Guam flycatcher
| Guam flycatcher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Specimen in Mount Santa Rosa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Monarchidae |
| Genus: | Myiagra |
| Species: | † M. freycineti |
| Binomial name | |
| † Myiagra freycineti Oustalet, 1881 | |
The Guam flycatcher or Guam broadbill (Myiagra freycineti) was a species of bird in the Monarchidae family.[1] It was endemic to Guam, where it was known locally as the chuguangguang.[2] Today it is extinct.
Description
A small bird measuring 5 inches (13 cm) long, the Guam flycatcher had different coloration for the males and females. Males were glossy blue-black above while females were brownish-gray. Both had white below and buff coloration on the breast. It had a wide bill with long “whiskers” which helped it locate its food.
Extinction
The bird was secretive and occurred mainly in limestone and ravine forests. Although common on Guam as recently as the early 1970s, the flycatcher's population went into a rapid decline due to predation by the brown tree snake, Boiga irregulars, which was introduced to the island in the 1940s. The last sighting of the flycatcher was in 1983.
Given the small size of the island, the complete absence of recent sightings, and the universal presence of the brown tree snake[2] in the bird's former habitat, the Guam flycatcher is considered extinct.
References
- 1 2 BirdLife International (2012). "Myiagra freycineti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- 1 2 Guam Department of Agriculture