Rodrigues solitaire: Difference between revisions

| status_system = IUCN2.3

| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Pezophaps solitaria'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T22690062A93259685 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22690062A93259685.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>

| display_parents = 2

| genus = Pezophaps

The '''Rodrigues solitaire''' ('''''Pezophaps solitaria''''') is an [[extinct]] [[flightless bird]] that was [[endemism|endemic]] to the island of [[Rodrigues]], east of [[Madagascar]] in the Indian Ocean. Genetically within the family of [[Columbidae|pigeons and doves]], it was most closely related to the also extinct [[dodo]] of the nearby island [[Mauritius#Mauritius_Island|Mauritius]], the two forming the subfamily [[Raphinae]]. The [[Nicobar pigeon]] is their closest living genetic relative.

 

 

First mentioned during the 17th century, the Rodrigues solitaire was described in detail by [[François Leguat]], the leader of a group of [[French Huguenot]] refugees who were [[marooning|marooned]] on Rodrigues in 1691–1693. It was hunted by humans and [[introduced animals]], and was extinct by the late 18th century. Apart from Leguat's account and drawing, and a few other contemporary descriptions, nothing was known about the bird until a few [[subfossil]] bones were found in a cave in 1786. Thousands of bones have subsequently been excavated. It is the only extinct bird with a [[Former constellations|former constellation]] named after it, [[Turdus Solitarius]].

The French explorer [[François Leguat]] was the first to refer to the bird as the "solitaire" (referring to its solitary habits), but it has been suggested that he borrowed the name from a 1689 [[Tract (literature)|tract]] by his sponsor Marquis Henri Duquesne, which used the name "solitaire" in reference to the [[Réunion ibis]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.3366/anh.2004.31.1.57 |last1= Hume |first1= J. P. |last2= Cheke |first2= A. S. |year= 2004 |title= The white dodo of Réunion Island: Unravelling a scientific and historical myth |journal= Archives of Natural History |volume= 31 |issue= 1 |pages= 57–79 |url= http://julianhume.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Hume-and-Cheke-no-illustrations.pdf }}</ref> The bird was first scientifically named in 1789 as a [[species]] of dodo (''Didus solitarius'', based on Leguat's description) by the German naturalist [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] in the thirteenth edition of ''[[Systema Naturae]]''.<ref name="NewtonNewton1869">{{cite journal |doi= 10.1098/rstl.1869.0011 |last1= Newton |first1= Alfred |last2= Newton |first2= Edward |date= 1 January 1869 |title= On the Osteology of the Solitaire or Didine Bird of the Island of Rodriguez, ''Pezophaps solitaria'' (Gmel) |journal= Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London |volume= 159 |pages= 327–362 |doi-access= free }} {{free access}} </ref> In 1786, subfossil Rodrigues solitaire bones encrusted in [[stalagmite]] were discovered in a cave and sent to the French naturalist [[Georges Cuvier]] in about 1830. For unknown reasons, he stated they had recently been found on [[Mauritius]], which caused confusion, until they were compared with other bones from Rodrigues that were found to belong to the same species.<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1080/08912963.2014.886203 |url= http://julianhume.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Hume-et-al.-Bone-collectors1.pdf |title= In the footsteps of the bone collectors: Nineteenth-century cave exploration on Rodrigues Island, Indian Ocean |journal= Historical Biology |volume= 27 |issue= 2 |pages= 1 |year= 2014 |last1= Hume |first1= J. P. |last2= Steel |first2= L. |last3= André |first3= A. A. |last4= Meunier |first4= A.|s2cid= 128901896 }}</ref>

 

 

[[File:Pezophaps stalagmite.jpg|thumb|left|The first [[stalagmite]]-encrusted remains of this bird known by 1848|alt=Rodrigues solitaire bones]]

|label1=

|1={{clade

|1=''[[Goura victoria]]'' (Victoria crowned pigeon)

|2={{clade

|1=''[[Caloenas nicobarica]]'' (Nicobar pigeon)

|2={{clade

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

 

The 2002 study indicated that the ancestors of the Rodrigues solitaire and the dodo diverged around the [[Paleogene]]–[[Neogene]] boundary. The [[Mascarene Islands]] (Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues), are of [[volcano|volcanic]] origin and are less than 10 million years old. Therefore, the ancestors of both birds probably remained capable of flight for a considerable time after the separation of their [[lineage (evolution)|lineage]].<ref>{{cite book| last1= Cheke| first1= A. S.| last2= Hume| first2= J. P.| year= 2008| title= Lost Land of the Dodo: an Ecological History of Mauritius, Réunion & Rodrigues| publisher= T. & A. D. Poyser| location= New Haven and London| isbn= 978-0-7136-6544-4| pages= 70–71}}</ref> The Nicobar and spotted green pigeon were placed at the base of a lineage leading to the Raphinae, which indicates the flightless raphines had ancestors that were able to fly, were semi-terrestrial, and inhabited islands. This in turn supports the hypothesis that the ancestors of those birds reached the Mascarene islands by [[island hopping]] from South Asia.<ref name="Spotted green pigeon"/> The lack of [[mammal]]ian [[herbivore]]s competing for resources on these islands allowed the solitaire and the dodo to attain [[island gigantism|very large sizes]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1086/316701 |last= McNab |first= B. K. |year= 1999 |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12779859 |title= On the Comparative Ecological and Evolutionary Significance of Total and Mass-Specific Rates of Metabolism |journal= Physiological and Biochemical Zoology |volume= 72 |issue= 5 |pages= 642–644 |jstor= 10.1086/316701 |pmid= 10521332 |s2cid= 28619917 }}</ref> The dodo lost the ability to fly owing to the lack of mammalian predators on Mauritius.<ref>{{cite book| last= Fuller| first= E.| author-link= Errol Fuller| year= 2001| title= Extinct Birds| publisher= Comstock| edition= revised| location= New York| isbn= 978-0-8014-3954-4| pages= 37–39}}</ref> Another large, flightless pigeon, the [[Viti Levu giant pigeon]] (''Natunaornis gigoura''), was described in 2001 from [[subfossil]] material from [[Fiji]]. It was only slightly smaller than the Rodrigues solitaire and the dodo, and it too is thought to have been related to the crowned pigeons.<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1080/03014223.2001.9517673 |last= Worthy |first= T. H. |year= 2001 |title= A giant flightless pigeon gen. Et sp. Nov. And a new species of ''Ducula'' (Aves: Columbidae), from Quaternary deposits in Fiji |journal= Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand |volume= 31 |issue= 4 |pages= 763–794 |bibcode= 2001JRSNZ..31..763W |s2cid= 83708873 }} {{free access}} </ref>

The beak of the Rodrigues solitaire was slightly hooked, and its neck and legs were long.<ref name="Rothschild1907p177">{{cite book| last= Rothschild| first= W.| author-link= Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild| year= 1907| title= Extinct Birds| publisher= Hutchinson & Co| location= London| url= https://archive.org/stream/extinctbirdsatte00roth#page/176/mode/2up| pages= 177–179}}</ref> One observer described it as the size of a swan.<ref name="Fuller2001">{{cite book| last= Fuller| first= E.| author-link= Errol Fuller| year= 2001| title= Extinct Birds| publisher= Comstock| edition= revised| location= New York| isbn= 978-0-8014-3954-4| pages= 203–205}}</ref> The skull was {{convert|170|mm|abbr=on}} long, flattened at the top with the fore and hind parts elevated into two bony ridges structured with [[cancellous bone]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1098/rspl.1867.0091 |last1= Newton |first1= Alfred |last2= Newton |first2= Edward |year= 1867 |title= On the Osteology of the Solitaire or Didine Bird of the Island of Rodriguez, ''Pezophaps solitaria'' (Gmel.) |journal= Proceedings of the Royal Society of London |volume= 16 |pages= 428–433 |doi-access= free }} {{free access}} </ref> A black band (a contemporary description described it as a "frontlet") appeared on its head just behind the base of the beak. The [[plumage]] of the Rodrigues solitaire was described as grey and brown. Females were paler than males and had {{nowrap|light-coloured}} elevations on the lower neck.<ref name="Fuller2001"/>

 

 

