Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species was known from Moorea, French Polynesia, but it has not been recorded since its collection in 1777 and is now Extinct. Predation by introduced rats is thought to have been the primary cause.
Population justification
No extant population remains.
Trend justification
This species is known only from two illustrations, and is assumed to have gone extinct due to habitat destruction and introduced predators, likely sometime in the 18th century (Hume 2017).
Prosobonia ellisi is known only from two paintings (both in London), by Ellis and Webber, each based on a specimen (both now lost) collected by Anderson on Moorea, in the Society Islands, French Polynesia, during Cook's third voyage in 1777 (Walters 1994).
Like Tahitian Sandpiper (P. leucoptera), it presumably lived along streams.
It was presumably driven to extinction by introduced rats in the late 18th century (Walters 1994). Habitat destruction may have also played a role, as introduced pigs and goats may have grazed along streams and degraded their preferred habitat (Hume 2017).
Text account compilers
Vine, J.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Moorea Sandpiper Prosobonia ellisi. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/moorea-sandpiper-prosobonia-ellisi on 22/12/2024.
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 22/12/2024.