Norfolk Island Thrush
| Norfolk Island Thrush | ||||||||||||
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Norfolk Island Thrush ( Turdus poliocephalus poliocephalus ) |
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| Turdus poliocephalus poliocephalus | ||||||||||||
| Latham , 1801 |
The Norfolk Island Thrush ( Turdus poliocephalus poliocephalus ) is the extinct nominate form of the South Sea Thrush or Island Thrush ( Turdus poliocephalus ). It was endemic to Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea .
features
The Norfolk Island thrush reached a size of 21 cm, a wingspan of 34 cm and a weight of 55 g. The plumage was mostly brown, the head and upper breast were light gray-brown. The beak, the eye ring and the legs were yellow. Males and females were similar in size and appearance.
habitat
The Norfolk Island thrush was originally found in all wooded areas and gardens. Most recently it was only found in the rainforest on Mount Pitt .
Way of life
The Norfolk Bluebird foraged mainly on the ground. Their diet consisted of small invertebrates, seeds and fallen fruits. The nest was built on trees, including introduced lemon trees. The clutch consisted of two to four eggs.
die out
This subspecies was still considered common in the 1940s. In 1962 the inventory was estimated at 100 copies, in 1969 there were just under 50. It was last recorded in 1975 and probably died out in the late 1970s. The causes are assumed to be a combination of habitat destruction and stalking by rats and feral cats. Additional factors were competition from introduced song thrushes and blackbirds , with which the Norfolk Island thrush produced sterile offspring.
literature
- Higgins, PJ; Peter, JM; & Cowling, SJ (Eds.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 7: Boatbill to Starlings . Oxford University Press: Melbourne, 2006. ISBN 0-19-553996-6
- Warren B. King: On the behalf of the International council for bird preservation (ICBP) and the Survival service commission of IUCN (1978-1979): Red Data Book 2: Aves (2nd edition). IUCN, Morges, Switzerland. ISBN 0-87474-583-7