The sublime song of the land birds of Galapagos

Staying in silence for a few seconds allow us to enjoy the magical trill of the Galapagos birds . That sublime song that penetrates deeply into the senses, attracts biologists, scientists and researchers from around the world to decipher the secrets of evolution and protect this wild and pristine world. 

In 2008, the passion for biology made David Anchundia reach the enigmatic Galapagos Islands , and devote his stay to scientific research to contribute to the conservation of small land birds in this insular region.    

The anecdotes of their field trips make our minds to travel to the habitats of the birds, to feel nature to the fullest. Although he is an expert in small birds, he tells us his anecdotes with the animal world, which seeks to survive. A case of them was to see a Galapagos Hawk feeding their chicks, with baby marine iguanas that are prey to this bird of prey. " That is part of everyday life, of the true wild Galapagos , " he says with a friendly smile. 

Currently, David works collecting data for the project "Conservation of threatened populations of small land birds" executed by the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park . On the islands there are 28 endemic species of small land birds, including the 17 species of Darwin's finches and the 4 species of cucuves. He works mainly with two endemic species little investigated: the Witch Bird and the Galapagos Swallow.

The fragile and charismatic Witch Bird

The fragility and tranquility of the islands lead you to reflect on the birds, while admiring them posing over the giant turtle shells, a scene that invites us to think about the importance of conserving our islands.

In these pristine islands inhabits the Witch Bird, an endemic bird with population status in the process of being estimated. The female carefully elaborates her nest in the form of a cup and incubates alone, while the male contributes to the feeding of the young. Although the tasks are divided, together they feed their chicks that remain with the parents approximately 4 weeks after leaving the nest. The plumage of the male is red with black, the female has a pale cream-yellow belly, and her body is brown. 

One of the main threats of this bird is an introduced parasitic fly called Philornis downsi. This fly looks for the nests of the Witch Bird and other species of small land birds to lay their eggs. When the larvae of the fly are born, they feed on the blood of the chicks or the female. Many times that causes the death of all the chicks in a nest.  

What do they do in Galapagos to protect the Witchbird?

Reducing the impact of the Philornis downsi fly is not an easy task. The CDF researchers work hard to get to know this fly better and control it. At the moment, methods of attraction for odors, biological control and population control with sterile flies are investigated. Work is also being done to recover the habitat of the Witch Bird in the upper part of Santa Cruz Island by cleaning invasive plants and reforesting native trees.

The efforts to protect the Witchbird on Santa Cruz Island are really great. David Anchundia and other researchers perform land bird counts, at the beginning of the breeding season on different islands. In the field they record all the birds and their distance based on their song and presence. The data collected is processed through software that allows estimating the number of birds in each site. A careful work done every year to know the population size of the Galapagos land birds.  

To contribute to the conservation of the birds of the islands, David conveys a hopeful message. "The starting point is to understand that Galapagos is a fragile territory and requires everyone's collaboration for its conservation . " 

Approximately, Galapagos records 179 species of birds of which 45 are endemic (unique in the world). Land birds feed on seeds and animals found in the earth; seabirds spend much of their time on the sea and feed on what the ocean provides. 

Contributing to the conservation of the islands is everyone's job. Learning and conserving its biodiversity are its main attraction!

The Galapagos Islands, located 1000 km from the coast of Ecuador , constitute an invaluable territory with natural treasures yet to be discovered. In the " Darwin laboratory " information is constantly generated to protect the Natural Heritage and you can also contribute to its conservation.