St Bathans pigeon

Rupephaps taketake Worthy T., Hand, Worthy J., Tennyson & Scofield, 2009

Order: Columbiformes

Family: Columbidae

New Zealand status: Endemic

Conservation status: Extinct

Other names: Saint Bathans pigeon

 
 
 
St Bathans pigeon. Holotype (coracoid), S.051259, Te Papa. St Bathans. Image © Te Papa

St Bathans pigeon. Holotype (coracoid), S.051259, Te Papa. St Bathans. Image © Te Papa

The St Bathans pigeon was originally described from a single coracoid recovered from 19-16 million-year-old (Early Miocene) lake-bed deposits along the true left bank of the Manuherikia River, St Bathans, central Otago. A right tarsometatarsus subsequently found in the same deposit was referred to the same species in 2018.

The St Bathans pigeon was slightly smaller than a kererū (New Zealand pigeon), and belonged to the same lineage of large fruit doves within the ‘fruit dove group’ (Ptilinopinae) as the kererū. However, it was possibly equally related to Indonesian/Melanesian mountain pigeons (Gymnophaps) and the Australian topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus), which are sister taxa to kererū (i.e. Rupephaps lies outside this combined clade). It is therefore likely that the kererū was derived from a shared Australian, Pacific or south-east Asian ancestor, rather than evolving in situ from Rupephaps.

The genus name is based on ‘Rupe’, a Māori and Polynesian name for pigeons, and ‘phaps’, which is a Greek noun for ‘wild pigeon’. The species name taketake is based on a Māori word meaning ancient or original.

The holotype coracoid (NMNZ S.51259) is held at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the referred tarsometatarsus (CM 2013.18.915) is held at Canterbury Museum.

Weblink

Te Ara

References

De Pietri, V.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Hand, S.J.; Worthy, T.H. 2018. The diversity of early Miocene pigeons (Columbidae) in New Zealand. Pp 49–68. In: Acosta Hospitaleche, C.; Agnolin, F.L.; Haidr, N.; Noriega, J.I.; Tambussi, C.P. (Eds) Paleontología y Evolución de las Aves. Proceedings of the 9th International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution. Contribuciones del MACN 7, 2017.

Worthy, T.H.; Hand, S.J.; Worthy, J.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Scofield, R.P. 2009. A large fruit pigeon (Columbidae) from the Early Miocene of New Zealand. Auk 126: 649-656.

Worthy, T.H.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Jones, C.; McNamara, J.A.; Douglas, B.J. 2007. Miocene waterfowl and other birds from central Otago, New Zealand. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 5: 1-39.

Recommended citation

Miskelly, C.M. 2013 [updated 2022]. St Bathans pigeon. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

St Bathans pigeon

Breeding season
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
Egg laying dates
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun