Aplonis fusca

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PASSERIFORMES	STURNIDAE

Scientific Name:	Aplonis fusca
Species Authority:	Gould, 1836
Common Name/s: English – Norfolk Island Starling, Norfolk Starling, Tasman Starling

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Extinct     ver 3.1
Year Published:	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:	Aplonis fusca was endemic to Norfolk Island (to Australia) and Lord Howe Island, Australia1. On Lord Howe Island, the population of subspecies hulliana1 tumbled to extinction from numbering thousands in 1913-1915 - it was not seen after 19182. The nominate subpspecies on Norfolk Island was last recorded in 19231.
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Though it is likely to have inhabited forest and scrub it also fed on fruit and crops, and was even regarded as something of a pest.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

The extinction of the Lord Howe Island population was probably due to the arrival of black rat Rattus rattus on the island in 1918. The reasons for the extinction of the Norfolk Island population are less clear cut because R. rattus did not reach the island until the 1940s1. It may have become extinct as a result of habitat destruction1.

Bibliography [top]

Garnett, S. 1992. Threatened and extinct birds of Australia. Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union and Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Moonee Ponds, Australia. Hindwood, K. A. 1940. The birds of Lord Howe Island. Emu 40: 1-86.