Sadly, this tiny songbird was last recorded in 1972 on Stewart Island, New Zealand. It is listed as extinct (22).
Bushwrens were the only flightless songbirds, and the smallest flightless birds in the world (23).
Native to New Zealand, Xenicus longipes was found on the North Island of NZ, the South Island and Stewart Island. Each sub-species were listed extinct in varying years (22).
The Bushwren fed on invertebrates (22). The wrens were ground nesters and had no defences against predatory mammals (22). Introduced rats and cats are considered to have brought about the decline of the Bushwren (22).
Here is a poem about the extinct Bushwren, by Kimiko Hahn: http://poems.com/poem.php?date=14732
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