Tiny Galapagos Bird Darwin's Flycatcher Battles Extinction as 12 Chicks Hatch This Year

With 12 chicks hatching this year from 15 pairs, the Darwin's Flycatcher, a tiny bird found only in the Galapagos, is battling the dangers of going extinct.

Darwin's Flycatcher

In its fight to recover from near extinction, Darwin's flycatcher, a little bird with beautiful vermilion plumage, continues to make modest but significant progress on the Galapagos Islands, according to the isolated archipelago's national park.

The park reported that 12 chicks were born this year from the island of Santa Cruz's 15 remaining pairs of the distinctive bird species.

According to the Charles Darwin Foundation, the species is endemic to the Galapagos and is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Other islands in the group, such Pinzon, are home to Darwin's flycatchers, but Santa Cruz Island was where their population was most in danger.

The bird is a territorial species that defends its territory all year long; the male makes noticeable singing flights; the song is very brief and feeble.

12 Chicks from 15 Pairs

Pairs of Darwin's Flycatchers remain paired for at least one season.

Although breeding has been seen as early as October, breeding generally occurs during the warmer months of the year.

A cup nest made of moss, lichens, fine fibers, and feathers from other species is often constructed by the female and is placed two to 10 meters up in a fork or on a horizontal branch.

The male aids the female with food while she lays two to three eggs and incubates them.

According to the Charles Darwin Foundation, both sexes feed the chicks. After leaving the nest, fledglings stay with their parents for about 4 weeks.

In Santa Cruz, where just 15 couples exist, an experimental management approach allowed 12 more chicks to be added to the population in a forest at a higher height.

Danny Rueda, the reserve's director, stated that each chick provides a new chance for saving this species, which is threatened and listed on the red list.

The park claimed that these 12 new birds represent a genuine achievement since the program's inception in 2018 and that this year has been particularly significant in terms of results.

Between 2020 and 2022, according to the program, a collaboration with the Charles Darwin Foundation, the University of Vienna, and the charity Galapagos Conservancy, 21 chicks arrived in Santa Cruz.

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Galapagos Archipelago

There are plants and animals unique to the Galapagos archipelago, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.

Charles Darwin, a British scientist, developed his theory of evolution in the 19th century as a result of observing its wonders, Raw Story reported.

The Galápagos Islands are referred to be a "melting pot" of marine species by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.

The continuous seismic and volcanic activity continues as evidence of the effects of the events that formed the islands.

Due to these processes and the islands' great isolation, peculiar animal life has developed on the islands, including the land iguana, giant tortoise, and many finch species.

Since Charles Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle" was published in 1839, people have been very interested in the origins of the flora and fauna of the Galapagos.