Cyprus Dipper
Encyclopedia
The Cyprus Dipper was endemic to Cyprus
. It was a stream wader in the montane forests of the island
. This insectivorous bird was last observed ca. 1950 on Cyprus. It disappeared after deforestation.
However, it seems that this subspecies
is not recognized as a valid one anymore. Its validity has long been questioned (Vaurie, 1955), and DNA
sequence comparison of Aegean
/Eastern Mediterranean island populations of dippers shows that they are indistinguishable from adjacent mainland populations. Thus, it seems probable that the Cyprus population too had immigrated from Asia Minor
rather recently and not evolved to the point where it could be considered a separate subspecies.
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. It was a stream wader in the montane forests of the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
. This insectivorous bird was last observed ca. 1950 on Cyprus. It disappeared after deforestation.
However, it seems that this subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
is not recognized as a valid one anymore. Its validity has long been questioned (Vaurie, 1955), and DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sequence comparison of Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
/Eastern Mediterranean island populations of dippers shows that they are indistinguishable from adjacent mainland populations. Thus, it seems probable that the Cyprus population too had immigrated from Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
rather recently and not evolved to the point where it could be considered a separate subspecies.
See also
- Extinct birdsExtinct birdsSince 1500, over 190 species of birds have become extinct, and this rate of extinction seems to be increasing. The situation is exemplified by Hawaii, where 30% of all known recently extinct bird taxa originally lived...
- List of extinct animals
- List of extinct animals of Europe