South Island Wren
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| Xenicus gilviventris Pelzeln, 1867 |
The South Island Wren, (Xenicus gilviventris), is a small New Zealand wren (family Acanthisittidae) endemic to South Island in New Zealand. It is commonly known as the Rock Wren, a name it shares with the unrelated Rock Wren of North America. While the species is currently restricted to alpine areas of South Island, fossil evidence indicates it was once present on North Island as well. It is the rarer of the two surviving species of New Zealand and is threatened by introduced mammals.
The South Island Wren is the only surviving species in the genus Xenicus, and is thought to have been closely related to the formerly more widespread Bush Wren. Like the Bush Wren and the Rifleman it is a poor flier, rarely flying more than two metres off the ground and for distances more than 30m. It is highly terrestrial, feeding in low scrub and open scree and rockfalls in alpine areas.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2006) Species factsheet: Xenicus gilviventris. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 12/2/2007
