Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
Encyclopedia
Prehistoric birds are various taxa
of bird
s that became extinct before recorded history
, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientist
s. They are known from subfossil
remains and sometimes folk memory
, as in the case of Haast's Eagle
from New Zealand
.
Birds (Aves) are generally believed to have evolved
from feathered dinosaurs
, and there is no real dividing line between birds and dinosaur
s except of course that the former survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event
and the latter did not. For the purposes of this article, a "bird" is considered to be any member of the clade
Neornithes, that is the bird lineage as exists today. The other lineages of the Aves also became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.
Taxon extinctions taking place before the Late Quaternary
happened in the absence of significant human interference. Rather, reasons for extinction are stochastic abiotic events such as bolide impacts, climate change
s, mass volcanic eruptions etc. Alternatively, species may have gone extinct due to evolution
ary displacement by successor or competitor taxa - it is notable for example that in the early Neogene
, seabird biodiversity
was much higher than today; this is probably due to competition by the radiation of marine mammal
s after that time. The relationships of these ancient birds are often hard to determine, as many are known only from very fragmentary remains and due to the complete fossilization precludes analysis of information from DNA
, RNA
or protein sequencing.
alteration. It is notable that a large proportion of the species are from oceanic islands, especially in Polynesia
. Bird taxa that evolved on oceanic islands are usually very vulnerable to hunting or predation by rats, cats, dogs or pigs - animals commonly introduced by humans - as they evolved in the absence of mammalian predators and therefore only have rudimentary predator avoidance behavior. Many, especially rails, have additionally become flightless for the same reason and thus presented even easier prey.
The taxa in this list became extinct during the Late Quaternary - the Holocene
or Late Pleistocene
-, but before the period of global scientific exploration that started in the late 15th century. More precisely, their extinction was coincident with the expansion of Homo sapiens beyond Africa and Eurasia, i.e. this list basically deals with extinctions between 40000 BC
and 1500 AD. They should be classified with the Wikipedia conservation status category "Prehistoric" in their individual accounts.
and related ratite
s.
1 more undescribed species is known, but taxonomy is not fully resolved. A. maximus and/or A. medius probably survived until historic times.
s and geese.
s and quail
s.
s, auk
s, shorebirds
s and crane
s.
s, heron
s and New World vulture
s.
s and cormorant
s.
es, petrel
s and storm-petrel
s.
s
s.
s and relatives. Formerly included in Coraciiformes
.
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
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...
s that became extinct before recorded history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
s. They are known from subfossil
Subfossil
Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
remains and sometimes folk memory
Folk memory
Folk memories is a term sometimes used to describe stories, folklore or myths about past events that have passed orally from generation to generation. The events described by the memories may date back hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years and often have a local significance...
, as in the case of Haast's Eagle
Haast's Eagle
Haast's Eagle was a species of massive eagles that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand. The species was the largest eagle known to have existed. Its prey consisted mainly of gigantic flightless birds that were unable to defend themselves from the striking force and speed of these eagles,...
from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
from feathered dinosaurs
Feathered dinosaurs
The realization that dinosaurs are closely related to birds raised the obvious possibility of feathered dinosaurs. Fossils of Archaeopteryx include well-preserved feathers, but it was not until the early 1990s that clearly non-avialan dinosaur fossils were discovered with preserved feathers...
, and there is no real dividing line between birds and dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s except of course that the former survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event
Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event
The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, formerly named and still commonly referred to as the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, occurred approximately 65.5 million years ago at the end of the Maastrichtian age of the Cretaceous period. It was a large-scale mass extinction of animal and plant...
and the latter did not. For the purposes of this article, a "bird" is considered to be any member of the clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
Neornithes, that is the bird lineage as exists today. The other lineages of the Aves also became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.
Taxon extinctions taking place before the Late Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
happened in the absence of significant human interference. Rather, reasons for extinction are stochastic abiotic events such as bolide impacts, climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
s, mass volcanic eruptions etc. Alternatively, species may have gone extinct due to evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary displacement by successor or competitor taxa - it is notable for example that in the early Neogene
Neogene
The Neogene is a geologic period and system in the International Commission on Stratigraphy Geologic Timescale starting 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and ending 2.588 million years ago...
, seabird biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
was much higher than today; this is probably due to competition by the radiation of marine mammal
Marine mammal
Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...
s after that time. The relationships of these ancient birds are often hard to determine, as many are known only from very fragmentary remains and due to the complete fossilization precludes analysis of information from DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, RNA
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
or protein sequencing.
- For further discussion, see main article Fossil birdsFossil birdsBirds are generally believed to have evolved from certain feathered theropod dinosaurs, and there is no real dividing line between birds and dinosaurs, except of course that some of the former survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event while the latter did not. For the purposes of this...
Late Quaternary avian extinctions
This page lists bird taxa that have become extinct before they could be researched by science, but nonetheless survived into (geologically) recent times. Their remains are not or not completely fossilized and therefore may yield organic material for molecular analyses to provide additional clues for resolving their taxonomic affiliations. As these species' extinction coincided with the expansion of Homo sapiens across the globe, in most cases, anthropogenic factors have played a crucial part in their extinction, be it through hunting, introduced predators or habitatHabitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
alteration. It is notable that a large proportion of the species are from oceanic islands, especially in Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. Bird taxa that evolved on oceanic islands are usually very vulnerable to hunting or predation by rats, cats, dogs or pigs - animals commonly introduced by humans - as they evolved in the absence of mammalian predators and therefore only have rudimentary predator avoidance behavior. Many, especially rails, have additionally become flightless for the same reason and thus presented even easier prey.
The taxa in this list became extinct during the Late Quaternary - the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
or Late Pleistocene
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of the Eemian interglacial phase before the final glacial episode of the Pleistocene 126,000 ± 5,000 years ago. The end of the stage is defined exactly at 10,000 Carbon-14 years BP...
-, but before the period of global scientific exploration that started in the late 15th century. More precisely, their extinction was coincident with the expansion of Homo sapiens beyond Africa and Eurasia, i.e. this list basically deals with extinctions between 40000 BC
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
and 1500 AD. They should be classified with the Wikipedia conservation status category "Prehistoric" in their individual accounts.
Struthioniformes
The OstrichOstrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
and related ratite
Ratite
A ratite is any of a diverse group of large, flightless birds of Gondwanan origin, most of them now extinct. Unlike other flightless birds, the ratites have no keel on their sternum—hence the name from the Latin ratis...
s.
- †Aepyornithidae - Elephant Birds
- AepyornisAepyornisAepyornis is a genus of aepyornithid, one of two genera of ratite birds endemic to Madagascar known as elephant birds. This animal was the world's largest bird until its extinction, about 1000 years ago.-Description:...
- Aepyornis hildebrandti (Madagascar)
- Aepyornis maximus (Madagascar)
- Aepyornis medius (Madagascar)
- Aepyornis gracilis (Madagascar)
- MullerornisMullerornisMullerornis is the smaller of the two genera of extinct elephant birds of Madagascar . Species include Mullerornis agilis Milne-Edwards and A. Grandidier, 1894, and M. grandis Lamberton, 1934...
- Mullerorni betsilei
- Mullerorni agilis
- Mullerorni rudis
- Aepyornis
1 more undescribed species is known, but taxonomy is not fully resolved. A. maximus and/or A. medius probably survived until historic times.
- †Emeidae - Moa
- AnomalopteryxAnomalopteryxAnomalopteryx is an extinct bird genus known colloquially as the Lesser moa, Little bush moa. or Bush Moa. It stood more than tall and weighed . It inhabited much of the North Island and small sections of the South Island of New Zealand. Its habitat was lowland conifer, broad-leafed, and beech...
- Bush Moa, Anomalopteryx didiformis (North & South Islands, New Zealand)
- Euryapteryx
- North Island Broad-billed MoaNorth Island Broad-billed MoaEuryapteryx is an extinct genus of moa of the family Dinornithidae, consisting of the following species :* Euryapteryx curtus, North Island Broad-billed Moa, also called Coastal Moa* Euryapteryx geranoides, Stout Legged Moa...
, Euryapteryx curtus (North Island, New Zealand) - Stout-legged moaStout-legged moaThe Stout-legged Moa is an extinct species of New Zealand birds of the Family Moa. These moa lived on North Island, South Island, and on Stewart Island. Its habitat was the lowlands . It was a ratite and a member of the Struthioniform Order...
