San Clemente wren explained

The San Clemente wren^[1] (Thryomanes bewickii leucophrys) was a subspecies of Bewick's wren.^{[2] [3]} It was mainly distributed on San Clemente Island, off the southern coast of California. The San Clemente wren is extinct, with the last sighting in 1941.^[4]

Description

The San Clemente wren measured about 14 cm (5.5 in) in length, with a wingspan of about 5.5 cm (2.2 in).^[5] The plumage on top was brown with a grey wash, with a white eye-stripe. The underparts were a mix of grey and white, with the lower tail coverts having black bars.

Extinction

In the early 20th century, the San Clemente wren was reported to be common on San Clemente Island.^{[6] [7]} However, habitat destruction from goats led to the demise of the species by the middle of the century.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Thryomanes bewickii leucophrys - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-04-28.
2. Web site: Troglodyte de Bewick - Thryomanes bewickii - Bewick's Wren. Oiseaux.net. www.oiseaux.net. en. 2017-04-28.
3. Web site: Thryomanes bewickii subsp. leucophrys (Anthony, 1895) - Checklist View. GBIF. www.gbif.org. en. 2017-04-28.
4. Web site: San Clemente Bewick's Wren - Thryomanes bewickii leucophrys - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life. Encyclopedia of Life. en. 2017-04-28.
5. Book: Hume, Julian P. . 2017 . Extinct Birds . 2nd . Bloomsbury Natural History . 978-1-472-93745-2.
6. Breninger . George F. . 1904 . San Clemente Island and Its Birds . 4070044 . The Auk . 21 . 2 . 218–223 . 10.2307/4070044 .
7. Linton . C. B. . 1908 . Notes from San Clemente Island . 1361017 . The Condor . 10 . 2 . 82–86 . 10.2307/1361017 .
8. Jones . H. Lee . Diamond . Jared M. . 1976 . Short-time-base studies of turnover in breeding bird populations on the California Channel Islands . The Condor . 78 . 4 . 526–549 . 2018-02-16 . 10.2307/1367103. 1367103 .