a red head and breast and black lores.[2]
The bird lives in several types of forest, including degraded areas, as well as plantations. Stands of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) have replaced native vegetation and now provide shelter.[4]It eats insects, fruit, and nectar.[2]
The bird is a weaver, the male and female cooperating to weave each nest.[4]
The Mauritius Fody is threatened by the loss of its habitat. Beginning in the 1970s much of its habitat was lost when the land was cleared for plantations.[2] By 2001 there were perhaps no more than about 100 breeding pairs.[5] The bird rarely breeds successfully because its nests are raided by predators, especially the black rat (Rattus rattus) and the crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis). This is currently the main cause of the bird's decline. Some areas of intact habitat have high nest predation, but areas of low nest predation may be poor habitat.[2] The Common Mynah has also been observed predating nests. Nest failure may occur when it is infested with tropical nest fly. The larvae of the fly attack the chicks, latching on and feeding on their blood, causing dehydration and anemia in the chicks.[4]
Conservation efforts include the control of rats and macaques. A captive breeding program has produced many chicks.[2] Eggs are removed from nests in the wild and hatched in captivity as the wild pairs produce and rear another clutch simultaneously.[5] Nests are treated for tropical nest fly. Supplemental food and water are given.[4] The population has increased recently due to conservation programs.[2]
Île aux Aigrettes, an islet off the main island of Mauritius, is now home to a number of Mauritius Fodies and other threatened species that have been translocated there.[4]
References
- ^ BirdLife International. 2009. Foudia rubra. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011. Downloaded 12 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g BirdLife International Species Fact Sheet
- ^ USFWS. Addition of 30 African birds to list of endangered and threatened wildlife. Federal Register January 12, 1995.
- ^ a b c d e Garrett, L. (2009). Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Mauritius Fody Recovery Programme Annual Report 2008-09.
- ^ a b Mauritius Fody. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. 12 September 2011.
External links
- images and movies of the Mauritius fody (Foudia rubra). ARKive.
- Mauritius Fody Breeding Photos. Wildlife Preservation Canada.
Family: Ploceidae Genus Bubalornis White-billed Buffalo Weaver (B. albirostris) • Red-billed Buffalo Weaver (B. niger)Dinemellia White-headed Buffalo Weaver (D. dinemelli)Sporopipes Speckle-fronted Weaver (S. frontalis) • Scaly-feathered Weaver (S. squamifrons)Plocepasser White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (P. mahali) • Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver (P. superciliosus) • Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Weaver (P. rufoscapulatus) • Donaldson Smith's Sparrow-Weaver (P. donaldsoni)Histurgops Rufous-tailed Weaver (H. ruficauda)Pseudonigrita Grey-capped Social Weaver (P. arnaudi) • Black-capped Social Weaver (P. cabanisi)Philetairus Sociable Weaver (P. socius)Ploceus Compact Weaver (P. superciliosus) • Black-chinned Weaver (P. nigrimentus) • Baglafecht Weaver (P. baglafecht) • Bertram's Weaver (P. bertrandi) • Slender-billed Weaver (P. pelzelni) • Loango Weaver (P. subpersonatus) • Little Weaver (P. luteolus) • Lesser Masked Weaver (P. intermedius) • Spectacled Weaver (P. ocularis) • Bannerman's