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The Wirebird
Bird on a wire?
The Wirebird is St. Helena's only surviving endemic bird.
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Formally the Saint Helena Plover (Charadrius sanctaehelenae) it is known here as the Wirebird due to its long thin legs. Featured on St. Helena's coat of arms it is held in great affection by island residents.
The Wirebird is officially classed as ‘critically endangered’, with only 322 individuals reported in the most recent survey. The reasons for their decline are not yet fully understood and research is ongoing but it has recently been established that changes in grazing patterns may be a significant factor. Predation of eggs and chicks by rats and feral cats is also likely.
Wirebirds feed on ground-living insects, especially beetles, which they catch using a ‘run and grab’ technique. They nest on the ground and defend their nests by luring predators away, initially by running at speed as soon as the threat is detected, and then by doing a ‘broken wing display’ - the bird acts as if it is injured to gain the attention of the predator and draw it away from the nest.
They can be found around Prosperous Bay Plain, Deadwood Plain and Broad Bottom.
More about Wirebirds here and about their habits and conservation here.
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