Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 4282 No. 3: 27 Jun. 2017
Type: Article
Published: 2017-06-27
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4282.3.9
Page range: 567–583
Abstract views: 193
PDF downloaded: 1

A new extinct species of large bullfinch (Aves: Fringillidae: Pyrrhula) from Graciosa Island (Azores, North Atlantic Ocean)

Finca Tenerosa. Camino El Rincón S/N. E-34480 Buenavista del Norte. Tenerife. Canary Islands.
Ulmenstr. 21, D–24223 Schwentinental (Germany).
Division of Birds, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20560.
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (Ce3C) and Azorean Biodiversity Group, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Capitão João d´Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira, Açores, Portugal.
Departament de Biodiversitat i Conservació, Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats, Cr Miquel Marquès 21, 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Balearic Islands (Spain).
Aves Fringillidae Pyrrhula

Abstract

A new species of extinct bullfinch, Pyrrhula crassa n. sp., is described from bones found in Furna do Calcinhas, a small cave situated at Caldeira, a volcano located in the southeastern portion of the Graciosa Island (Azores archipelago, North Atlantic Ocean). It is the first extinct passerine bird to be described from this archipelago. Both skull and post-cranial bones are larger in the new species than in its relatives, the Eurasian Bullfinch (P. pyrrhula) and the Azores Bullfinch or “Priolo” from São Miguel Island (P. murina), the new species being the largest known in this genus. The morphology of its humerus and the estimated wing length and surface area seem to indicate a flying ability similar to that of the extant P. murina. The possible sources of colonization of the genus into Azores, causes and chronology of extinction of the new species are discussed

 

References

  1. Alcover, J.A. & Florit, X. (1987) Una nueva especie de Carduelis (Fringillidae) de La Palma. Vieraea, 17, 75–86.

    Alcover, J.A., Pieper, H., Pereira, F. & Rando, J.C. (2015) Five new extinct species of rails (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from the Macaronesian Islands (North Atlantic Ocean). Zootaxa, 4057 (2), 151–190.
    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4057.2.1

    Alcover, J.A., Pieper, H., Pereira, F. & Rando, J.C. (2016) Rallus nanus nomen novum: a replacement name for Rallus minutus Alcover et al., 2015. Zootaxa, 4085 (1), 141–142.
    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4085.1.8

    Alcover, J.A., Rando, J.C., García-Talavera, F., Hutterer, R., Michaux, J., Trias, M. & Navarro, J.F. (2009) A reappraisal of the stratigraphy of Cueva del Llano (Fuerteventura) and the chronology of the House Mouse (Mus musculus) introduction into the Canary Islands. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 277, 184–190.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.03.016

    BirdLife International (2013) Pyrrhula murina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2013, e.T22720676A50432049.
    https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T22720676A50432049.en.

    Blyth, E. (1862) [Notes extracted from recent letters to editor.] Ibis, 4 (4), 387–390.

    Bock, W.J. (1966) An approach to the functional analysis of bill shape. The Auk, 83 (1), 10–51.
    https://doi.org/10.2307/4082976

    Borkhausen, M.B. (1793) Ornithologie von Oberhessen und der oberen Grafschaft Catzenelnbogen. Erstes Stück, enthaltend die Passeres und Gallinas Linnaei. Rheinisches Magazin zur Erweiterung der Naturkunde, 1, 135–225.

    Brisson, M.J. (1760) Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés : a laquelle on a joint une description exacte de chaque espece, avec les citations des auteurs qui en ont traité, les noms quils leur ont donnés, ceux que leur ont donnés les différentes nations, & les noms vulgaires. Vols. 1 & 3. Pyrrhula. Ad Ripam Augustinorum, apud Cl. Joannem-Baptistam Bauche, bibliopolam, ad Insigne S. Genovesae, & S. Joannis in Deserto, Parisiis, 36 pp. & 6 pp. (pp. 308–314).
    http://dx.doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.51902

    Díaz, M. (1994) Variability in seed size selection by granivorous passerines: effects of bird size, bird size variability, and ecological plasticity. Oecologia, 99, 1–6.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00317076

    Fox, A.D. (2006) Invasion of Bullfinches Pyrrhula pyrrhula in western Europe in 2004: a mix of local, ‘trumpeting’ birds and others of unknown origin. Bird Study, 53 (3), 294–302.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/00063650609461445

    França, Z., Cruz, J.V., Nunes, J.C. & Forjaz, V.H. (2003) Geologia dos Açores: uma perspectiva actual. Açoreana, 10, 11–140.

    Gabriel, S.I., Mathias, M.L. & Searle, J.B. (2015) Of mice and the ‘Age of Discovery’: the complex history of colonization of the Azorean archipelago by the house mouse (Mus musculus) as revealed by mitochondrial DNA variation. Evolutionary Biology, 28, 130–145.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.12550

    Genbrugge, A., Herrel, A., Boone, M., van Hoorebeke, L., Podos, J., Dirckx, J., Aerts, P. & Dominique, A. (2011) The head of the finch: the anatomy of the feeding system in two species of finches (Geospiza fortis and Padda oryzivora). Journal of Anatomy, 219, 676–695.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2011.01437.x.

