King Island emu: Difference between revisions

King Island Emu
Conservation status
	; Extinct (1822) (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Superorder:	Paleognathae
Order:	Struthioniformes
Family:	Casuariidae
Genus:	Dromaius
Species:	D. ater
Binomial name
	Dromaius ater; (Vieillot, 1817)
Synonyms
	Dromaius novaehollandiae minor; Spencer, 1906; Dromaius bassi; Legge, 1907; Dromaius spenceri (partim); Mathews, 1912; Dromaius novaehollandiae ater;

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The King Island Emu or Black Emu (Dromaius ater) is an extinct ratite species which occurred on King Island between mainland Australia and Tasmania. It is known from subfossil bones and one museum specimen.

It had darker plumage and was much smaller than other emus, with only half the weight of the mainland birds. Its taxonomy has been subject to much debate because of confusion with the Kangaroo Island Emu, and only was resolved in 1984 by Shane A. Parker.

Extinction

The King Island Emu was discovered by the Baudin expedition in 1802. Two or three individuals were brought back to France in 1804 and were kept in captivity in the Jardin des Plantes, the last one dying in 1822. One of these last birds remains today as the sole surviving skin in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. At the time of the death of the last captive bird, the species was long gone from King Island, having been killed off by hunting and, apparently, fires started by visiting sailors.

References

Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is extinct.

Parker, Shane A. (1984): The extinct Kangaroo Island emu, a hitherto unrecognised species. Bull. B.O.C. 104: 19-22.

Vieillot, Louis Jean Pierre (1817): [Description of Dromaius ater]. Nouveau Dictionaire d'Histoire Naturelle 11: 212.

This bird-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 | species = '''''D. ater'''''
 | binomial = ''Dromaius ater''
-| binomial_authority = ([[Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]], [[1817]])
+| binomial_authority = ([[Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]], 1817)
 | synonyms =
-*''Dromaius novaehollandiae minor''<br/><small>[[Walter Baldwin Spencer|Spencer]], [[1906]]</small>
+*''Dromaius novaehollandiae minor''<br/><small>[[Walter Baldwin Spencer|Spencer]], 1906</small>
-*''Dromaius bassi''<br/><small>Legge, [[1907]]</small>
+*''Dromaius bassi''<br/><small>Legge, 1907</small>
-*''Dromaius spenceri'' <small>(''partim'')<br/>[[Gregory Mathews|Mathews]], [[1912]]</small>
+*''Dromaius spenceri'' <small>(''partim'')<br/>[[Gregory Mathews|Mathews]], 1912</small>
 *''Dromaius novaehollandiae ater''
 }}
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The '''King Island Emu''' or '''Black Emu''' (''Dromaius ater'') is an [[extinct]] [[ratite]] species which occurred on [[King Island, Tasmania|King Island]] between mainland [[Australia]] and [[Tasmania]]. It is known from [[subfossil]] bones and one museum specimen.
-It had darker plumage and was much smaller than other [[emu]]s, with only half the weight of the mainland birds. Its taxonomy has been subject to much debate because of confusion with the [[Kangaroo Island Emu]], and only was resolved in [[1984]] by [[Shane A. Parker]].
+It had darker plumage and was much smaller than other [[emu]]s, with only half the weight of the mainland birds. Its taxonomy has been subject to much debate because of confusion with the [[Kangaroo Island Emu]], and only was resolved in 1984 by [[Shane A. Parker]].
 ==Extinction==
-The King Island Emu was discovered by the [[Nicolas Baudin|Baudin]] expedition in [[1802]]. Two or three individuals were brought back to France in [[1804]] and were kept in captivity in the [[Jardin des Plantes]], the last one dying in [[1822]]. One of these last birds remains today as the sole surviving skin in the [[Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle]]. At the time of the death of the last captive bird, the species was long gone from King Island, having been killed off by hunting and, apparently, fires started by visiting sailors.
+The King Island Emu was discovered by the [[Nicolas Baudin|Baudin]] expedition in 1802. Two or three individuals were brought back to France in 1804 and were kept in captivity in the [[Jardin des Plantes]], the last one dying in 1822. One of these last birds remains today as the sole surviving skin in the [[Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle]]. At the time of the death of the last captive bird, the species was long gone from King Island, having been killed off by hunting and, apparently, fires started by visiting sailors.
 ==References==