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{{pp-move|expiry=2013-03-22T00:00:00Z|small=yes}}{{Taxobox |
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| name= Madeira Firecrest |
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| status = LC |
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| status_system = IUCN3.1 |
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| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN2012>{{IUCN|id=160032283 |title=''Regulus madeirensis'' | assessors=[[BirdLife International]] |version=2012.1 |year=2012 |accessdate=16 July 2012}}</ref> |
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| image = Madeiran-Firecrest1-B.jpg |
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| image_caption = Male |
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| image alt= small bird with greenish upperparts, orange crown and white [[supercilium]] |
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| regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
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| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] |
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| classis = [[bird|Aves]] |
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| ordo = [[perching bird|Passeriformes]] |
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| familia = [[Regulidae]] |
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| genus = ''[[kinglet|Regulus]]'' |
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| species = '''''R. madeirensis''''' |
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| binomial = ''Regulus madeirensis'' |
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| binomial_authority = ([[Edward Vernon Harcourt|Harcourt]], 1851) |
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| range_map = Madeira archipelago.png |
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| range_map_width = |
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| range_map_caption = The Madeira Firecrest is an endemic resident of the main island of the Madeira archipelago |
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}} |
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The '''Madeira Firecrest''' or '''Madeira Kinglet''' (''Regulus madeirensis'') is a very small [[passerine]] bird that is [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] to the island of [[Madeira]]. It is a member of the [[kinglet]] family. Before it was recognised as a separate species in 2003, it was classified as a subspecies of the [[Common Firecrest]]. It differs in appearance and vocalisations from its relative, and genetic analysis has confirmed it as a different species. The Madeiran bird has green upperparts, whitish underparts and two white wingbars, and a distinctive head pattern with a black eye stripe, short white [[supercilium]], and a crest that is mainly orange in the male and yellow in the female. |
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The female Madeira Firecrest builds a spherical nest from [[Spider web|cobwebs]], [[moss]] and small twigs, and she incubates the eggs and broods the chicks on her own. Both parents feed the young. This species [[Foraging|forages]] for insects and other small invertebrates in [[erica arborea|tree heath]], [[laurisilva]] and other woodland. It is common within its restricted range, and is not considered to be threatened. |
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== Description == |
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The Madeira Firecrest is a small plump bird, of {{convert|9|–|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} length and weighing about {{convert|5|g|oz|abbr=on}}. It has bright olive-green upperparts with a bronze-coloured patch on each shoulder, and whitish underparts washed with brownish grey on the breast and flanks. It has two white wingbars, a tiny black bill and brownish-black legs. The head pattern is striking, with a black eye stripe, white [[supercilium]] and a crest which is yellow in the female and mainly orange in the male.<ref name= Baker>{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Kevin |coauthors= |title=Warblers of Europe, Asia and North Africa |series=[[Helm Identification Guides]] |year=1997 |publisher=Helm |isbn=0-7136-3971-7 |pages=383–384 |location=London}}</ref> Juveniles have a grey tinge to the duller upperparts, and lack the crown and eye stripes and supercilium;<ref name= Mullarney/> by their first winter, only the [[flight feather|flight]] and tail feathers remain [[moulting|unmoulted]], and the young birds are virtually indistinguishable from the adults in the field. This kinglet usually hops with its body held horizontally, and its flight is weak and whirring, with occasional jinking.<ref name= Baker/> |
