Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species was endemic to Mauritius, and was heavily hunted, which is thought to have caused its disappearance. It was last recorded in 1693, when it was said to be rare, and could not be found by 1698. This species is Extinct.
Population justification
No extant population remains.
This species was endemic to Mauritius (Cheke 1987). Although the only specimens of the species are two carpometacarpus (wing-bones) and an incomplete pelvis (Newton and Gadow 1893, Cowles 1987), it is known from numerous travellers' reports, such as Johannes Pretorius' 17th century report describing the various birds native to the island (Hume and Winters 2016). By 1693, the species was rare and, by 1698, it was presumed extinct (Cheke 1987).
In 1681, it was noted to be plentiful "in the woods or dry ponds" (Cheke 1987).
The species was described as being hunted in J. Pretorius' account (Hume and Winters 2016), presumably quite heavily as it was described by J. Marshall in the 17th century as "not large, but fat and good [to eat]" (Cheke and Hume 2008). It is also considered to have been predated on by introduced mammals, particularly cats (Hume 2017).
Text account compilers
Rutherford, C.A.
Contributors
Brooks, T., Khwaja, N. & Mahood, S.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Mauritius Shelduck Alopochen mauritiana. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/mauritius-shelduck-alopochen-mauritiana on 23/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/12/2024.