Réunion Night Heron
Encyclopedia
The Réunion Night Heron (Nycticorax duboisi) is an extinct species of heron
formerly occurring on the Mascarene island of Réunion
.
It was for a long time only known from a single description, that of Dubois published in 1674. He speaks of "bitterns" the size of fat chickens which had grey plumage with white feather-tips and green feet. When subfossil
bones were finally recovered in the late 20th century, they were initially described under a new name as the original description was believed to be invalid. However, only the genus initially assigned by Rothschild was incorrect.
The Réunion Night Heron was the largest Nycticorax of the Mascarene Islands
and larger even than the Nankeen Night Heron
. Unlike its relatives from Mauritius
and Rodrigues
, it was not adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle; its wings were strong and its legs not adapted to chasing prey on foot. Dubois mentions that the birds lived on fish. Altogether, the Réunion species would have appeared very much like an oversized juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron
like the one in this image.
birds on Réunion, only the one of Dubois can be assigned to this species. Significantly, Feuilley in 1705 did not mention these birds, and only in the second half of the 18th century are herons on Réunion referred to again, with the Striated Heron
being the only species found, but "very rare". Thus, the Réunion Night Heron probably became extinct around 1700. However, as there are no good reasons for its disappearance (neither habitat destruction nor introduced predators would have affected it much, nor does it seem to have a favorite target for hunters), it may have persisted until considerably later.
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"....
formerly occurring on 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...
.
It was for a long time only known from a single description, that of Dubois published in 1674. He speaks of "bitterns" the size of fat chickens which had grey plumage with white feather-tips and green feet. When 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 were finally recovered in the late 20th century, they were initially described under a new name as the original description was believed to be invalid. However, only the genus initially assigned by Rothschild was incorrect.
The Réunion Night Heron was the largest Nycticorax of the Mascarene Islands
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...
and larger even than the Nankeen Night Heron
Nankeen Night Heron
The Nankeen Night Heron, Nycticorax caledonicus, also commonly referred to as the Rufous Night Heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron. It is found throughout much of Australia except the arid inland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia...
. Unlike its relatives from Mauritius
Mauritius Night Heron
The Mauritius Night Heron is an extinct night heron species from Mauritius. It is only known by seven subfossil bone remains consisted of cranium, pelvis, coracoid, ulna, radius, and tarsometatarsus found in Mare aux Songes. Only the coracoid and the tarsometatarsus are left today...
and Rodrigues
Rodrigues Night Heron
The Rodrigues Night Heron is an extinct species of heron formerly occurring 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...
, it was not adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle; its wings were strong and its legs not adapted to chasing prey on foot. Dubois mentions that the birds lived on fish. Altogether, the Réunion species would have appeared very much like an oversized juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
like the one in this image.
Extinction
Of all the reports mentioning ardeidHeron
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"....
birds on Réunion, only the one of Dubois can be assigned to this species. Significantly, Feuilley in 1705 did not mention these birds, and only in the second half of the 18th century are herons on Réunion referred to again, with the Striated Heron
Striated Heron
The Striated Heron, Butorides striata, also known as Mangrove Heron, Little Heron or Green-backed Heron, is a small heron. Striated Herons are mostly non-migratory and noted for some interesting behavioral traits. Their breeding habitat is small wetlands in the Old World tropics from west Africa to...
being the only species found, but "very rare". Thus, the Réunion Night Heron probably became extinct around 1700. However, as there are no good reasons for its disappearance (neither habitat destruction nor introduced predators would have affected it much, nor does it seem to have a favorite target for hunters), it may have persisted until considerably later.