Aphrastura is a small genus of terrestrial passerine birds in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. Commonly known as rayaditos, these birds are endemic to southwestern South America. Aphrastura includes two previously-known species: the thorn-tailed rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) and the Masafuera rayadito (Aphrastura masafuerae). The former species inhabits the temperate forest biome of the South American continent, […]
Tag: Endemic Species
Scientists Discover Bird Species at Tip of South America
Weighing just 0.035 pounds (16 grams), it’s understandable why the Subantarctic rayadito has only just been discovered. Scientists recently discovered the species on the Diego Ramírez Islands, off the southern tip of South America. The species is small with brown, black, and dark yellow feathers. But one of its most interesting features is the bird’s […]
Jewels in the Crown: Introducing the Endemic Birds of Arabia
While the Republic of Yemen, which includes the island archipelago of Socotra, dubbed the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean”, boasts the highest number of endemic bird species of any country on the Arabian peninsula, Saudi Arabia now stands as the easiest and safest country in which to see many of these singular gems. Not to […]