Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Newton's Parakeet
| Newton's Parakeet | ||||||||||||||
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| Psittacula exsul A. Newton, 1872 | ||||||||||||||
The Newton's Parakeet (Psittacula exsul) was a small parrot endemic to the forests of Rodrigues, Mauritius.
It was first recorded by François Leguat, who was the leader of a group of eight French Huguenots who colonised the island from 1691 to 1693. He described the bird as abundant. It was next mentioned by the French mathematician Alexandre Pingré , who travelled to Rodrigues in 1761 to view the transit of Venus. He noted that the bird had become scarce.
A specimen was sent by Sir Edward Newton, a colonial administrator in Mauritius, to his brother Alfred, who officially described the bird in 1872. The last living bird was seen in 1875.
Two complete specimens survive, plus various subfossil bones. The species' extinction was presumably caused by a combination of habitat loss and hunting.
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