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Compared to the [[Common Firecrest]], the Madeiran Firecrest has a longer bill and legs, a shorter white supercilium, more black on the wings and a deeper golden-bronze shoulder patch; the male's crest is duller orange. Juveniles have plainer heads, lacking the dull supercilium shown by the young of the European species.<ref name= Mullarney>{{cite book |last1=Mullarney |first1=Killian |last2=Svensson |first2=Lars |last3=Zetterstrom |first3=Dan |last4=Grant |first4=Peter |title=Collins Bird Guide |year=1999 |location= London |publisher=Collins |page = 336 |isbn=0-00-219728-6}}</ref> |
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The vocalisations of Madeiran and Common Firecrests both consist of high-pitched notes, but the Madeiran bird has its song divided into three distinct parts, whereas that of the more widespread species just accelerates gradually and covers a much smaller frequency range.<ref name= Constantine>{{cite book |last=Constantine |first=Mark |coauthors=The Sound Approach |title=The Sound Approach to Birding: A Guide to Understanding Bird Sound |year=2006 |publisher=Poole: The Sound Approach |isbn=90-810933-1-2 |page=137}}</ref> The calls of both species include high-pitched fine vocalisations ''zuu zu-zi-zi'', although the Madeiran Firecrest also has a distinctive shrill ''wheez'' and a whistled ''peep''.<ref name= Mullarney/> |
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==Taxonomy== |
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[[File:Mad-Firecrest-B.jpg|thumb|Madeira firecrest]] |
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The kinglets are a small group of birds sometimes included in the [[Old World warbler]]s, but frequently given family status,<ref name=BB852>{{cite journal |last=Monroe |first=Burt L. |month=February |year=1992 |title=The new DNA-DNA avian classification: What's it all about? |journal= [[British Birds (magazine)|British Birds]] |volume=85 |issue= 2 |pages=53–61}}</ref> especially as recent research showed that, despite superficial similarities, the crests are taxonomically remote from the warblers.<ref name= Barker>{{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=F Keith |last2=Barrowclough |first2=George F |last3=Groth |first3=Jeff G |year=2002 |title=A phylogenetic hypothesis for passerine birds: taxonomic and biogeographic implications of an analysis of nuclear DNA sequence data |journal=[[Proceedings of the Royal Society#Proceedings of the Royal Society B|Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B]] |volume=269 |pages= 295–308 |url=http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/269/1488/295.full.pdf |doi=10.1098/rspb.2001.1883 |pmid=11839199 |pmc=1690884 |issue=1488}}</ref><ref name=Spicer>{{cite journal |last1=Spicer |first1=Greg S |last2=Dunipace |first2=Leslie |year=2004 |title=Molecular phylogeny of songbirds (Passerifor-mes) inferred from mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=30 |pages=325–335 |url=http://online.sfsu.edu/~gs/spicer/pages/spicerpdf/spicerdunipace04.pdf |format= |doi =10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00193-3 |pmid=14715224 |issue=2}}</ref> The names of the family, Regulidae, and its only genus, ''Regulus'', are derived from the [[Latin]] ''regulus'', a diminutive of ''rex'', "a king",<ref name = Chambers>{{cite book |editor-last= Brookes |editor-first= Ian |title=[[Chambers Dictionary]] |edition=ninth |year=2006 |publisher=Chambers |location=Edinburgh |pages=223, 735, 1277 |isbn=0-550-10185-3}}</ref> and refer to the characteristic orange or yellow crests of adult kinglets. The species name ''madeirensis'' is derived from the island on which this bird is found. The Madeira Firecrest was first described by English naturalist [[Edward Vernon Harcourt]] in 1851.<ref name=Harcourt>{{cite book|last=Harcourt |first=Edward Vernon |title=A Sketch of Madeira |year=1851 |location=London |publisher=John Murray |url=http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/24155000 |pages=117–118}}</ref> Until recently, it was considered to be a subspecies, ''R. i. madeirensis'', of the [[Common Firecrest]] ''R. ignicapillus''. A [[Phylogenetics|phylogenetic]] analysis based on the [[cytochrome b]] [[gene]] showed that the Madeiran form is distinct at the species level from the Firecrest [[Subspecies#Nomenclature|nominate subspecies]] ''R. i. ignicapillus''. Cytochrome ''b'' gene divergence between the Madeira Firecrest and the European bird is 8.5%, comparable with the divergence level between other recognised ''Regulus'' species, such as the 9% between the [[Goldcrest]] and the [[Golden-crowned Kinglet]].