Newton's Parakeet
Encyclopedia
The Newton's Parakeet was a parrot
that was endemic
to the forests of the island of Rodrigues
, a dependency of Mauritius
, in the Indian Ocean
. It was about 40 centimetres (15.7 in) long and mostly a slate grey colour, which is unusual for a Psittacula
, generally a genus of mostly green parrot
s.
The specific epithet exsul, "exiled", refers to the refugee François Leguat
, who gave the first testimony of the bird. The last living bird was seen in 1875. Only two complete specimens and various subfossil
bones survive.
, a colonial administrator in Mauritius, to his brother Alfred Newton
, who officially described the bird in 1872. Mr Vandorous shot the male specimen in 1875, which is thought to be a juvenile from its beak colouration and from the lack of a red patch on the shoulder of its wings. There are also various subfossil bones.
species, and it had the black collar characteristic of its genus; however, it differed by its slate blue, not green, plumage. The specimens show it had a yellow iris, was a darker grey blue on its upper surfaces than lower surfaces, and the male had a dark line on its face running from its cere to its eyes, which was less prominent in the female. The female had a greyer head, and the females black collar was not so prominent as the male's, and did not extend to the back of the neck. Early travellers reported parrots having a red patch on the shoulders of their wings, a feature which in not seen on either of the two surviving complete specimens, leading to speculation the male specimen is in juvenile plumage. The early reports suggest that green birds also existed; whether there were two color morphs, or the green coloration was borne by recently-fledged birds, or whether at one time a short-lived colony of a related green species existed on Rodrigues cannot now be determined.
It was first recorded by François Leguat
, who was the leader of a group of eight French Huguenot
s who colonised the island or Rodrigues from 1691 to 1693. He said that the parrot was abundant and reported that they ate mainly on the nuts of an olive-like tree. He said that they were good to eat and able to imitate speech. One was tamed by them spoke French
and Flemish (Dutch)
. They took it with them when they finally left the island for Mauritius
. Another description is found in the traveller's report Relation de l'Île Rodrigue, which was written by Julien Tafforet in 1726. It was next mentioned by the French mathematician Alexandre Pingré, who travelled to Rodrigues in 1761 to view the transit of Venus
. He noted that the bird had become scarce. Philibert Commersen received a live specimen in the 1770s, of which Jossigny made two illustrations, which are the only ones known drawn from a live specimen.
The species' extinction was presumably caused by a combination of habitat loss and hunting.
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
that was endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to the forests of the island of Rodrigues
Rodrigues (island)
Rodrigues , sometimes spelled Rodriguez but named after the Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, is the smallest of the Mascarene Islands and a dependency of Mauritius...
, a dependency of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. It was about 40 centimetres (15.7 in) long and mostly a slate grey colour, which is unusual for a Psittacula
Psittacula
Members of the parrot genus Psittacula or Afro-Asian Ringnecked parakeets as they are commonly known in aviculture originates found from Africa to South-East Asia. It is a widespread group, with a clear concentration of species in south Asia, but also with representatives in Africa and the islands...
, generally a genus of mostly green parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s.
The specific epithet exsul, "exiled", refers to the refugee François Leguat
François Leguat
François Leguat was a French explorer and naturalist.Leguat was a French Huguenot originating from the Province of Bresse, now part of the department of Ain, who fled to Holland in 1689 after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...
, who gave the first testimony of the bird. The last living bird was seen in 1875. Only two complete specimens and various 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....
bones survive.
Specimens
Only two complete specimens, one male and one female, survive and they are both in the Cambridge University Museum. The female specimen was sent by Sir Edward NewtonEdward Newton
Sir Edward Newton KCMG was a British colonial administrator and ornithologist.He was born at Elveden Hall, Suffolk the sixth and youngest son of William Newton, MP. He was the brother of ornithologist Alfred Newton....
, a colonial administrator in Mauritius, to his brother Alfred Newton
Alfred Newton
Alfred Newton FRS was an English zoologist and ornithologist.Newton was Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge University from 1866 to 1907...
, who officially described the bird in 1872. Mr Vandorous shot the male specimen in 1875, which is thought to be a juvenile from its beak colouration and from the lack of a red patch on the shoulder of its wings. There are also various subfossil bones.
Description
Newton's Parakeet was 40 cm (16 in) long, about half of the length being the length of its tail feathers. Its general appearance was similar to the extant PsittaculaPsittacula
Members of the parrot genus Psittacula or Afro-Asian Ringnecked parakeets as they are commonly known in aviculture originates found from Africa to South-East Asia. It is a widespread group, with a clear concentration of species in south Asia, but also with representatives in Africa and the islands...
species, and it had the black collar characteristic of its genus; however, it differed by its slate blue, not green, plumage. The specimens show it had a yellow iris, was a darker grey blue on its upper surfaces than lower surfaces, and the male had a dark line on its face running from its cere to its eyes, which was less prominent in the female. The female had a greyer head, and the females black collar was not so prominent as the male's, and did not extend to the back of the neck. Early travellers reported parrots having a red patch on the shoulders of their wings, a feature which in not seen on either of the two surviving complete specimens, leading to speculation the male specimen is in juvenile plumage. The early reports suggest that green birds also existed; whether there were two color morphs, or the green coloration was borne by recently-fledged birds, or whether at one time a short-lived colony of a related green species existed on Rodrigues cannot now be determined.
Documentation and extinction
François Leguat
François Leguat was a French explorer and naturalist.Leguat was a French Huguenot originating from the Province of Bresse, now part of the department of Ain, who fled to Holland in 1689 after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...
, who was the leader of a group of eight French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s who colonised the island or Rodrigues from 1691 to 1693. He said that the parrot was abundant and reported that they ate mainly on the nuts of an olive-like tree. He said that they were good to eat and able to imitate speech. One was tamed by them spoke French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Flemish (Dutch)
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. They took it with them when they finally left the island for Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. Another description is found in the traveller's report Relation de l'Île Rodrigue, which was written by Julien Tafforet in 1726. It was next mentioned by the French mathematician Alexandre Pingré, who travelled to Rodrigues in 1761 to view the transit of Venus
Transit of Venus
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, becoming visible against the solar disk. During a transit, Venus can be seen from Earth as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun...
. He noted that the bird had become scarce. Philibert Commersen received a live specimen in the 1770s, of which Jossigny made two illustrations, which are the only ones known drawn from a live specimen.
The species' extinction was presumably caused by a combination of habitat loss and hunting.