, Euryapteryx geranoides (South Island, New Zealand) (syn.Euryapteryx curtus)
- North Island Broad-billed Moa
- PachyornisPachyornisPachyornis is an extinct genus of ratites from New Zealand which belonged to the moa family. Like all ratites it was a member of the order Struthioniformes. The Struthioniformes are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. This genus contains 2 species,...
- Crested MoaCrested MoaThe Crested Moa, Pachyornis australis, is a species of Moa from the family Dinornithidae. It is one of the 11 known species of Moa to have existed. Moa are grouped together with Emus, Ostriches, Kiwis, Cassowaries, and Rheas in the Ratite group...
, Pachyornis australis (western South Island, New Zealand) - Heavy-footed MoaHeavy-footed MoaThe Heavy-footed Moa, Pachyornis elephantopus, is a species of Moa from the Family Dinornithidae. This moa was widespread on the South Island only, and its habitat was the lowlands . It was a ratite and a member of the Struthioniformes Order. The Struthioniformes are flightless birds with a...
, Pachyornis elephantopus (eastern South Island, New Zealand) - Mappin's MoaMappin's MoaMappin's Moa, Pachyornis mappini, is a Moa from the family Dinornithidae. This moa was found on the North Island only and like its fellow Pacyornis, its habitat was lowlands . It was a ratite and a member of the Struthioniformes Order. The Struthioniformes are flightless birds with a sternum...
, Pachyornis mappini (North Island, New Zealand) (syn.Pachyornis geranoides)
- Crested Moa
- Emeus
- Eastern MoaEastern moaThe Eastern Moa, Emeus crassus, is an extinct species of moa. When the first specimens were originally described by Richard Owen, they were placed within the genus Dinornis as three different species, but, was later split off into their own genus, Emeus. E. crassus is currently the only species of...
, Emeus crassus (South Island, New Zealand)
- Eastern Moa
- Anomalopteryx
- †Dinornithidae - Moa
- Dinornis
- North Island Giant MoaNorth Island Giant MoaThe North Island Giant Moa is one of three extinct moa in the genus Dinornis. It is a ratite and a member of the Struthioniformes Order. The Struthioniformes are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate...
, Dinornis novaezealandiae (North Island, New Zealand) - South Island Giant MoaSouth Island Giant MoaThe South Island Giant Moa, Dinornis giganteus is a member of the Moa family. It was a ratite and a member of the Struthioniformes Order. The Struthioniformes are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate...
, Dinornis robustus (South Island, New Zealand)
- North Island Giant Moa
- Dinornis
- †Megalapterygidae - Moa
- Megalapteryx
- Megalapteryx, Megalapteryx didinus (South Island, New Zealand) - may have survived until historic times (syn.Megalapteryx benhami)
- Megalapteryx
- Struthionidae - Ostriches
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Asian OstrichAsian OstrichThe Asian Ostrich, Struthio asiaticus, was an ostrich found in the Pliocene from Central Asia to China.In China, ostriches are known to have become extinct only around or even after the end of the last ice age; images of ostriches have been found there on prehistoric pottery and as petroglyphs...
, Struthio asiaticus (Central Asia to China)
- Asian Ostrich
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Apterygidae - Kiwi
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Eastern Tokoeka, Apteryx sp. (South Island, New Zealand) - possibly the same as the Okarito, Haast or South Island tokoeka.
- Extinct species of extant genera
Anseriformes
The group that includes modern duckDuck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and geese.
- †DromornithidaeDromornithidaeDromornithidae — the dromornithids — were a family of large, flightless Australian birds of the Oligocene through Pleistocene epochs. All are now extinct. They were long classified in the order Struthioniformes, but are now usually classified as a family of Anseriformes1...
- The Australian mihirungs or "demon ducks"- †Genyornis
- Genyornis newtoni (Australia)
- †Genyornis
- AnatidaeAnatidaeAnatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
- Ducks, geese and swans- †Geochen
- Geochen rhuax (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands)
- †CnemiornisCnemiornisThe New Zealand Geese formed the extinct genus Cnemiornis of the family Anatidae, subfamily Anserinae.The genus, endemic to New Zealand, consisted of two species: the North Island Goose, C. gracilis and the South Island Goose C. calcitrans...
- South Island Goose, Cnemiornis calcitrans (South Island, New Zealand)
- North Island Goose, Cnemiornis gracilis (North Island, New Zealand)
- †Pachyanas
- Chatham Island DuckChatham Island DuckThe Chatham Duck or Chatham Island Duck is an extinct species of duck, in the monotypic genus Pachyanas, which once lived in New Zealand’s Chatham Islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean...
, Pachyanas chathamica (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific)
- Chatham Island Duck
- †Centrornis
- Malagasy Sheldgoose, Centrornis majori (Madagascar) (syn.Alopochen)
- †Chelychelynechen
- Turtle-jawed Moa-nalo, Chelychelynechen quassus (Kauai, Hawaiian Islands)
- †Ptaiochen
- Small-billed Moa-nalo, Ptaiochen pau (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- †Thambetochen
- Maui Nui Large-billed Moa-nalo, Thambetochen chauliodous (Maui and Moloka‘i, Hawaiian Islands)
- O'ahu Large-billed Moa-nalo, Thambetochen xanion (Oahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- †Chendytes
- Chendytes lawi (California and Southern Oregon Coasts and Channel Islands, E Pacific)
- †TalpanasTalpanasTalpanas is an extinct genus of duck containing only the species Talpanas lippa. It was first described by Andrew L. Iwaniuk, Storrs L. Olson, and Helen F. James in the journal Zootaxa in November 2009. It was endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauai where the fossil remains were unearthed in the...
- Talpanas lippa (Kauai, Hawaiian Islands)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Aitutaki Whistling-duck, Dendrocygna sp. (Aitutaki, Cook Islands)
- Nēnē-nuiNene-nuiThe Nēnē-nui or Woodwalking Goose is an extinct species of goose that once inhabited Maui and possibly Kauai, Oahu and perhaps Molokai in the Hawaiian Islands...
, Branta hylobadistes (Maui, possibly Kauai and Oahu, Hawaiian Islands) - Chatham Islands Shelduck, Tadorna cf. variegata (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific)
- Malagasy Shelduck, Alopochen sirabensis (Madagascar)
- Scarlett's DuckScarlett's DuckScarlett's Duck is an extinct duck species from New Zealand which was closely related to the Australian Pink-eared Duck . The scientific name commemorates the late New Zealand ornithologist and palaeontologist Ron Scarlett who discovered the holotype in 1941...
, Malacorhynchus scarletti (New Zealand) - Finsch's DuckFinsch's DuckFinsch's Duck was a large terrestrial species of duck formerly endemic to New Zealand. The species was possibly once the most common duck in New Zealand, a supposition based on the frequency of its fossils in bone deposits...
, Chenonetta finschi (New Zealand; possibly survived to 1870) - Anas pachyscelus (Bermuda, W Atlantic)
- Macquarie Islands Teal, Anas cf. chlorotis (Macquarie Islands, SW Pacific)
- Chatham Islands Merganser, Mergus cf. australis (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific)
- New Zealand Stiff-tailed DuckNew Zealand Stiff-tailed DuckThe New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck is an extinct duck species from New Zealand which is known only from subfossil remains. It was first described as a distinct species by Trevor H...
, Oxyura vantetsi (North Island, New Zealand) - New Zealand Musk DuckNew Zealand Musk DuckThe New Zealand Musk Duck , also known as de Lautour’s Duck, is an extinct stiff-tailed duck native to New Zealand. It is only known from prehistoric subfossil bones...
, Biziura delautouri (New Zealand) - Chatham Islands Swan, Cygnus chathamicus (Chatham Islands)
- Cygnus falconeriCygnus falconeriCygnus falconeri, the Giant Swan, was a very large Siculo-Maltese swan known from the Middle Pleistocene. Its dimensions are described as exceeding those of the living Mute Swan by one-third, which would give a bill-to-tail length of about 190–210 cm . It would have been taller, though not...
(Malta, Sicily) - Cygnus equitum (Malta, Sicily), occasionally placed into the genus Anser
- Anser aff. erythropus (Ibiza)
- Neochen barbadiana (Barbados)
- Extinct subspecies of extant species
- New Zealand SwanNew Zealand SwanThe New Zealand Swan is an extinct swan from the Chatham Islands and the South Island of New Zealand. It was originally described as a separate species from the Black Swan based on the slightly larger size of the fossil bones found and the apparent absence of the Black Swan from New Zealand prior...
