Hop star

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Hop star
Hopfstar (Fregilupus varius) illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans, from Extinct Birds, 1907

Hopfstar ( Fregilupus varius )
illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans , from Extinct Birds , 1907

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Starlings (Sturnidae)
Subfamily : Sturninae
Genre : Fregilupus
Type : Hop star
Scientific name of the  genus
Fregilupus
Lesson , 1831
Scientific name of the  species
Fregilupus varius
( Boddaert , 1783)

The Hopfstar ( Fregilupus varius ) or Huppe (sometimes also referred to as the Reunion Star ) is an extinct species of bird from the starling family (Sturnidae).

features

Lithograph of the Hopfstar after Berjeau

The Hopfstar was discovered in 1669 and described by Pieter Boddaert in 1783 . It reached a length of 30 centimeters. The wings, which were colored gray-brown, reached a length of 14.7 cm. The tail was about 11.4 cm long and reddish brown. It gets its name from a striking ash-gray fan-shaped feather hood. It had long, yellow legs and feet about 3.9 cm in size with curved claws. The head, neck and stomach were white. Sex dimorphism prevailed between males and females . The male had a bright, bright beak about 4 cm long, which was bent slightly downwards. The female had a short straight beak. In the male, the hood was directed forward, in the female backwards. Due to the fanned-out hood and the shape of the beak, people hesitated for a long time to classify the Hopfstar in the starling family. Initially it was classified in the family of the hoopoe (Upupidae), hence its second name Huppe, which is derived from the French word for hoopoe. After a detailed examination of skeletons, however, it has clearly been a starling since 1874. What is known about its breeding behavior is only that it was a ground breeder .

distribution

This star was endemic to the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Its habitat were moist swamp forests in the hinterland of the island and montane coastal forests. Its diet consisted of cereals, insects and fruits.

die out

Its decline is documented by letters from naturalists from the 19th century . The main reason for its extinction was the introduced rats. But the introduction of foreign bird species such as the Shepherd Maina also led to a dramatic decline in the population from 1830 onwards. The hunt for these birds finally sealed his fate because the starlings also ate the coffee berries in the plantations. In 1837 the last specimen of this species was shot. After the end of the slave trade, its habitat was also severely destroyed by deforestation and forest fires from 1848 . The Dutch explorer François Pollen wrote in 1868:

“This species has become so rare that it has not been heard from for dozens of years. It was destroyed in all coastal districts and even in the mountains near the coast. Trustworthy person has assured us that it should still be found in the forests in the hinterland near St. Joseph. The old Creoles told me that when they were young these birds were still common and that they were so stupid that you could kill them with sticks. They call this bird "Huppe". It is therefore not wrong what a respected resident of Réunion, Mr. A. Legras, wrote with the following words: The “Huppe” is now so rare that we have hardly seen a dozen on our bird discovery tour; we were even saddened that we had looked for him in vain for our museum. "

There are around 19 bellows in museums.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Walter Rothschild : Extinct Birds . Hutchinson & Co, London 1907.

literature

  • Errol Fuller (2000). "Extinct Birds", ISBN 0-8160-1833-2
  • Flannery, Tim & Schouten, Peter (2001). A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals, Atlantic Monthly Press, New York. ISBN 0-87113-797-6 .
  • David Day (1981). "The Doomsday Book of Animals", Ebury Press, London, ISBN 0-670-27987-0
  • Andrew John Berger (1957). On the anatomy and relationships of Fregilupus varius, an extinct starling from the Mascarene Islands In: Bulletin of the AMNH; Volume 113, Article 3 ( online edition ; PDF; 44.1 MB)

Web links

Commons : Hopfstar  - collection of images, videos and audio files