Weaver (P. bannermani) • Bates's Weaver (P. batesi) • Black-necked Weaver (P. nigricollis) • Black-billed Weaver (P. melanogaster) • Strange Weaver (P. alienus) • Bocage's Weaver (P. temporalis) • Cape Weaver (P. capensis) • Eastern Golden Weaver (P. subaureus) • Holub's Golden Weaver (P. xanthops) • Príncipe Weaver (Ploceus princeps) • Orange Weaver (P. aurantius) • Golden Palm Weaver (P. bojeri) • Taveta Weaver (P. castaneiceps) • Southern Brown-throated Weaver (P. xanthopterus) • Northern Brown-throated Weaver (P. castanops) • Kilombero Weaver (P. burnieri) • Rüppell's Weaver or Rueppell's Weaver (P. galbula) • Heuglin's Masked Weaver (P. heuglini) • Northern Masked Weaver (P. taeniopterus) • Vitelline Masked Weaver (P. vitellinus) • Southern Masked Weaver (P. velatus) • Katanga Masked Weaver Ploceus katangae • Lufira Masked Weaver (P. ruweti) • Tanzanian Masked Weaver (P. reichardi) • Village Weaver (P. cucullatus) • Giant Weaver (P. grandis) • Speke's Weaver (P. spekei) • Fox's Weaver (P. spekeoides) • Vieillot's Black Weaver (P. nigerrimus) • Weyns's Weaver (P. weynsi) • Clarke's Weaver (P. golandi) • Black-headed Weaver (P. melanocephalus) • Juba Weaver (P. dichrocephalus) • Golden-backed Weaver (P. jacksoni) • Cinnamon Weaver (P. badius) • Chestnut Weaver (P. rubiginosus) • Golden-naped Weaver (P. aureonucha) • Yellow-mantled Weaver (P. tricolor) • Maxwell's Black Weaver (P. albinucha) • Nelicourvi Weaver (P. nelicourvi) • Sakalava Weaver (P. sakalava) • Streaked Weaver (P. manyar) • Baya Weaver (P. philippinus) • Asian Golden Weaver (P. hypoxanthus) • Finn's Weaver (P. megarhynchus) • Black-breasted Weaver (P. benghalensis) • Dark-backed Weaver (P. bicolor) • Preuss's Weaver (P. preussi) • Yellow-capped Weaver (P. dorsomaculatus) • Usambara Weaver (P. nicolli) • Olive-headed Weaver (P. olivaceiceps) • Brown-capped Weaver (P. insignis) • Bar-winged Weaver (P. angolensis) • São Tomé Weaver (P. sanctithomae) • Yellow-legged Weaver (P. flavipes)Pachyphantes Compact Weaver (P. superciliosus)Malimbus Red-crowned Malimbe (M. coronatus) • Cassin's Malimbe (M. cassini) • Gola Malimbe (M. ballmanni) • Rachel's Malimbe (M. racheliae) • Red-vented Malimbe (M. scutatus) • Ibadan Malimbe (M. ibadanensis) • Red-bellied Malimbe (M. erythrogaster) • Blue-billed Malimbe (M. nitens) • Crested Malimbe (M. malimbicus) • Red-headed Malimbe (M. rubricollis)Anaplectes Red-headed Weaver (A. rubriceps)Brachycope Bob-tailed Weaver (B. anomala)Quelea Foudia Red Fody (F. madagascariensis) • Red-headed Fody (Foudia eminentissima) (Comoro Fody and Aldabra Fody if species spilt) • Forest Fody (F. omissa) • Mauritius Fody (F. rubra) • Seychelles Fody (F. sechellarum) • Rodrigues Fody (F. flavicans)Euplectes Yellow-crowned Bishop (E. afer) • Fire-fronted Bishop (E. diadematus) • Black Bishop (E. gierowii) • Black-winged Red Bishop (E. hordeaceus) • Northern Red Bishop or Orange Bishop (E. franciscanus) • Southern Red Bishop or Red Bishop (E. orix) • Zanzibar Red Bishop (E. nigroventris) • Golden-backed Bishop (E. aureus) • Yellow Bishop (E. capensis) • Fan-tailed Widowbird (E. axillaris) • Yellow-mantled Widowbird (E. macroura) • White-winged Widowbird (E. albonotatus) • Red-collared Widowbird (E. ardens) • Marsh Widowbird (E. hartlaubi) • Montane Widowbird (E. psammacromius) • Long-tailed Widowbird (E. progne) • Jackson's Widowbird (E. jacksoni)Anomalospiza Cuckoo Finch also called Parasitic Weaver (A. imberbis) (probably belongs in Viduidae)Amblyospiza Thick-billed Weaver (A. albifrons)
This Ploceidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
