The New Zealand coot (Fulica prisca) is an extinct bird in the rail family, Rallidae, that was endemic to New Zealand. It was described in 1893 by New Zealand naturalist, ethnologist and museum director Augustus Hamilton, from material he had collected the previous year at Castle Rocks on the Ōreti River in Southland.[1] The Latin specific epithet prisca means "old", referring to its subfossil occurrence. Remains have subsequently been found at several sites in both North and South Islands.[2]
| New Zealand coot Temporal range: Holocene
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Fulica |
| Species: | F. prisca
|
| Binomial name | |
| Fulica prisca Hamilton, 1893
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Taxonomy
editThe New Zealand coot and the related Chatham coot (F. chathamensis) are classified as coots on the basis of anatomical features of the pelvis and humerus typical of the genus. There has been disagreement regarding the relationship between the two species. They have variously been considered full species, subspecies or lacking in taxonomic distinction. At one point a new genus, Nesophalaris, was proposed for them.[3] A review by Trevor Worthy and Richard Holdaway in 2002 recommended that both coots be treated as separate species.[4]
Description
editAlthough the coot's body proportions were similar to those of living coots, it was larger than most, at about 1.8 kg (4 lb) in weight and a length of 40 cm (16 in), though it was still probably able to fly. It was also more terrestrial, with its remains discovered in inland forests and subalpine regions as well as coastal wetlands. Its bones have also been found in early Maori middens in coastal Marlborough, and it is likely to have become extinct through over-hunting.[4]
References
edit- ^ "New Zealand Coot, Fulica prisca; lectotype". Collections Online. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ Millener, P.R. (1981). "The subfossil distribution of extinct New Zealand coots, Fulica chathamensis subspp. (Aves: Rallidae)" (PDF). Notornis. 28 (1): 1–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-31.
- ^ Millener, P.R. (1980). "The taxonomic state of New Zealand coots, Fulica chathamensis subspp. (Aves: Rallidae)" (PDF). Notornis. 27: 363–367. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-26.
- ^ a b Michaux, B. (2013). "New Zealand Coot". In Miskelly, C.M. (ed). New Zealand Birds Online. nzbirdsonline. Retrieved 2013-07-19.