Bushwren

Xenicus longipes (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

Bushwren, Xenicus longipes, was a New Zealand wren found on the North, South and Stewart islands, with related forms also on nearby smaller islands. It was a member of the Acanthisittidae and was described by Gmelin in 1789. The bird was endemic to New Zealand and is now extinct. It had three subspecies across the country’s main islands. Its decline followed the arrival of introduced mammalian predators, and efforts to preserve the last birds on small islands near Stewart Island did not succeed.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Acanthisittidae — New Zealand Wrens

Breeding range

Australasia: North, South and Stewart is. (New Zealand)