Delalande's Coua (Coua delalandei)
Posted on 31 December, 1834 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1834
Comments:
This species was endemic to Madagascar, but is now Extinct. It has not been reported since 1834 and likely succumbed to the complete destruction of its native forest.
Habitat:
It was a terrestrial species of primary rainforest (Collar and Stuart 1985).
Causes:
The complete deforestation of Ile de Sainte-Marie was presumably the ultimate cause of its extinction (Goodman 1993). Snaring for feathers and food and predation by introduced rats may also have contributed to the species's demise (Collar et al. 1994).
Distribution:
Coua delalandei is known from 13 specimens, all apparently collected on Ile de Sainte-Marie (Nosy Boraha), Madagascar, with the most recent from 1834 (Collar and Stuart 1985). Reports from 1930 (WCMC 1992) are unfounded, and it is now considered extinct (Collar et al. 1994).
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