Seychelles Magpie Robin
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| Copsychus sechellarum Newton, 1865 |
The Seychelles Magpie Robin (Copsychus sechellarum) is a medium-sized endangered bird from the granitic Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
This species of magpie robin is approximately 25 cm in length. It has a glossy coal-black plumage with a white-colored bar on each wings. It is considered a long-lived species whose lifespan is over 15 years of age. Its habitat is woodlands, plantations and the vicinity of gardens.
Historically it is believed to have existed on most of the granitic Seychelles islands. Destruction of habitat and introduced predators greatly reduced its numbers. By 1970, it was on the brink of extinction with only 16 individuals remaining, all on Frégate Island. Over the next two decades it had managed to stave of extinction, but its population in 1990 was still only 23 individuals. In 1990 BirdLife International began preservation efforts to save the magpie robin. In the 1990s several birds were translocated to Cousin and Cousine Islands. In 2002, Nature Seychelles translocated a few birds to Aride Island.
Today there's an established small population of magpie robins on four islands of the Seychelles, and plans to reintroduce the species to Denis Island. As of 2005, the total population was 178 birds (Frégate- 82), (Cousin- 46), (Cousine- 32), (Aride-18) and the IUCN has downlisted its status from Critically Endangered to Endangered.
