The Moorea Sandpiper (''Prosobonia ellisi'') is an
extinct member of the large
wader
245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots
Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
family
Scolopacidae
Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...
that was
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Mo'orea
Moorea ( or ; Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti. The name comes from the Tahitian word , meaning " ...
in
French Polynesia, where the locals called it ''te-te'' in the
Tahitian language.
Two specimens were collected by
Georg Forster
Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold ...
and
William Anderson between September 30 and October 11, 1777, during
Captain Cook's third voyage, but both have since disappeared and the bird became extinct in the nineteenth century. Several drawings of the bird were made by those accompanying Cook on his voyage;
William Ellis and
John Webber
John Webber (6 October 1751 – 29 May 1793) was an English artist who accompanied Captain Cook on his third Pacific expedition. He is best known for his images of Australasia, Hawaii and Alaska.
Biography
Webber was born in London, educated ...
both illustrated the sandpiper between August-December of 1777.
These illustrations show a somewhat lighter brown bird than the
Tahiti Sandpiper, with no white spot behind the eye, a more conspicuous light rusty eye-ring, two white wing-bars and rusty secondary and primary coverts; one of
Latham's specimens had yellow legs and feet. The exact relationships between the Moorea and Tahiti specimens are still not fully resolved, with some being unsure if they are separate species.
The Moorea Sandpiper was said to be found "close to small brooks"
and it was still at least moderately common around 1776 - 1779 during Cook's last voyage. Invasive rats may have been a contributing factor in its fall to extinction.
References
Further reading
* Greenway, James C. (1967): Tahitian Sandpiper. ''In: Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World (2nd ed.)'': 263–264. Dover Publications, New York.
* Latham, John (1785): "White-winged Sandpiper": ''In: A general synopsis of birds'' 3: 172, plate 82. London.
* Latham, John (1824): "White-winged Sandpiper": ''In: A general history of birds'' 9: 296.
*
*
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External links
BirdLife species factsheet Retrieved 11-SEP-2006.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2963011
Prosobonia
Bird extinctions since 1500
Birds described in 1906
Birds of the Society Islands
Extinct birds of Oceania
Controversial bird taxa
Taxa named by Richard Bowdler Sharpe
Mo'orea