- Chatham Island Bellbird
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Chatham Island Bellbird Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Meliphagidae Genus: Anthornis Species: A. melanocephala Binomial name Anthornis melanocephala
G.R. Gray, 1843The Chatham Island Bellbird (Anthornis melanocephala) is an extinct species of bird in the Meliphagidae family. It was endemic to the Chatham Islands.
In appearance it was very similar to the New Zealand Bellbird Anthornis melanura but was considerably larger. Also the whole of the head and neck was brightly glossed in purplish or steel-blue.[1]
It was last observed in 1906 on Little Mangere Island. The population was likely impacted by the introduction of a disease as there was a sudden population decline before the onset of other disturbances such as rats, cats and specimen collectors.
References
External links
- Chatham Island Bellbird / Komako. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006
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