Réunion Fody
Encyclopedia
The Réunion Fody is an extinct bird species from the family of weavers. It was endemic to the Mascarene
island of Réunion
. This bird was first mentioned in a report by traveller Gabriel Dellon and a second time in 1674 by Dubois. The species, of which no museum specimen exist was formally described as new species by Anthony Cheke and Julian Pender Hume
in the Book Lost Land of the Dodo in 2008. The Réunion Fody was previously mentioned as Foudia bruante by Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller
in the work Planches Enluminées in 1776. But after a hypothesis by Cheke and Hume Foudia bruante might be just a colour morph of the Madagascar Fody
which appeared on Réunion about 100 years after the discovery of Foudia delloni.
The Réunion Fody reached roughly the size of a House Sparrow
. The head, neck, throat and the wing underparts of the breeding male were bright red. Back and tail were brown. The belly was pale. The head of the females and the juvenile males was brown. Neck and wings were red. The throat was pale brown.
Mascarene Islands
The Mascarene Islands is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar comprising Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Cargados Carajos shoals, plus the former islands of the Saya de Malha, Nazareth and Soudan banks...
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...
. This bird was first mentioned in a report by traveller Gabriel Dellon and a second time in 1674 by Dubois. The species, of which no museum specimen exist was formally described as new species by Anthony Cheke and Julian Pender Hume
Julian Pender Hume
Julian Pender Hume is an English palaeontologist, artist and writer who lives in Wickham, Hampshire. He was born in Ashford, Kent, and grew up in Portsmouth, England...
in the Book Lost Land of the Dodo in 2008. The Réunion Fody was previously mentioned as Foudia bruante by Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller
Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller
Philipp Ludwig Statius Muller was a German zoologist.Statius Muller was born in Esens, and was Professor of Natural Science at Erlangen. Between 1773 and 1776, he published a German translation of Linnaeus's Natursystem...
in the work Planches Enluminées in 1776. But after a hypothesis by Cheke and Hume Foudia bruante might be just a colour morph of the Madagascar Fody
Madagascar Fody
The Red Fody , sometimes known as the Red Cardinal Fody or Common Fody, is a small bird native to Madagascar....
which appeared on Réunion about 100 years after the discovery of Foudia delloni.
The Réunion Fody reached roughly the size of a House Sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
. The head, neck, throat and the wing underparts of the breeding male were bright red. Back and tail were brown. The belly was pale. The head of the females and the juvenile males was brown. Neck and wings were red. The throat was pale brown.