Madeiran Wood Pigeon
Encyclopedia
The Madeiran Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus maderensis) was an endemic
subspecies
of the Wood Pigeon
(Columba palumbus) for Madeira
(Portugal
). This Wood Pigeon is endemic
to the Laurel forest
habitat.
The Madeiran Wood Pigeon closely resembled the mainland Wood Pigeon of Europe
, but the plumage was somewhat darker, especially on the upperparts and under wing-coverts. The vinous-pink of the breast was more extensive.
The German ornithologist Ernst Schmitz
lived on the island of Madeira by 1896-1906, a time when the Madeiran Wood Pigeon was already rare. Despite great efforts, Schmitz managed to collect only a few specimens and eggs. In May 1924, no Madeiran Wood Pigeon was found, nor was any seen in later years, not even by local pigeon hunters. This subspecies is most likely extinct now.
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Wood Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
The Wood Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the Columbidae family. It is a member of the dove and pigeon family Columbidae.- Distribution :...
(Columba palumbus) for Madeira
Madeira
Madeira 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...
(Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
). This Wood Pigeon is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the Laurel forest
Laurel forest
Laurel forest is a subtropical or mild temperate forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. They are characterized by tree species with evergreen, glossy, enlongated leaves, known as laurophyll or lauroide...
habitat.
The Madeiran Wood Pigeon closely resembled the mainland Wood Pigeon of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but the plumage was somewhat darker, especially on the upperparts and under wing-coverts. The vinous-pink of the breast was more extensive.
The German ornithologist Ernst Schmitz
Ernst Johann Schmitz
Ernst Johann Schmitz was a German naturalist, ornithologist, entomologist and Roman Catholic priest who settled in Madeira in the late 1870s, serving as vice chancellor of the Funchal Seminary from 1891 to 1898, and again from 1902 to 1908, becoming a naturalised Portuguese citizen. From 1898 to...
lived on the island of Madeira by 1896-1906, a time when the Madeiran Wood Pigeon was already rare. Despite great efforts, Schmitz managed to collect only a few specimens and eggs. In May 1924, no Madeiran Wood Pigeon was found, nor was any seen in later years, not even by local pigeon hunters. This subspecies is most likely extinct now.
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...
- List of extinct animals
- List of extinct animals of Europe