The Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant (''Anairetes fernandezianus'') is an

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in subfamily Elaeniinae of family

Tyrannidae The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) comprise a Family (biology), family of passerine birds which is found virtually throughout North America, North and South America. It is the world's largest family of birds, with more than 400 species, and is ...

, the tyrant flycatchers. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands () are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic islands: Robinson Crusoe Island, R ...

in the South Pacific Ocean off

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The members of genus ''Anairetes'' are known commonly as tit-tyrants because their active foraging behavior and crests are reminiscent of the true tits in the family Paridae. The genus had formerly been named ''Spizitornis''.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 28 September 2024. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved 29 September 2024 The Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

Description

The Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant is long. The sexes have the same plumage though females are slightly smaller than males and have a smaller crest. Adults have a black crest formed by elongated feathers in the center of the crown; the rest of their crown is blackish with a few whitish feathers. Their forehead and lores are black that extends through the eye, their

supercilium The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head.Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 10 Also k ...

is thin and white, and the rest of their face is white with black streaks. Their upperparts are dark dusky gray. Their wings are blackish with white to pale yellow edges on the flight feathers. Their wing

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are small feathers behind t ...

have thin white tips that show as two bars on the closed wing. Their tail is dusky with whitish outer webs on the outermost pair of feathers and whitish tips on the others. Their throat, breast, flanks, and upper belly are white with bold black streaks and their lower belly and undertail coverts are unmarked creamy white. Both sexes have a pale yellow iris, a black bill, and black legs and feet.Fitzpatrick, J. W. (2020). Juan Fernandez Tit-Tyrant (''Anairetes fernandezianus''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.jfttyr1.01 retrieved October 11, 2-24

Distribution and habitat

The Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant is found only on

Robinson Crusoe Island Robinson Crusoe Island (, ) is the second largest of the Juan Fernández Islands, situated 670 km (362 nmi; 416 mi) west of San Antonio, Chile, San Antonio, Chile, in the South Pacific Ocean. It is the more populous of the inhabit ...

in the

about off the central Chilean coast. It inhabits a variety of wooded and scrubby landscapes as well as

secondary growth In botany, secondary growth is the growth that results from cell division in the cambia or lateral meristems and that causes the stems and roots to thicken, while primary growth is growth that occurs as a result of cell division at the tips ...

and gardens. In elevation it ranges from sea level to .

Behavior

Movement

The Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant is a year-round resident.

Feeding

The Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant's diet has not been detailed but is believed to be mostly insects. It forages in pairs or family groups, taking prey by gleaning while perched but also by briefly hovering and occasionally by a sally to take prey in midair.

Breeding

The Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant apparently breeds between August and December. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology.

Vocalization

Though there are some recordings of the Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant's vocalizations, they have not been put into words.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

originally in 2004 assessed the Juan Fernandez tit-tyrant as Near Threatened; in 2023 it was reassessed as Endangered. It occurs on a single island. Its population is estimated to be 520 mature individuals and is believed to be decreasing. "The species is threatened by the degradation and replacement of native vegetation through non-native plants and grazing by introduced goats and cattle. Further threats include predation by introduced Red-backed Hawk (''Geranoaetus polyosoma'') from

Isla Alejandro Selkirk Alejandro Selkirk Island (), previously known as Más Afuera (Farther Out (to Sea)) and renamed after the marooned sailor Alexander Selkirk, is the largest and most westerly island in the Juan Fernández Archipelago of the Valparaíso Region of ...

, rats (''Rattus'' spp.) and cats (''Felis cattus'')." Forest conversion has slowed since about 2000 and "efforts to restore native vegetation and eradicate invasive species are ongoing".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1269455 Anairetes Endemic birds of the Juan Fernández Islands Birds described in 1857 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot