Mascarene Coot (Fulica newtonii)
Posted on 31 December, 1693 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1693
Comments:
This species was found in the Mascarene Islands, but it has not been recorded since 1693 and is now Extinct. Hunting was the major cause of its decline.
Habitat:
Nothing is known, but it is likely to have been typical of the genus.
Causes:
They were presumably hunted to extinction, despite the fact that they were "not good to eat" (Cheke 1987).
Distribution:
Fulica newtonii is known from numerous travellers' reports (Cheke 1987) and bones (Cowles 1987) from Réunion (to France), and also probably occurred on Mauritius from where there were reports of poule d'eau, the contemporary name used for the birds on Réunion. Birds were last reported on Réunion (by Dubois) in 1672, and on Mauritius (by Leguat) in 1693 (Cheke 1987).