Moluccan woodcock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Moluccan woodcock |
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The Moluccan woodcock (Scolopax rochussenii), also called the Obi woodcock, is a special bird found only in Indonesia. It lives in lowland areas, which are low-lying lands, and is a type of wader bird. This means it often feeds in shallow water or on wet ground. You can only find this bird on two small islands in North Maluku: Obi and possibly Bacan. It's a medium-sized bird, about 32-40 centimeters long, and is the biggest of all the woodcocks. Sadly, it is considered vulnerable because its home on Obi is being destroyed.
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What Does the Moluccan Woodcock Look Like?
The Moluccan woodcock is about 32 to 40 centimeters long. It has a strong, rounded body with wide, pointed wings and a short tail. Its beak is long, straight, and dark. The top part of the bird is black with light tan spots and some stripes. Its belly is yellow-orange with a few black spots. It also has black bands near its eyes and on the back of its neck.
This woodcock is larger than other birds in its group, called the Scolopax genus. It looks a bit like the Sulawesi woodcock (S. celebensis). However, the Moluccan woodcock is bigger, lighter, and has more spots. These two types of woodcocks probably don't live in the same areas.
How Scientists Classify the Moluccan Woodcock
The Moluccan woodcock belongs to the sandpiper family, called Scolopacidae. Within this family, there are 15 different groups, or genera. The Moluccan woodcock is part of the Scolopax genus, which includes eight types of woodcocks. Six of these woodcock species, including the Moluccan woodcock, are found only in specific island locations. Woodcocks are most closely related to snipes within the sandpiper family.
The first Moluccan woodcock was found in 1862 by Heinrich Bernstein. Later, in 1866, Hermann Schlegel gave it the scientific name Scolopax rochussenii.
Where the Moluccan Woodcock Lives
The Moluccan woodcock is a lowland bird. It likes wet areas near or inside forests, especially close to rivers and streams. These birds stay in the same places all year round. People first thought the Moluccan woodcock lived in mountains, which might explain why it was so hard to find. But now we know it mostly lives in lowland areas, even though it sometimes visits mountains.
These woodcocks can fly at different heights, from about 15 meters to 1150 meters above sea level. But you'll find more of them in lower areas. They can also live in forests that have been slightly changed by selective logging or small farms. Each Moluccan woodcock needs about 10.67 hectares of land for its territory.
Moluccan woodcocks are endemic to Indonesia. This means they are found nowhere else in the world. They live on Obi and Bacan, two small islands in the Moluccas. Experts believe there are about 9530 Moluccan woodcock territories on Obi. Only one bird has ever been seen on Bacan, back in 1902. Most of what we know about this bird comes from observations on Obi. We don't know if they are still present on Bacan Island.
How the Moluccan Woodcock Behaves
Display Flights
Moluccan woodcocks are usually only seen when they are performing special display behaviour. We don't know much about what they do when they're not displaying. This display happens at dawn or dusk during the wet season, from March to August. The bird flaps its wings quickly and makes loud calls, but its flight path doesn't seem to follow a clear pattern. It flies over a river or swamp, staying about 10 meters above the treetops.
Territorial Conflicts
Sometimes, Moluccan woodcocks have small fights over their territory during display flights. This happens when two birds meet while displaying. They fly next to each other for a short time, making sure not to enter the other's space. During these encounters, they make a special twittering sound that goes down in pitch.
Vocalizations
The Moluccan woodcock's calls sound like loud, metallic rattles. People describe them as ti’ti’ti’ti’ti’ti’ti’ti. Each call lasts about 0.1 to 0.6 seconds, with breaks of 1.9 to 3.2 seconds between them. One call has 8 to 11 short sounds, each lasting about 0.04 to 0.05 seconds. These calls are only heard during their display flights.
Documented Sightings of the Moluccan Woodcock
The first Moluccan woodcock was found in 1862 by Heinrich Bernstein. From 1862 to 1982, only eight Moluccan woodcocks were ever recorded. Seven of these were on Obi, and one was on Bacan in 1902. Then, from 1982 to 2013, no one saw the Moluccan woodcock at all. It seemed to have disappeared!
But in 2013, a group of researchers found the bird again and recorded its calls for the very first time. Even today, the Moluccan woodcock is still a bit of a mystery. People who live on Obi don't know much about this bird and usually don't recognize it. Locals don't hunt or eat these birds, so they rarely get to see them up close.
Threats and Conservation Status
The Moluccan woodcock is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means it's at risk of becoming endangered if we don't protect it. Even though the bird can handle some small changes to its home, like those from selective logging or small farms, it still faces big dangers.
The biggest threat to the Moluccan woodcock is the serious destruction of its home on Obi. This is caused by large-scale logging and mining activities, which are making the bird's population shrink. For example, uncontrolled nickel mining has removed all the native plants and topsoil in some parts of western and southern Obi. This has changed the land and affected local bird populations a lot. Luckily, Moluccan woodcocks are not hunted or trapped by the local people on Obi.
From 2000 to 2021, the Moluccan woodcock was considered endangered. But in 2021, its status was changed to vulnerable. This happened because researchers found that the bird is actually more widespread on Obi than they first thought.
To help protect the Moluccan woodcock, experts suggest making mining rules stricter. They also recommend protecting the lowland forests and rivers. Creating a watershed management plan on Obi would also be helpful. It's also important to do more large-scale surveys to understand where the bird lives and how its population is changing. This information will help make better decisions about how to save this unique bird.
