Ptilinopus mercierii

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Columbimorphae
Ordo: Columbiformes

Familia: Columbidae
Subfamilia: Ptilinopinae
Genus: Ptilinopus
Species: † Ptilinopus mercierii
Subspecies: P. m. mercierii - P. m. tristrami
Name

Ptilinopus mercierii (Des Murs & Prevost, 1849)
References

Voyage autour du monde sur ... la Venus, pendant 1836-1839. p. 266
Vernacular names
English: Red-moustached Fruit-dove
español: Tilopo de Mercier
français: Ptilope de Mercier
中文: 赤鬃果鳩

The red-moustached fruit dove (Ptilinopus mercierii) was a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It was endemic to French Polynesia. The last record was of the subspecies P. m. tristrami on Hiva Oa, in 1922. Its extinction has been attributed to predation by the introduced great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), as well as by introduced rats and cats. In 1994, it was listed as an extinct species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species.

Description

The red-moustached fruit dove measured 21 to 23 cm (8.3 to 9.1 in) in length.[2] The head, breast, and neck were bluish grey, and the tail was short, almost square shaped. The underpart plumage was golden yellow in colour.[2] The juvenile had less yellow on the hind neck and crown. The breast was green-tinged and had light yellowish on the peripheries of the feathers. The undertail coverts were yellow-white.[3]

It was similar in appearance with the white-capped fruit dove (Ptilinopus dupetithouarsii).[4]
Distribution and habitat

The red-moustached fruit dove was endemic to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. The nominate subspecies was found on the Nuku Hiva Island, and the subspecies P. m. tristrami was found on the Hiva Oa Island.[1] Described as arboreal, the red-moustached fruit dove inhabited montane forests, usually higher in altitude than the white-capped fruit dove,[3] at elevations of at least 1,370 metres (4,490 ft) above sea level.[4]
Status and conservation

In 1988, the red-moustached fruit dove was listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. However, in 1994, it was reassessed to be extinct. The reason of its extinction was attributed to the predation by the introduced rats, cats, and the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus). Its last record was in 1922, in the French Polynesian island Hiva Oa, of a subspecies P. m. tristrami.[1]
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Ptilinopus mercierii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22691495A93314660. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22691495A93314660.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
"Red-moustached Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus mercierii)". www.hbw.com. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
Hume, Julian P. (2017). Extinct Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 9781472937469.
Gibbs, David (2010). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 500. ISBN 9781408135556.