#Lophopsittacus

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[1671/10977] Broad-billed parrot - Lophopsittacus mauritianus

(extinct)

Order: Psittaciformes (parrots) Superfamily: Psittacoidea (true parrots) Family: Psittaculidae (Asian and Australasian parrots)

Image credit: Joris Joostensz Laerle (c.1601)

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Results from the #paleostream Australosuchus, Venetoraptor, Lophopsittacus mauritianus and a Callichimaera Kamen Rider for a friend... don't ask :P

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Skull Island 2005 - Fauna (part 2)

Here’s part 2 of the Fauna of Skull Island (2005).

BIRDS AND MARINE LIFE

Osteodomus

Lividuscutus

Scutucaris

Cunaepraedator

Cutiscidis

Impurucaris

Incultulepas

Funnucaris

Deplector

Abyscidis

Skull Island Seagulls

Profanornis sordicus

Profanornis spinosus

Carrion Parrots — Fiery Carrion Parrot, Great Carrion Parrot, Green Carrion Parrot, Martial Parrot, Red Carrion Parrot

Foeducrista

Zeropteryx torova

Brutornis

Piranhadon titanus

Nefacossus fluvius

Sepulcro/Sepulcrostium malus

Papilio/Papiliomonstrus opico

Skull Island Fishes — Javelin (Aclys festinus), Prickle Fish (Ichthyspineus celox), Fire-side (Igneucutis pertenuis), Ghoulfish (Idolonichthys ferrugo), Gribbler (Ambulolepis scutops), Morsel Fish (Ofella perpavulus), Rapanatrix, Rogue Fish (Invisufurcifus innatopiceus), Segnix (Segnichthys incurvus), Shagfish (Estrichthys hirsutu), Sicklefin (Sicililepis minimus), Sparkleside (Micocallum pearc), Sun-fin (Heliolepis pinnula0, Bile-fin (Bililepis catus), Bloodfish (Sanguichthys rufus)

Stink-fish/Foetidichthys hebeo

Needlemouth/Acusos cadaverosus

Killer-eels/Letalihydrus despicatus

Skull Island Egret

Great Grey Heron

Skull Island Hornbill

Hylaeornis maximus

Noctupervagus pinguis

Pinnatono amarus

Canopy Birds — Martial Parrot (Lophopsittacus martiallus), Skull Island Hawk, Dapper Crow, Dark-wing, and Tiny Brightbird

Giant manta ray

Giant clams

Giant crabs

MAMMALS

Fur seal

Volucerictis

Gaur

Burglar Monkey/Perfossor novu

Howler/Aligerattus bombus

Skull Island White Bat/Noctadorior alba

Skull Island Rat

Terapusmordax obscenus

Skin-bird/Cutisaves atroxoides

Megaprimatus kong

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Island Weirdness #25 -- The Broad-Billed Parrot

The dodo wasn’t the only unique bird to evolve on Mauritius. While about eight other endemic bird species still survive today, there were at least twice that many before the arrival of humans in the late 1500s -- including the broad-billed parrot Lophopsittacus mauritianus.

Also referred to as the “Indian raven” in historical accounts, it was a fairly large bird measuring between 45 and 65cm in length (1′6″-2′1″). Unusually for a parrot it had a high degree of sexual dimorphism, with males being significantly bigger than females.

Many images depict it as entirely black or blue-grey, but this seems to be based on a misinterpretation. More recent translations of old Dutch descriptions suggest it was actually much more colorful, with a red beak, blue head, and reddish body.

It had a proportionally big head and a flattened skull, and seems to have had a highly specialized diet, using its its large strong beak to crack open hard seeds and nuts like modern hyacinth macaws.

It was near-flightless, capable of taking to the air only with difficulty, and was said to be “bad-tempered”. Attempts to keep individuals in captivity failed, the birds refusing to eat, and while the wild population had apparently learned to be wary of humans by the late 1660s by that point it was already too late. Much like the dodos they lived alongside, a combination of deforestation, hunting, and predation by invasive mammal species sent them into extinction by the 1680s.

[sixth-extinction]

An illustration of extinct broad billed parrots (Lophopsittacus mauritianus) by artist and paleontologist Julian Hume. [x]

The broad billed parrot had a disproportionately large head and beak compared to its body. This parrot was sexually dimorphic, with males being significantly larger than females. They are thought to have been weak fliers, but not entirely flightless, and were described as being “ill-tempered” or aggressive.

The exact coloring of the broad billed parrot is unknown, as it went extinct in the late 1600s and no skins remain. Only a single sketch exists, published in 1601 (above). The common names of “Indian crow” or “raven parrot” suggest it had dark plumage, but other sources suggest that the bird was multicolored, possibly with a red body and blue head. Another theory is that males and females were different colors, which is another example of sexual dimorphism, and would explain the discrepancies in the descriptions of their coloring.

The smaller green birds in Hume’s illustration are echo parakeets (Psittacula eques). They are the only living native parrot on the Mascarene islands; all other native parrots have gone extinct as a result of human activity.

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DODO