''Tongoenas'', also known as the Tongan giant pigeon, is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of giant

pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

that grew up to long that was once native to the islands of

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

. It had existed as a genus for at least 60,000 years, and went extinct around 850-600 BCE. The type species and only known species, ''T. burleyi'', was named in 2020 based on

subfossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

remains.

Description

The only known ''Tongoenas'' specimens were found in a cave, which preserved subfossil remains. The large bird was thought to have been hunted and consumed by early

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

settlers, when they reached the Pacific Islands. It is known from

Foa Foa may refer to: People * Arnoldo Foà (1916–2014), Italian film actor * Barrett Foa (born 1977), American actor * Edna B. Foa (born 1937), Israeli psychologist * Emanuele Foà (1892–1949), Italian engineer * Eugénie Foa (1796–1852), ...

Lifuka Lifuka is an island in the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located within the Ha'apai Group, Haapai Group in the centre of the country, to northeast of the national capital of Nukuʻalofa, Nukualofa. It is the administrative centre of the Haapai group of ...

, `Uiha, Ha`afeva,

Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...

, and `Eua. The research team, while exploring the island, noticed the

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s on the island were larger than assumed, bearing exceedingly-large fruits. Lead author David W. Steadman states: And; ''Tongoenas'' was able to gulp fruits as large as a standard-sized

tennis ball A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt which modifies their aerodyna ...

. It was considered osteologically comparable to ''Ducula'', ''Gymnophaps'', and ''

Hemiphaga ''Hemiphaga'' is the genus containing two large species of pigeons from New Zealand. There are two subspecies of New Zealand pigeon, ''Hemiphaga novaseelandiae'': ''H. n. novaseelandiae'' of mainland New Zealand and the Norfolk pigeon (''H. n ...

''.

Paleoecology

''Tongoenas'' had the ability to take flight, and lived high in the canopies, and is the largest known volant columbid aside from living '' Goura'' species. ''Tongoenas'' went extinct when humans reached the Pacific Islands. Since ''Tongoenas'' co-evolved with guava, mango and the chinaberry lineages, ''Tongoenas'' served as a crucial seed disperser, alongside an extinct ''Ducula'' species, ''

Ducula shutleri ''Ducula'' is a genus of the pigeon family Columbidae, collectively known as imperial pigeons. They are large to very large pigeons with a heavy build and medium to long tails. They are arboreal, feed mainly on fruit and are closely related to th ...

''.

Extinction

Since ''Tongoenas'' was eaten by the humans who settled on 'Eua, it is likely that ''Tongoenas'' was hunted to extinction by ancient humans who had settled there. ''Tongoenas'' faced extinction around 850-600 BCE.

References

{{Reflist Columbidae Extinct birds Extinct monotypic bird genera Fossil taxa described in 2020 Late Quaternary prehistoric birds