Yucatan Endemic and special birds description.

Yucatan Wren
Matraca yucateca
Campylorhincus yucatanicus
Yucatanzaunkönig

The Yucatan Wren is an endemic inhabitant in the north of the Peninsula of Yucatan with a very restricted range of about 1,120 km2 (432.5 miles2), which goes from Celestun to Ria Lagartos and from the beach to scarce 3 to 5km inland. It lives on the coastal dune and scrub forest.



Because of these conditions it is considered as a trapped species = an animal or plant living on a very small habitat, which, if modified by any natural disaster (hurricanes), or other environmental circumstances (roads or housing), may cause the extinction of the individual.
 
Feeding Behaviors: The Yucatan Wren forages secretively on the ground looking for insects, lizards and even fruits. It very rarely ventures to open areas. Its flight is very short and it prefers to stay protected in safe spots.

Courting and Nesting: when the male reaches maturity he starts building several nests on a tree; he then calls for females. The female verifies the nests. If she does not like any, the male rebuilds them and even constructs more, thus making the tree look like a nest colony, situation which, in turn, will confuse predators.

Breeding: Once the female accepts the nest, they mate and 3 to 4 eggs are laid. Male and female alternate the incubation and feeding periods. They bring food to the chicks and get rid of their waste keeping good sanitary conditions on the nest. Chicks are independent in about 1 month and mature in 1 year.

Conservation Status: Right now, their status on the dune is very healthy, but, as said, their population can be seriously affected by human development and natural phenomena such as hurricanes and fires. This may cause them to share an even more reduced space generating inbreed and weakness due to poor genetic variation.

Interesting facts:
The nests are built, amongst others (palm trees and agave fibers), with wild cotton threads containing the seeds. Once the nesting period subsides and nests decay, the cotton seeds are “planted” with the necessary fertilizer, thus spreading the cotton plant all over the dunes.

The presence of this bird is an indicator of healthy ecosystems

Updated: Aug 22, 2007 - 11:27 Created: Aug 17, 2007 - 17:39 Download this document in PDF format using the icon. You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the file.

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