Bonin Nankeen Night Heron
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| ?Bonin Night Heron Conservation status: Extinct (c.1890) |
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| Nycticorax caledonicus crassirostris Vigors, 1839 |
The Bonin Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus crassirostris) is an extinct subspecies of the Nankeen Night Heron.
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[edit] Description
The Bonin Night Heron was described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1839 based on stories by Heinrich von Kittlitz and by Captain Beechey from the British ship H.M.S. Blossom from 1828. It reached a size of about 61 cm. The crown was black and had two white ornamental plumes which reached to its back. The back was cinnamon-brown. The underparts were white. Feet and legs were orange and the bill was black. In contrast to the Nankeen Night Heron it had a thicker and straighter bill.
[edit] Range and Habitat
It was endemic to the Ogasawara Islands (commonly known as Bonin Islands) Chichi-jima and Nakoudo-jima. Its habitat consisted of frequented beaches and marches where it perched insects, fish and possible small turtles and it was nested in low trees.
[edit] Extinction
The Bonin Night Heron became extinct only 50 years after its description. The last specimen was taken in 1889 on Nakoudo-jima. 6 museum specimens exist, one each in London and Bremen, and 4 in St. Petersburg. The most likely reason for its extinction were rats and feral cats but also collectors which were fascinated by the plumes were responsible for its vanishing too.
[edit] References
- Greenway, James C. (1967): Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World
- Day, David (1981): The Doomsday Book of Animals
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