<ref name =hbw/> The split was accepted by the [[Association of European Rarities Committees]] (AERC) in 2003,<ref name= aerc >{{cite book |author=AERC Taxonomy Committee |coauthors= |title= AERC TAC's Taxonomic Recommendations |url= http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/AERCTACAccepted.pdf |year=2003 |publisher=[[Association of European Rarities Committees]] |isbn= |page=22}}</ref> but some authorities, such as Clements, have not yet recognised the new species.<ref name=Clements>{{cite web |last1= Clements |first1=J.F. |last2=Schulenberg |first2=T.S. |last3=Iliff |first3=M.J. |last4=Sullivan |first4=B.L. |last5=Wood |first5=C.L. |title=The Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.4.|work= |url=http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist | publisher=Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref> |
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The songs of the four subspecies of Common Firecrest (nominate ''R. i. ignicapillus'', Mediterranean ''R. i. balearicus'', southeastern ''R. i. caucasicus'' and North African ''R. i. laeneni'') show a number of different song forms, but in general are very similar to each other, whereas the Madeiran Firecrest has only one song type, which is divided into three phrases, two of them consisting of modified display and anger calls. Its display calls use a larger frequency range and more harmonics than the continental subspecies. Male Common Firecrests do not show a territorial response to recordings of the songs or calls of the Madeiran [[taxon]], although Madeiran Firecrests do react strongly to playback of the calls of the mainland birds.<ref name= Packert>{{cite journal |last1=Päckert |first1=Martin |last2=Martens |first2=Jochen |last3=Hofmeister |first3=Tanja |month=January |year=2001 |title=Lautäußerungen der Sommergoldhähnchen von den Inseln Madeira und Mallorca (''Regulus ignicapillus madeirensis, R. i. balearicus'') |journal=Journal für Ornithologie |language=German |volume=142 |issue=1 |pages=16–29 |url= |doi= 10.1046/j.1439-0361.2000.00054.x }}</ref> The island form was recognized as a separate species on the basis of differences from the mainland form in [[morphology (biology)|morphology]], vocalisations, and genetics.<ref name=Sangster>{{cite journal |last1=Sangster |first1=George |last2=Collinson |first2=J Martin |last3=Helbig |first3=Andreas J |last4=Knox |first4=Alan G |last5=Parkin |first5=David T |month= |year=2005 |title=Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: third report |journal=[[Ibis (journal)|Ibis]] |volume=147 |issue= 4|pages=821–826 |url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118644713/PDFSTART |format= |doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.2005.00483.x }}</ref> |
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The Atlantic archipelagos of the [[Canary Islands|Canaries]], [[Azores]], and Madeira have a volcanic origin and they have never been part of a continent. The formation of Madeira started in the [[Miocene]] and the island was substantially complete 700,000 years ago.<ref name=gvp>{{cite web |author= |title=Madeira |work=Global Volcanism Program |url=http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1802-12- |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |accessdate= 20 July 2010}}</ref> In the distant past the major islands of these archipelagos were all colonised by ''Regulus'' species, which evolved on their respective islands isolated from mainland populations. The Firecrest descendant evolved in Madeira and Goldcrest subspecies evolved on the other islands.<ref name= Dietzen>{{cite journal |last=Dietzen |first=Christian |month=June |year=2007 |title=Molecular phylogeography and colonization history of passerine birds of the Atlantic islands (Macaronesia) |journal=University of Heidelberg Doctoral Dissertation |volume= |issue= |pages=24, 75–96 |url=http://www.cdietzen.de/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/diss_c-dietzen.pdf |format= |doi= }}</ref> Cytochrome ''b'' gene divergence between Common Firecrests from Europe and Madeira Firecrests suggests an evolutionary separation roughly 4 million years ago,<ref name =hbw/> considerably earlier than the 2.2 million years ago maximum estimate for the Goldcrest radiations in the Canaries and Azores.<ref name=Dietzen/> |
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==Distribution and habitat== |
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[[File:Madeira 057.JPG|thumb|alt= Large trees with grass between them in mist| Laurel forest in Madeira]] |
