The Bonin Grosbeak or Bonin Islands Grosbeak (Chaunoproctus ferreorostris) is an extinct finch, the only species of the genus Chaunoproctus. It is one of the diverse bird taxa that are vernacularly called "grosbeaks", but it is not closely related to the grosbeaks sensu stricto. It was a retiring, although not shy bird, and was usually found singly or in pairs. It fed on fruits and buds which were primarily picked up from the ground or low shrubs; it rarely was observed to perch in trees, being apparently rather phlegmatic and somewhat reluctant to fly. Only one kind of vocalizaion has been described: a soft, pure and high note, sometimes short, sometimes drawn out; sometimes given singly, sometimes in a short series. In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... Genera Many, see text Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, the many species of which are found chiefly in the northern hemisphere, but also to a limited extent in Africa and South America. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ... Grosbeak is the name given to several species of seed-eating passerine bird with large bills, in the finch and cardinal families. ... Species See text Coccothraustes is a genus of finches containing three species: Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus Hooded Grosbeak Coccothraustes abeillei Category: ‪Bird stubs‬ ...

It was found only on Chichi-jima in the Ogasawara Islands. While reports that it was also found on Haha-jima are almost certainly erroneous, it might have occurred on Anijima and Otōtojima. Chichi-jima is the only place, however, where the bird was observed. Several specimens were taken; some 10 remain at present. Contemporary illustrations show considerable differences, especially in males. Whether these are due to seasonal variation or whether several subspecies or even species existed could only be determined by a thorough review of the available material. Chichi-jima (父島, lit. ... A map of the Ogasawara Islands south of Japan The Ogasawara Islands (小笠原諸島) are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical islands some 1,000 km directly south of central Tokyo, Japan. ... Haha-jima (母島, lit. ...

Extinction

The Bonin Grosbeak was discovered by the Beechey Pacific expedition, which collected 2 specimens on Chichi-jima in 1827. The following year, Kittlitz took several more specimens, but he only gave the locality "Boninsima" (Ogasawara Islands). Following the report of two shipwrecked sailors, picked up by Beechey, that the island would make a good stopover station for whalers, settlement was begun in 1830. When the Rodgers-Ringgold North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition called at Chichi-jima in 1854, naturalist William Stimpson could not find the birds. What he did find, however, were rats and feral goats, sheep, dogs and cats, in addition to the pigs that were already present in 1828 (and which might have been left there by Beechey to provision future castaways). Just like the Bonin Thrush, the Bonin Grosbeak probably succumbed soon after 1830 to habitat destruction and predation by the introduced mammals. Frederick William Beechey (February 17, 1796-November 29, 1856) was an English naval officer and geographer. ... Naval Battle of Navarino by Carneray 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The crew of the oceanographic research vessel Princesse Alice, of Albert Grimaldi (later Prince Albert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch Whaling is the hunting and killing of whales. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eug̬ne Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Rear Admiral John Rodgers John Rodgers (8 August 1812 Р5 May 1882), son of Commodore John Rodgers, was born near Havre de Grace, Maryland. ... Rear Admiral Cadwallader Ringgold (20 August 1802 - 29 April 1867) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Civil War. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... William Stimpson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The collector A. P. Holst was told by settlers on Chichi-jima in 1889 that some birds had persisted on Haha-jima until the early 1880s. However, given that the species was not reported from there neither during the 1853 visit of the first Perry mission to Japan nor in 1854, this seems either erroneous or a misunderstanding for some other island in the Chichi-jima group. The sedentary habits of the Bonin Grosbeak make it unlikely that it was present anywhere outside the Chichijima Rettō. 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... // Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794-1858). ...

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Chaunoproctus ferreorostris. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 29 Jun 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is extinct
• Bonaparte, Charles Lucien Jules Laurent (1850): 1060. Chaunoproctus. In: Conspectus generum avium 1: 526. PDF fulltext available at Gallica: search for "Bonaparte" and "Conspectus"
• Vigors, Nicholas Aylward (1829): [Description of Chaunoproctus ferreorostris]. Zool. J. 4: 354.