Newton's Parakeet - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Many endemic Mascarene birds are derived from South Asian ancestors, including the Dodo, and it has been proposed that it is true for the parrots as well. Sea levels were lower during the Pleistocene, so it was possible for species to "island hop" to the isolated islands. Of the about eight endemic Mascarene parrot species, all but one, the Mauritius Parakeet, have gone extinct. In spite of many of them being poorly known, fossil remains show that they shared features such as enlarged heads and jaws, reduced pectoral elements, and robust leg elements. Julian Hume has suggested their common origin is within the Psittaculini radiation, based on morphological features, and the fact that Psittacula parrots have managed to colonise many isolated islands in the Indian Ocean. This group may have invaded the area several times, as many of the species were so specialised that they may have diverged on hot spot islands before the Mascarenes emerged form the sea. However, a 2012 genetic study showed that the Mascarene Parrot was nested among the subspecies of the Lesser Vasa Parrot from Madagascar and nearby islands, and was therefore not related to the Psittacula parrots. This is surprising, due to its anatomical similarities with other Mascarene parrots that are believed to be Psittaculines.

The specific epithet exsul, "exiled", refers to the refugee François Leguat, who gave the first testimony of the bird. The last living bird was seen in 1875. Only two complete specimens and various subfossil bones survive.