New Zealand swan
| New Zealand swan | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Cygnus sumnerensis | ||||||||||
| ( Forbes , 1890) |
The New Zealand swan ( Cygnus sumnerensis ), called Poūwa in Maori , is an extinct swan whose fossil remains were found on the Chatham Islands and in Moncks Cave near Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand . The type epithet sumnerensis refers to Sumner, a suburb of Christchurch, where the type material was discovered.
features
The New Zealand swan split off from the Black Swan ( Cygnus atratus ) one to two million years ago . In New Zealand it evolved into a distinct species, about 20 to 32 percent heavier than the Black Swan and an estimated weight of 6 to 10 kg. In addition, the swans on New Zealand had longer legs and shorter wings, which suggests that they are not able to fly.
Habitat and way of life
The habitat of this little known bird species were lagoons, lakes as well as marshland and marshland. Like the black swan, it was a ground breeder and fed on aquatic plants such as the balance plants , but also on ground herbs.
die out
The New Zealand swan likely became extinct during the early colonization of New Zealand between 1280 and 1450 AD. It was very sensitive to disturbances and its extinction is believed to be due to extensive egg-collecting during the breeding season and hunting by the Maori during the moult . The Australian Black Swan was introduced to New Zealand in the 1860s.
literature
- WRB Oliver: New Zealand Birds (2nd edition). AH & AW Reed, Wellington, 1955
- Elliot W. Dawson: Rediscoveries of the New Zealand Subfossil Birds Named by HO Forbes , Ibis 100, 1958
- Trevor H. Worthy , Richard N. Holdaway: The Lost World of the Moa. Prehistoric Life of New Zealand. Indiana University Press, Bloomington 2002, ISBN 0253340349 .
- Nicolas J. Rawlence, Afroditi Kardamaki, Luke J. Easton, Alan JD Tennyson, R. Paul Scofield, Jonathan M. Waters Ancient DNA and morphometric analysis reveal extinction and replacement of New Zealand's unique black swans Proceedings of Royal Society B. Biological Science, 284: 20170876. July 26, 2017. doi : 10.1098 / rspb.2017.0876
Web links
- New Zealands Pre-human Avifauna and its vulnerability (PDF, English; 194 kB)