Members of both sexes possessed a large tuberous knob of bone [[exostosis]] situated at the base of the [[carpometacarpus]] of each [[wrist]]. Other wing bones also sometimes show similar structures. The knob was [[cauliflower]]-like in appearance, and consisted of up to two or three lobes. The knobs were about half the length of the metacarpus, were larger in males than females, and described as the size of a [[musket ball]]. One study measured the largest knob to be {{convert|32.9|mm}} in diameter. The knobs vary in size across individuals, and were entirely absent from 58% of specimens examined for the study. These are thought to be immature birds, or birds without territory. The carpometacarpi of males without the knobs were smaller on average than those with it, but there was little difference between the females. In life, the knobs would have been covered by tough [[cartilaginous]] or [[keratinous]] [[integument]], which would have made them appear even larger. Carpal spurs and knobs are also known from other extant as well as extinct birds. Within Columbidae, the crowned pigeons and the Viti Levu giant pigeon have outgrowths on the carpometacarpus which are similar to those of the female Rodrigues solitaire. Other well known examples are the [[steamer duck]]s, the [[torrent duck]], [[sheathbill]]s, [[screamer]]s, the [[spur-winged goose]], and the extinct [[Jamaican ibis]], ''Xenicibis xympithecus''.<ref name="HumeSteel2013"/>

[[File:Pezophaps solitaria - 2.jpg|thumb|Skeletons of a female and a male, [[Hunterian Museum]]]]

Apart from Leguat's rather simple depiction, the life appearance of the Rodrigues solitaire is only known from a handful of descriptions; no soft-tissue remains survive.<ref name="HumeWalters2012p137"/> Leguat devoted three pages of his memoirs to the Rodrigues solitaire, and was clearly impressed by the bird.<ref name="ChekeHume2008p45">{{cite book| last1= Cheke| first1= A. S.| last2= Hume| first2= J. P.| year= 2008| title= Lost Land of the Dodo: an Ecological History of Mauritius, Réunion & Rodrigues| publisher= T. & A. D. Poyser| location= New Haven and London| isbn= 978-0-7136-6544-4| page=45}}</ref> He described its appearance as follows:

 

Several of Leguat's observations were later confirmed through study of subfossil Rodrigues solitaire remains. The curved contour lines of the pelvis also support the roundness of its hind parts, which he compared to that of a horse. Also, a ridged surface appears at the base of the beak, indicating the position of the caruncular ridge, which Leguat described as a "[[widow's peak]]".<ref name="NewtonNewton1869"/> Before fossils of the carpal knob were found, Strickland noted that the keel of the sternum of the Rodrigues solitaire was so well-developed as to almost indicate it had possessed the power of flight; however, since the [[humerus]] was very short he inferred that this was instead related to Leguat's claim that they used their wings for defence.<ref name="StricklandMelville1848p46"/>

 

Leguat continued with an elaborate description of the female Rodrigues solitaire, which also appears to be the sex depicted in his illustration of the bird:

It has been proposed that Leguat's comparison between the crop of the female Rodrigues solitaire and the "beautiful [[bosom]] of a woman" (changed to "fine neck" in some editions of his memoirs) was out of longing for female companionship.<ref name="ChekeHume2008p45"/><ref name="Fuller2002"/>

 

Tafforet's account confirms Leguat's description of reproductive behaviour, adding that Rodrigues solitaires would even attack humans approaching their chicks:

{{quote|They do not fly at all, having no feathers to their wings, but they flap them, and make a great noise with their wings when angry, and the noise is something like thunder in the distance. They only ly, as I am led to suppose, but once in the year, and only one egg. Not that I have seen their eggs, for I have not been able to discover where they lay. But I have never seen but one little one alone with them, and, if any one tried to approach it, they would bite him very severely. These birds live on seeds and leaves of trees, which they pick up on the ground. They have a gizzard larger than the fist, and what is surprising is that there is found in it a stone of the size of a henn's egg, of oval shape, a little flattened, although this animal cannot swallow anything larger than a small cherry-stone. I have eaten them: they are tolerably well tasted.<ref name="Rothschild1907p177"/>}}

 

==Relationship with humans==

{{Birds|state=collapsed}}

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