Tag Archives: Lifuka

Tongoenas burleyi Steadman & Takano

Giant Tongan Pigeon (Tongoenas burleyi)

This very large but still fully volant species is known for quite some time; it is known only on the basis of subfossil bones that were recovered from several sites on some of the Tongan islands, including ‘Eua, Foa, Lifuka, and Tongatapu. The species was finally named in 2020. [1]

In life, this species must have reached a length of more than 50 cm, making it one of the largest pigeons at all, only exceeded in size by the New Guinean crowned pigeons (Goura spp.).

The giant Tongan Pigeon died out shortly after the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers at around 2800 years BP.. [1]

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman; Oona M. Takano: A new genus and species of pigeon (Aves, Columbidae) from the Kingdom of Tonga, with an evaluation of hindlimb osteology of columbids from Oceania. Zootaxa 4810(3): 401-420. 2020

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edited: 22.08.2022

Didunculus placopedetes Steadman

Tongan Tooth-billed Pigeon (Didunculus placopedetes)

The Tongan Tooth-billed Pigeon was described in 2006 based on subfossil remains that were found on several islands within the Tongan island chain, including the islands of ‘Eua, Ha’afeva, Ha’ano, Lifuka, Tongatapu, and ‘Uiha.

The species was larger than the closely related and now also almost extinct Tooth-billed Pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris (Jardine)) (see depiction) that is just holding on at least on island of Western Samoa.

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Depiction from: John Gould. The birds of Australia. London: printed by R. and J. E. Taylor; pub. by the author 1840-48

(public domain)

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References:

[1] D. W. Steadman: An extinct species of tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus) from the Kingdom of Tonga, and the concept of endemism in insular landbirds. Journal of Zoology 268(3): 233-241. 2006

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edited: 20.08.2022

Eclectus infectus ssp. infectus Steadman

Oceanic Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus infectus ssp. infectus)

The Oceanic Eclectus Parrot was described in 2006 based on subfossil remains that were recovered from archaeological sites in Tonga and Vanuatu.

The species almost certainly has survived into the late 18th century, because it apparently was depicted by an unknown artist during Alessandro Malaspina’s Pacific Expedition in 1793 (see depiction below) on the island of ‘Uta Vava’u, Tonga.

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman: A new species of extinct parrot (Psittacidae: Eclectus) from Tonga and Vanuatu, South Pacific. Pacific Science 60(1): 137-145. 2006

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Depiction made during the Malaspina Expedition between 1789 & 1794

(public domain)

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edited: 19.05.2022

Ducula shutleri Worthy & Burley

Tongan Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula shutleri)

The Tongan Imperial Pigeon is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from late Pleistocene deposits as well as from Holocene deposits on several islands within the Tongan island chain, including ‘Eua, Ha’afeva, Lifuka, and Tongatapu.

The species was for some time thought to possibly have been identical with David’s Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula david Balouet & Olson) or with the Lakeba Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula lakeba Worthy), both likewise extinct, but is now understood as having been a distinct species and was finally described as such in 2020. [1]

This large but still volant pigeon died out soon after the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers at around 2850 BP..

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman; Oona M. Takano: A new genus and species of pigeon (Aves, Columbidae) from the Kingdom of Tonga, with an evaluation of hindlimb osteology of columbids from Oceania. Zootaxa 4810(3): 401-420. 2020

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edited: 22.08.2022

Caloenas canacorum Balouet & Olson

Kanaka Pigeon (Caloenas canacorum)

The Kanaka Pigeon was described in 1989, it is known from remains of Holocene age that were found on Grande Terre, New Caledonia as well as on the small island of Lifuka, Tonga.

The species was larger than its next living relative, the Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica L.), otherwise both species apparently shared a similar lifestyle, wandering over large distances and breeding on small, predator-free islands.

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edited: 29.05.2019

Megapodius alimentum Steadman

Western Polynesian Megapode (Megapodius alimentum)

The Megapodes, so called for their large feet used for digging, are characterized by their strange breeding behavior: they do not incubate their eggs with their body heat as other birds do, but bury them.

Some species lay their eggs in the sand of beaches, heated up by the tropical sun, some use volcanically heat for incubation, others collect as much decaying plant material as possible to build so called mounds, in which they then place their eggs.

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Probably most islands in Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia formerly harbored their own populations of Megapodes, numerous species are now known from subfossil remains. Some species, most of them considered hypothetical, are known from eggs only, or from contemporary eye-witness accounts.

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The Western Polynesian Megapode, also known as Consumed Scrubfowl, was described in 1989, it is known from subfossil remains found on several islands of Fiji and Tonga.

The species was bigger than its living congeners, but by far not the biggest species, it was still volant and probably inhabited nearly all islands from the Fijian Lau group to the Tongan chain.

It disappeared after the colonization of these islands by the first Polynesian settlers, who not only hunted the adult birds but also dug up their eggs. [1][2]

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References:

[1] T. H. Worthy: The fossil megapodes (Aves: Megapodiidae) of Fiji with descriptions of a new genus and two new species. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 30(4): 337-364. 2000
[2] David W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006

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edited: 31.10.2017