Réunion Owl
Encyclopedia
The Réunion Owl was a small owl
that occurred on the Mascarene island of Réunion
, but became extinct before living birds could be described; it is only known from subfossil
bones. It belongs to the Mascarene owls
of the genus Mascarenotus, and most likely was similar to a Long-eared Owl
in size and appearance, but with nearly naked legs. The Mascarene Owls were, however, more closely related to the genus Ninox
. Compared to the Mauritius Owl
and the Rodrigues Owl
, it was the most terrestrial species of the genus, with long legs and possibly somewhat reduced flight capability; more probably though it was simply smaller than the Mauritius
bird - between that species and the one from Rodrigues
in size - but had equally long legs: the only suitable food available in quantity on Réunion were small birds. It can be assumed to have preyed on sleeping songbirds in the manner of the unrelated but convergent
Grallistrix
"stilt-owls" from Hawai'i.
s. Inferring from the ecology, it is likely that the birds succumbed to predation by rats and maybe cats as they must have been able enough for flight not to be killed off by pigs and thus only became extinct after Dubois' visit, at some date closer to the year 1700. If the bird was ground-nesting, however, it might have been extinct even by the time Dubois did not record it, but this hypothesis does not seem to agree what can be inferred from the rather long survival of its Mauritius relative.
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
that occurred on the Mascarene 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...
, but became extinct before living birds could be described; it is only known from subfossil
Subfossil
Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
bones. It belongs to the Mascarene owls
Mascarene owls
The Mascarene owls form a distinct genus of owls. The three species, the Réunion Owl, Mauritius Owl, and Rodrigues Owl, are all extinct....
of the genus Mascarenotus, and most likely was similar to a Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl
The Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl...
in size and appearance, but with nearly naked legs. The Mascarene Owls were, however, more closely related to the genus Ninox
Ninox
Ninox is a genus of owls comprising about 20 species found in Asia and Australasia. Many species are known as hawk owls or boobooks...
. Compared to the Mauritius Owl
Mauritius Owl
The extinct Mauritius Owl , also called Commerson's, Sauzier's or Newton's Owl, was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius...
and the Rodrigues Owl
Rodrigues Owl
The Rodrigues Owl , also known as Leguat's Owl or Rodrigues Little Owl, was a small owl. It lived on the Mascarene island of Rodrigues, but it is nowadays extinct. It is part of the genus of Mascarene owls, Mascarenotus...
, it was the most terrestrial species of the genus, with long legs and possibly somewhat reduced flight capability; more probably though it was simply smaller than the 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...
bird - between that species and the one from Rodrigues
Rodrigues (island)
Rodrigues , sometimes spelled Rodriguez but named after the Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, is the smallest of the Mascarene Islands and a dependency of Mauritius...
in size - but had equally long legs: the only suitable food available in quantity on Réunion were small birds. It can be assumed to have preyed on sleeping songbirds in the manner of the unrelated but convergent
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
Grallistrix
Grallistrix
The stilt-owls are a genus of true owls which contains four species, all of which lived on the Hawaiian Islands but are now extinct....
"stilt-owls" from Hawai'i.
Extinction
As the bird is not mentioned by any contemporary report, it was either very secretive or became extinct more early than its congeners. Notably, it is not contained in the comprehensive listing of local fauna that Dubois made in 1671-72. By that time, the only introduced predators were pigPig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s. Inferring from the ecology, it is likely that the birds succumbed to predation by rats and maybe cats as they must have been able enough for flight not to be killed off by pigs and thus only became extinct after Dubois' visit, at some date closer to the year 1700. If the bird was ground-nesting, however, it might have been extinct even by the time Dubois did not record it, but this hypothesis does not seem to agree what can be inferred from the rather long survival of its Mauritius relative.