    Godman, F. du C. (1866) Notes on the birds of the Azores. Ibis, 8 (1), 88–109.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1866.tb06076.x

    Grant, P.R. & Grant, B.R. (2007) How and Why Species Multiply. The Radiation of Darwin’s Finches. Princeton series in evolutionary biology, Princeton, 272 pp.

    Illera, J.C., Spurgin, L.G., Rodriguez-Exposito, E., Nogales, M. & Rando, J.C. (2016) What are We Learning about Speciation and Extinction from the Canary Islands? Ardeola, 63, 5–23.
    https://doi.org/10.13157/arla.63.1.2016.rp1

    Illera, J.C., Rando, J.C., Richardson, D.S. & Emerson, B.C. (2012) Age, origin and extinctions of the avifauna of Macaronesia: a synthesis of phylogenetic and fossil information. Quaternary Science Reviews, 50, 14–22.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.07.013

    Kessler, E. (2013) Neogene songbirds (Aves: Passeriformes) from Hungary. Hantkeniana, 8, 37–149.

    Linnaeus, C. (1758) Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Impenis direct Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae, 588 pp.

    Livezey, B.C. & Zusi, R.L. (2006) Phylogeny of Neornithes. Bulletin of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 37, 1–544.
    https://doi.org/10.2992/0145-9058(2006)37[1:PON]2.0.CO;2

    Moreno, E. (1984) Clave osteológica para la identificación de los Passeriformes ibéricos. I. Aegithalidae, Remizidae, Paridae, Emberizidae, Passeridae, Fringillidae, Alaudidae. Ardeola, 32, 295–377.

    Newton, I. (1972) Finches. Collins, London, 288 pp.

    Nuijens, F.W. & Zweers, G.A. (1997) Characters discriminating two seed husking mechanisms in finches (Fringillidae: Carduelinae) and estrildids (Passeridae: Estrildinae). Journal of Morphology, 232, 1–33.
    https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4687(199704)232:1<1::AID-JMOR1>3.0.CO;2-G

    Olmos, M., Casinos, A. & Cubo, J. (1996) Limb allometry in birds. Annales des Sciences Naturelles - Zoologie et Biologie Animale, 17, 39–49.

    Pennington, M.G. & Meek, E.R. (2006) The ‘Northern Bullfinch’ invasion of autumn 2004. British Birds, 99, 2–24.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/00063650609461445

    Pieper, H. (1985) The fossil land birds of Madeira and Porto Santo. Bocagiana, 88, 1–6.

    Ramos, J.A. (1998) Biometrics, weights, breeding and moulting seasons of passerines in an Azores cloud forest. Ringing & Migration, 19, 17-22.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.1998.9674157

    Rando, J.C., López, M. & Seguí, B. (1999) A new species of extinct flightless passerine (Emberizidae: Emberiza) from the Canary Islands. Condor, 101, 1–13.
    https://doi.org/10.2307/1370440

    Rando J.C., Alcover, J.A. & Illera, J.C. (2010) Disentangling ancient interactions: A new extinct passerine provides insights on character displacement among extinct and extant island finches. PLoS ONE, 5 (9), e12956.
    https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0012956

    Rando, J.C., Pieper, H., Alcover, J.A. & Olson, S.L. (2012) A new species of extinct fossil scops owl (Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae: Otus) from the Archipelago of Madeira (North Atlantic Ocean). Zootaxa, 3182, 29–42.

    Rando, J.C., Alcover, J.A., Olson, S.L & Pieper, H. (2013) A new species of extinct scops owl (Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae: Otus) from São Miguel Island (Azores Archipelago, North Atlantic Ocean). Zootaxa, 3647 (2), 343–357.
    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.6

    Rando, J.C., Pieper, H. & Alcover, J.A. (2014) Radiocarbon evidence for house mouse presence on Madeira Island (North Atlantic) one millennium ago. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281, 20133126.
    https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.3126

    Sangster, G., Rodríguez-Godoy, F., Roselaar, C.S., Robb, M.S. & Luksenburg, J.A. (2015) Integrative taxonomy reveals Europe’s rarest songbird species, the Gran Canaria blue chaffinch Fringilla polatzeki. Journal of Avian Biology, 46, 1–8.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.00825

    Snow, D.W. & Perrins, C.M. (1998) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise Edition. Vol. 2. Passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 685 pp.

    Terzopoulou, S., Rigal, F., Whittaker, R.J., Borges, P.A.V. & Triantis, K.A. (2015) Drivers of extinction: the case of Azorean beetles. Biology Letters, 11, 20150273.
    https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0273

    Vigors, N.A. (1825) Affinities that connect the Orders and Families of Birds. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 14, 395–517.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1823.tb00098.x