, Cygnus atratus sumnerensis (New Zealand) - Chatham Islands Teal, Anas chlorotis ssp. nov. (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific)
- New Zealand Swan
- Placement unresolved
- Giant Hawai'i Goose, Branta sp. (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands)
- Giant O'ahu Goose, Anatidae sp. et gen. indet. (Oahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- Long-legged Shelduck", Anatidae sp. et gen. indet. (Kauai, Hawaiian Islands)
- Rota Flightless Duck, Anatidae sp. et gen. indet. (Rota, Marianas)
- †Geochen
Galliformes
The group that includes modern chickenChicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s and quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
s.
- †Sylviornithidae - The Sylviornis or New Caledonian Giant Megapode
- Sylviornis
- SylviornisSylviornisSylviornis is an extinct genus of galliform bird containing a single species, S. neocaledoniae, or erroneously, "New Caledonian Giant Megapode". Technically, the latter is incorrect because it has recently been found not to be a megapode, but the sole known member of its own family, the...
, Sylviornis neocaledoniae (New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, MelanesiaMelanesiaMelanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
)
- Sylviornis
- Sylviornis
- Megapodidae - Megapodes
- †Megavitiornis
- Noble Megapode or Deep-billed Megapode, Megavitiornis altirostris (Viti LevuViti LevuViti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...
, FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
)
- Noble Megapode or Deep-billed Megapode, Megavitiornis altirostris (Viti Levu
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Consumed Scrubfowl, Megapodius alimentum (TongaTongaTonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
and Fiji) - Lost Megapode or Viti Levu Scrubfowl, Megapodius amissus (Viti Levu and possibly Kadavu and AiwaAiwawas a Japanese consumer electronics company, founded in 1951.It produced audio and video equipment from the 1970s until the early 2000s.-History:The Aiwa Corporation slid towards bankruptcy until it was purchased by competitor Sony Corporation. As of October 1, 2002, Aiwa ceased to be a separate...
, Fiji) - may have survived to the early 19th or the 20th century. - Pile-builder MegapodePile-builder MegapodeThe Pile-builder Megapode is an extinct species of megapode. The fossil remains were found by Jean-Christophe Balouet and Storrs L. Olson in caves on New Caledonia and Tonga.-Description:...
, Megapodus molistructor (New Caledonia, Tonga and possibly Aiwa, Fiji) - may have survived to the late 18th century - 'Eua Scrubfowl or Small-fooed Megapode, Megapodius sp. ([[ʻEua]], Tonga)
- Lifuka Scrubfowl, Megapodius sp. (LifukaLifukaLifuka is an island in the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located within the Haapai Group in the centre of the country, to northeast of the national capital of Nukualofa...
, Tonga) - Stout Tongan Megapode Megapodius sp. (TongatapuTongatapuTongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
, Tonga) - Megapodius sp. (OfuOfu-OlosegaOfu and Olosega are parts of a volcanic doublet in the Manu‘a Group of the Samoan Islands—part of American Samoa. The twin islands, formed from shield volcanoes, have a combined length of 6km. They are geographic volcanic remnants separated by the narrow 137m wide Asaga strait, a natural...
, SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
) - Large Vanuatu Megapode Megapodius sp. (Buka IslandBuka IslandBuka Island is the second largest island in the Papua New Guinean province of Bougainville.- History :Buka was first occupied by humans in paleolithic times, some 30,000 years ago...
, Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
) - Large Solomon Islands Megapode Megapodius sp. (EfateÉfatéEfate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, VanuatuVanuatuVanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
) - New Caledonia Megapode Megapodius sp. (Grande Tierre, New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
) - Loyalty Megapode Megapodius sp. (LifouLifouLifou is a commune in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean.-Geography:Lifou is made up of Lifou Island, the largest and most heavily populated of the Loyalty Islands, its smaller neighbour Tiga Island, and several uninhabited islets in between these two...
and MaréMaréMaré is a commune in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.The commune of Maré is made up of Maré Island and the much smaller Dudun Island, which lie among the Loyalty Islands, to the northeast of New Caledonia's mainland. The settlement...
, Loyalty IslandsLoyalty IslandsThe Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. They are part of the French territory of New Caledonia, whose mainland is away. They form the Loyalty Islands Province , one of the three provinces of New Caledonia...
) - New Ireland Scrubfowl or Large Bismarck's Megapode, Megapodius sp. (New IrelandNew Ireland (island)New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...
, Melanesia) - Leipoa gallinacea (Progura gallinacea and Progura naracoortensis are synonyms) (AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
)
- Consumed Scrubfowl, Megapodius alimentum (Tonga
- †Megavitiornis
- PhasianidaePhasianidaeThe Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
- Pheasants and allies- Extinct species of extant genera
- Canary Islands QuailCanary Islands QuailThe Canary Islands Quail once occurred on the islands of El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Fuerteventura . It might also have inhabited Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, but there are no remains found on these islands....
, Coturnix gomerae (Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, East Atlantic) - Coturnix sp. (MadeiraMadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
) - Californian TurkeyCalifornian TurkeyThe Californian Turkey was a species of Meleagrididae from North America, especially California. It went extinct about 10,000 years ago....
, Meleagris californica (California, North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
)
- Canary Islands Quail
- Extinct species of extant genera
Charadriiformes
GullGull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s, auk
Auk
An auk is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. Auks are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits...
s, shorebirds
- Laridae - Gulls
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Huahine GullHuahine GullThe Huahine Gull , also known as the Society Islands Gull, is an extinct bird, a species of gull of which subfossil bones were found at the Fa'ahia archeological site on Huahine, in the Society Islands of French Polynesia....
or Society Islands Gull, Larus utunui (HuahineHuahineHuahine is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Leeward Islands group . The island has a population of about 6,000.-Geography:...
, Society IslandsSociety IslandsThe 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;...
) - Kaua'i Gull, Larus sp. (Kaua'i, Hawaiian IslandsHawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
) - Larus sp. (Saint HelenaSaint HelenaSaint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
, Atlantic) - may be extant form
- Huahine Gull
- Extinct species of extant genera
- CharadriidaeCharadriidaeThe bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.- Morphology :They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings, but most species of lapwing may have more rounded wings...
- Lapwings and plovers- Extinct species of extant genera
- Malagasy Lapwing, Vanellus madagascariensis (Madagascar)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Alcidae - Auks
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Dow's Puffin, Fratercula dowi (Channel Islands, E Pacific)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- ScolopacidaeScolopacidaeThe sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
- Waders and snipes- Extinct species of extant genera
- Henderson Island Sandpiper, Prosobonia sp. (Henderson IslandHenderson Island (Pitcairn Islands)Henderson Island is an uninhabited raised coral atoll in the south Pacific Ocean, that in 1902 was annexed to the Pitcairn Islands colony, a South Pacific Dependent Territory of the United Kingdom. Measuring long and wide, it has an area of and is located northeast of Pitcairn Island at . The...
, S Pacific) - Mangaian Sandpiper, Prosobonia sp. (MangaiaMangaiaMangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga.-Geography:...
, Cook IslandsCook IslandsThe Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
) - Ua Huka Sandpiper, Prosobonia sp. (Ua HukaUa HukaUa Huka is one of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is situated in the northern group of the archipelago, approximately . to the east of Nuku Hiva, at .-Name:...
, Marquesas IslandsMarquesas IslandsThe Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...
) - Forbes' SnipeForbes' SnipeThe Forbes' Snipe, Coenocorypha chathamica, was a species of New Zealand snipe endemic to the Chatham Islands. It was the larger of two species found there, the smaller being the surviving Chatham Island Snipe. It was never seen alive by scientists and is known only from fossil material collected...
, Coenocorypha chathamensis (Chatham IslandsChatham IslandsThe 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...
, Southwest Pacific) - Viti Levu SnipeViti Levu SnipeThe Viti Levu Snipe, Coenocorypha miratropica, was a species of snipe endemic to Fiji. A species of the mostly New Zealand genus Coenocorypha, it became extinct after the arrival of humans in Fiji.-References:...
, Coenocorypha miratropica (Viti Levu, Fiji) - New Caledonia Snipe, Coenocorypha sp. (New Caledonia, Melanesia)
- Norfolk Island Snipe, Coenocorypha sp. (Norfolk IslandNorfolk IslandNorfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, Southwest Pacific) - Gallinago sp. (Cayman BracCayman BracCayman Brac is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea about 90 miles northeast of Grand Cayman and 5 miles east of Little Cayman. It is about 12 miles long, with an average width of 1 mile...
