Tag Archives: Zapornia sp. Tinian

Zapornia sp. ‚Tinian‘

Tinian Swamphen (Zapornia sp.)  

The about 100 km² large island of Tinian in the Mariana island chain was once the home of yet another small, flightless species of rail, which is known today only from subfossil remains.  

These harmless little birds certainly were among the first victims of the dogs, pigs, and rats that had been introduced to the islands by the first human settlers. [1]  

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The island of Saipan, Tinian’s neighbor, very likely once harbored its own endemic species of the same genus, but remains are not known so far. [1]  

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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: 20.03.2018