Tag Archives: New Caledonia

Anas gracilis ssp. ‘New Caledonia’

New Caledonian Grey Teal (Anas gracilis ssp.)

This form is known only from subfossil remains that had been found on the island of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.

This was probably an endemic form of the Grey Teal (Anas gracilis Buller), a species that is otherwise known from Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand, however, this species is sometimes found on New Caledonia as a vagrant, thus it is also possible that the subfossil remains descent from such vagrant birds. [1]

The form is mentioned here for the sake of completeness.

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman: Extinction and biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006

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edited: 10.11.2021

Accipiter quartus Balouet & Olson

Gracile Goshawk (Accipiter quartus)

This species was described in 1989; it is known only by subfossil remains that were recovered from cave deposits on the island of Grande Terre, New Caledonia. [1]

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References:

[1] J. C. Balouet; Storrs L. Olson: Fossil birds from Late Quaternary deposits in New Caledonia. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 469: 23-27. 1989

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edited: 23.02.2022

Leucocharis loyaltiensis (Souverbie)

Mare Landsnail (Leucocharis loyaltiensis)

The Mare Landsnail was described in 1879; it was endemic to the island of Maré in the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia.

The shells reach sizes of about 2.9 to 3.2 cm in height; they are fusiform, thin, greyish white with sparsely scattered translucent grey dots, spots or streaks, bordered on the left with opaque white, the surface is shining, lightly striate and inconspicuously grooved spirally; the aperture is oblong-ovate, white within, the peristome is expanded and white, the columella is dilated above and has a weak entering fold.

The species appears to be extinct now.

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syn. Bulimus loyaltyensis Souverbie

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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 13: Australasian Bulimulidae: Bothriembryon, Placostylus. Helicidae: Amphidromus. 1900′

(public domain)

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References:

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 13: Australasian Bulimulidae: Bothriembryon, Placostylus. Helicidae: Amphidromus. 1900

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edited: 17.02.2024

Ninox sp. ‘New Caledonia’

New Caledonian Boobook (Ninox sp.)

This taxon is known only from subfossil remains that were found in the deposits of at least two caves on the western coast of the island of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.

This form is believed to be extinct, however, there’s a slight chance that it may still survive, since the nocturnal avifauna of the New Caledonian islands still is very much underexplored.

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edited: 05.11.2021

Porphyrio kukwiedei Balouet & Olson

New Caledonian Swamphen (Porphyrio kukwiedei)

The New Caledonian Swamphen was described in 1989 based on subfossil bones that were excavated from deposits from the Pindai Cave complex on the western coast of Grande Terre, New Caledonia. 

The species was about the same size as the New Zealand Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri (A. B. Meyer)) but was more lightly built, it was likewise flightless, the males probably were larger then the females. [2]

The New Caledonian Swamphen may in fact have survived into quite recent times, this can be assumed from a note that is given at the description of another New Caledonian bird species, the now likewise extinct New Caledonian Rail (Gallirallus lafresnayanus Verreaux & Des Murs).:

“Nouvelle-Calédonie, où il est nommé, par les indigènes, N’dino, camp de Morari. It vit dans les lieux marécageux, et arriverait, dit la note, a la taille du Dindon! Est-ce la même espèce, ou bien y en aurait-il une autre qui atteindrait cette dimension?” [1]

translation:

“New Caledonia, where he is named, by the natives, N’dino, camp of Morari. It lives in marshy places, and would arrive, says the note, the size of the turkey! Is it the same species, or would there be another one that would reach this dimension?“

This description, in my opinion, fits better with the far larger New Caledonian Swamphen than with the New Caledonian Rail.

There is furthermore an account that speaks about old people who remember a bird that was similar to the Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus (Temminck)), that still is commonly found in New Caledonia, except for being much larger and having a grey tail and a white throat. Unfortunately I do not find the source for that statement anymore.

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References:

[1] M. M. Jules Verreaux; O des Murs: Description d’Oiseux nouveaux de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et indication des espèces déjà connues de ce pays. Revue et Magasin de Zoologie pure et appliquée. Ser. II 12: 431-443. 1860
[2] J. C. Balouet; Storrs L. Olson: Fossil birds from Late Quaternary deposits in New Caledonia. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 469: 23-27. 1989

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edited: 16.05.2019

Charmosyna diadema (Verreaux & Des Murs)

New Caledonian Lorikeet (Charmosyna diadema)

The New Caledonian Lorikeet, as its name implies, was endemic to the island of Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia, the species is known from only two specimens, both female, both collected sometimed prior 1860, one of which is now lost.

The species reached a size of about 18 to 19 cm.

The New Caledonian Lorikeet appears to be extremely rare and confined, but may in fact already be extinct since the time of its discovery.

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Depiction from: St. George Jackson Mivart: A monograph of the lories, or brush-tongued parrots, composing the family Loriidae. London: R. H. Porter 1896

(not in copyright)

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edited: 12.02.2020

Hipposideros sp. ‘New Caledonia’

New Caledonian Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros sp.)

The New Caledonian Roundleaf Bat is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from Holocene deposits in the Mé Auré Cave near the southern shore of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.

