Handsome New Bird Species Found On Remote Island

Scientists at the far reaches of South America have identified a new bird species, the subantarctic rayadito. The little bird inhabits the Diego Ramírez Archipelago, 62 miles from southern Cape Horn and the southernmost point of the Americas. The discovery is reported in the journal Nature.

The new rayadito (Aphrastura subantarctica) is a handsome little bird, brown with black and yellow bands and a largish beak, weighing about 16 grams. There are two other known species in genus Aphrastura, both living in a very different temperate forest habitat. New guy has made its home in a tundra climate, with cold temperatures and short growing seasons. 

The discovery was something of a surprise because the rayadito’s continental cousins live in the forests of southern Patagonia and make their nests in trunk cavities, but there are no trees on the remote islands.

"There are no bushes and no woodland species, literally in the middle of the ocean a forest bird has managed to survive," said lead author Ricardo Rozzi, who spent six years with his colleagues tracking and studying the bird. They captured 13 specimens over that time.

The researchers said that the discovery of the bird species “highlights the need to monitor and conserve this still-pristine archipelago devoid of exotic species, which is now protected by the recently created Diego Ramírez Islands-Drake Passage Marine Park.”

The Chilean government announced the creation of the Marine Park in 2017, not a moment too soon for the little rayadito.

Photo credit: Rozzi et al