TheNorfolk pigeonorNorfolk Island pigeon(Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea), sometimes called thewood quest,is anextinctsubspecies of theNew Zealand pigeon(kererū) that inhabitedNorfolk Island.This population probably colonised Norfolk Island from New Zealand during thePleistocene.[2]It becameextinctaround the turn of the 20th century.
| Norfolk pigeon | |
|---|---|
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| Illustration byKeulemans,1907 | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Hemiphaga |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | †H. n. spadicea
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| Trinomial name | |
| †Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea Latham, 1801
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Taxonomy
editGerman naturalistJohann Reinhold Forsterdescribed the Norfolk pigeon asColumba argetraeain 1794, however the name was not used.[3]English ornithologistJohn Lathamdescribed it asColumba spadiceain his 1801 workSupplementum Indicis Ornithologici.[4]
Twenty specimens of the Norfolk Pigeon are known. Three of these are in theNatural History Museum, Leiden,[5]two in the Natural History Museum New York and one specimen in World Museum Liverpool.[2]DNA collected and analyzed from toepad tissue indicated that the Norfolk Island pigeon is genetically sister to the New ZealandHemiphaga novaeseelandiaepopulation.[2]
Early records from Norfolk Island indicate the local people gave it the name "wood quest", however the name was not passed on from the second settlement to the Pitcairn settlers. The term is related to the words "queece", "queest" and "quist" used for the wood pigeon in the West Midlands and southwestern England.[6]
Ecology
edit
The abundance of the Norfolk pigeon at the time of the island's settlement is unknown. Early records indicate the presence of the bird, but do not contain any information on its numbers. Based on the behaviour of the other subspecies, it is likely that the bird relied upon fruiting plants for food.[7]
Extinction
editThe extinction of the Norfolk pigeon was caused by a combination of the introduction ofcatsandweasels,habitat destructionby human settlers, and direct hunting byhumans.Before European settlement, the bird had been hunted byPolynesiansettlers of the island. When Europeans reached the island, however, the birds remained and the Polynesians did not.[8]The Europeans took up the bird as a food source. An officer of the penal colony there, Ensign Abel Dottin William Best, recorded the species as still quite common in 1838, with his journals mentioning his successful hunting of 72 birds, including 25 on September 18, 1838.[9]The last sighting occurred in 1901.[10]Direct hunting by humans was probably the dominant cause of extinction.[7]
Memorials
editThe Government of Norfolk Island released a stamp commemorating the bird on February 24, 1971.[11]
References
edit- ^BirdLife International (2022)."Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2022:e.T22727557A209064496.Retrieved23 July2022.
- ^abcGoldberg, Julia; Trewick, Steven A.; Powlesland, Ralph G. (2011). "Population structure and biogeography of Hemiphaga pigeons (Aves: Columbidae) on islands in the New Zealand region: Population structure of pigeons in New Zealand".Journal of Biogeography.38(2): 285–298.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02414.x.S2CID55640412.
- ^Australian Biological Resources Study (20 August 2013)."SubspeciesHemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea(Latham, 1801) ".Australian Faunal Directory.Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government.Retrieved14 September2021.
- ^R. Schodde,Australia Bureau of Flora and Fauna,I. J. Mason,Australian Biological Resources Study, W. W. K. Houston, A. Well (1997).Zoological Catalogue of Australia.CSIRO Publishing. p. 53.ISBN0-643-06037-5.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"Naturalis - Extinct bird: Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea (Norfolk Island Pigeon)".Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-06-08.Retrieved2008-12-08.
- ^McAllan, Ian (1999). "A Common Name for the Norfolk Island Pigeon".Australian Bird Watcher.18(4): 179–180.
- ^abStephen T. Garnett & Gabriel M. Crowley (2000)."New Zealand Pigeon (Norfolk Island)"(PDF).The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000.Environment Australia. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 21 May 2011.Retrieved8 December2008.
- ^Richard N. Holdaway & Atholl Anderson (2001)."Avifauna from the Emily Bay Settlement Site, Norfolk Island:A Preliminary Account"(PDF).Records of the Australian Museum.27:85–100.doi:10.3853/j.0812-7387.27.2001.1343.Retrieved2008-12-10.
- ^James L. Moore (December 1985)."Ensign Best's bird observations on Norfolk Island"(PDF).Notornis.32.Ornithological Society of New Zealand: 319–322. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2008-10-17.Retrieved2008-12-10.
- ^Day, David (1989).The Encyclopedia of Vanished Species.Hong Kong: Mclaren Publishing Limited.ISBN0-947889-30-2.
- ^"Bird Stamps Related ToCaptain James Cook"(PDF).Captain Cook Society. 2005.Retrieved2008-12-10.