The remains were compared to the bones of several other congeneric species from the nearest regions but did not match to any of them, thus it most likely was a distinct species that might well have been endemic to New Caledonia. [1]

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References:

[1] Suzanne J. Hand; Jack A. Grant-Mackie: Late-Holocene bats of Mé Auré Cave, New Caledonia: Evidence of human consumption and a new species record from the recent past. The Holocene 22(1): 79-90. 2011

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edited: 17.05.2022

Accipiter efficax Balouet & Olson

Powerful Goshawk (Accipiter efficax)

This species was described in 1989; it is known only by subfossil remains that were recovered from cave deposits on the island of Grande Terre, New Caledonia. [1]

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References:

[1] J. C. Balouet; Storrs L. Olson: Fossil birds from Late Quaternary deposits in New Caledonia. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 469: 23-27. 1989

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edited: 23.01.2022

Turnix novaecaledoniae Ogilvie-Grant

New Caledonian Buttonquail (Turnix novaecaledoniae)

The New Caledonian Buttonquail is known only by the single type specimen, a male that was apparently found on Grande Terre, New Caledonia sometimes before 1889; the species is also known by numerous subfossil remains that were recovered from cave deposits.

The species reached a size of about 19 cm. 

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The New Caledonian Buttonquail is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Painted Buttonquail (Turnix varius (Latham)) from Australia, but being clearly very distinct from that species it is now considered a full species.

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References:

[1] Stuart H. M. Butchart; Stephen Lowe; Rob W. Martin; Andy Symes; James R. S. Westrip; Hannah Wheatley: Which bird species have gone extinct? A novel quantitative classification approach. Biological Conservation 227: 9-18. 2018

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edited: 03.10.2020

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

Turdus pritzbueri Layard

Lifou Thrush (Turdus pritzbueri)

The Lifou Thrush was endemic to the island of Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, it is a member of the ‚Island Thrush species complex‘ and was formerly regarded to as one of about 70 (!!!) subspecies within a single species (Turdus poliocephalus Latham). 

The species was last recorded in 1878, when the last six specimens were collected. It appears to have been eradicated by introduced Black Rats (Rattus rattus (L.))

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This (sub)species is supposed to also inhabit or have inhabited the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, which for geographical reasons is indeed possible, but rather unlikely. Given the usual distribution patterns of this species complex, it would make this taxon the only of the 70 within its complex occurring on more that one island.

This assumption furthermore goes back to one or two museum specimens that were allegedly collected on Tanna, but these appear to be trade skins obtained by European collectors from local traders. [1]

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syn. Turdus poliocephalus ssp. pritzbueri Layard

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Depiction from: ‘Henry Seebohm; R. Bowdler Sharpe: A Monograph of the Turdidae or family of thrushes. London: Henry Sotheran 1902’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] J. P. Hume; M. Walters: Extinct Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2012

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edited: 29.11.2018

Tyto letocarti Balouet & Olson

New Caledonian Barn Owl (Tyto letocarti)

The New Caledonian Barn Owl was described in 1989 based on subfossil bones that had been recovered from cave deposits on the island of Grande Terre, New Caledonia. [1]

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References:

[1] J. C. Balouet; Storrs L. Olson: Fossil birds from Late Quaternary deposits in New Caledonia. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 469: 18–19. 1989

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edited: 24.04.2019

Coenocorypha neocaledonica Worthy, Anderson & Sand

New Caledonian Snipe (Coenocorypha neocaledonica)  

This species, finally described in 2013, was until then known only from subfossil bones, which were found together with the remains of numerous other species of animals in the deposits of several caves on the Pindai Peninsula.  

The New Caledonian Snipe was the second largest species of its genus, its flight apparat was very well developed, thus it obviously was a very good flyer.  

The species disappeared sometimes after the colonization of New Caledonia’s islands at about 1500 B.C.E..  

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References:  

[1] David W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006 
[2] Trevor H. Worthy; Atholl Anderson; Christophe Sand: An extinct Austral snipe (Aves: Coenocorypha) from New Caledonia. Emu 113(4): 383-393. 2013  

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edited: 13.10.2016

Turdus mareensis Layard & Tristram

Mare Island Thrush (Turdus mareensis)  

This species is still considered as a subspecies of the Island Thrush (Turdus poliocephalus Latham), an assessment, that, in a biogeographical view, makes absolutely no sense – hence I treat it as a distinct species.  

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The Mare Island Thrush inhabited the island of Maré, one of the New Caledonian Loyalty Islands.  

The birds were about 23 cm long, and, apart from the white-spotted undertail-coverts, almost completely blackish brown in color. They inhabited all of the forest types of the island, including those in the islands interior as well as those near beaches, and they fed on insects and small reptiles as well as on fruits.  

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The Mare Island Thrush obviously died out after cats had been released on the island, an exact extinction date is not known, according to which source dates from 1875 to 1912 can be found.  

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syn. Merula mareensis Layard & Tristram, Merula mareensis ssp. larochensis Sarasin, Turdus poliocephalus ssp. mareensis Layard & Tristram

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Depiction from: ‘Henry Seebohm; R. Bowdler Sharpe: A Monograph of the Turdidae or family of thrushes. London: Henry Sotheran 1902’

(public domain)  

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References:  

[1] Dieter Luther: Die ausgestorbenen Vögel der Welt. Westarp Wissenschaften 1986 
[2] Peter Clement; Ren Hathaway: Thrushes. Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd 2000 
[3] David W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006 
[4] H. Douglass Pratt: Revisiting species and subspecies of island birds for a better assessment of biodiversity. Ornithological Monographs 67: 79-89. 2010  

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edited: 29.11.2018