Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species was formerly found on St Helena. It is now Extinct, presumably as a result of island deforestation in the which began in the early 16th century.
Population justification
The species is considered Extinct.
Trend justification
Little is known about this species. It has been extinct since the early 16th century, likely as a result of deforestation which began once humans arrived at the beginning of the 16th century (Hume 2017).
Nannococcyx psix was described from St Helena (to UK) from a single fragment of a humerus (Hume 2017).
The species presumably occupied forest, which would explain its rapid decline after human deforestation of the island (Hume 2017). The species was a diminutive cuckoo, which suggests it parasitised parents of a small forest passerine, that is also likely extinct (Rowlands et al. 1998).
Its extinction is likely to have occurred as a result of the deforestation of the island (Hume 2017).
Text account compilers
Khwaja, N., Mahood, S., Martin, R., Brooks, T., Richardson, L.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Saint Helena Cuckoo Nannococcyx psix. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/saint-helena-cuckoo-nannococcyx-psix 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.