Aldabra Brush-warbler

The Aldabra Brush Warbler (Nesillas aldabrana) is an extinct bird in the acrocephalid warbler family. It was endemic to the atoll of Aldabra in the Seychelles.

Description

This bird reached a total length of 18-20 cm. The wings were approximately 6.3 cm and the tail was 8.6 cm.

Discovery and extinction

The Aldabra Brush Warbler was discovered by British ornithologists Constantine Walter Benson, Malcolm Penny and Tony Diamond in 1967 and described in 1968 by Constantine Walter Benson and Malcolm Penny on basis of a male, a female and a nest with 3 eggs. Juveniles were never found.

After the discovery the brush warbler was lost until a new survey was made by Robert Prys-Jones of the British Museum of Natural History from 1974 to 1976. At the end of 1975 he found six further birds which were all males. The birds were ringed and photographed.

Unfortunately in 1983 only one male was left and the Aldabra Brush Warbler became the rarest and in its occurrence most restricted bird in the world. It was restricted to a 10 ha large coastal strip on the Aldabran island of Malabar. Following intensive surveys, the extinction of this bird was confirmed in 1986. It is listed as officially extinct by the IUCN since 1994.

The possible reasons for its extinction could be attributed to the presence of rats, cats and goats introduced to the atoll many years previously.

References

• BirdLife International (2008). Nesillas aldabrana. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 7 November 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as extinct
• Errol Fuller "Extinct Birds". 2000. ISBN 0-19-850837-9 (with a photograph of a living individual)
• Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Lynx Edicions 2006, ISBN 849655306X.

External links

• Some Observations on Nesillas aldabranus