Réunion Ibis

Réunion Ibis

The Reunion Ibis (Threskiornis solitarius) is an extinct species of ibis that was endemic to the island of Réunion, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

In the 19th century, accounts from the 17th and 18th centuries describing white "Solitaire" birds on Reunion with reduced flight capabilities were assumed to refer to white relatives of the Dodo, due to one account specifically mentioning Dodos, and because 17th century paintings of white Dodos had recently surfaced. The Reunion Solitaire was thus classified as a member of the pigeon subfamily raphinae, and even placed in the same genus as the Dodo by some authors. The discrepancies between the Dodo paintings and the contemporary accounts also lead some authors to believe that two distinct white raphine birds had lived on Reunion; one Dodo-like bird, and one species similar to the Rodrigues Solitaire.

No raphine fossils were ever found on Reunion, and it was later questioned whether the paintings had anything to do with the island. In the late 20th century, the discovery of a subfossil species of ibis lead to the idea that the accounts actually referred to this bird. This species had a relatively straight beak, and may have had difficulty flying. The ibis was classified as a member of the genus Threskiornis, of which it is the only known extinct species. Its closest relatives are the African Sacred Ibis and the Straw-necked Ibis.

Combined, the old accounts and subfossils show that the Reunion Ibis was mainly white, with this colour merging into yellow and grey. The wing tips were black, and so were the ostrich-like feathers covering its rear. The neck and legs were long, the beak was relatively straight and short for an ibis, and comparable to that of a Woodcock. Its diet was worms and other items foraged in soil. It had difficulty flying, a feature perhaps linked to seasonal fat-cycles. It lived in remote, mountainous areas, but this was perhaps a result of hunting by humans and their introduced animals, who arrived on the island in the 17th century. These factors are believed to have wiped out the Reunion Ibis by the early 18th century.