Robust Crow (Corvus viriosus)

The Robust Crow, described in 1991, is known exclusively from subfossil remains, these were found on the islands of Moloka’i and O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

This species was apparently an inhabitant of the lowlands and might have fed on fruits, thus might have been somewhat an Hawaiian equivalent to the pigeons and doves on other Polynesian islands – a seed disperser of large-fruited plant species.

The bird disappeared quite shortly after the arrival of the first human settlers.

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References:

[1] S. L. Olson; H. F. James: Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part II. Passeriformes. Ornithological Monographs 45: 1-91. 1991

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edited: 10.01.2024