Science Fair Projects Ideas - Réunion Flightless Ibis

All Science Fair Projects

      

Science Fair Project Encyclopedia for Schools!

  Search    Browse    Forum  Coach    Links    Editor    Help    Tell-a-Friend    Encyclopedia    Dictionary     

Science Fair Project Encyclopedia

For information on any area of science that interests you,
enter a keyword (eg. scientific method, molecule, cloud, carbohydrate etc.).
Or else, you can start by choosing any of the categories below.

Réunion Flightless Ibis


The Réunion Flightless Ibis (Threskiornis solitarius) is an extinct bird species that was native to the island of Réunion. It is probably the same bird discovered by Portuguese sailors there in 1613 and until recently assumed by biologists to be a member of the solitaire family, who called it the "Réunion Solitaire" (Raphus solitarius) and classified it as a relative of the Dodo.

That bird was at various times classified as Victoriornis imperialis (the "Réunion Solitaire" or "White Dodo" of descriptions and paintings - the latter obviously show an albino dodo from Mauritius) and Borbonibis latipes (from the first ibis bones found, before a connection to the solitaire reports had been made). The epithet solitarius derives from the Raphus solitarius description of Baron Edmund de Sélys-Longchamps in 1848, but the species' existence was not confirmed until the discovery of bones on Réunion in the late 20th century. The discovery that it actually was an ibis perfectly fits what the early travellers said about its plumage and habits. The confusion can be explained by the fact that solitaire was used by the writers of the descriptions as a descriptive term regarding to a birds' solitary habits, which the ibis happened to share with the Rodrigues Solitaire, but was interpreted by the scientists as an indication of a taxonomic relationship.

The last account of the "Réunion Solitaire" was recorded in 1705, indicating that the species probably became extinct sometime early in that century.

The vernacular name is misleading, since travellers' reports as well as bone measurements indicate that it was well on its way to flightlessness, but could still fly some distance after a running take-off.

Last updated: 05-21-2005 15:55:17
10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
Science kits, science lessons, science toys, maths toys, hobby kits, science games and books - these are some of many products that can help give your kid an edge in their science fair projects, and develop a tremendous interest in the study of science. When shopping for a science kit or other supplies, make sure that you carefully review the features and quality of the products. Compare prices by going to several online stores. Read product reviews online or refer to magazines.

Start by looking for your science kit review or science toy review. Compare prices but remember, Price $ is not everything. Quality does matter.
Science Fair Coach
What do science fair judges look out for?
ScienceHound
Science Fair Projects for students of all ages
All Science Fair Projects.com Site
All Science Fair Projects Homepage
Search | Browse | Links | From-our-Editor | Books | Help | Contact | Privacy | Disclaimer | Copyright Notice