This species was seen and described by J.R. Forster in 1773 on Tahiti; it has not been seen since. Feeding and breeding habits are unknown. As he supposedly bred on ground he was certainly extirpated by rats and cats.
Miller's Rail, Porzana nigra,
Known from two illustrations, one by Forster from Tahiti, French Polynesia,
from Cook's second voyage (1772-1775), and the other by Miller from 1784,
and by subsequent descriptions by Latham and Gmelin. Lysaght synonomised this taxon with Sooty Rail P. tabuensis. If it was a full species, it presumably became
extinct since that time.
Tahitian
Sandpiper, Prosobonia leucoptera (Gmelin, 1789), Torome, Tete.
It is known from the type only, collected by Forster and painted
by his son in 1773. The specimen is now in the National
Museum of Natural History of Leiden (Netherland) and the painting
in London. All that is known of the species's ecology is that Forster
noted that the birds occurred along highland streams. Its extinction was
probably caused by introduced rats.
White
winged Sandpiper, Prosobonia ellisi
Known only from two paintings (both in London), by Ellis and Webber,
each based on a specimen (both now lost) collected by Anderson on Moorea,
in the Society Islands, French Polynesia, during Cook's third voyage in
17771. Like Tahitian Sandpiper P. leucoptera, it presumably lived
along streams and was driven to extinction by introduced rats in the late
18th century. P. ellisi was historically considered a synonym
of P. leucoptera, but it has been shown to be a good species.
Most likely extinct. This species is known only from Nuku Hiva (P. m. mercieri one specimen collected in 1849) and Hiva Oa (P. m. tristami) in the Marquesas Islands ; it was apparently extinct on Hiva Oa by 1922 due to the predation by the introduced of the Great-Horned Owl Bubo virginianus.
30-35 cm (tail : 15 cm). It was found only in the forests of Tahiti, where the loud call was heard from far away in the valleys. We ignore all of its feeding or breeding habits. The Black-fronted Parakeet is only know from five specimen in several museum. Two are deposited at Liverpool and one at Tring Museum : they were collected during the voyages of captain James Cook in 1773. the fourth is at the National Muséum of Natural History in Paris and the fifth is in Perpignan. The last known specimen of this species was collected in 1844 on Tahiti (Taiarabou) by Lieutenant de Marolles.
Two specimens of this species were collected on Raiatea in the Society Islands in 1774 during captain Cook's second expedition. They are in deposit in London and Vienna. It has not been seen since, so we know nothing of its behaviour or habits.
Maupiti Monarch, Pomarea pomarea (Lesson 1828)
The bird is known only from the type (now lost), collected on Maupiti, Society Islands, by Blosseville in 1823 during the voyage of the ship "Coquille". It presumably became extinct soon after, because it has not been recorded since, and the Society Islands have lost most of their original vegetation and their avifauna has suffered greatly through competition and predation from introduced species. The taxon is a valid species and not conspecific with Tahiti Monarch P. nigra.
Bay
Thrush, Turdus ulietensis Gmelin, 1789.
A completely mysterious bird, only known from a painting by Forster (in the British Museum) and a description by Latham in 1789 of a (now lost) specimen collected from Raiatea in the Society Islands by J. Banks on June 1st 1774 during captain Cook's second expedition. Its taxonomic position is unresolvable, although for biogeographic reasons and with the discovery of fossils of the prehistorically extinct starling Aplonis diluvialis on neighboring Huahine, it seems more likely that this bird also belonged into this genus.