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The Madeira Firecrest is endemic to the main island of Madeira. It occurs mainly at higher levels from 600–1,550 m (1,950–4,900 ft) in all types of forests and scrub,<ref name=BirdLife>{{cite web |title=BirdLife International Species factsheet: ''Regulus madeirensis'' |author= |publisher=BirdLife International |url=http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=32283&m=1 |accessdate = 4 July 2010}}</ref> but with a preference for [[Erica arborea|tree heath]]s.<ref name= Dietzen/> Although it is strongly adapted to endemic tree heaths, it also breeds in [[broom (shrub)|broom]], relict [[laurisilva|laurel forest]], oak-dominated deciduous forest and stands of the introduced Japanese cedar, ''[[Cryptomeria|Cryptomeria japonica]]''. It is absent from the alien [[eucalyptus]] and [[acacia]] plantations which have replaced much of the endemic Madeiran laurel forest.<ref name = hbw/> |
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==Behaviour== |
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===Breeding=== |
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The male Madeira Firecrest sings during the breeding season, often with its crest raised, and has a display which involves pointing its bill at another bird, showing the crest and strong face pattern. This differs from the display of the plainer-faced Goldcrest, which bows its head to emphasise the crest.<ref name=BWP/> The Madeira Firecrest is [[monogamy|monogamous]]. As is typical for the family, the [[bird nest|nest]] is a closed cup built in three layers with a small entrance hole near its top. The nest's outer layer is made from moss, small twigs, cobwebs and lichen, the spider webs also being used to attach the nest to the thin branches that support it. The middle layer is moss, and this is lined with feathers (up to 3,000) and hair.<ref name=BWP/> It is constructed by the female alone, although the male will accompany the female while she builds the nest over a period of a few days to three weeks.<ref name =hbw/> |
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[[File: Regulus madeirensis MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.207.jpg|thumb|'' Regulus madeirensis '' - [[MHNT]]]] |
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The eggs are described as like those of a ''[[Phylloscopus]]'' warbler (white with some brown speckles),<ref name= Simms >{{cite book |last=Simms |first=Eric |coauthors= |title=British Warblers |series=New Naturalist Series |year=1985 |location=London |publisher=Collins |page=370 |isbn=0-00-219810-X}}</ref> unlike the eggs of the Common Firecrest, which are pink with very indistinct reddish markings at the broad end.<ref name=Seebohm>{{cite book |last=Seebohm |first=Henry |title=Coloured Figures of the Eggs of British Birds |year=1896 |location=Sheffield |publisher=Pawson and Brailsford |page=209, plate 53}}</ref> The clutch size is unknown, but believed to be smaller than the 7–12 of the nominate race of [[Common Firecrest]]. The female incubates the eggs for 14.5 to 16.5 days to hatching, and broods the chicks, which [[fledge]] 19 to 20 days after hatching. Both parents feed the chicks and fledged young.<ref name=BWP/> |
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=== Feeding === |
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[[File:Mad-Firecrest1-B.jpg|thumb|alt= Madeira Firecrest |Male]] |
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All ''Regulus'' species are almost exclusively insectivorous, preying on small [[arthropod]]s with soft [[cuticle]]s, such as [[springtail]]s, [[aphid]]s and spiders. They also feed on the [[Pupa#Cocoon|cocoon]]s and eggs of spiders and insects, and occasionally take pollen. The Madeira Firecrest feeds in trees, exploiting mainly the upper surface of branches in [[conifer]]ous habitat and of leaves in deciduous trees. This is in contrast to the Goldcrest, which frequently feeds on the undersides of branches and leaves. The Madeira Firecrest also forages in the moss and lichen which often covers the branches and trunks of laurel and oak trees.<ref name = hbw/> |
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==Predators and parasites== |
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The limited species diversity of Madeira means that there are relatively few potential predators. Of the three birds of prey, the [[Common Buzzard]] and [[Common Kestrel]] take mainly mammalian prey; however, the dark Macaronesian subspecies of the [[Eurasian Sparrowhawk]], ''Accipiter nisus granti'', is a specialist predator of woodland birds.<ref name=BWP>{{cite book |editor1-last=Snow |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Perrins |editor2-first=Christopher M |title=The Birds of the Western Palearctic |edition=concise (2 volumes) |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |pages=345–348 |isbn=0-19-854099-X }}</ref> |
