The Réunion cuckooshrike (''Lalage newtoni'') is a

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

bird in the

cuckooshrike The cuckooshrikes and allies in the family Campephagidae are small to medium-sized passerine bird species found in the subtropical and tropical Africa, Asia and Australasia. The 93 species are divided into 11 genera. The woodshrikes ('' Tephrodor ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found else ...

to the island of Réunion, where it is restricted to two areas of mountain forest in the north of the island. Males are dark grey above and pale grey beneath, while females have dark brown upper parts and a streaked breast. The population has been declining and the range contracting, being currently about , and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

has rated the species as " critically endangered", with the possibility that the bird could be wiped out by a tropical storm. Conservation efforts are being made by attempting to control the cats and rats which prey on the chicks, and this seems to have resulted in the population stabilising.

Taxonomy

Dutch naturalist François Pollen described the Réunion cuckooshrike in 1866.

Description

The Réunion cuckooshrike is a small arboreal bird. The plumage is dimorphic between the sexes. The male is grey coloured with a darker back and lighter underside; the face is darker and has the impression of a mask. The female is quite different, being dark brown above and striped underneath with a white eye-line. The

call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call, a type of betting in poker * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from Lahore, Paki ...

of the species is a clear whistled ''tui tui tui'', from which is derived its local

Réunion Creole Réunion Creole, or Reunionese Creole ( rcf, kréol rénioné; french: créole réunionnais), is a French-based creole language spoken on Réunion. It is derived mainly from French and includes terms from Malagasy, Hindi, Portuguese, Gujarat ...

/ French name, ''tuit-tuit''.

Distribution and habitat

The species is restricted to the forest canopy, with a distribution limited to two small patches of Réunion's native subtropical mountain forests in the north of the island. Although it once ranged across Réunion in suitable habitat, its stronghold is the Plaine des Chicots – Plaine d'Affouches Important Bird Area near the island capital of Saint-Denis. Its diet is principally

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s, though fruit are also taken.BLI (2006a)

Status and conservation

The Réunion cuckooshrike is a critically endangered species and is currently the focus of

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

efforts. Its range has declined significantly and is currently an area of just 16 km². The population of the species is currently stable but at the low number of around 50 adult birds, and is very vulnerable to localised disasters such as forest fires or habitat degradation. Introduced cats and rats prey on the species (particularly on young birds), and introduced herbivores such as

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

degrade what little habitat remains. Formerly classified as an endangered species by the IUCN, it was suspected to be rarer than generally assumed. Following the evaluation of its status, this was found to be correct, and it is consequently uplisted to critically endangered status in 2008 as it is in immediate danger of extinction, numbering so few birds that it might be entirely wiped out by a single catastrophic event such as a

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depen ...

. Pilot studies have shown that controlling rat and cat numbers around nesting sites leads to increased survival of chicks, and the test programme of trapping and poisoning is going to be expanded. The species' survival plan also includes recommendations to translocate some individuals to suitable habitat in other parts of the island.BLI (2006b)

Footnotes

References

* BirdLife International (BLI) (2006a
Species factsheet: ''Coracina newtoni''
Retrieved 9 October 2006 * BirdLife International (BLI) (2006b
Road to recovery for rare cuckooshrike
Retrieved 9 October 2006 * BirdLife International (BLI) (2008)
[2008_IUCN_Redlist_status_changes]
_Retrieved_23_May_2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Reunion_Cuckooshrike Lalage_(bird).html" ;"title="008 IUCN Redlist status changes]">[2008 IUCN Redlist status changes]
Retrieved 23 May 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Reunion Cuckooshrike Lalage (bird)">008 IUCN Redlist status changes]">[2008 IUCN Redlist status changes]
Retrieved 23 May 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Reunion Cuckooshrike Lalage (bird) Birds of Réunion Endemic fauna of Réunion Saint-Denis, Réunion Réunion National Park Critically endangered fauna of Africa Birds described in 1866