, Cayman IslandsCayman IslandsThe Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
) - may be the same as - Gallinago sp. (Cuba, West Indies) - may be the same as
- Gallinago sp. (Bahamas, West Indies)
- Puerto Rican Woodcock, Scolopax anthonyi
- Henderson Island Sandpiper, Prosobonia sp. (Henderson Island
- Extinct species of extant genera
Gruiformes
The group that includes modern railRallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
s and crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
s.
- RallidaeRallidaeThe rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
- Rails- †Capellirallus (syn.Gallirallus)
- Snipe-railSnipe-railThe Snipe-rail is an extinct flightless rail endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. The species' name is derived from the Karamu Cave from Hamilton where the holotype was discovered in 1954.-Description:...
, Capellirallus karamu (North Island, New Zealand)
- Snipe-rail
- †Vitirallus (syn.Gallirallus)
- Viti Levu RailViti Levu RailThe Viti Levu Rail was a prehistoric flightless bird from Fiji. The Viti Levu Rail was thought to be about the same size as the Bar-winged Rail but with a very elongated and slender bill....
, Vitirallus watlingi (Viti Levu, FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
)
- Viti Levu Rail
- †Hovacrex (syn.Gallinula)
- Hova-gallinule, Hovacrex roberti (MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
)
- Hova-gallinule, Hovacrex roberti (Madagascar
- †Nesotrochis
- Antillean Cave-Rail, Nesotrochis debooyi (Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and Virgin Islands, West Indies) - may have survived until historic times - Haitian Cave-Rail, Nesotrochis steganinos (Haiti, West Indies)
- Cuban Cave-Rail, Nesotrochis picapicensis (Cuba, West Indies)
- Antillean Cave-Rail, Nesotrochis debooyi (Puerto Rico
- Extinct species of extant genera
- New Caledonian Swamphen, Porphyrio kukwiedei (New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, Melanesia) - may have survived into historic times - North Island TakahēNorth Island TakaheThe North Island Takahē or Mōho, Porphyrio mantelli, is an extinct rail that was found in the North Island of New Zealand. This flightless species is known from subfossils from a number of archeological sites and from one possible 1894 record...
, Porphyrio mantelli (North Island, New Zealand) - Huahine SwamphenHuahine SwamphenThe Huahine Swamphen was a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was a small swamphen endemic to Huahine in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. It is known only from subfossil remains found at the Fa'ahia archaeological site on the island. Fa'ahia is an early Polynesian occupation site...
, Porphyrio mcnabi (Huahine, Society Islands) - Marquesas SwamphenMarquesas SwamphenMarquesas Swamphen is a presumably extinct species of swamphen from the Marquesas Islands. It was originally described from 600 year old subfossil remains from Tahuata and Hiva Oa...
, Porphyrio paepae (Hiva Oa and Tahuata, Marquesas) - may have survived to the late 19th century - Buka Swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (Buka, Solomon Islands)
- Giant Swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (New Ireland, Melanesia)
- Mangaia Swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (Mangaia, Cook IslandsCook IslandsThe Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
) (not to genus Pareudiastes) - New Ireland Swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (New Ireland, Melanesia)
- Norfolk Island Swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (Norfolk Island, Southwest Pacific)
- Rota Swamphen, Porphyrio sp. (Rota, Marianas)
- Ibiza RailIbiza RailThe Ibiza Rail is a new species of rail, described from a late Pleistocene to Holocene cave deposit at Es Pouàs, on the island of Ibiza. Ibiza is in the Pityuses group of the Spanish Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea...
, Rallus eivissensis (Ibiza, Mediterranean) - Lifuka Rail, Gallirallus sp. (Lifuka, Tonga)
- Nuku Hiva Rail, Gallirallus epulare (Nuku Hiva, Marquesas)
- Ua Huka Rail, Gallirallus gracilitibia (Ua Huka, Marquesas)
- Niue Rail, Gallirallus huiatua (Niue, Cook Islands)
- Mangaia Rail, Gallirallus ripleyi (Mangaia, Cook Islands)
- Tahuata Rail, Gallirallus roletti (Tahuata, Marquesas)
- Huahine RailHuahine RailThe Huahine Rail was a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was a medium-sized Gallirallus rail endemic to Huahine in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. It is known only from subfossil remains found at the Fa'ahia archaeological site on the island...
, Gallirallus storrsolsoni (Huahine, Society Islands) - Hiva Oa Rail, Gallirallus sp. (Marquesas, Pacific)
- 'Eua Rail, Gallirallus vekamatolu ('Eua, Tonga)
- Rota Rail, Gallirallus temptatus (Rota, Marianas, West Pacific)
- Aguiguan Rail, Gallirallus pisonii (Aguiguan, Marianas, West Pacific)
- Tinian Rail, Gallirallus pendiculentus (Tinian, Marianas, West Pacific)
- Saipan Rail, Gallirallus sp. (Saipan, Marianas, West Pacific)
- New Ireland Rail, Gallirallus ernstmayri (New Ireland, Melanesia)
- Norfolk Island Rail, Gallirallus sp. (Norfolk Island, Southwest Pacific) - may have survived to the 19th century
- Great O‘ahu CrakeGreat O‘ahu CrakeThe Great Oahu Crake or Great Oahu Rail is an extinct bird species endemic to the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It was one of two flightless rails that had survived on the island until the arrival of people in 200 C.E....
, Porzana ralphorum (Oahu, Hawaiian Islands) - Great Maui CrakeGreat Maui CrakeThe Great Maui Rail or Great Maui Crake is an extinct bird species from Maui, one of two flightless rails which survived on Maui until people arrived in 150 C.E....
, Porzana severnsi (Maui, Hawaiian Islands) - Mangaia Crake, Porzana rua (Mangaia, Cook Islands)
- Liliput Crake, Porzana menehune (Moloka'i, Hawaiian Islands)
- Small Oahu Crake, Porzana ziegleri (Oahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- Small Maui Crake, Porzana keplerorum (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Easter Island Crake, Porzana sp. (Easter Island, Southeast Pacific)
- Great Big Island Crake, Porzana sp. (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands)
- Great Kaua‘i Crake, Porzana sp. (Kauai, Hawaiian Islands)
- Huahine Crake, Porzana sp. (Huahine, Society Islands)
- Mangaia Crake #2, Porzana sp. (Mangaia, Cook Islands)
- Marquesas Crake, Porzana sp. (Ua Huka, Marquesas)
- Mariana Crake, Porzana sp. (Marianas, West Pacific) - possibly 4 species
- Medium Kaua'i Crake, Porzana sp. (Kauai, Hawaiian Islands)
- Medium Maui Crake, Porzana sp. (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Small Big Island Crake, Porzana sp. (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands)
- Hodgen's Waterhen, Gallinula hodgenorum (New Zealand)
- Viti Levu Gallinule, ?Gallinula sp. (Viti Levu, Fiji) - would also be separated in Pareudiastes if that genus is considered valid, or may be new genus.
- Chatham Island Coot, Fulica chathamensis (Chatham Islands, Southwest Pacific)
- New Zealand Coot, Fulica prisca (New Zealand)
- New Caledonian Swamphen, Porphyrio kukwiedei (New Caledonia
- Placement unresolved
- Barbados RailBarbados RailThe Barbados Rail is a fossil rail species endemic to Barbados with an undetermined taxonomic status. It was formerly described by Pierce Brodkorb in 1965 as Fulica podagrica. However, this classification has been questioned by Storrs Olson when he described Brodkorb's material anew in 1974...
, Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (BarbadosBarbadosBarbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, West Indies) - formerly Fulica podagrica (partim) - Easter Island Rail, Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (Easter IslandEaster IslandEaster Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
) - Fernando de Noronha Rail, Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (Fernando de Noronha, Atlantic) - probably survived to historic times
- Barbados Rail
- †Capellirallus (syn.Gallirallus)
- Gruidae - Cranes
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Cuban Flightless Crane, Grus cubensis (Cuba, West Indies)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- †Aptornithidae - Adzebills (probably belongs in distinct order)
- Aptornis
- North Island AdzebillAdzebillThe adzebills, genus Aptornis, were two closely related bird species, the North Island Adzebill, Aptornis otidiformis, and the South Island Adzebill, Aptornis defossor, of the extinct family Aptornithidae. The family was endemic to New Zealand.They have been placed in the Gruiformes but this is not...
