Scolopax anthonyi facts for kids

The Scolopax anthonyi was a type of woodcock that lived a very long time ago. It was a bird that could only be found on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. This means it was endemic to Puerto Rico.

Scientists first thought the bones of this bird belonged to a different type of bird called a snipe. But in 1976, they looked at the bones again. They then realized the bones were from a woodcock. This woodcock is now extinct, meaning it no longer lives on Earth.

This ancient Puerto Rican woodcock was more like the Eurasian woodcock than the American woodcock. It was also similar to another extinct woodcock from Hispaniola, called Scolopax brachycarpa. Scientists think these two extinct woodcocks might have been part of a special group of birds that lived only on Caribbean islands.

About the Puerto Rican Woodcock

The Scolopax anthonyi had smaller wings than other woodcocks. This suggests it spent more time on the ground. It probably lived in forests, just like woodcocks do today. We don't know exactly why this bird became extinct.

See also

• Chocha puertorriqueña para niños (in Spanish)