Aldabra fody facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aldabra fody |
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Foudia
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aldabrana
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The Aldabra fody (Foudia aldabrana) is a small, colorful bird. It belongs to the Ploceidae family, also known as weaver birds. This bird lives only on Aldabra, an atoll (a ring-shaped island) in the Seychelles. Aldabra is located northwest of Madagascar.
For a long time, people thought the Aldabra fody was the same as the Comoros fody. But now, experts agree it's its own unique species. Both male and female Aldabra fodies are mostly yellow. However, breeding males have bright orange-scarlet heads and necks. This bird has a strong, big beak. It uses its beak to find food and compete with other birds on Aldabra. They build their nests over several months. They often choose coconut palms and Casuarina trees, which were brought to the island by people. The Aldabra fody is an endangered species. Its nests are sometimes attacked by predators, and droughts threaten its home. In the past, it sometimes bred with the Madagascar fody. However, this is not a big problem for the species anymore.
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Understanding the Aldabra Fody
A Unique Species
The Aldabra fody was first described in 1893 by a scientist named Robert Ridgway. He studied several male and female birds from Aldabra Island. These birds were collected by William Louis Abbott the year before. Ridgway noticed they looked a bit like the Madagascar fody. But the Aldabra fody was much bigger.
For some time, many thought the Aldabra fody was just a type of Comoros fody. However, in the 2010s, new studies showed it was different. Because of this, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now lists the Aldabra fody as its own species. This means it is a unique bird found nowhere else.
Mixing with Other Fodies
The Aldabra fody has sometimes bred with the Madagascar fody. The Madagascar fody is an invasive species on Aldabra. This means it was brought to the island by humans and can cause problems for local wildlife. Madagascar fodies likely arrived on Aldabra from Assumption Island. They were put there in 1977 because people liked how they looked.
Scientists have worked to remove Madagascar fodies from Assumption Island. By 2015, over 99% of them were gone. Similar efforts have started on Aldabra. A study in 2015 found that the two fody species probably didn't mix before humans brought the Madagascar fody to Aldabra. Most of the mixing happened between male Aldabra fodies and female Madagascar fodies. Their young looked like a mix of both parents.
What Does the Aldabra Fody Look Like?
The Aldabra fody has a very long and heavy beak. This is a special feature of the bird. Female fodies look a bit like sparrows, but they are more yellow. They also have dark stripes and a stronger beak.
When males are ready to breed, they get special colors. Their head and chest turn orange-scarlet. Their back and body become yellow. Their sides and flanks have olive-gray colors. Their belly is sulfur-yellow, and their rump is orange. Some experts say the males are the "most attractive of all fodies." Young birds look similar to the females. All Aldabra fodies have yellow colors. They are more yellow than the Comoros and Madagascar fodies, especially on their undersides.
How Does the Aldabra Fody Sound?
Even though there are no recordings, people have described the Aldabra fody's calls well. They make many different sounds. Many calls are high-pitched and sound metallic, like two-eet, twee, or tee.
Their song is a trilling sound with many notes. One study described it as tsee-oo tsee-oo tsee-oo fsssssss looklooklooklooklook. Males make a buzzing sound when they are defending their territory. This might be the fsssssss sound. They also announce their territory with clear, loud calls like tweet tweet two-eet, or just tweet or two-eet. Sometimes, they make three quick, lower notes. Then they follow with two or three higher notes, like teetiti twee twee.
Male and female fodies have different alarm calls. Males make an excited trilling sound. Females scold loudly and continuously, like tic-tic tzip tic tzip tzip tic-tic. Females make a zeep zeep sound when they want to mate. After mating, they make a psep pseep sound.
Where Does the Aldabra Fody Live?
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The Aldabra fody lives only on Aldabra. This atoll is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Madagascar. It is part of the Seychelles islands. The Aldabra fody is found all over Aldabra. It lives on the main islands and smaller islands in the lagoon. Aldabra is a very important place. It makes up one-third of all the land in Seychelles. The government protects it as a nature reserve.
Aldabra fodies can be found in scrubland, coconut palms groves, or Casuarina woodlands. Their territories can be as small as 836 square meters (1,000 square yards) in areas with large trees. This might mean they once lived in forests, even though there are no true forests on Aldabra now.
Aldabra Fody Behavior
Raising a Family
Male Aldabra fodies spend most of the year protecting their nesting areas. They are very territorial. When they feel threatened, they drop their wings and tail. They also puff out the feathers on their head, chest, and rump. They challenge other birds that enter their territory with different calls. If a female enters, the calls change to high whistles. The male then raises his wings above his back. If the female accepts, they will mate. Mating has been seen in November and December.
Nesting happens from November to January, and possibly into February or March. The birds prefer to build nests in coconut palms and Casuarina trees. These trees are not native to Aldabra. They might choose these trees to avoid predators like the introduced Rattus rattus (black rat). Nests are large and open on one side, with a partial dome. They are made of small twigs, plant stems, and coarse grasses. They are lined with finer grasses.
Females lay 2 to 4 eggs in a clutch. The eggs are pale blue-green and have no spots. They are long and oval-shaped, with thin, shiny shells. On average, they are about 2.05 centimeters (0.81 inches) long and 1.4 centimeters (0.55 inches) wide.
What Do They Eat?
The Aldabra fody eats seeds, including those from Casuarina trees. They also eat flowers and beetles. They find their food on bushes, trees, and the ground. They also eat other small insects. These birds drink nectar from flowers, and their tongue is a bit special for this. Near human homes, they might eat rice and kitchen scraps. They only eat unripe corn if rats have already opened it. This might be because they are not used to eating corn, even with their strong beaks. Their large beak might have developed to help them find all kinds of food on the atoll. This helps them compete with other birds.
Protecting the Aldabra Fody
The Aldabra fody's nests often fail. This is because predators like the pied crow and black rat eat their young birds and eggs. Also, Aldabra is facing more droughts. This harms the birds' habitat.
In the past, mixing with the Madagascar fody was a concern. It could affect the Aldabra fody's unique genes. However, efforts to remove the mixed fodies have been successful. The IUCN now says that this mixing is not causing the Aldabra fody population to decline. The IUCN has listed the Aldabra fody as an endangered species. This means it is at high risk of becoming extinct.
