Mauke Starling

Aplonis mavornata Buller, 1887

Mauke Starling, Aplonis mavornata, was a starling of Mauke in the Cook Islands, in eastern Polynesia, and it is now extinct. It was described by Buller in 1887 from the only known specimen. The bird was recorded as being seen on a tree, and the species is linked to the arrival of rats on the island. Its plumage was dull blackish overall, with paler brown edging on the feathers, especially on the body. The iris was yellow, and the feet and bill were dusky brownish, with the bill sometimes a little lighter.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Sturnidae — Starlings, Rhabdornises

Breeding range

Pacific Ocean: Mauke (e Cook Is., e Polynesia)