The Chatham Island Bellbird (Anthornis melanocephala) is an extinct species of bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

 in the Meliphagidae family. It was endemic to the Chatham Islands

Chatham Islands

The Chatham Islands are an archipelago and New Zealand territory in the Pacific Ocean consisting of about ten islands within a radius, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island. Their name in the indigenous language, Moriori, means Misty Sun...

.

In appearance it was very similar to the New Zealand Bellbird

New Zealand Bellbird

The New Zealand Bellbird , also known by its Māori names Korimako or Makomako, is a passerine bird endemic to New Zealand. It has greenish colouration and is the only living member of the genus Anthornis. The bellbird forms a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of bird song...

 Anthornis melanura but was considerably larger. Also the whole of the head and neck was brightly glossed in purplish or steel-blue.

It was last observed in 1906 on Little Mangere Island

Little Mangere Island

Little Mangere Island or Tapuaenuku is part of the Chatham Islands chain, located east of New Zealand's South Island. The island lies off the west coast of Pitt Island, south-east of the chain's main settlement, Waitangi, on Chatham Island...

. The population was likely impacted by the introduction of a disease as there was a sudden population decline before the onset of other disturbances such as rats, cats and specimen collectors.

External links

• Chatham Island Bellbird / Komako. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006