Niue Night Heron

The Niue Night-Heron ( Nycticorax kalavikai ) is an extinct Night Heron, whose closest living relative of the Rotrückenreiher ( N. caledonicus ) is, as is clear from both the bone and the geographical proximity of the two species.

Finds

Bones of at least four individuals of this large flightless bird found by Trevor H. Worthy 1995 in Niue and first described by Steadman in 2000. They were loud radiocarbon dating 5300-3600 years old and thus 1500 years older than the oldest archaeological remains of human habitation. Thus, it is the first described Nycticorax Type of Polynesia. However, one of the Tonga Islands, three bones of extinct Nycticorax - type were also on Eua found. Also from the Mascarene Islands are three Nycticorax species are known, which were probably unable to fly and became extinct after the settlement by Polynesians. At Ascension, there was also the extinct Ascension Night Heron.

Physique

Of the living and consistently airworthy Nycticorax species, the extinct Niue Night Heron differed among other things, that his wing bones smaller and the leg bones were stronger.

Food and specific epithet

As Steadman suspected because of the diet other night heron that land crabs formed an important part of the food of the night heron, he chose the words kalavi ( land crab ) and kai ( food) from the language of Niue, in order to form the Artepithetum.

Reasons of extinction

The bones of the Niue Night Heron date from the time before the first human settlement by the Polynesians. Maybe hunting and habitat loss were the cause of the extinction of the Art