Hoopoe starling
| Hoopoe starling | |
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| Only known life drawing, showing the natural position of the crest, by Paul Jossigny, early 1770s | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sturnidae |
| Genus: |
†Fregilupus Lesson, 1831 |
| Species: | †F. varius |
| Binomial name | |
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Fregilupus varius (Boddaert, 1783) |
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| Location of Réunion (circled) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The hoopoe starling, also known as the Réunion starling or Bourbon crested starling (Fregilupus varius), is a species of starling which lived on the Mascarene island of Réunion, and became extinct in the 1850s. Its closest relatives were the Rodrigues starling and the Mauritius starling from nearby islands, and the three apparently originated in Southeast Asia. The bird was first mentioned during the 17th century and was long thought to be related to the hoopoe, from which its name is derived. Although a number of affinities have been proposed, it was confirmed as a starling in a DNA study.
The hoopoe starling was 30 cm (12 in) in length. Its plumage was primarily white and grey, with its back, wings and tail a darker brown and grey. It had a light, mobile crest, which curled forwards. The bird is thought to have been sexually dimorphic, with males larger and having more curved beaks. The juveniles were more brown than the adults. Little is known about hoopoe starling behaviour. Reportedly living in large flocks, it inhabited humid areas and marshes. The hoopoe starling was omnivorous, feeding on plant matter and insects. Its pelvis was robust, its feet and claws large, and its jaws strong, indicating that it foraged near the ground.
The birds were hunted by settlers on Réunion, who also kept them as cagebirds. Nineteen specimens exist in museums around the world. The hoopoe starling was reported to be in decline by the early 19th century, and was probably extinct before the 1860s. A number of factors have been proposed, including competition and predation by introduced species, disease, deforestation and persecution by humans, who hunted it for food and as an alleged crop pest.
The first account thought to mention the hoopoe starling is a 1658 list of birds of Madagascar written by French governor Étienne de Flacourt. Although he mentioned a black-and-grey "tivouch" or hoopoe, later authors have wondered whether this referred to the hoopoe starling or the Madagascan subspecies of hoopoe (Upupa epops marginata), though that bird resembles the Eurasian subspecies. The hoopoe starling was first noted on the Mascarene island of Réunion (then called "Bourbon") by Père Vachet in 1669, but was not described in detail until Sieur Dubois's 1674 account:
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