Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Gough Finch (Rowettia goughensis), recorded as Critically Endangered
Gough Finch (Rowettia goughensis). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Gough Finch

Rowettia goughensis

Gough Finch is a perching bird in the family Thraupidae (order Passeriformes) — Rowettia goughensis, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Rowettia goughensis
Taxonomy
Aves · Passeriformes · Thraupidae · Rowettia

The perching bird

The Gough finch is 22 to 26 cm (8.7–10.2 in) in length and weighs 50–56 g (1.8–2.0 oz).

Published measurements include mass about 53.

Range and habitat

It is endemic to the remote Gough Island, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, and nearby stacks, in the South Atlantic. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subantarctic grassland.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Habits

Perching birds hold with three toes forward and one back. A named island starling or leafbird in this catalog is a wild population, not a cage type.

In crisis

But new research has shown that its population has collapsed and it is on the verge of extinction due to the introduced population of house mice (Mus musculus), noted for its unusual aggressiveness, competing with the birds for food and eating their eggs and nestlings. Consequently, it was uplisted to Critically Endangered in 2008.

Gough Finch is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Gough Finch, Wikidata item Q1027765. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Also in this catalog

Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Gough Finch?
Gough Finch is a perching bird in the family Thraupidae (order Passeriformes) — Rowettia goughensis.
What is the conservation status of Gough Finch?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Rowettia goughensis. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Gough Finch live?
It is endemic to the remote Gough Island, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, and nearby stacks, in the South Atlantic.
Why is Gough Finch in crisis?
But new research has shown that its population has collapsed and it is on the verge of extinction due to the introduced population of house mice (Mus musculus), noted for its unusual aggressiveness, competing with the birds for food and eating their eggs and nestlings.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Rowettia goughensis?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Gough Finch a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.