, Aptornis otidiformis (North Island, New Zealand) - South Island AdzebillAdzebillThe adzebills, genus Aptornis, were two closely related bird species, the North Island Adzebill, Aptornis otidiformis, and the South Island Adzebill, Aptornis defossor, of the extinct family Aptornithidae. The family was endemic to New Zealand.They have been placed in the Gruiformes but this is not...
, Aptornis defossor (South Island, New Zealand)
- North Island Adzebill
- Aptornis
- Rhynochetidae - Kagus (probably belongs in distinct oder)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Lowland Kagu, Rhynochetos orarius (New Caledonia, Melanesia)
- Extinct species of extant genera
Ciconiiformes
The diverse group that includes storkStork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s and New World vulture
New World vulture
The New World Vulture or Condor family Cathartidae contains seven species in fivegenera, all but one of which are monotypic. It includes five vultures and two condors found in warm and temperate areas of the Americas....
s.
- Ardeidae - Herons
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Bennu Heron, Ardea bennuides (United Arab Emirates)
- 'Eua Night Heron, Nycticorax sp. ('Eua, Tonga)
- Lifuka Night Heron, Nycticorax sp. (Lifuka, Tonga) - may be same as ‘Eua species
- Niue Night Heron, Nycticorax kalavikai (Niue)
- Mangaia Night Heron, Nycticorax sp. (Mangaia, Cook Islands)
- Placement unresolved
- Ardeidae gen. et sp. indet. (Easter Island, E Pacific)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Ciconiidae - Storks
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Leptoptilos robustusLeptoptilos robustusLeptoptilos robustus or Flores Flightless Stork is an extinct species of stork from the Flores island chain in Indonesia. It was tall and weighed an estimated . Since the bones in the legs and body are very heavy, it is assumed that it rarely, if ever, flew.-References:*...
(Flores) - Ciconia malthaCiconia malthaCiconia maltha, also known as the La Brea stork, is an extinct stork from the Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of W and S USA, and Cuba. It has been found in the La Brea Tar Pits....
(Western and Southern USA) - Mycteria wetmorei (Cuba)
- Leptoptilos robustus
- Extinct species of extant genera
- ThreskiornithidaeThreskiornithidaeThe family Threskiornithidae includes 34 species of large terrestrial and wading birds, falling into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills. It was formerly known as Plataleidae. The spoonbills and ibises were once thought to be related to other groups of long-legged wading birds in the...
- Ibises- †Apteribis
- Maui Upland Apteribis, Apteribis brevis (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Moloka'i Apteribis, Apteribis glenos (Moloka'i, Hawaiian Islands)
- Maui Lowland Apteribis, Apteribis sp. (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- †Xenicibis
- Jamaican Flightless IbisJamaican Flightless IbisThe Jamaican Ibis, Jamaican Flightless Ibis or Clubbed-wing Ibis is an extinct bird species of the ibis subfamily uniquely characterized by its club-like wings...
, Xenicibis xympithecus (Jamaica, West Indies)
- Jamaican Flightless Ibis
- †Apteribis
- †TeratornithidaeTeratornithidaeTeratorns were very large birds of prey that lived in North and South America from Miocene to Pleistocene. They include some of the largest known flying birds. So far, at least four species have been identified:*Teratornis merriami . This is by far the best-known species...
- Teratorns- TeratornisTeratornisTeratornis merriami was a huge North American teratorn, with a wingspan of around 3.5 to 3.8 meters and a wing area of 17.5 square meters, standing an estimated 75 cm tall and weighing about 15 kg. It was somewhat larger than the extant Andean Condor and nearly two double the weight of the...
- Merriam's Teratorn, Teratornis merriami (SW and S USA)
- Oscaravis
- Cuban Teratorn, Oscaravis olsoni (Cuba)
- Teratornis
- Cathartidae - New World Vultures
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Pleistocene Black VultureAmerican Black VultureThe Black Vulture also known as the American Black Vulture, is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the southeastern United States to Central Chile and Uruguay in South America...
, Coragyps occidentalis (SW and W USA)
- Pleistocene Black Vulture
- Placement unresolved
- ?Cathartes sp. (Cuba, West Indies)
- Extinct species of extant genera
Pelecaniformes
The group that includes modern pelicanPelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
s and cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s.
- SulidaeSulidaeThe bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulidas, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The ten species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus Sula...
- Gannets and boobies- Extinct subspecies of extant species
- Ua Huka Booby, Papasula abbotti costelloi (Ua Huka, Marquesas)
- Extinct subspecies of extant species
Procellariiformes
The group that includes modern albatrossAlbatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
es, petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
s and storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
s.
- ProcellariidaeProcellariidaeThe family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
- Petrels- Extinct species of extant genera
- Dune Shearwater or Hole's Shearwater, Puffinus holeae (Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, and Atlantic coast of Iberian peninsula)
- Lava ShearwaterLava ShearwaterThe Lava Shearwater, Puffinus olsoni, was a species of shearwater that formerly bred on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. The species is known only from fossil remains, and was only described by science in 1990. The species was intermediate in size between the Manx Shearwater and...
or Olson's Shearwater, Puffinus olsoni (Canary Islands, E Atlantic) - Scarlett's ShearwaterScarlett's ShearwaterScarlett's Shearwater was a species of seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae. Its common name commemorates New Zealand palaeontologist Ron Scarlett....
, Puffinus spelaeus (South Island, New Zealand) - Menorcan Shearwater, Puffinus sp. (Menorca, Balearic Islands) - possibly extirpated population of extant species
- 'Eua Shearwater Puffinus sp ('Eua ,Tonga)
- O'ahu Petrel, Pterodroma jugabilis (O'ahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- 'Eua Petrel Puffinus sp ('Eua, Tonga)
- Canary Islands Petrel, Pterodroma sp. (El Hierro, Canary Islands) - possibly extirpated population of extant species
- Pterodroma sp. (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific)
- Henderson Island Petrel, Pterodroma sp. (Henderson Island, S Pacific)
- Bourne's Petrel, Pterodroma sp. (Rodrigues)
- Pseudobulweria sp. (TaravaiTaravaiTaravai is the second largest island in the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia, at 5.7 km². Taravai is located at , about 1.5 km southwest of Mangareva, and about 300 m north of the island of Angakauitai. Off its eastern shore lies the tiny rock Îlot Motu-o-ari.The village named Agonoko...
, Angakauitai, MangarevaMangarevaMangareva is the central and most important island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is surrounded by smaller islands: Taravai in the southwest, Aukena and Akamaru in the southeast, and islands in the north...
) - Pterodroma sp. (Norfolk Island)
- Placement unresolved
- Procellariidae sp. (Easter Island, East Pacific) - possibly extirpated population of extant species
- Extinct species of extant genera
Sphenisciformes
- Spheniscidae - Penguins
- † Tasidyptes
- Hunter Island Penguin Tasidyptes hunteri (Hunter IslandHunter Island (North-west Tasmania)Hunter Island is an island in Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania in south-eastern Australia. It is located near Three Hummock Island, several miles off the north-west coast of Tasmania. The island is run as a cattle property and there is a homestead on the island...
, Tasmania)
- Hunter Island Penguin Tasidyptes hunteri (Hunter Island
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Chatham Islands PenguinChatham Islands PenguinThe Chatham Penguin or Chatham Islands Penguin was a species of penguin, now extinct. It is known only from subfossil bones, but may have become extinct as recently as the late 19th century as a bird kept captive at some time between 1867 and 1872 might refer to this taxon. It appears to have been...
, Eudyptes sp. (Chatham Islands, Southwest Pacific) - possibly still extant in 1867 - Waitaha PenguinWaitaha PenguinThe Waitaha Penguin is an extinct species of New Zealand penguin discovered in November 2008.The new species was discovered by University of Otago and University of Adelaide scientists comparing the foot bones of 500-year-old, 100-year-old and modern specimens of penguins...
, Megadyptes waitaha (South Island and Stewart Island, New Zealand)
- Chatham Islands Penguin
- † Tasidyptes
Columbiformes
- Columbidae - Doves and pigeons
- †Dysmoropelia
- Saint Helena Dove, Dysmoropelia dekarchiskos (Saint Helena, Atlantic) - may have survived to the 16th century
- †Natunaornis
- Viti Levu Giant PigeonViti Levu Giant PigeonThe Viti Levu Giant Pigeon was a flightless pigeon, only slightly smaller than the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire ....
