Justification This species is listed as Vulnerable owing to its very small range on a few tiny islands, where it is especially at risk from unpredictable climatic events.

Family/Sub-family Fringillidae

Species name author Wilson, 1890

Taxonomic source(s) AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Synonyms Telespyza cantans Collar and Andrew (1988)

Identification 19 cm. Large finch with heavy, slightly hooked bill. Male yellow on head and breast, yellow-tinged grey on back and rump, dull white underparts. Dark wing and tail feathers with golden-yellow edges. Female and juvenile similar, but greyer above and on hindneck with fine streaks on head and breast, heavier streaks and spots on back. Greyer edges to wing feathers. Voice Loud canary-like song. Call a chirp resembling that of House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

5,000 - 20,000

fluctuating

3 km²

Yes

Range & population Telespiza cantans is confined to Laysan in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (USA), with around 30-50 birds (down from 772 in 1986¹⁴) persisting on two very tiny islands in the Hermes and Pearl Atoll from an introduction in 1967¹⁶. On Midway Island, an introduced population succumbed to rats during the 1940s¹⁵. In 1903, the introduction of rabbits to Laysan led to a serious decline in population size, but the species recovered rapidly after the rabbits were exterminated in 1923. The population numbered 1,000 individuals in 1928, c.5,000 in 1951², and apparently fluctuated between 5,000 and 20,000 over the period 1968-1990 (mean 11,044¹⁰), but this may be due, at least in part, to differing methods and seasons of censuses⁸. There has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of Laysan Finches on Southeast Island, at Pearl and Hermes Reef, since the successful invasion of golden crown beard Verbesina encelioides, which provides sheltered nesting habitat and additional food. The negative impacts of Verbesina on seabirds, which become entangled in the plants when returning to nest sites, dictates however that it be removed from the atoll in spite of its apparent benefits for T. cantans¹³.

Ecology: It is a primarily herbivorous omnivore^2,3 feeding on insects, flowers, fruits, stems, seedlings, and roots¹⁴. It survived the defoliation of Laysan by introduced rabbits, apparently by feeding on bird eggs, persistent seeds and carrion^2,10. On Laysan Island it nests almost exclusively in bunchgrass Eragrostis variabilis, but on Pearl and Hermes Atoll where the bunchgrass is uncommon, the introduced birds nest in other plants or in man-made debris that floats ashore¹⁰.

Threats Today, the primary forces regulating this species are storms and drought, which can cause almost total nest failure⁶. Global warming is a further cause for concern, given that the maximum altitude on Laysan is only 12 m and that, as well as predicted sea-level rises of 0.5-2.0 m by 2100, the frequency and severity of hurricanes and droughts are expected to increase as a consequence^5,11. In the past, invasive alien plants have reduced nesting habitat^4,9,10. Additional potential threats include the accidental introduction of non-native plants, animals and diseases¹⁰. A population crash followed the first attempts at Verbesina eradication in the Pearl and Hermes Reef Atoll, although Verbesina is now recovering²⁰.

Conservation measures underway Laysan is part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The alien grass Cenchrus echinatus is believed to have been eradicated¹⁰ and native bunchgrass is recovering in response¹².

Conservation measures proposed Continue monitoring on Laysan. Census the population on Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Ensure strict procedures to prevent the accidental introduction of exotic plants and animals by visitors¹⁰. Eradicate exotic plants and invertebrates¹⁰. Restore the indigenous plant community¹⁰. Establish two more wild populations¹⁶.

References 1. H. Baker and P. Baker in litt. (1999). 2. Berger (1972). 3. Conant (1988). 4. Gagné (1988). 5. McNeely et al. (1995). 6. Morin (1992a). 7. Morin (1992b). 8. Morin and Conant (1994). 9. Morin et al. (1997). 10. M. Morin in litt. (1999, 2003). 11. Moulton and Marshall (1996). 12. M. Reynolds in litt. (1999). 13. S. Conant in litt. (2003). 14. Morin and Conant (2002). 15. Fisher and Baldwin (1946). 16. S. Conant in litt. (2007).

Further web sources of information

Audubon WatchList

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Isabel Isherwood (BirdLife International), Alison Stattersfield (BirdLife International), Tom Stuart (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors Helen C. Baker (US Fish & Wildlife Service), Paul E Baker (US Fish & Wildlife Service), Rick Camp (US Geological Survey), Sheila Conant (University of Hawai`i), Scott Fretz (Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife), Marie Morin (US Fish & Wildlife Service), Michelle Reynolds (US Geological Survey), Eric VanderWerf (US Fish & Wildlife Service)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Telespiza cantans. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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