Puerto Rican Conure
Encyclopedia
The Puerto Rican Conure (Aratinga chloroptera maugei) was a subspecies
of the Hispaniolan Parakeet
. It was found on Mona Island and possibly in Puerto Rico
.
s, fruit
s, nuts and berries. It may also have eaten leaf buds and flowers. Nesting took place in hollow trees, old woodpecker holes and arboreal termite
nests.
, this contributed to its widespread hunting.
. The date of extinction is not well recorded. It was referred to as still being extant in 1905, but reported as extinct in 1950. Hunting by humans is believed to be the primary cause of extinction. It was noted by James Bond
that the bird was seemingly unafraid of gunshots, making it particularly vulnerable to hunting. Bond attributed the bird's extinction to the large number of pigeon hunters who travelled to Mona Island.
Deforestation of the island may also have played a role.
Three specimens of the bird still exist. Beyond the one in the Field Museum, the Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum in Leiden and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
in Paris
each possess one skin. Although it is believed the species may also have existed on Puerto Rico, all the existing specimens were collected from Mona Island. The specimen in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle is the type specimen.
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...
of the Hispaniolan Parakeet
Hispaniolan Parakeet
The Hispaniolan Parakeet, Conure Maîtresse, Aratinga De La Española, or Perico is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola...
. It was found on Mona Island and possibly in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Appearance
The bird was similar to the Hispaniolan subspecies. Its feathers were a duller green, and the red markings on the wing were more extensive.Ecology
The bird fed primarily upon seedSeed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, nuts and berries. It may also have eaten leaf buds and flowers. Nesting took place in hollow trees, old woodpecker holes and arboreal termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
nests.
Behaviour
The Puerto Rican Conure was a very gregarious bird, noted for its loud, continuous calling. While the bird was normally cautious, avoiding contact with humans, this lessened while feeding. As the bird often fed in farmers' field upon crops such as maizeMaize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, this contributed to its widespread hunting.
Extinction
The last bird was seen in 1882, by W. W. Brown, who collected the specimen which now resides at the Field Museum in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The date of extinction is not well recorded. It was referred to as still being extant in 1905, but reported as extinct in 1950. Hunting by humans is believed to be the primary cause of extinction. It was noted by James Bond
James Bond (ornithologist)
James Bond was a leading American ornithologist whose name was appropriated by writer Ian Fleming for his fictional spy, James Bond.-Biography:...
that the bird was seemingly unafraid of gunshots, making it particularly vulnerable to hunting. Bond attributed the bird's extinction to the large number of pigeon hunters who travelled to Mona Island.
Deforestation of the island may also have played a role.
Three specimens of the bird still exist. Beyond the one in the Field Museum, the Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum in Leiden and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle is the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.- History :The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
each possess one skin. Although it is believed the species may also have existed on Puerto Rico, all the existing specimens were collected from Mona Island. The specimen in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle is the type specimen.
See also
- Fauna of Puerto RicoFauna of Puerto RicoThe fauna of Puerto Rico is similar to other island archipelago faunas, with high endemism, and low, skewed taxonomic diversity. Bats are the only extant native terrestrial mammals in Puerto Rico. All other terrestrial mammals in the area were introduced by humans, and include species such as cats,...
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Rican birds
- List of Vieques birds