, Natunaornis gigoura (Viti Levu, Fiji)
- Viti Levu Giant Pigeon
- †Bountyphaps
- Henderson Island Archaic Pigeon, Bountyphaps obsoleta (Henderson Island, S Pacific)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Society Islands Cuckoo-dove, Macropygia arevarevauupa (Huahine, Society Islands)
- Marquesan Cuckoo-dove, Macropygia heana (Marquesas, Pacific)
- Puerto Rican Quail-dove, Geotrygon larva (Puerto Rico, West Indies)
- Great Ground-doveGreat Ground-doveThe Great Ground Dove is an extinct species of bird in the Columbidae family. It was found in Mangaia in the southern Cook Islands, and in French Polynesia where subfossil bones between 1-2000 years old have been found in the Marquesas, as well as between 750-1250 years old at the Fa'ahia early...
, Gallicolumba nui (Marquesas and Cook Islands) - Henderson Island Ground-dove, Gallicolumba leonpascoi (Henderson Island, S Pacific)
- New Caledonian Ground-dove, Gallicolumba longitarsus (New Caledonia)
- Huahine Ground-dove, Gallicolumba sp. (Huahine, Society Islands) - G. nui?
- Mangaia Ground-dove, Gallicolumba sp. (Mangaia, Cook Islands) - G. nui?
- Rota Ground Dove, Gallicolumba sp. (Rota, Marianas)
- Tongan Tooth-billed Pigeon, Didunculus placopedetes (Tonga, Pacific)
- Kanaka PigeonKanaka PigeonThe Kanaka Pigeon is an extinct pigeon. It was probably hunted to extinction by the early settlers of New Caledonia and Tonga. It was also called the Great Green Pigeon or the Greater Maned Pigeon and was related to the Nicobar Pigeon, but was about one quarter larger in size...
, Caloenas canacorum (New Caledonia, Tonga) - Henderson Island Imperial-pigeon, Ducula harrisoni (Henderson Island, S Pacific)
- Lakeba Imperial-pigeon, Ducula lakeba (Lakeba, Fiji)
- Steadman's Imperial-pigeon, Ducula david ('Eua, Tonga, and Wallis Island)
- Tongan Imperial-pigeon, Ducula sp. ('Eua, Foa and Lifuka, Tonga) - may be D. david, D. lakeba or new species
- Ducula cf. galeata (Cook Islands) - possibly new species
- Ducula cf. galeata (Society Islands) - possibly new species
- Ducula sp. (Viti Levu, Fiji) - may be D. lakeba
- Tubuai Fruit-dove, Ptilinopus sp. (Tubuai, Austral Islands)
- Columba melitensis (Malta)
- †Dysmoropelia
Psittaciformes
- Placement unresolved
- Psittaciformes gen. et sp. indet. (Rota, Marianas) - cf. Cacatua/Eclectus?
- Strigopidae - Kakas and Kakapos
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Chatham Islands Kaka, Nestor sp. (Chatham Islands, Southwest Pacific)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Cacatuidae Cockatoos
- Extinct species of extant genera
- New Caledonian Cockatoo, Cacatua sp. (New Caledonia)
- New Ireland Cockatoo, Cacatua sp. (New Ireland)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Psittacidae - Parrots, parakeets, and lorikeets
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Saint Croix MacawSaint Croix MacawThe Saint Croix Macaw is an extinct species of parrot from the Caribbean islands of Saint Croix and Puerto Rico. It was originally described by Alexander Wetmore in 1937 based on a subfossil limb bone unearthed by L. J. Korn in 1934 from a kitchen midden at an Amerindian archeological sites on...
, Ara autocthones (Saint Croix, West Indies) - Oceanic Eclectus ParrotOceanic Eclectus ParrotThe Oceanic Eclectus Parrot is an extinct parrot species which occurred on Tonga, Vanuatu and possibly on Fiji. The only living relative in the genus is the Eclectus Parrot which has proportionally larger wings than the Oceanic Eclectus Parrot...
, Eclectus infectus (Tonga, Vanuatu, possibly Fiji) - may have survived to the 18th century or even longer. - Sinoto's LorikeetSinoto's LorikeetThe Sinoto's Lorikeet is a species of parrot that became extinct 700–1300 years ago. It was identified from fossils on the Marquesas Islands....
, Vini sinotoi (Marquesas, Pacific) - Conquered LorikeetConquered LorikeetThe Conquered Lorikeet is a species of parrot that became extinct 700–1300 years ago. It was named by David Steadman, as a wordplay on "veni, vidi, vici." Its range was from the Cook Islands to the Society and Marquesas Islands...
, Vini vidivici (Mangaia, Cook Islands, and Marqesas)
- Saint Croix Macaw
- Extinct subspecies of an extant species
- Virgin Islands Parrot (Amazona vittata ssp. indet.)
- Placement unresolved
- Psittacidae gen. et sp. indet. 1 (Easter Island)
- Psittacidae gen. et sp. indet. 2 (Easter Island)
- Psittacidae gen. et sp. indet. (Guam, Marianas) - cf. Trichoglossus/Vini?
- Extinct species of extant genera
Cuculiformes
- Cuculidae - Cuckoos
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Henderson Island Koel, Eudynamis cf. taitensis
- Ancient Coua, Coua primaeva (Madagascar)
- Bertha's Coua, Coua berthae (Madagascar)
- Extinct subspecies of extant species
- Conkling's Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus conklingi (Inland SW North America)
- Extinct species of extant genera
Falconiformes
Birds of prey- AccipitridaeAccipitridaeThe Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
- Hawks and eagles- †Bermuteo
- Bermuda Hawk, Bermuteo avivorus (Bermuda, W Atlantic)
- †Gigantohierax
- Cuban Giant-hawk, Gigantohierax suarezi (Cuba, West Indies)
- †TitanohieraxTitanohieraxTitanohierax is an fossil genus of giant hawk from Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas. It has one known species, Titanohierax gloveralleni. The extinct crab-hawk Buteogallus borrasi was formerly placed in this genus....
- Bahaman Titan-hawk, Titanohierax gloveralleni (Bahamas, West Indies)
- Hispaniolan Titan-hawk, Titanohierax sp. (Hispaniola, West Indies)
- †Harpagornis
- Haast's EagleHaast's EagleHaast's Eagle was a species of massive eagles that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand. The species was the largest eagle known to have existed. Its prey consisted mainly of gigantic flightless birds that were unable to defend themselves from the striking force and speed of these eagles,...
, Harpagornis moorei (South Island, New Zealand)
- Haast's Eagle
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Aquila bullockensisAquila bullockensisAquila bullockensis is an extinct species of large true eagles in the Accipitridae family. A. bullockensis is related to the living species A. audax to which it might be ancestral. The species is solely known from the distal end of a right humerus found in the Middle Miocene , Bullock Creek...
(Northern Australia, Middle Miocene) - Powerful Goshawk, Accipiter efficax (New Caledonia, Melanesia)
- Gracile Goshawk, Accipiter quartus (New Caledonia, Melanesia)
- Accipiter sp. 1 (New Ireland, Melanesia)
- Accipiter sp. 2 (New Ireland, Melanesia) - one of the two New Ireland species may be Meyer's GoshawkMeyer's GoshawkMeyer's Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands....
- Malagasy Eagle, Aquila sp. (Madagascar)
- Borras' Eagle-hawk, Buteogallus borrasi (Cuba, West Indies) - formerly in Aquila/Titanohierax
- Mime Harrier, Circus dossenus (Moloka‘i, Hawaiian Islands)
- Eyles' HarrierEyles' HarrierEyles' Harrier is an extinct bird of prey which lived in New Zealand.It was an example of island gigantism, weighing over twice as much as a Swamp Harrier. It was a generalist predator, taking prey of the same size as small eagle species do – land animals weighing one or a few kilograms...
, Circus eylesi (New Zealand) (The Forbes' Harrier, Circus teauteensis, is considered as synonym of the Eyles' Harrier by some authors) - A subfossilSubfossilSubfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
sea eagle (Haliaeetus) from MauiMauiThe island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
may be a valid species or subspecies; another one listed from the Chatham IslandsChatham IslandsThe 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...
is in error. - Malagasy Crowned EagleMalagasy Crowned EagleThe Malagasy Crowned Eagle , also known as the Madagascar Crowned Hawk-eagle, was a large bird of prey, comparable in size to the African Crowned Eagle, that inhabited Madagascar until 1500 AD. It probably fed on lemurs...
