Rodrigues Parrot
Encyclopedia
The Rodrigues Parrot is an extinct species of parrot
which once lived on the Mascarene island of Rodrigues
. It is known from subfossil
bones and the 1708 description of Leguat
as well as the 1726 report of Julien Tafforet. The birds were described as generally of green coloration, with a large head and beak and a long tail, and being in size markedly larger than a pigeon, or considerably so than the local parakeet
. The fossils, which include a partial skull, prove that the bird had a bill adapted to cracking the hardest seeds, convergent
with South America
n Ara macaw
s. Tafforet speaks of their habits in some detail: At his time (when the island was long overrun with rats), the birds stayed mostly on the Islet au Mât (Gobrani Island) south of mainland Rodriguez. They were observed feeding on the small, black and hard seeds or fruit of a tree with leaves having a strong citrus
smell. Fresh water was obtained on the mainland.
From Réunion
, Dubois in 1674 described a parrot that was green, with the head, tail and the upper wings fiery red. This bird was described by Rothschild
as Necropsittacus borbonicus, and apparently again, this time erroneously assuming there were similar reports from Mauritius
, as N. francicus. However, Dubois makes it clear that the parrots he talks about were smaller than pigeons, and thus it is unlikely that these birds were closely allied with the Rodrigues Parrot. It has been hypothesized that the reports refer to an escaped pet or feral birds, but no explanation brought forth this far seems very convincing. All that can be said is that the only parrot unequivocally known from Réunion this far is the Mascarene Parrot
, with the tentative evidence for the erstwhile existence of the Réunion Parakeet
seeming plausible.
The scientific name, Necropsittacus rodericanus, translates to "dead parrot of Rodrigues".
The Réunion Parrot ("Necropsittacus" borbonicus) is a hypothetical extinct species of parrot
based on descriptions of birds from the Mascarene island of Réunion
. Its existence has been inferred from the travel report of Dubois in 1674 who described a parrot the size of the Echo Parakeet which was predominantly green, with the head, tail and the upper wings fiery red. No remains have been found of this supposed species, and its existence seems doubtful.
The bird was scientifically described by Rothschild
as Necropsittacus borbonicus, thinking it was a congener of the Rodrigues Parrot. Additionally, Rothschild named a third "species" of the genus Necropsittacus, colored like Dubois' birds but with entirely green wings and supposedly from Mauritius
, as N. francicus. This seems to have been merely based on the confused or even unconsciously fraudulent
(Rothschild was prone to describing extinct "species" from the slightest hint of their possible existence) reading of Dubois' report; there is no indication that such birds ever occurred on Mauritius. As Dubois unequivocally stated that the red-and-green birds were smaller than pigeons, and thus it is unlikely that these birds were closely allied with the much larger Rodrigues Parrot. It has been hypothesized that the reports refer to an escaped pet or feral birds, but no explanation brought forth this far seems very convincing, with Greenway's (1967) theory that Dubois' description was based on a pet Lorius
lory, for example, being ignorant of the fact that the distribution of green and red in this genus is exactly the other way around. Alternatively, Dubois might have seen a specimen of the Réunion Parakeet
- likewise not known from bones, but a much more plausible hypothetical form - with an aberrant coloration. All that can be said is that Dubois' testimony is the only "evidence" on which this supposed species was founded, and that judging from its size it was almost certainly not a Necropsittacus, if it indeed existed as a distinct species. The colored plate in Rothschild, while of the same high artistic standard as all in this work, is entirely conjectural and obviously not accurate insofar as it shows a bird with the large-headed, massive-billed shape of the Rodrigues Parrot combined with the color pattern described by Dubois.
found the birds rare, with but a few still found. It was the last report on this species.
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...
which once lived on the Mascarene 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...
. It is 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....
bones and the 1708 description of 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...
as well as the 1726 report of Julien Tafforet. The birds were described as generally of green coloration, with a large head and beak and a long tail, and being in size markedly larger than a pigeon, or considerably so than the local parakeet
Newton's Parakeet
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...
. The fossils, which include a partial skull, prove that the bird had a bill adapted to cracking the hardest seeds, convergent
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
with South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n Ara macaw
Macaw
Macaws are small to large, often colourful New World parrots. Of the many different Psittacidae genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca...
s. Tafforet speaks of their habits in some detail: At his time (when the island was long overrun with rats), the birds stayed mostly on the Islet au Mât (Gobrani Island) south of mainland Rodriguez. They were observed feeding on the small, black and hard seeds or fruit of a tree with leaves having a strong citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
smell. Fresh water was obtained on the mainland.
From Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, Dubois in 1674 described a parrot that was green, with the head, tail and the upper wings fiery red. This bird was described by Rothschild
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
as Necropsittacus borbonicus, and apparently again, this time erroneously assuming there were similar reports from 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...
, as N. francicus. However, Dubois makes it clear that the parrots he talks about were smaller than pigeons, and thus it is unlikely that these birds were closely allied with the Rodrigues Parrot. It has been hypothesized that the reports refer to an escaped pet or feral birds, but no explanation brought forth this far seems very convincing. All that can be said is that the only parrot unequivocally known from Réunion this far is the Mascarene Parrot
Mascarene Parrot
The Mascarene Parrot is an extinct species of parrot known from bones, specimens and descriptions to have occurred in the Mascarene island of Réunion, and possibly Mauritius. The bird was first described by Dubois in 1674...
, with the tentative evidence for the erstwhile existence of the Réunion Parakeet
Réunion Parakeet
The Réunion Parakeet was a little-known and extinct subspecies, sometimes considered a full species, of parakeet which used to inhabit Réunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. It is only known from descriptions, as well as illustrations of which it is unknown whether they were drawn from live...
seeming plausible.
The scientific name, Necropsittacus rodericanus, translates to "dead parrot of Rodrigues".
Réunion Red-and-green Parakeet
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...
based on descriptions of birds from the Mascarene island of Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
. Its existence has been inferred from the travel report of Dubois in 1674 who described a parrot the size of the Echo Parakeet which was predominantly green, with the head, tail and the upper wings fiery red. No remains have been found of this supposed species, and its existence seems doubtful.
The bird was scientifically described by Rothschild
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
as Necropsittacus borbonicus, thinking it was a congener of the Rodrigues Parrot. Additionally, Rothschild named a third "species" of the genus Necropsittacus, colored like Dubois' birds but with entirely green wings and supposedly from 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...
, as N. francicus. This seems to have been merely based on the confused or even unconsciously fraudulent
Scientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in professional scientific research. A Lancet review on Handling of Scientific Misconduct in Scandinavian countries provides the following sample definitions: *Danish definition: "Intention or...
(Rothschild was prone to describing extinct "species" from the slightest hint of their possible existence) reading of Dubois' report; there is no indication that such birds ever occurred on Mauritius. As Dubois unequivocally stated that the red-and-green birds were smaller than pigeons, and thus it is unlikely that these birds were closely allied with the much larger Rodrigues Parrot. It has been hypothesized that the reports refer to an escaped pet or feral birds, but no explanation brought forth this far seems very convincing, with Greenway's (1967) theory that Dubois' description was based on a pet Lorius
Lorius
Lorius is a genus of lorikeet in the parrot family Psittacidae. The genus contains six species that are distributed from the Moluccas in Indonesia through New Guinea to the Solomon Islands. They have characteristic red plumage with varying amounts of blue , green wings, and in all but one species a...
lory, for example, being ignorant of the fact that the distribution of green and red in this genus is exactly the other way around. Alternatively, Dubois might have seen a specimen of the Réunion Parakeet
Réunion Parakeet
The Réunion Parakeet was a little-known and extinct subspecies, sometimes considered a full species, of parakeet which used to inhabit Réunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. It is only known from descriptions, as well as illustrations of which it is unknown whether they were drawn from live...
- likewise not known from bones, but a much more plausible hypothetical form - with an aberrant coloration. All that can be said is that Dubois' testimony is the only "evidence" on which this supposed species was founded, and that judging from its size it was almost certainly not a Necropsittacus, if it indeed existed as a distinct species. The colored plate in Rothschild, while of the same high artistic standard as all in this work, is entirely conjectural and obviously not accurate insofar as it shows a bird with the large-headed, massive-billed shape of the Rodrigues Parrot combined with the color pattern described by Dubois.
Extinction
Probably having been driven from the mainland by the rats in the late 17th century, the birds became increasingly rare as predators multiplied and spread to the offshore islets. In 1761, PingréAlexandre Guy Pingré
Alexandre Guy Pingré was a French astronomer, priest, and naval geographer.He was born in Paris, France, and was educated at Senlis, where he became professor of theology in 1735. At an early age he had developed an interest in astronomy, and in 1749 he was appointed professor of astronomy at the...
found the birds rare, with but a few still found. It was the last report on this species.