Alectroenas nitidissima

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	COLUMBIFORMES	COLUMBIDAE

Scientific Name:

Alectroenas nitidissima

Species Authority:

(Scopoli, 1786)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Mauritius Blue-pigeon, Mauritius Blue-Pigeon

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Extinct ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

History:

2004	–	Extinct
2000	–	Extinct
1994	–	Extinct
1988	–	Extinct

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Alectroenas nitidissima is known only from three skins¹ and a number of descriptions and paintings^1,3, from Mauritius². It was first described by Harmansz in 1602, and persisted for more than two centuries thereafter¹. Milbert, writing in 1812, noted that he ate many in 1801, and Desjardins reported in 1832 that birds were "still found towards the centre of the island in the middle of those fine forests which by their remoteness, have escaped the devestating axe"1. The last specimen was collected in 1826, however, it may have persisted in to the the 1830s¹.

Range Description:

Alectroenas nitidissima is known only from three skins¹ and a number of descriptions and paintings^1,3, from Mauritius². It was first described by Harmansz in 1602, and persisted for more than two centuries thereafter¹. Milbert, writing in 1812, noted that he ate many in 1801, and Desjardins reported in 1832 that birds were "still found towards the centre of the island in the middle of those fine forests which by their remoteness, have escaped the devestating axe"1. The last specimen was collected in 1826, however, it may have persisted in to the the 1830s¹.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Very little is known, although it evidently inhabited the islands forests, although there is a curious reference provided by Desjardins to it living alone near riverbanks where it fed on fruit and freshwater molluscs.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Hunting and habitat loss presumably caused the species's extinction.

Major Threat(s):

Hunting and habitat loss presumably caused the species's extinction.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Alectroenas nitidissima. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012.
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