Tristan Moorhen (Gallinula nesiotis)
Posted on 31 December, 1900 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1900
Comments:
This species is likely to have become Extinct in the late 19th century as a result of predation by rats, though this may have been in combination with feral cat and pig predation, habitat destruction and hunting by islanders.
Habitat:
Its ecology is unknown, but is likely to have been similar to G. comeri.
Causes:
It became extinct as a result of hunting, predation by introduced rats, cats and pigs, and habitat destruction by fire (Taylor and van Perlo 1998).
Distribution:
Gallinula nesiotis was endemic to Tristan da Cunha (to UK). It was abundant up until 1852, but rare by 1873, and had become extinct by the end of the 19th century (Taylor and van Perlo 1998). At least 15 specimens are claimed to have been collected, including at least seven that have been traced, of which only two in Tring and one in Harvard are authentic beyond doubt (Beintema 1972). Gough Moorhen G. comeri was introduced to Tristan da Cunha in 1956.