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Other than bats, there are no native land mammals, although there are a number of introduced species, two of which will take birds or chicks.<ref name=Masset>{{cite journal |last=Masseti |first=Marco |month=March |year=2010 |title=Mammals of the Macaronesian islands (the Azores, Madeira, the Canary and Cape Verde islands): redefinition of the ecological equilibrium |journal=Mammalia |volume=74 |issue=1 |pages=3–34 |url= |doi=10.1515/MAMM.2010.011 }}</ref> These are [[Brown rat|Brown Rats]] and feral domestic [[cat]]s. Even the high mountain nest sites of the endangered [[Zino's Petrel]] are at risk from these predators.<ref name=medina>{{cite journal |last1= Medina |first1=Félix M |last2= Oliveira |first2=Paulo |last3=Menezes |first3=Dilia |last4=Teixeira |first4=Sérgio |last5=García |first5=Rafael |last6=Nogales |first6=Manuel |month=July |year=2010 |title=Trophic habits of feral cats in the high mountain shrublands of the Macaronesian islands (NW Africa, Atlantic Ocean) |journal=Acta Theriologica |volume=55 |issue=3 |pages=241–250 |doi = 10.4098/j.at.0001-7051.069.2009}}</ref><ref name=zino>{{cite book |last=Zino |first=Francis |last2=Heredia |first2=Borja |last3=Biscoito |first3=Manuel J |title=Action plan for Zino's Petrel (''Pterodroma madeira'') |url=http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/wildbirds/action_plans/docs/pterodroma_madeira.pdf |year=1995 |location=Brussels |publisher=European Commission |isbn= |pages=1–14}}</ref> |
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Data on specific parasites of the Madeira Firecrest is lacking, but the widespread flea ''[[moorhen flea|Dasypsyllus gallinulae]]'' has been recorded in a related ''Regulus'' species,<ref name = Rothschild >{{cite book |title=Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos. A study of bird parasites |last1=Rothschild |first1=Miriam |author1-link=Miriam Rothschild |last2=Clay |first2=Theresa |year=1953 |location=London |publisher=Collins |isbn= |page=113 |url=http://ia331318.us.archive.org/1/items/fleasflukescucko017900mbp/fleasflukescucko017900mbp.pdf }}</ref> and significant infection by non-native [[pathogen]]s such as [[avipoxvirus|avian pox]] and [[avian malaria]] has been detected in another Macaronesian bird, the [[Berthelot's Pipit]].<ref name=illera>{{cite journal |last1=Illera |first1=Juan Carlos |last2= Emerson |first2=Brent C |last3=Richardson |first3=David S |month=November |year=2008 |title=Genetic characterization, distribution and prevalence of avian pox and avian malaria in the Berthelot's pipit (''Anthus berthelotii'') in Macaronesia |journal=Parasitology Research |volume=103 |pmid= 18762985 |issue=6 |pages=1435–1443 |url= |doi=10.1007/s00436-008-1153-7}}</ref> |
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==Status== |
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The Madeira Firecrest's range consists of a single island, on which it appears to be fairly common<ref name=hbw/> to very common,<ref name=BWP/> although its population has not been evaluated.<ref name=BirdLife/> It is therefore classed as [[Least Concern]] on the [[IUCN Red List]].<ref name=IUCN2012/> It may be declining because of fragmentation and loss of native forest habitat,<ref name=BirdLife/> but its ability to occupy plantations of some of the non-native tree species has ameliorated this factor to some extent.<ref name=hbw>Martens, Jochen; Päckert, Martin "Family Regulidae (Kinglets & Firecrests)" in {{cite book |editor1-last=Del Hoyo |editor1-first= Josep |editor2-last=Elliott |editor2-first=Andrew |editor3-last=Christie |editor3-first=David A |title=[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]]: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers |volume=11 |year=2006 |publisher=Lynx Edicions |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-96553-06-X |pages=330–349}}</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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{{Kinglets}} |
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{{featured article}} |
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[[Category:Animals described in 1851]] |
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[[Category:Birds of Madeira]] |
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[[Category:Regulus (genus)]] |
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[[Category:Western Palearctic restricted-range endemic bird species]] |
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