Réunion Harrier
Encyclopedia
The Réunion Harrier or Réunion Marsh Harrier (Circus maillardi) is a bird of prey
belonging to the marsh harrier
group of harriers
. It is now found only on the Indian Ocean
island of Réunion
where it is known locally as the papangue or pied jaune, although fossil material from Mauritius has been referred to this species. The Madagascar Harrier (C. macrosceles) of Madagascar
and the Comoro Islands
was previously treated as a subspecies
of this bird but is increasingly regarded as a separate species.
The birds are mostly silent except during the breeding season when they give a chattering threat call, a wailing courtship call and chuckling food-associated calls.
The Madagascar Harrier is larger and paler with longer wings and legs.
and grassland. Today its diet includes many introduced mammals (rat
s, mice
and tenrecs) but it originally fed mainly on birds and insects. It has a number of adaptations which are unusual among harriers: broad rounded wings for hunting between trees and a short tarsus
and long claws, which are common among those birds of prey which feed on other birds. It breeds between January and May and lays two or three white eggs.
It has an estimated population of 200–340 birds and has been evaluated as endangered
by BirdLife International
. It is threatened by destruction and disturbance of its habitat and by poaching. It became a protected species in 1966 and its numbers are now stable or increasing.
. He named it in honour of Louis Maillard, who mentioned the bird in a book about the island.
In 1893 Alfred Newton
and Hans Gadow described tarsometatarsi
, tibia
e and metacarpals from a hawk called Astur alphonsi (later renamed Accipiter alphonsi and Circus alphonsi) from Mauritius
. In 1958 James Greenway
considered this taxon as conspecific with the Pied Harrier
. A later examination of the bones came to the conclusion that Astur alphonsi is actually identical with Circus maillardi, which formerly occurred on Mauritius too but is now extirpated.
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
belonging to the marsh harrier
Marsh harrier
The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds...
group of harriers
Harrier (bird)
A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds....
. It is now found only on the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
island of Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
where it is known locally as the papangue or pied jaune, although fossil material from Mauritius has been referred to this species. The Madagascar Harrier (C. macrosceles) of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and the Comoro Islands
Comoro Islands
The Comoros Islands form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the south-east coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and north-west of Madagascar. They are divided between the sovereign state of Comoros and the French overseas department of Mayotte...
was previously treated as a 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...
of this bird but is increasingly regarded as a separate species.
Description
It is about 50 cm long; the female is around 3–15% larger than the male. The male has a blackish head and back with white streaks. The underparts, underwings and rump are white and the tail is grey. The wings are grey and black with a white leading edge. Females and immatures are dark brown with a white rump and barred tail.The birds are mostly silent except during the breeding season when they give a chattering threat call, a wailing courtship call and chuckling food-associated calls.
The Madagascar Harrier is larger and paler with longer wings and legs.
Ecology
It is typically found in forested upland areas between 300 and 700 m above sea-level. It also visits cane fieldsSugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
and grassland. Today its diet includes many introduced mammals (rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
and tenrecs) but it originally fed mainly on birds and insects. It has a number of adaptations which are unusual among harriers: broad rounded wings for hunting between trees and a short tarsus
Tarsus (skeleton)
In tetrapods, the tarsus is a cluster of articulating bones in each foot situated between the lower end of tibia and fibula of the lower leg and the metatarsus. In the foot the tarsus articulates with the bones of the metatarsus, which in turn articulate with the bones of the individual toes...
and long claws, which are common among those birds of prey which feed on other birds. It breeds between January and May and lays two or three white eggs.
It has an estimated population of 200–340 birds and has been evaluated as endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
. It is threatened by destruction and disturbance of its habitat and by poaching. It became a protected species in 1966 and its numbers are now stable or increasing.
Taxonomy
The species was described in 1862 by Jules VerreauxJules Verreaux
Jules Pierre Verreaux was a French botanist, ornithologist and professional collector of, and trader in, natural history specimens...
. He named it in honour of Louis Maillard, who mentioned the bird in a book about the island.
In 1893 Alfred Newton
Alfred Newton
Alfred Newton FRS was an English zoologist and ornithologist.Newton was Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge University from 1866 to 1907...
and Hans Gadow described tarsometatarsi
Tarsometatarsus
The tarsometatarsus is a bone that is found in the lower leg of certain tetrapods, namely birds.It is formed from the fusion of several bones found in other types of animals, and homologous to the mammalian tarsal and metatarsal bones...
, tibia
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
e and metacarpals from a hawk called Astur alphonsi (later renamed Accipiter alphonsi and Circus alphonsi) from Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. In 1958 James Greenway
James Greenway
James Cowan Greenway was an American ornithologist. An eccentric, shy and sometimes reclusive man, his survey of extinct and vanishing birds provided the base for much subsequent work on bird conservation.-Early years:...
considered this taxon as conspecific with the Pied Harrier
Pied Harrier
The Pied Harrier is an Asian species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is migratory, breeding from Amur valley in eastern Russia and north-eastern China to North Korea. Wintering individuals can be found in a wide area from Pakistan to Philippines...
. A later examination of the bones came to the conclusion that Astur alphonsi is actually identical with Circus maillardi, which formerly occurred on Mauritius too but is now extirpated.