Bay Thrush
Encyclopedia
The Bay "Thrush", also known as the Bay Starling or the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, is an extinct bird species of uncertain taxonomic
relationships that once lived on the island of Raiatea
(formerly known as Ulietea, hence the specific epithet ulietensis), the second largest of the Society Islands
in French Polynesia
.
of the lost type specimen, contemporary descriptions, and a few brief field notes. The artist was Georg Forster
, who accompanied his father Johann Reinhold Forster
as naturalists on James Cook
’s second voyage to the Pacific
in HMS Resolution, which visited Raiatea in May and June 1774. The painting, now held by the British Natural History Museum
, is annotated “Raiatea, female, June 1, 1774”, and depicts the specimen obtained by the Forsters which entered the collection of Sir Joseph Banks
and later disappeared. The specimen was also described as the “Bay Thrush” by John Latham
, who had seen it in Banks’ collection, in his General Synopsis of Birds (1781–1785). However, because Latham only used English names, it was left to Johann Friedrich Gmelin
to give it a scientific name in 1789.
Raiatea was visited in 1850 by explorer and natural history collector Andrew Garrett, who failed to record the species. Evidently it became extinct between 1774 and 1850, almost certainly as a consequence of the inadvertent introduction of Black
or Brown Rat
s to the island.
Some confusion was caused when Richard Bowdler Sharpe
tried to match the illustration with a specimen skin of unknown origin in the British Museum collection. This was eventually sorted out when the skin was identified as belonging to another enigmatic and extinct species – the Mysterious Starling
Aplonis mavornata.
James Greenway
gives a free and abridged translation (from the Latin
) of Forster’s description of the lost specimen as: “Head dusky marked with brown. Above dusky, all the feathers edged with reddish brown; wings dusky, the primaries edged with brown, as are the wing coverts and the tail feathers. Below ochraceous. Iris dark yellow. Twelve tail feathers. Tibiae compressed and with seven scutes. Tongue bifid at the tip and ciliated.”
, a starling
or a honeyeater
. However, without a specimen, its precise taxonomic position remains uncertain. Turdidae are unknown from the Society Islands, while the Huahine Starling
(Aplonis diluvialis) proves the former existence of Sturnidae.
– by Martin Davies
.
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
relationships that once lived on the island of Raiatea
Raiatea
Raiatea , is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the 'center' of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that the organised migrations to Hawaii, Aotearoa and other parts of East Polynesia started at...
(formerly known as Ulietea, hence the specific epithet ulietensis), the second largest of the Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
in French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
.
History
The species is known only from a 1774 watercolour paintingWatercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
of the lost type specimen, contemporary descriptions, and a few brief field notes. The artist was Georg Forster
Georg Forster
Johann Georg Adam Forster was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist, and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father on several scientific expeditions, including James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific...
, who accompanied his father Johann Reinhold Forster
Johann Reinhold Forster
Johann Reinhold Forster was a German Lutheran pastor and naturalist of partial Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of Europe and North America...
as naturalists on James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
’s second voyage to the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
in HMS Resolution, which visited Raiatea in May and June 1774. The painting, now held by the British Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, is annotated “Raiatea, female, June 1, 1774”, and depicts the specimen obtained by the Forsters which entered the collection of Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
and later disappeared. The specimen was also described as the “Bay Thrush” by John Latham
John Latham (ornithologist)
John Latham was an English physician, naturalist and author. He was born at Eltham in Kent, and was the eldest son of John Latham, a surgeon there, and his mother was a descendant of the Sothebys, in Yorkshire....
, who had seen it in Banks’ collection, in his General Synopsis of Birds (1781–1785). However, because Latham only used English names, it was left to Johann Friedrich Gmelin
Johann Friedrich Gmelin
Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
to give it a scientific name in 1789.
Raiatea was visited in 1850 by explorer and natural history collector Andrew Garrett, who failed to record the species. Evidently it became extinct between 1774 and 1850, almost certainly as a consequence of the inadvertent introduction of Black
Black Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
or Brown Rat
Brown Rat
The brown rat, common rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat is one of the best known and most common rats....
s to the island.
Some confusion was caused when Richard Bowdler Sharpe
Richard Bowdler Sharpe
Richard Bowdler Sharpe was an English zoologist.-Biography:Sharpe was born in London and studied at Brighton College, The King's School, Peterborough and Loughborough Grammar School. At the age of sixteen he went to work for Smith & Sons in London...
tried to match the illustration with a specimen skin of unknown origin in the British Museum collection. This was eventually sorted out when the skin was identified as belonging to another enigmatic and extinct species – the Mysterious Starling
Mysterious Starling
The Mysterious Starling or Mauke Starling was a species of starling found on the island of Mauke, Cook Islands. It is now extinct. The binomen is the result of Buller's misreading of the name inornata on the specimen label...
Aplonis mavornata.
Description
John Latham described it as follows: “Size of the song thrush: length eight inches and a half. Bill an inch and a quarter, notched at the tip, and of a reddish pearl-colour: general colour of the plumage rufous brown: quills edged with dusky: tail rounded in shape and dusky, legs dusky black.”James Greenway
James Greenway
James Cowan Greenway was an American ornithologist. An eccentric, shy and sometimes reclusive man, his survey of extinct and vanishing birds provided the base for much subsequent work on bird conservation.-Early years:...
gives a free and abridged translation (from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
) of Forster’s description of the lost specimen as: “Head dusky marked with brown. Above dusky, all the feathers edged with reddish brown; wings dusky, the primaries edged with brown, as are the wing coverts and the tail feathers. Below ochraceous. Iris dark yellow. Twelve tail feathers. Tibiae compressed and with seven scutes. Tongue bifid at the tip and ciliated.”
Behaviour
The only recorded observations of the living bird come from Forster, who noted that it had a soft, fluting voice and lived among the thickets in the valleys of its island home.Taxonomy
It has been variously suggested that the species could be a thrushThrush
-Birds:* Thrush , any of the many birds in the Turdidae family* Antthrush, any of a group of birds within the Formicariidae family* Dohrn's Thrush-babbler , a species of bird in the Timalidae family...
, a starling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
or a honeyeater
Honeyeater
The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...
. However, without a specimen, its precise taxonomic position remains uncertain. Turdidae are unknown from the Society Islands, while the Huahine Starling
Huahine Starling
The Huahine Starling is an extinct bird from the genus Aplonis within the starling family Sturnidae. It was endemic to the island of Huahine, in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, and therefore had the easternmost distribution of all Aplonis species in the Pacific region.-History:The Huahine...
(Aplonis diluvialis) proves the former existence of Sturnidae.
In popular culture
A search for the lost specimen of the Bay Thrush is the subject of a novel – The Conjuror's BirdThe Conjuror's Bird
The Conjuror's Bird is a 2005 novel by British author Martin Davies which fictionalises the early life of botanist Joseph Banks and the search to find the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta.ISBN 978-1-4000-9734-0...
– by Martin Davies
Martin Davies (writer)
Martin Davies is a British author. His most recent work includes The Unicorn Road and a book about Joseph Banks and the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, entitled The Conjuror's Bird . He is also the author of two mystery novels about Sherlock Holmes' housekeeper Mrs. Hudson: Mrs. Hudson and the Spirits'...
.