Bermuda Flicker (Colaptes oceanicus)
Posted on 31 December, 1623 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1623
Comments:
This woodpecker was recently-described from subfossil remains. It is likely to have persisted into the 17th century, but is long Extinct.
Habitat:
This species would probably have excavated nest holes in Sabal bermudana palm trees and in rotten limbs and stumps of hardwoods; these excavations would have been crucial for the evolution of the small owl Aegolius gradyi (Olson 2013).
Causes:
The cause of extinction is unknown, but may have been driven by the decline of native cedar and palmetto trees following human colonisation, along with the arrival of alien predators and competitors.
Distribution:
Colaptes oceanicus was described from subfossil remains from Bermuda by Olson (2013). He reviewed historic accounts and regarded the species as likely to have persisted into the colonial period in the 1600s.