New Zealand geese
| New Zealand geese | |
|---|---|
 | |
| C. calcitrans and Cereopsis novaehollandiae skeletons | |
| Extinct (c 1400?) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Anserinae |
| Genus: | Cnemiornis |
| Species | |
| |
The New Zealand geese formed the extinct genus Cnemiornis of the family Anatidae, subfamily Anserinae.
C. gracilis
The genus, endemic to New Zealand, consisted of two species: the North Island goose, C. gracilis and the South Island goose C. calcitrans. They were flightless with much-reduced webbing on the feet, an adaptation for terrestrial dwelling similar to that of the nene of Hawaii. They were never particularly common, and like many other large New Zealand endemic species they were subject to hunting pressures from the settling Polynesians, as well as predation upon their eggs and hatchlings by kiore (which accompanied the settlers) and the settlers' dogs, and were extinct before the arrival of European settlers.
External links
- TerraNature list of New Zealand's extinct birds
- North Island Goose. Cnemiornis gracilis. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006
- South Island Goose. Cnemiornis calcitrans. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006
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