Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species was found in the Seychelles, but it is now Extinct as a result of hunting pressure. The last known individuals were shot in 1893, and none were found on a survey in 1906.
Population justification
None remain.
Trend justification
The species was considered abundant in 1811 (Prior 1820), but was considered 'practically exterminated' in 1866 due to widespread deforestation for cocoa-nut plantations, and the persecution of the species due to its preference for maize (Newton 1867). The birds were apparently still present in 1870 when skins were sent to Cambridge, with further skins collected in 1881 (Hume 2017). The last record of the species was of a bird shot in March 1893 (Skerret et al. 2001). The species was not seen 1906 (Nicoll 1908) nor during a visit to the Seychelles by Vesey-Fitzgerald between 1931 and 1936 (Hume 2017). Therefore, it appears unlikely that the species persisted into the 20th century, with deforestation and persecution the likely causes of its extinction.
Psittacula wardi was endemic to Mahé and Silhouette, Seychelles, with a sight record from Praslin (Hume 2017).
It was reportedly a bird of native forest, but adapted to open, cultivated areas once forest was cleared (Hume 2017). The species was seen in flocks, feeding on fruits and seeds, such as cultivated maize (Newton 1867, Skerrett et al. 2001).
Clearance of forest for coconut plantations and shooting and trapping (in particular, to protect maize crops) were the main causes of the species' demise (Forshaw and Cooper 1989, Hume 2017). There are also records of the species from captivity (Hume 2017), so taking the bird as a display animal also likely contributed to its extinction.
Text account compilers
Mahood, S., Khwaja, N., Martin, R., Brooks, T., Richardson, L.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Seychelles Parakeet Palaeornis wardi. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/seychelles-parakeet-palaeornis-wardi 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.