| Bountyphaps Temporal range:Holocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | †Bountyphaps Worthy and Wragg 2008 |
| Species: | †B. obsoleta |
| Binomial name | |
| †Bountyphaps obsoleta Worthy & Wragg, 2008 | |
Bountyphaps obsoleta is anextinct species ofpigeon. It was described in 2008 as a newgenus (Bountyphaps) andspecies fromsubfossil remains found onHenderson Island in thePitcairn Group of southeasternPolynesia. Additionally, an indeterminate species, possibly the same asB. obsoleta, has been found in theGambier archipelago.[1]
The genus was named for both the shipHMSBounty with which, following the famousmutiny, Europeans first discovered the Pitcairn Islands, and for the former bounty the bird provided as food; with theGreekphaps (wild pigeon).[2] The specific epithet comes from theLatin adjective for "extinct" or "forgotten about".[3]
The species was a large pigeon, comparable in size to large species ofColumba orDucula, and larger than the other three species of pigeon it coexisted with on the island. It had relatively small wings for its body size, suggesting that it was a weak flier, though not flightless. It was described from 18 bones from fourarchaeological sites on Henderson Island, mainly from earlyPolynesianmiddens. The affinities of the new genus are uncertain, but comparisons with other taxa suggest that, among living species, it is most closely related to theNicobar pigeon or thetooth-billed pigeon — and, by extension, thedodo.[4]
The pigeon became extinct following human colonisation of Henderson, an event that had occurred by 1050CE. Two of the other three species of pigeon on the island also disappeared, as did other birds.[4]
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