Clarión (28.4 km²) is one of four oceanic islands comprising the Revillagigedo archipelago in the Pacific Ocean off western Mexico (see EBA 004; also for map). This island lies c.370 km west of the other islands and more than 700 km from the Mexican mainland. Most of the terrain is gently sloping, rising to 335 m. It is arid, and rabbits and feral pigs have caused serious damage to the vegetation. The habitat of Clarión Wren Troglodytes tanneri, a species endemic to the island, ranges from rocks on the beaches to shrubbery at the highest elevations, and the bird has a population estimated at 170-180 pairs. It is classified as Vulnerable, as the introduction of an exotic predator remains a possibility (Collar et al. 1994) and such an event could have a serious impact on such a tiny population. The threatened seabird, Townsend's Shearwater Puffinus auricularis (Vulnerable), which is an endemic breeder to the Revillagigedo Islands, has been almost wiped out on Clarión owing to the feral pigs. Indeed, all burrows found during a survey in 1990 were old, so its current status on the island is unclear. Clarión is now part of the Revillagigedo Islands Biosphere Reserve, which was created as recently as 1994 in recognition of the terrestrial endemic animals and plants and the abundant marine life associated with the archipelago.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Endemic Bird Area factsheet: Clarión. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/eba/factsheet/307 on 23/11/2024.