Mauritius scops owl
Mauritius scops owl | |
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Pencil drawing of a recently killed specimen by Paul Philippe Sanguin de Jossigny, from around 1770 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Strigiformes |
Family: | Strigidae |
Genus: | Otus |
Species: | †O. sauzieri
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Binomial name | |
†Otus sauzieri | |
Location of Mauritius | |
Synonyms | |
Strix sauzieri Newton & Gadow, 1893 |
The
Taxonomy
No descriptions of owls were recorded between the mid-17th and the late 18th century. This led to considerable confusion, especially since the bones were referred to ear tuft-less
The supposed "barn owl" Tyto newtoni was described from
In 2018, a DNA study by Louchart and colleagues found that the Mascarenotus owls grouped among species of Otus (the scops owls), and therefore belonged to that genus. The cladogram below shows the placement of the Mauritius scops owl:[2]
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Extinction
The Mauritius scops owl was the largest carnivore on the island prior to human settlement. Thus, unlike other local species of birds, it was not much affected by the introduction of predators such as cats, rats, and crab-eating macaques. In the 1830s, the species seems to have been not uncommonly found in the southeastern part of the island, between Souillac and the Montagnes Bambous due east of Curepipe, with the last testimony of observations referring to several encounters in 1837. However, as the cultivation of sugarcane and tea encroached upon its habitat, combined with reckless shooting, it disappeared rapidly. In 1859, Clark wrote that the bird was extinct.
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2012). "Mascarenotus sauzieri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- S2CID 91541852.
- Newton, Alfred & Gadow, Hans Friedrich (1893): On additional bones of the Dodo and other extinct birds of Mauritius obtained by Mr. Théodore Sauzier. Trans. Zool. Soc. 13: 281–302, plate 33: figures 11–18.