Ua Pou monarch

Ua Pou monarch

Critically endangered, possibly extinct  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Monarchidae
Genus: Pomarea
Species: P. mira
Binomial name
Pomarea mira
Murphy & Mathews, 1928

The Ua Pou monarch (Pomarea mira) is a species of bird in the Monarchidae family endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

Taxonomy and Systematics

The Ua Pou monarch was formerly considered as a subspecies of P. mendozae until elevated to species rank by the IOC in 2012.[2]

Status

It was considered extinct due to habitat loss, having last been observed in 1975 and not located on intensive searches in 1998 and 1999. However, in 2010 an unconfirmed but convincing report of a male was observed on Ua Pou and based on this possible rediscovery, the status was reverted in 2013 to critically endangered and possibly extinct.[3] If indeed still extant, the remaining population would be very small, certainly less than fifty.[4]

References


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