, Stephanoaetus mahery (Madagascar)
- Aquila bullockensis
- Extinct subspecies of extant species
- Aquila chrysaetos simurgh (Crete) (sometimes considered as full species)
- †Bermuteo
- FalconidaeFalconidaeThe falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family is divided into two subfamiles, Polyborinae, which includes the caracaras and forest falcons, and Falconinae, the falcons, kestrels and falconets.-Description:Falcons and...
- Falcons- Extinct species of extant genera
- Bahaman CaracaraBahaman CaracaraThe Bahaman Caracara is an extinct bird of prey. It is known only from a few fossils discovered in the Bahamas and Cuba.C. creightoni stood 23 inches tall. It was short-winged and likely a poor flier....
, Caracara creightoni (Bahamas and Cuba, West Indies) - may be same as C. latebrosus - Puerto Rican Caracara, Caracara latebrosus (Puerto Rico, West Indies)
- Terrestrial CaracaraTerrestrial CaracaraThe Terrestrial Caracara is a prehistoric species of bird in the falcon family, Falconidae. It was native to the island of Jamaica in the Caribbean, where it probably inhabited dry forests in the island's south. C. tellustris was large and had diminished wings; it was probably mostly...
, Caracara tellustris (Jamaica, West Indies) - Cuban Caracara, Milvago carbo (Cuba, West Indies)
- Jamaican Caracara, ?Milvago sp. (Jamaica, West Indies)
- Cuban Kestrel, Falco kurochkini (Cuba, West Indies)
- Bahaman Caracara
- Extinct species of extant genera
Caprimulgiformes
Nightjars and potooPotoo
The potoos are a family, Nyctibiidae of near passerine birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called Poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. There are seven species in one genus, Nyctibius, in tropical Central and South America.These are nocturnal insectivores which...
s
- Caprimulgidae - Nightjars
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Cuban Poorwill, Siphonorhis daiquiri (Cuba, West Indies) - possibly extant
- Extinct species of extant genera
Aegotheliformes
Owlet-nightjars- Aegothelidae
- Extinct species of extant genera
- New Zealand Owlet-nightjarNew Zealand Owlet-nightjarThe New Zealand Owlet-nightjar, Aegotheles novazelandiae, was a large species of owlet-nightjar formerly endemic to the islands of New Zealand. Fossil remains indicate the species was once widespread across both North Island and South Island...
, Aegotheles novaezealandiae (New Zealand) - formerly Megaegotheles
- New Zealand Owlet-nightjar
- Extinct species of extant genera
Apodiformes
Swifts and hummingbirdHummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s.
- Apodidae - Swifts
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Mangaia SwiftletMangaia SwiftletThe Mangaia Swiftlet is an extinct species of bird in the swift family. It became extinct during prehistoric times. It was endemic to Mangaia, Cook Islands...
, Aerodramus manuoi (Mangaia, Cook Islands) - formerly Collocalia
- Mangaia Swiftlet
- Extinct species of extant genera
Bucerotiformes
HornbillHornbill
Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...
s and relatives. Formerly included in Coraciiformes
Coraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
.
- Bucerotidae - Hornbills
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Lifou Hornbill, Rhyticeros ("Aceros") sp. (Lifou, Loyalty Islands)
- Extinct species of extant genera
Strigiformes
Owls and barn owls.- Strigidae - Typical owls
- †GrallistrixGrallistrixThe stilt-owls are a genus of true owls which contains four species, all of which lived on the Hawaiian Islands but are now extinct....
- Kauaʻi Stilt-owl, Grallistrix auceps (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands)
- Maui Stilt-owl, Grallistrix erdmani (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Molokaʻi Stilt-owl, Grallistrix geleches (Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands)
- O'ahu Stilt-owl, Grallistrix orion (O'ahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- †Ornimegalonyx
- Cuban Giant Owl, Ornimegalonxy oteroi (Cuba, West Indies)
- Ornimegalonyx sp. - probably subspecies of O. oteroi
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Cuban Horned Owl, Bubo osvaldoi (Cuba, West Indies)
- Cretan Little Owl, Athene cretensis (Crete, Mediterranean)
- New Caledonia Boobook, Ninox cf. novaeseelandiae (New Caledonia, Melanesia) - possibly extant
- aff. Otus sp. (Madeira)
- Placement unresolved
- Strigidae gen. et sp. indet. (Ibiza, Mediterranean)
- †Grallistrix
- TytonidaeTytonidaeBarn-owls are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons...
- Barn-owls- Extinct species of extant genera
- Puerto Rican Barn-owl, Tyto cavatica (Puerto Rico, West Indies) - may still have existed in 1912
- New Caledonian Barn-owl, ?Tyto letocarti (New Caledonia, Melanesia)
- Maltese Barn-owl, Tyto melitensis (Malta, Mediterranean) - possibly paleosubspecies of Tyto alba
- Noel's Barn-owl, Tyto noeli (Cuba, West Indies)
- Hispaniolan Barn-owl, Tyto ostologa (Hispaniola, West Indies) - may still have existed in 1788
- Bahaman Barn-owl, Tyto pollens (Andros, Bahamas)
- Rivero's Barn-owl, Tyto riveroi (Cuba, West Indies)
- Barbudan Barn-owl, Tyto neddi (Barbuda , West Indies)
- Antiguan Barn-owl Tyto sp. (Antigua, West Indies)
- Mussau Barn-owl, Tyto cf. novaehollandiae (Mussau, Melanesia)
- New Ireland Greater Barn-owl, Tyto cf. novaehollandiae (New Ireland, Melanesia)
- New Ireland Lesser Barn-owl, Tyto cf. alba/aurantiaca (New Ireland, Melanesia)
- Cuban Barn-owl, Tyto sp. (Cuba, West Indies)
- Extinct species of extant genera
Passeriformes
- Placement unresolved
- Slender-billed Kauaʻi Passerine, Passeriformes gen. et sp. indet. (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands)
- Tiny Kauaʻi Passerine, Passeriformes gen. et sp. indet. (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands)
- Acanthisittidae - New Zealand "Wrens"
- †Pachyplichas
- Stout-legged WrenStout-legged WrenThe Stout-legged Wren or Yaldwin's Wren is an extinct species of New Zealand wren, a family of small birds endemic to New Zealand.-History and etymology:...
, or South Island Stout-legged Wren, Pachyplichas yaldwyni (North Island, New Zealand) - North Island Stout-legged Wren, Pachyplichas jagmi (South Island, New Zealand) - may be subspecies of P. yaldwyni
- Stout-legged Wren
- †Dendroscansor
- Long-billed WrenLong-billed Wren (New Zealand)The Long-billed Wren was a species of New Zealand wren endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. It was the only species in the genus Dendroscansor...
, Dendroscansor decurvirostris (South Island, New Zealand) - Extinct subspecies of extant species
- North Island Piwauwau, Xenicus gilviventris ssp. nov. (North Island, New Zealand) - Rock WrenRock Wren (New Zealand)The New Zealand Rockwren , or Rock Wren, is a small New Zealand wren endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. It is sometimes known as the South Island Wren, a name used to separate it from the unrelated Rock Wren of North America...
subspecies
- North Island Piwauwau, Xenicus gilviventris ssp. nov. (North Island, New Zealand) - Rock Wren
- Long-billed Wren
- †Pachyplichas
- MohoidaeMohoidaeMohoidae is a family of Hawaiian species of recently extinct, nectarivorous songbirds in the genera Moho and Chaetoptila . These now extinct birds form their own family, representing the only complete extinction of an entire avian family in modern times, when the disputed family Turnagridae is...
- Prehistorically extinct species of Recently extinct genera
- Oʻahu Kioea, Chaetoptila cf. angustipluma (Oʻahu and Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Narrow-billed Kioea, ?Chaetoptila sp. (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Prehistorically extinct species of Recently extinct genera
- CorvidaeCorvidaeCorvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
- Crows, Ravens, Jays and Magpies- Extinct species of extant genera
- Chatham Islands RavenChatham Islands RavenThe Chatham Islands Raven was a large songbird native to the Chatham Islands . Another closely related raven occurred on the North Island and South Island of New Zealand, namely the New Zealand Raven, C. antipodum. This was formerly included in C...
, Corvus moriorum (Chatham Islands, Southwest Pacific) - High-billed CrowHigh-billed CrowThe High-billed Crow was a species of large, raven-sized crow that was endemic to the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. It was pushed to extinction due to the arrival of people and pests like rats....
, Corvus impluviatus (O'ahu, Hawaiian Islands) - Corvus sp. (Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a’, North Kona District, Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands)
- New Zealand RavenNew Zealand RavenThe New Zealand Raven was native to the North Island and South Island of New Zealand but is now extinct. There were two subspecies: the North Island Raven and the South Island Raven...
