San Benedicto rock wren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Benedicto rock wren |
|
|---|---|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Troglodytidae |
| Genus: | Salpinctes |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
S. o. exsul
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Salpinctes obsoletus exsul (Ridgway, 1903)
|
|
The San Benedicto rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus exsul) was a small bird that lived only on San Benedicto Island. This island is part of the Revillagigedo Islands off the coast of Mexico. This special bird is now extinct, meaning there are no more of them left. It was a type of rock wren, but it had its own unique features because it lived only on that one island.
Contents
Why the San Benedicto Rock Wren Disappeared
San Benedicto Island is a volcano. All the islands in the Revillagigedo group are volcanoes. Unlike some other islands, San Benedicto was still active not long ago.
The 1952 Volcanic Eruption
On August 1, 1952, the volcano began to erupt. Hot lava started shooting out of a vent called Boquerón. This vent was located between two older volcano cones. By about 8:45 AM, the eruption became very strong. It threw rocks and ash several kilometers into the air. This was a powerful type of eruption called a vulcanian eruption. Hot, fast-moving clouds of gas and rock, called pyroclastic flows, rolled across the island.
Two weeks later, the entire island was covered. It was buried under ash and light, porous rock called pumice. In some places, the ash and pumice were up to 10 feet (3 meters) deep. A new crater, called Bárcena, formed. It rose nearly 1100 feet (over 300 meters) high. This new crater appeared where the wren's home used to be. After this huge eruption, the San Benedicto rock wrens were never seen again.
A Natural Extinction
This rock wren was the only bird that lived only on San Benedicto Island. It was one of only two types of land birds on the island. The other bird was the western raven. The ravens also disappeared because of the eruption. Many animals have become extinct in modern times because of humans. However, humans were not responsible for the San Benedicto rock wren's extinction. It was a natural event caused by the volcano.
Images for kids
-
Volcán Bárcena, the volcano that caused the extinction of the San Benedicto rock wren.
