The Bourbon Crested Starling (Fregilupus varius), sometimes regarded as Huppe, Crested Starling, or Réunion Starling is an extinct bird from the family of Sturnidae. 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Genera Aplonis Poeoptera Grafisia Onychognathus Lamprotornis Aplonis Aplonis Cinnyricinclus Speculipastor Neochicla Spreo Cosmoparus Sarroglossa Creatophora Fregilupus (extinct) Sturnus Leucopsar Basilornis Streptocitta Sarcops Scissirostrum See also Myna, Oxpecker Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. ... René Lesson. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Pieter Boddaert (1730 - 1795 or 1796) was a physician and naturalist. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is 1) a rank or 2) a taxon in that rank. ... Genera Aplonis Poeoptera Grafisia Onychognathus Lamprotornis Aplonis Aplonis Cinnyricinclus Speculipastor Neochicla Spreo Cosmoparus Sarroglossa Creatophora Fregilupus (extinct) Sturnus Leucopsar Basilornis Streptocitta Sarcops Scissirostrum See also Myna, Oxpecker Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. ...

Description

The Bourbon Crested Starling was discovered in 1669 and first described 1783 by Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert. It had reached a size of 30 cm. The wings, which were coloured grey-brown, were 14.7 cm. The tail had reached a length of 11.4 cm and had a rufous hue. It got its name for its conspicuous ash grey crest. It had long yellow legs with tarsi of about 3.9 cm. The nails were curved. The head, neck, and abdomen were white. There was sexual dimorphism between male and female. The male had a 4 cm long light-yellow coloured bill which was slightly downcurved. The bill of the female was smaller and straight. The crest of the male was directed forwards, the crest of the female backwards. Because of its crest and the form of its bill it was long regarded as relative of the hoopoes by science. Its French name Huppe was derived from that. Boddaert named it Hupupa varia when he first described it but naturalist René-Primevère Lesson put it in its own genus Fregilupus in 1831. First after analysis of the skeletons it was reclassified into the starling family in 1874. It is nothing known about its reproduction. It was endemic to the Island of La Réunion (which was named Bourbon until the 1790s). Its habitat were moistly swamp forests and mountainous coastal forests. Its diet consisted of insects, grain, and fruits. Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now usually viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines. ... Pieter Boddaert (1730 - 1795 or 1796) was a physician and naturalist. ... A Laughing Gull on the beach in Atlantic City. ... FIG. 268– Bones of the right foot. ... Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in form between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ... Binomial name Upupa epops Linnaeus, 1758 The Hoopoe Upupa epops is in the same order of often colourful near passerine birds as the kingfishers, bee-eaters, and rollers. ... René Lesson. ... Genera Aplonis Poeoptera Grafisia Onychognathus Lamprotornis Cinnyricinclus Speculipastor Neochicla Spreo Cosmoparus Sarroglossa Creatophora Fregilupus (extinct) Necropsar (extinct) Sturnus Leucopsar Basilornis Streptocitta Sarcops Scissirostrum See also Myna, Oxpecker Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. ... Réunion is an island and overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, about 200 km southwest of Mauritius. ...

Extinction

Its decline was recorded in letters by naturalists from 19th century. The main reason for its extinction were introduced rats. But also the introduction of invasive species like the Common Myna for the prevention of the locusts plague lead to a dramatical decline of the Crested Starlings. The hunting sealed the fate of this bird. Because it was feed on the coffee berries and it was a welcome dish this easy to hunt birds became increasingly rare during the 1830s. In 1837 the last specimen was shot. From 1848 on deforestation and forest fires in the course of emancipation of the people from the slave trade lead to a severely destruction of its habitat. Rumours told that this species might survived until 1868. But this was never confirmed. Today there are 19 specimens in museums (e.g. Italy, Netherlands, La Réunion, and the American Museum of Natural History) Binomial name Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) The Common Myna, Acridotheres tristis, is a myna, a member of the starling family. ...

Further reading

• Errol Fuller (2000). "Extinct Birds", ISBN 0-8160-1833-2
• Flannery, Tim & Schouten, Peter (2001). A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals, Atlantic Monthly Press, New York. ISBN 0871137976.
• David Day (1981). "The Doomsday Book of Animals" , Ebury Press, London, ISBN 0670279870

Dr Tim Flannery (1956 - ) is a well-known Australian biologist, mammologist and paleontologist also famous for his best-selling non-fiction books including The Future Eaters and Throwim Way Leg. ... David Day (born 1947, Sooke, British Columbia) is a Canadian author most notable for his biographical books about J. R. R. Tolkien and his works. ...

External links

• The Auk - Myology of Fregilupus varius in relation to its systematic position (engl.)
• 300 Pearls - Information on the website of the Museum for Natural History in Amsterdam (engl.)
• American Museum of Natural History - On the anatomy and relationships of Fregilupus varius, an extinct starling from the Mascarene Islands. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 113, article 3 Article by Andrew John Berger