Juan Fernández Firecrown
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About
Scientific name: Sephanoides fernandensis
Location: Endemic to Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
Population: 490-2000
Trend: Decreasing
Main Threats: Alien Species, Habitat Degradation
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The stunning Juan Fernández Firecrown hummingbird (Sephanoides fernandensis) is one of the most isolated hummingbird species in the world, found only on tiny Robinson Crusoe Island located some 400 miles (670 kilometers) off the central coast of Chile.
The Juan Fernández Firecrown's population has suffered due to habitat loss through historic deforestation and habitat degradation caused by invasive plants and introduced animals that eat the native vegetation. Predation by cats and other introduced mammals is another significant and ongoing threat.
The International Hummingbird Society (IHS) has long supported efforts to protect the Juan Fernández Firecrown. In fact, our lifetime members are called "Juan Fernández Firecrown" members. Over the years we have invested more than $50,000 in projects that support this unique bird. Most of these projects are conducted by Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, a conservation organization that works with local residents to protect the Firecrown. Ongoing work includes invasive plant control, habitat restoration, management of nonnative predators, and building local pride and awareness of these hummingbirds. Oikonos has also worked with teams of veterinarians from Chilean universities to spay and neuter pet cats, and to develop a pet registry to more easily distinguish between household and feral cats.
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Unusual Characteristics
At nearly 5 inches (12 cm) long, this is a large hummingbird with a particularly beefy stature. It is unusual in several ways. First, it often feeds by hanging upside down while drinking the nectar of the yellow-flowered, critically endangered Cabbage Tree (Dendroseris litoralis). This is not a unique characteristic: several high-elevation hummingbirds cling to flowers and hang upside down while they feed, probably to conserve energy in the thin air. But it is unusual for a low-elevation hummingbird to do so. The most likely explanation for this behavior is that the island is so windy that gripping the flowers makes it easier to feed and almost essential to survival. Unfortunately this behavior makes the Juan Fernández Firecrown especially susceptible to predation, particularly by cats that have been introduced to the island.
Second, it is one of the loudest hummingbirds in existence. You can sample its call on eBird here.
Another unusual feature of this species is that males and females are both spectacular, but in very different ways. For many years people thought they were two different species. The males have dark wings and a cinnamon body with a "firecrown" that can appear dark brown to electric lemon-green to a fiery orange-red, depending on the light and angle of view. (View Anthony Lujan's video demonstrating the color shift here.) Females, on the other hand, have white undersides speckled with iridescent blue-green spots, an iridescent blue-green back and a vibrant bright blue-purple crown.
A Unique Home
At just over 18 square miles (48 square kilometers) overall, Robinson Crusoe is the second largest of the three islands in the Juan Fernández Archipelago. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, BirdLife International, the Alliance for Zero Extinction, and the World Wildlife Fund all highlight the islands of the Juan Fernández Archipelago as one of the most ecologically vulnerable ecosystems in the world. The islands are a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Chilean national park. By some measures they are sixty-one times richer in endemic plant species per square kilometer and thirteen times greater in endemic bird richness than the Galápagos Islands.
All of the native trees here are endemic, living only on these islands. There are more than 130 endemic plant species. Two of them, the endangered Juan Bueno tree and the critically endangered Cabbage Tree, are favorites of the Juan Fernández Firecrown.
This hummingbird and its remote island home are a unique treasure. By supporting the International Hummingbird Society, you help us fund projects that protect the Juan Fernández Firecrown and support our work raising awareness of the fragile future these birds face.
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