Kosrae starling

Kosrae starling
Illustration from 1831

Extinct  (mid 19th century)  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Aplonis
Species: A. corvina
Binomial name
Aplonis corvina
(Kittlitz, 1833)
Synonyms
  • Lamprothornis corvina
  • Aplonas corvina
  • Aplonis corvinus

The Kosrae starling, also known as Kosrae Island starling,[1] and formerly as Kusaie Mountain starling, (Aplonis corvina) is an extinct bird from the family of starlings (Sturnidae). It was endemic to the montane forests on the island of Kosrae which belong to the Caroline Islands in the south-western Pacific.

Description

Turnaround video of a male specimen, Naturalis Biodiversity Center

It reached a length between 20 and 25.4 centimetres. It was crow-like, glossy black and had at long curved bill as well as a long tail.

Extinction

The Kosrae starling is only known by five specimens which were obtained between December 1827 and January 1828 by the Kittlitz Expedition. Kittlitz described the bird in 1833.[2] Three skins can be seen in the Museum of Saint Petersburg in Russia and two further in the Museum Naturalis in Leiden. In 1880 an expedition led by Otto Finsch was no more able to find this bird. Another survey by the Whitney South Seas Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History in 1931 brought the evidence that this species was extinct. Its extinction was most likely caused by rats which could escape from whaling vessels during the 19th century and became widespread on Kosrae.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2012). "Aplonis corvina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ↑ http://julianhume.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Aplonis-publication-date.pdf

External links

Wikispecies has information related to: Aplonis corvina
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