Rufous Fantail / Chichirika (Naabak)
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Rufous Fantail / Chichirika (Naabak)
Rhipidura rufifrons uraniae
Endemic subspecies to Guam. Extinct.
The Rufous Fantail, or "chichirika" as it was known in Chamoru, used to be found all over Guam. However, they became extinct in the mid-1980s due to predation by the introduced brown tree snake.
This bird got its common name from its red-brown feathers and the habit of spreading its tail like a fan. When two male chichirika met, they challenged each other by jumping from branch to branch and flashing their tails. A male chichirika would show off for a female bird the same way.
Until recently, chichirika could be heard in the deep jungle singing beautiful songs. The songs were meant not only to help keep families together but also to warn strange chichirika to stay away. They often spent most of the day pecking bugs off leaves or flying out suddenly to grab an insect in the air. Small bristles on the sides of their bills helped direct insects into their mouths.
Pairs of chichirika would build a small nest of grasses, ironwood needles and spider webs, about ten feet above the ground. They would glue the nest together with their saliva. The eggs were then cared for by both parents, who would often raise two families a year. The babies were born naked, but became fully feathered and could fly in about 15 days. Although similar chichirika are found elsewhere in the Mariana Islands, this subspecies was endemic to or found only on Guam and nowhere else in the world.
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
