Caloenas maculata

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:

Caloenas maculata

Species Authority:

(Gemelin, 1789)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Liverpool Pigeon

Taxonomic Notes:

Overlooked by Brooks (2000), this taxon was confirmed to be a valid species that went extinct since 1500, by Fuller (2002).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Extinct ver 3.1

Year Published:

2012

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Butchart, S. & Symes, A.

Contributor/s:

Justification:
The one specimen of this poorly-known species is thought to have come from Tahiti, French Polynesia, but it has not been reported there since 1928, when the only possible sightings of the species were made. It is presumed Extinct, and is likely to have been hunted.

History:

2008	–	Extinct
2004	–	Not Recognized
2000	–	Not Recognized
1994	–	Not Recognized
1988	–	Not Recognized

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Caloenas maculata is known only from one surviving specimen in the Merseyside County Museums, and one lost specimen, collected between 1783 and 1823. The providence of the specimens is unknown, but it seems most likely to have been a Pacific species, given the main area of activity of its collectors. Its short, rounded wings suggest it evolved on a small predator-free island. It was possibly the bird described by the people of Tahiti in 1928 as being speckled green and white. It is likely to have been almost extinct before European exploration of the Pacific began.
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Range Description:

Caloenas maculata is known only from one surviving specimen in the Merseyside County Museums, and one lost specimen, collected between 1783 and 1823. The providence of the specimens is unknown, but it seems most likely to have been a Pacific species, given the main area of activity of its collectors. Its short, rounded wings suggest it evolved on a small predator-free island. It was possibly the bird described by the people of Tahiti in 1928 as being speckled green and white. It is likely to have been almost extinct before European exploration of the Pacific began.

Range Map:

Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Nothing is known, although given its colouration it is likely to have been a forest dweller.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Although purely speculation, it is not unreasonable to assume that hunting for food and perhaps predation by human commensals were responsible for its extinction.

Major Threat(s):

Although purely speculation, it is not unreasonable to assume that hunting for food and perhaps predation by human commensals were responsible for its extinction.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2012. Caloenas maculata. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2013.
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