Bush Wren (Xenicus longipes)
Posted on 31 December, 1972 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1972
Comments:
This species formerly occurred on New Zealand, but it is now Extinct, probably due to overpredation by invasive species. The last record was of the nominate subspecies on South Island, in 1972.
Habitat:
On the mainland, it was a species of dense, montane forest, while on offshore islands it was found in coastal forest and scrub (Robertson 1985).
Causes:
Its decline was presumably caused by introduced predators (Robertson 1985), to which it was particularly vulnerable, being a ground-nester (Greenway 1967).
Distribution:
Xenicus longipes was endemic to the three main islands of New Zealand, with variabilis of Stewart Island last recorded in 1965, stokesi of the North Island in 1949, and the nominate race of the South Island in 1972 (Collar et al. 1994).