Juan Fernandez Firecrown
Juan Fernández Firecrown (Sephanoides fernandensis)
Name Origin:
The genus Sephanoides comes from Greek stephanos meaning “crown” and ‑oides meaning “resembling,” hence “crown‑like.” The species name fernandensis refers to the Juan Fernández Islands where this bird is endemic.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: ~11.5 cm (males)
⚖️ Weight: ~10.9 g (males)
🌎 Range: Endemic to one of the Juan Fernández Islands (Chile)
🧭 Elevation: ~120–300 m
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Forest, thicket, gardens on island
🧬 Clade: Polytminae “Mangoes”
📊 Status: Critically Endangered (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Nominate only: Sephanoides fernandensis fernandensis — restricted to the island of Isla Robinson Crusoe (Juan Fernández Archipelago). An additional extinct subspecies, S. f. leyboldi, formerly occurred on Alejandro Selkirk Island but is no longer extant.
Species Overview
The Juan Fernández Firecrown is one of the world’s rarest hummingbirds, extremely restricted in distribution and highly specialized. Males and females show dramatic differences in plumage: males are mostly cinnamon‑orange with a fiery crown, females are green‑backed with white undersides and green spotting. The species occupies only a few square kilometres of habitat and is under intense threat.
Male Description:
Pure cinnamon‑orange body, with bright reddish‑yellow iridescent crown. Wings dark copper‑grey. Bill straight and black.
Female Description:
Bluish‑green upperparts, iridescent blue‑green crown, white underparts heavily speckled with green, wings slaty green and tail with white‑edged feathers.
Habitat & Behavior:
Found only in the remnant forest, garden and thicket patches on Isla Robinson Crusoe at low elevations. It forages at native and introduced flowers, sometimes clinging rather than hovering, and defends flower patches aggressively. The species is sedentary, with very constrained movements due to island isolation.
Conservation Note:
The Juan Fernández Firecrown is Critically Endangered due to its extremely limited range, ongoing habitat loss from invasive plants and animals, predation by feral cats, goats and rabbits, and competition from other hummingbirds. Survival depends on intensive habitat restoration, invasive species control and sustained monitoring.
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