Apalopteron familiare

By Nesnad, CC BY 4.0

Etymology: Delicate Feather 

First Described By: Bonaparte, 1854

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Eufalconimorphae, Psittacopasserae, Passeriformes, Eupasseres, Passeri, Euoscines, Passerides, Core Passerides, Sylviida, Sylviodiea, Zosteropidae 

Status: Extant, Near-Threatened

Time and Place: Since 10,000 years ago, in the Holocene of the Quaternary 

The Meguro is known only from the Bonin Islands of Japan 

Physical Description: Meguro are small, but distinct, little birds – also known as Bonin White-Eyes for their distinctive white patches around the eye. In general they are yellowish and olive in color, and they range between 12 and 14 centimeters long. The heads are yellow with a golden crown, and a very distinctive black triangular patch over the eye. They have long, slightly curved, very pointy beaks. Their backs are olive, with olive and black wings; the tails are somewhat short and also olive and black. The underbellies are yellowish-green. They do not differ in plumage based on sex, and the juveniles are even very similar to the adults! 

Diet: Meguro primarily feed on soft fruits like papaya, bananas, mulberry, and sometimes flowers. They will supplement their diet with insects from time to time. 

By Lars Petersson

Behavior: These birds will forage alone or in small groups, sometimes in mated pairs. They search together among twigs and leaves, and also in trunks, searching for food sometimes in places where woodpeckers have been. They also will pick up food off of the ground – without other small passerines in the area, they are able to have a very diverse foraging ecology. They rarely sing, but when they do they make very complicated chew-i chit-chit-pee chot-chot-pee che-ee melodies, and sometimes more of a tittling melody, for up to three seconds. They will also make songs indicting it is time to fly from perches, and call to each other with mall “pee-pit” sounds. Meguro also make harsh “weet-weet” calls when mobbing potential threats. They will disperse through most of their range in the non-breeding season, though they don’t seem to move from island to island. 

Meguro breed from March through June, and usually produce one brood, though sometimes two broods are made. They have at least a year-long pair bond, and may gather in small parties during the breeding season. The parents build the nest together, making a deep cup out of leaves, grasses, twigs, and needles. They usually place it fairly high off of the ground, laying one to four eggs per nest. Both parents will feed the chicks. The incubation period lasts for about two weeks, and the babies stay with the parents for a month until they leave the nest. 

By Tomohide Shimura, CC By-SA 4.0

Ecosystem: These birds are found nearly everywhere on Haha-jima, including in non-forested areas, though of course they prefer forests of all kinds. They breed best in the most native forest patches, ad are rare in low shrubs and less forested areas. Interesting enough, despite the introduction of the warbling white-eye to the region, they are able to coexist and Meguro have adjusted their niche accordingly. They do, however, affect each others’ behaviors to some extent.  Meguro are important seed dispersers, helping to maintain healthy forests. They are hunted upon by introduced predators – especially cats. 

Other: Despite being hunted upon by cats – and having multiple populations decimated by them – they do appear to be stable in population, and as such are listed as Near Threatened rather than Vulnerable as they were recently. Strongholds in habitat have allowed for the maintenance of population of Meguro despite the increase of cats and rats on the island. They have coped with the introduction of other birds to the island, as far as research has shown. As such, while conservation efforts are ongoing to protect the islands and, thus, Meguro, they do not appear to be in immediate threat of extinction. 

~ By Meig Dickson

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