Réunion Sacred Ibis
Encyclopedia
The Réunion Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis solitarius, is an extinct bird
species that was native to the island of Réunion
. It is probably the same bird discovered by Portuguese
sailors there in 1613. Until recently assumed by biologists to have been a relative of the Dodo
(Raphus cucullatus), it was thus classified as a member of the didine pigeons (subfamily Raphinae) and called the "Réunion Solitaire" (Raphus solitarius).
with short wings.
The Réunion Sacred Ibis lived solitarily in deep forests near freshwater, where it fed on invertebrates like worm
s and crustaceans which it caught or dug out of the mud with its long beak. If threatened, it is described to have tried to get away on foot, but using its wings for assistance and to glide short distances, especially downhill. The old vernacular name "Réunion Flightless Ibis" is thus misleading. Travellers' reports as well as bone measurements indicate that it was well on its way to flightlessness, but could still fly some distance on its own power after a running take-off.
The last account of the "Réunion Solitaire" was recorded in 1705, indicating that the species probably became extinct sometime early in that century.
(Pezophaps solitaria). The latter was a dodo relative that generally was not a social bird but for breeding formed monogamous couples. These defended a territory around their large, easily recognized ground nest, deep in the woods; they were thus said to have a "solitary" lifestyle. Though the same French word was used for the birds of both Rodrigues and Réunion, the Réunion Solitaire was given this name because only single individuals were usually encountered all year round. Similar nesting behaviour as on Rodrigues (in the Réunion bird, or in the dodo for that matter) was never reported, marking a conspicuous difference between the two species.
The bird was first described as follows by Mr. Tatton, the Chief Officer of Captain Castleton:
And as follows by Sieur D. B. (Dubois) in 1674:
Walter Rothschild assumed these descriptions where of the white dodo as seen in the painting by Pieter Withoos
, but that the specimen might have been albinistic, due to the wing tips being yellow instead of black as in the old descriptions.
It appears that most depictions of white dodos were based on a 1611 painting of a whitish specimen from Rudolf II's collection by Roelant Savery
, which was later copied in paintings by Pieter Holsteyn and Pieter Withoos. A walghvogel described as having a "dirty off-white coloring" was mentioned in an inventory of specimens in the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II's collection in Prague by David Fröschl in 1607-1611, so if the 1611 painting by Savery, who was contracted to Rudolf II at the time, is based on this specimen, it could not have been from Reunión, which was not visited by Europeans until 1635.
The discovery that it actually was an ibis perfectly fits what the early travellers said about its plumage and habits. The confusion can be explained by the fact that solitaire was used by the writers of the descriptions as a term indicating a non-gregarious lifestyle, which the ibis happened to share with the Rodrigues Solitaire
, but was interpreted by the scientists as an indication of a taxonomic
relationship.
Extinct birds
Since 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...
species that was native to the 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 is probably the same bird discovered by Portuguese
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...
sailors there in 1613. Until recently assumed by biologists to have been a relative of the Dodo
Dodo
The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
(Raphus cucullatus), it was thus classified as a member of the didine pigeons (subfamily Raphinae) and called the "Réunion Solitaire" (Raphus solitarius).
Description and ecolology
It had a white plumage, with black wingtips and tail, and a dark, naked head. Bill and legs were long, the former slim and slightly downcurved. All in all, it looked much like a small Sacred IbisSacred Ibis
The African Sacred Ibis is a species of ibis.-Description:An adult individual is 68 cm long with all-white body plumage apart from dark plumes on the rump. The bald head and neck, thick curved bill and legs are black. The white wings show a black rear border in flight...
with short wings.
The Réunion Sacred Ibis lived solitarily in deep forests near freshwater, where it fed on invertebrates like worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
s and crustaceans which it caught or dug out of the mud with its long beak. If threatened, it is described to have tried to get away on foot, but using its wings for assistance and to glide short distances, especially downhill. The old vernacular name "Réunion Flightless Ibis" is thus misleading. Travellers' reports as well as bone measurements indicate that it was well on its way to flightlessness, but could still fly some distance on its own power after a running take-off.
The last account of the "Réunion Solitaire" was recorded in 1705, indicating that the species probably became extinct sometime early in that century.
17th century descriptions and paintings
The bird was at various times identified with 17th century descriptions and paintings of a white dodo-like bird, which did not match the descriptions of solitaries (reclusive non-gregarious large birds) seen by contemporary explorers on Réunion very well – apart from being mostly white. Due to this, some assumed two species (Raphus solitarius and Victoriornis imperialis) co-existed on Réunion (or "Bourbon", as it was called in former times) – one dodo-like, one resembling the Rodrigues SolitaireRodrigues Solitaire
The Rodrigues Solitaire was a flightless member of the pigeon order endemic to Rodrigues, Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Dodo.-Discovery:...
(Pezophaps solitaria). The latter was a dodo relative that generally was not a social bird but for breeding formed monogamous couples. These defended a territory around their large, easily recognized ground nest, deep in the woods; they were thus said to have a "solitary" lifestyle. Though the same French word was used for the birds of both Rodrigues and Réunion, the Réunion Solitaire was given this name because only single individuals were usually encountered all year round. Similar nesting behaviour as on Rodrigues (in the Réunion bird, or in the dodo for that matter) was never reported, marking a conspicuous difference between the two species.
The bird was first described as follows by Mr. Tatton, the Chief Officer of Captain Castleton:
And as follows by Sieur D. B. (Dubois) in 1674:
Walter Rothschild assumed these descriptions where of the white dodo as seen in the painting by Pieter Withoos
Pieter Withoos
Pieter Withoos , was a Dutch Golden Age painter.-Biography:Withoos was born in Amersfoort. According to Houbraken he was the second son of Mathias Withoos, brother to the painters Johannes, Frans and Alida Withoos...
, but that the specimen might have been albinistic, due to the wing tips being yellow instead of black as in the old descriptions.
It appears that most depictions of white dodos were based on a 1611 painting of a whitish specimen from Rudolf II's collection by Roelant Savery
Roelant Savery
Roelant Savery , was a Flanders-born Dutch Golden Age painter.-Life:Savery was born in Kortrijk...
, which was later copied in paintings by Pieter Holsteyn and Pieter Withoos. A walghvogel described as having a "dirty off-white coloring" was mentioned in an inventory of specimens in the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II's collection in Prague by David Fröschl in 1607-1611, so if the 1611 painting by Savery, who was contracted to Rudolf II at the time, is based on this specimen, it could not have been from Reunión, which was not visited by Europeans until 1635.
Subfossil remains
Borbonibis latipes was described from the first ibis bones found on Réunion, before a connection to the solitaire reports had been made. The epithet solitarius derives from the Raphus solitarius description of Baron Edmund de Sélys-Longchamps in 1848, but that the solitare reported from Réunion actually existed was not confirmed until the discovery of bones on Réunion in the late 20th century.The discovery that it actually was an ibis perfectly fits what the early travellers said about its plumage and habits. The confusion can be explained by the fact that solitaire was used by the writers of the descriptions as a term indicating a non-gregarious lifestyle, which the ibis happened to share with the Rodrigues Solitaire
Rodrigues Solitaire
The Rodrigues Solitaire was a flightless member of the pigeon order endemic to Rodrigues, Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Dodo.-Discovery:...
, but was interpreted by the scientists as an indication of a taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
relationship.