Broad-billed Parrot - Extinction

Extinction

Because of its poor flying ability, large size and possibly confiding nature, the Broad-billed Parrot was easy prey for sailors who visited Mauritius, and their nests would have been extremely vulnerable to predation by introduced crab-eating macaques and rats. The bird is believed to have become extinct by the 1680s, when the palms it may have specialised in were harvested on a large scale. Unlike other parrot species, which were often taken as pets by sailors, there are no records of Broad-billed Parrots being transported from Mauritius, perhaps because of the stigma associated with ravens. The birds would not in any case have survived such a journey if they refused to eat anything but seeds.