Moorea Sandpiper (Prosobonia ellisi)
Posted on 31 December, 1800 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1800
Comments:
This species was known from Moorea, French Polynesia, but it has not been recorded since its collection in 1777 and is now Extinct. Predation by introduced rats is thought to have been the primary cause.
Habitat:
Like Tahitian Sandpiper P. leucoptera, it presumably lived along streams.
Causes:
It was presumably driven to extinction by introduced rats in the late 18th century (Walters 1994).
Distribution:
Prosobonia ellisi is known only from two paintings (both in London), by Ellis and Webber, each based on a specimen (both now lost) collected by Anderson on Moorea, in the Society Islands, French Polynesia, during Cook's third voyage in 1777 (Walters 1994).