? Choiseul Crested Pigeon Conservation status: Extinct (1904)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae Genus: Microgoura Rothschild, 1904 Species: M. meeki
Binomial name
Microgoura meeki (Rothschild, 1904)

The Choiseul Crested Pigeon (Microgoura meeki) is a presumedly extinct pigeon which only occurred on the Solomon island of Choiseul in the Pacific. In 1904 six specimens were shot by Albert Stewart Meek, a bird collector for Lord Walter Rothschild and brought to the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum at Tring. Also an egg was collected. Because of financial trouble by Rothschild 5 skins were sold to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. On further expeditions in 1927 and 1929 no specimens were found. It is assumed that the Choiseul Crested Pigeon was not only a victim of human hunters but also by feral cats and dogs. 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to 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... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Raphidae Columbidae The order Columbiformes includes two families of birds: the Raphidae, to which the extinct Dodo and Rodrigues Solitaires belonged, and the Columbidae, which includes the very widespread and successful doves and pigeons. ... Pigeon redirects here; for other uses, see Pigeon (disambiguation). ... Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (February 8, 1868 - August 27, 1937) was a British banker and zoologist from the international Rothschild financial dynasty. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (February 8, 1868 - August 27, 1937) was a British banker and zoologist from the international Rothschild financial dynasty. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Choiseul Province is one of the provinces of the Solomon Islands. ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ... Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (February 8, 1868 - August 27, 1937) was a British banker and zoologist from the international Rothschild financial dynasty. ... Map sources for Tring at grid reference SP924117 Tring is a small market town in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England with a population of 13,000. ... The American Museum of Natural History is a landmark of Manhattans Upper West Side in New York, USA, at 79th Street and Central Park West. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 141,205 km²  (54,520 sq. ...

Look

This species was one of the most remarkable pigeon species in the world. It had a length of approximately 30 cm, which resembles the size of a chicken. On the top of the head was a dark bluish crest similar to the Crowned Pigeons of Papua New Guinea. The forehead and the front of the face were black, the rest of the head was sparsely pinnate with a reddish hue. Mantle and breast had a dark bluish colour with a brown tinch on the lower back. The wings and the rump were olive brown. The tail was dark brown with a purple hue. The abdomen had a chestnut coloured tone. The upper side of the bill was black, the lower side red. The legs were purplish red. It is unknown if there were differences between the sexes.

Trivia

• This species was first described by Walter Rothschild in 1904 and named in honour of Albert Stewart Meek
• The Choiseul islanders called that species kukuru-ni-lua, which means ground pigeon.
• There is a painting by John Gerrard Keulemans in the American Museum of Natural History

John Gerrard Keulemans (June 8, 1842 - March 29, 1912) was a Dutch bird illustrator. ...

References

• 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.

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

• Kuvojo, an endemic Choi ground pigeon (engl.)
• Picture