Mascarene coot

The Mascarene coot (Fulica newtonii) is an extinct species of coot that inhabited the Mascarene islands of Mauritius and Réunion. Long known from subfossil bones found in the Mare aux Songes swamp on the former island, but only assumed from descriptions to also have been present on the latter, remains have more recently been found on Réunion also. Early travellers' reports from Mauritius were, in reverse, generally assumed to refer to common moorhens, but it seems that this species only colonized the island after the extinction of the endemic coot.

Mascarene coot
First known subfossils, 1867

Extinct (c.1700)  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Fulica
Species:
F. newtonii
Binomial name
Fulica newtonii
Location of Mauritius, where subfossils of this species have been found
Synonyms

Fulica newtoni (lapsus) Milne-Edwards, 1867
Palaeolimnas newtoni Forbes, 1893
Paludiphilus newtoni Hachisuka, 1953

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