Greater Azores bullfinch
| Greater Azores bullfinch Temporal range: Holocene
| |
|---|---|
| |
| P. crassa (right) next to its extant relative P. murina (left) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Fringillidae |
| Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
| Genus: | Pyrrhula |
| Species: | †P. crassa
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Pyrrhula crassa Rando et al, 2017
| |
The greater Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula crassa) was a large,
Fringillidae that was once endemic to the Azores. It is the first known extinct passerine to be described from the islands. It is the largest known member of its genus based on its skull size, and had a very robust beak reminiscent of that of a parrot. However, the remains are otherwise reminiscent of the extant but highly endangered Azores bullfinch
(Pyrrhula murina).
The species was described from
subfossil remains found inside a lava tube in a volcano on Graciosa Island, although it may have inhabited other islands as well. The species was likely wiped out due to human settlement in the archipelago in the 15th century by the Portuguese, which led to habitat destruction and the introduction of invasive plant species, both of which depleted the laurel forest that P. crassa likely relied on.[1][2]
References
- ISSN 1175-5334.
- ^ "A new bird which humans drove to extinction discovered in Azores". Phys.org. 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2018-10-22.