Socorro Dove
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Zenaida graysoni Lawrence, 1871 |
The Socorro Dove (Zenaida graysoni) is a dove that is extinct in the wild. The last sighting in its natural habitat was in 1972. There are probably less than a hundred in captivity. A reintroduction is planned.
The Socorro Dove was endemic to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands. It was thought to have been extirpated by feral cats, but human predation and high levels of understorey grazing by sheep may also have been factors.
The binomial commemorates the American ornithologist and artist Andrew Jackson Grayson.
On October 30, 2006, in the London Zoo, a Socorro Dove was successfully bred. The bird's name is Arnie after Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is hoped that Arnie's descendants will someday be reintroduced into the wild.