New Zealand Merganser (Mergus australis)
Posted on 31 December, 1902 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1902
Comments:
This species was formerly found on the Auckland Islands, New Zealand, but it is now Extinct, primarily due to hunting. It was last recorded in 1902, and had been lost by the time a reserve was set up on the islands in 1910.
Habitat:
It was largely a freshwater species, foraging in inland streams, estuaries and, occasionally, sheltered bays (Kear and Scarlett 1970).
Causes:
Its decline was presumably caused by a combination of hunting and predation by introduced pigs, rats, cats and dogs (Kear and Scarlett 1970) - the species' incipient flightlessness made it especially vulnerable (Livezey 1989).
Distribution:
Mergus australis was restricted to the Auckland Islands, New Zealand, by the time of its discovery in 1840 (Stattersfield et al. 1998), but subfossil remains of a Mergus species have also been found on South and Stewart Islands. At least 26 specimens were collected in total, the last in 1902 (Kear and Scarlett 1970); there have been no records since, despite intensive searches (Williams and Weller 1974).