Kosrae starling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kosrae starling |
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| Illustration from 1831 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Aplonis
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| Species: |
corvina
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| Synonyms | |
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Aplonas corvina (lapsus) |
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The Kosrae starling (Aplonis corvina) was a type of starling bird that is now extinct. It was also known as the Kosrae Island starling. This bird lived only in the mountain forests of Kosrae, an island in the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
What Did It Look Like?
The Kosrae starling was a medium-sized bird. It grew to be about 20 to 25.4 centimeters (8 to 10 inches) long. It looked a bit like a crow, with shiny black feathers. It also had a long, curved beak and a long tail.
Why Did It Disappear?
The Kosrae starling was last seen in the wild a long time ago. Scientists only know about this bird from five specimens (preserved examples) collected between December 1827 and January 1828. These specimens were found by an expedition led by Heinrich von Kittlitz.
Three of these bird skins are now in a museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The other two are in a museum in Leiden, Netherlands.
Later, in 1880, another group of explorers tried to find the Kosrae starling but could not. Then, in 1931, a survey by the American Museum of Natural History confirmed that this bird was extinct.
The most likely reason for the Kosrae starling's disappearance was rats. These rats probably escaped from whaling ships that visited the island in the 1800s. Once on Kosrae, the rats spread quickly. They likely ate the birds' eggs and young chicks, which caused the starling population to die out.
