Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species was endemic to the island of Rodrigues, Mauritius, but is now Extinct. It was last reported in 1761 and presumably went extinct soon after from a combination of deforestation, over-hunting, and introduced predators.
Population justification
None remain.
Trend justification
Little is known about the decline of this species, first mentioned in 1725-26, and reportedly rare by 1761 (Pingré 1763). The account by Pingré was the last record of the species, so it presumably became extinct shortly after from a combination of forest clearance, over-hunting, and predation by rats and cats (Hume 2017).
Necropsittacus rodricanus is known from Rodrigues, Mauritius, from several early travellers' reports (Cheke 1987) and a number of subfossil bones (Cowles 1987).
Nothing is known, though it is likely to have been a forest species. Early observations suggest the species mainly occupied the small islet to the south of Rodrigues, where they fed on small black seeds, visiting the mainland primarily to drink (Hume 2017).
The exact cause of extinction is uncertain, but deforestation, over-hunting, egg predation from rats, and predation by cats, are all thought to have contributed to its extinction (Hume 2017).
Text account compilers
Khwaja, N., Mahood, S., Brooks, T., Martin, R., Symes, A., Richardson, L.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Rodrigues Parrot Necropsittacus rodricanus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/rodrigues-parrot-necropsittacus-rodricanus on 22/11/2024.
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 22/11/2024.