, Corvus antipodum (New Zealand)- North Island RavenNew Zealand RavenThe New Zealand Raven was native to the North Island and South Island of New Zealand but is now extinct. There were two subspecies: the North Island Raven and the South Island Raven...
, Corvus antipodum antipodum (North Island, New Zealand) - South Island RavenNew Zealand RavenThe New Zealand Raven was native to the North Island and South Island of New Zealand but is now extinct. There were two subspecies: the North Island Raven and the South Island Raven...
, Corvus antipodum pycrafti (South Island, New Zealand)
- North Island Raven
- Robust Crow, Corvus viriosus (O'ahu and Moloka'i, Hawaiian Islands)
- New Ireland Crow, Corvus sp. (New Ireland, Melanesia)
- Puerto Rican Crow, Corvus pumilis (Puerto Rico and St Croix, West Indies) - probably a subspecies of C. nasicusCuban CrowThe Cuban Crow is one of four species of crow that occur on a few key islands in the Caribbean. It is closely related to the White-necked Crow and Jamaican Crow , with which it shares similar features. The fourth Caribbean crow, the Palm Crow The Cuban Crow (Corvus nasicus) is one of four species...
or C. palmarumPalm CrowThe Palm Crow is a relatively small black bird in the crow family that occurs mostly on the large Caribbean island of Hispaniola, itself divided into the two countries of Dominican Republic and Haiti. It was formerly quite frequent on Cuba but has become severely reduced in number and may be...
- Chatham Islands Raven
- Extinct species of extant genera
- SturnidaeStarlingStarlings 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...
- Starlings- Extinct species of extant genera
- Huahine StarlingHuahine StarlingThe 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 (Huahine, Society Islands) - Erromango Starling, Aplonis sp. (Erromango, Vanuatu)
- Huahine Starling
- Extinct species of extant genera
- SylviidaeSylviidaeSylviidae is a family of passerine birds that was part of an assemblage known as the Old World warblers. The family was formerly a wastebin taxon with over 400 species of bird in over 70 genera. The family was poorly defined with many characteristics shared with other families...
- Old World warblers- Extinct species of extant genera
- 'Eua Bush Warbler, Cettia sp. ('Eua, Tonga)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- ZosteropidaeWhite-eyeWhite-eye can refer to:*White-eye , a large family of birds.*White-eye , a species of fish.*White-eye mutation, a mutation in Drosophila melanogaster linked to the X chromosome, found by reciprocal cross breeding experiments in 1906.*A lioness member of the Marsh Pride of lions that have featured...
- White-eyes- Placement unresolved
- Tongan Large White-Eye, Zosteropidae gen. et sp. indet. ('Eua, Tonga)
- Guam Large White-Eye, Zosteropidae gen. et sp. indet. (Guam, Marianas)
- Placement unresolved
- Turdidae - Thrushes
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Maui Olomaʻo, Myadestes cf. lanaiensis (Maui, Hawaiian Islands) - may have survived until the 19th century
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Fringillidae - Finches
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Slender-billed Greenfinch, Carduelis aurelioi (Tenerife, Canary Islands)
- Trías Greenfinch, Carduelis triasi (La Palma, Canary Islands)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Drepanididae - Hawaiian Honeycreepers
- †Orthiospiza
- Highland FinchHighland FinchThe Highland Finch is an extinct member of the Fringillidae. It has traditionally been considered a member of the sub-family Drepanidinae, but this has been questioned recently with some preferring Incertae sedis instead. It is the only member of the genus Orthiospiza. It was endemic to the...
, Orthiospiza howarthi (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Highland Finch
- †Xestospiza
- Cone-billed Finch, Xestospiza conica (Kauaʻi and Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- Ridge-billed Finch, Xestospiza fastigialis (Oʻahu, Maui and Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands)
- †Vangulifer
- Strange-billed Finch, Vangulifer mirandus (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Thin-billed Finch, Vangulifer neophasis (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- †Aidemedia
- Oʻahu Icterid-like Gaper, Aidemedia chascax (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- Sickle-billed Gaper, Aidemedia zanclops (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- Maui Nui Icterid-like Gaper, Aidemedia lutetiae (Maui and Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands)
- Prehistorically extinct species of extant and Recently extinct genera
- Kauaʻi Finch, Telespiza persecutrix (Kauaʻi and Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- Maui Nui FinchMaui Nui FinchThe Maui Nui Finch is an extinct member of the genus Telespiza in the family Fringillidae. It was endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Maui. It is only known from fossil remains and likely became extinct before the first Europeans visited Hawaii in 1778.-Extinction:Due to its early...
, Telespiza ypsilon (Maui and Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands) - Maui Finch, Telespiza cf. ypsilon (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Pila's Palila, Loxioides kikuichi (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands) - possibly survived until early 18th century
- Scissor-billed Koa-finchScissor-billed Koa-finchThe Scissor-billed Koa-finch, or Scissor Finch is an extinct species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae. Of the four species in the genus Rhodacanthis, the Scissor-billed Koa Finch and the Primitive Koa-finch became extinct before the arrival of the first Europeans to...
, Rhodacanthis forfex (Kauaʻi and Maui, Hawaiian Islands) - Primitive Koa-finchPrimitive Koa-finchThe Primitive Koa-finch is a species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae. It was endemic to Hawaii. Of the four species in the genus Telespiza, it and the Scissor-billed Koa-finch became extinct before the arrival of the first Europeans to Hawaii in 1778...
, Rhodacanthis litotes (Oʻahu and Maui, Hawaiian Islands) - O'ahu Grosbeak Finch, Chloridops wahi (Oʻahu and Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Giant ("King Kong") Grosbeak FinchGiant GrosbeakThe King Kong Grosbeak is a prehistoric species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae, that was endemic to Hawaii. It had the largest beak of the three Chloridops species known to have existed. The King Kong Grosbeak was described from fossils found at Barber's Point and...
, Chloridops regiskongi (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands) - Kauaʻi Grosbeak Finch, Chloridops sp. (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands) - may be same as Chloridops wahi
- Maui Grosbeak Finch, Chloridops sp. (Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Giant Nukupu‘u, Hemignathus vorpalis (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands)
- Giant ʻAkialoa, Hemignathus sp. (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands) - sometimes in genus Akialoa
- Hoopoe-billed ʻAkialoa, Hemignathus upupirostris (Kauaʻi and Oʻahu) - sometimes in genus Akialoa
- Hemignathus aff. upupirostris (Maui)
- Stout-legged FinchStout-legged FinchThe Stout-legged Finch is an extinct species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. Subfossil remains have only been found on the island of Kauai and indicate that it survived up until the late Quaternary period....
, Ciridops tenax (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands) - Molokaʻi Ula-ai-Hawane, Ciridops cf. anna (Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands)
- Oʻahu Ula-ai-Hawane, Ciridops sp. (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- Placement unresolved
- Drepanididae gen. et sp. indet. (Maui, Hawaiian Islands) - at least 3 species
- Drepanididae gen. et sp. indet. (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands)
- †Orthiospiza
- EmberizidaeEmberizidaeThe Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
- Buntings- †Pedinornis
- Puerto Rican Obscure Bunting, Pedinornis stirpsarcana (Puerto Rico, West Indies)
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Long-legged BuntingLong-legged BuntingThe Long-legged Bunting is an extinct flightless species of bunting. It was distinguishable by its long legs and short wings, and it inhabited the Canary Islands...
, Emberiza alcoveri (Tenerife, Canary Islands)
- Long-legged Bunting
- †Pedinornis
- Hirundinidae - Swallows and martins
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- Extinct subspecies of extant species
- Henderson Island Pacific Swallow, Hirundo tahitensis ssp. nov. (Henderson Island, S Pacific)
- Extinct subspecies of extant species
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- Estrildidae - Waxbills
- Extinct species of extant genera
- Marianas Parrotfinch, Erythrura sp. (Guam and Rota, Marianas)
- Extinct species of extant genera
See also
- Extinct birdsExtinct birdsSince 1500, over 190 species of birds have become extinct, and this rate of extinction seems to be increasing. The situation is exemplified by Hawaii, where 30% of all known recently extinct bird taxa originally lived...
- Flightless birds
- Holocene extinction eventHolocene extinction eventThe Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
- List of extinct animals
- Prehistoric life
External links
- The Great New Zealand Eagle: The World's Biggest Eagle By Neville Guthrie