Tahiti Monarch (Pomarea pomarea)
Posted on 31 December, 1823 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1823
Comments:
This species was endemic to the island of Maupiti, French Polynesia, but is now Extinct as a result of habitat loss and the action of invasive species. It has not been recorded since the type specimen was collected in 1823.
Habitat:
It is likely to have inhabited forest at all altitudes.
Causes:
The Society Islands have lost most of their original vegetation and their avifauna has suffered greatly through competition and predation from introduced species (Todd 1984); these factors are likely to have caused its extinction.
Distribution:
Pomarea pomarea is known only from the type specimen, collected on Maupiti, Society Islands, French Polynesia, by Jules de Blosseville in 1823 (Holyoak and Thibault 1984). It presumably became extinct soon after, as it has not been recorded since.