"60 years, the first proper sugar was produced. It was during the French and English administration that sugar production was fully exploited, which considerably contributed to the economical development of the island. It was Pierre Charles François Harel who in 1850 initially proposed the concept of local distillation of rum in Mauritius. In part due to his efforts, Mauritius today houses four distilleries (Grays, Medine, Chamarel and St Aubin) and is in the process of opening an additional three. When it was discovered, the island of Mauritius was the home of a previously unknown species of bird, the dodo. Dodos"
"Clark wrote that the bird was extinct. Mauritius owl The extinct Mauritius owl (""Mascarenotus sauzieri""), also called Commerson's, Sauzier's or Newton's owl, was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius. It is known from a collection of subfossil bones from the Mare aux Songes swamp, a detailed sketch made by de Jossigny in 1770, a no less detailed description by Desjardins of a bird shot in 1836, and a number of brief reports about owls, the first being those of Van Westzanen in 1602 and Matelief in 1606. No descriptions of owls were recorded between the mid-17th and the late"
"Dodo The dodo (""Raphus cucullatus"") is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest genetic relative was the also extinct Rodrigues solitaire, the two forming the subfamily Raphinae of the family of pigeons and doves. The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon. A white dodo was once thought to have existed on the nearby island of Réunion, but this is now thought to have been confusion based on the Réunion ibis and paintings of white dodos. Subfossil remains show the dodo was"
"the Mauritius blue pigeon became extinct in the 1830s. Apart from habitat destruction and hunting, introduced predators, mainly crab-eating macaques, were probably also responsible. Citations Sources Mauritius blue pigeon The Mauritius blue pigeon (""Alectroenas nitidissimus"") is an extinct species of blue pigeon formerly endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. It has two extinct relatives from the Mascarenes and three extant ones from other islands. It is the type species of the genus of blue pigeons, ""Alectroenas"". It had white hackles around the head, neck and breast and blue plumage on the body,"
"Mauritius was entirely covered in forests, but very little remains of them today, because of deforestation. The surviving endemic fauna is still seriously threatened. The dodo lived alongside other recently extinct Mauritian birds such as the flightless red rail, the broad-billed parrot, the Mascarene grey parakeet, the Mauritius blue pigeon, the Mauritius owl, the Mascarene coot, the Mauritian shelduck, the Mauritian duck, and the Mauritius night heron. Extinct Mauritian reptiles include the saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise, the domed Mauritius giant tortoise, the Mauritian giant skink, and the Round Island burrowing boa. The small Mauritian flying fox and the snail ""Tropidophora"
"governor Deodati declared them to be extinct. Mauritius sheldgoose The Mauritius sheldgoose (""Alopochen mauritiana""), also known at the Mauritian shelduck is an extinct species of goose from Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Egyptian goose. Known from one or two subfossil carpometacarpus bones from the Mare aux Songes swamp and a few descriptions, this bird was about the size of a brant goose. Its appearance is unknown, except that its wings showed the typical color pattern of shelducks. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Malagasy shelduck; in this case it would become the nominate subspecies, as ""Alopochen"
"Mauritius sheldgoose The Mauritius sheldgoose (""Alopochen mauritiana""), also known at the Mauritian shelduck is an extinct species of goose from Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Egyptian goose. Known from one or two subfossil carpometacarpus bones from the Mare aux Songes swamp and a few descriptions, this bird was about the size of a brant goose. Its appearance is unknown, except that its wings showed the typical color pattern of shelducks. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Malagasy shelduck; in this case it would become the nominate subspecies, as ""Alopochen mauritianus mauritianus"". Sometimes even in scholarly sources"
"such as the dodo, the red rail, the Mascarene grey parakeet, the Mauritius blue pigeon, the Mauritius owl, the Mascarene coot, the Mauritian shelduck, the Mauritian duck, and the Mauritius night heron. Extinct Mauritian reptiles include the saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise, the domed Mauritius giant tortoise, the Mauritian giant skink, and the Round Island burrowing boa. The small Mauritian flying fox and the snail ""Tropidophora carinata"" lived on Mauritius and Réunion but became extinct in both islands. Some plants, such as ""Casearia tinifolia"" and the palm orchid, have also become extinct. Species that are morphologically similar to the broad-billed parrot,"
"Mauritius owl The extinct Mauritius owl (""Mascarenotus sauzieri""), also called Commerson's, Sauzier's or Newton's owl, was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius. It is known from a collection of subfossil bones from the Mare aux Songes swamp, a detailed sketch made by de Jossigny in 1770, a no less detailed description by Desjardins of a bird shot in 1836, and a number of brief reports about owls, the first being those of Van Westzanen in 1602 and Matelief in 1606. No descriptions of owls were recorded between the mid-17th and the late 18th century. This led to considerable confusion,"
"remains today due to deforestation. The surviving endemic fauna is still seriously threatened. The red rail lived alongside other recently extinct Mauritian birds such as the dodo, the broad-billed parrot, the Mascarene grey parakeet, the Mauritius blue pigeon, the Mauritius owl, the Mascarene coot, the Mauritian shelduck, the Mauritian duck, and the Mauritius night heron. Extinct Mauritian reptiles include the saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise, the domed Mauritius giant tortoise, the Mauritian giant skink, and the Round Island burrowing boa. The small Mauritian flying fox and the snail ""Tropidophora carinata"" lived on Mauritius and Réunion, but became extinct in both islands."
"Mauritius blue pigeon The Mauritius blue pigeon (""Alectroenas nitidissimus"") is an extinct species of blue pigeon formerly endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. It has two extinct relatives from the Mascarenes and three extant ones from other islands. It is the type species of the genus of blue pigeons, ""Alectroenas"". It had white hackles around the head, neck and breast and blue plumage on the body, and it was red on the tail and the bare parts of the head. These colours were thought similar to those of the Dutch flag, a"
"Echo parakeet The echo parakeet or Mauritius parakeet (""Psittacula eques""), is a species of parrot endemic to the Mascarene Island of Mauritius in the southern Indian Ocean. It is the only extant parrot of the Mascarene islands; all others have become extinct due to human activity. The extinct Réunion parakeet of nearby Réunion was previously considered a distinct species, but a 2015 DNA study determined it to be a subspecies of the same species as the Mauritius population. If the Mauritius and Réunion birds are considered the same species, and the subspecies model is considered, then the Echo parakeet becomes"
"birds' existence, or be from Mauritius. Even in that case, ancient DNA analysis of this specimen will give new insight into these questions, because very little data exists on the genetic diversity of the Mauritius parakeet in former times. In addition to the study skin, it is known from descriptions, as well as illustrations of which it is unknown whether they were drawn from live or stuffed specimens. It was closely related to the extant but endangered Mauritius parakeet and became extinct in about 1770. Many extant or extinct birds endemic to the Mascarene Islands are derived from South Asian"
"already become rare. He was the last source to mention the bird, so it is assumed that it became extinct around 1700. Red rail The red rail (""Aphanapteryx bonasia"") is an extinct species of flightless rail. It was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It had a close relative on Rodrigues island, the likewise extinct Rodrigues rail (""Erythromachus leguati""), with which it is sometimes considered congeneric. Its relationship with other rails is unclear. Rails often evolve flightlessness when adapting to isolated islands, free of mammalian predators. The red rail was a little"
"Mascarene grey parakeet The Mascarene grey parakeet or Thirioux’s grey parrot (""Psittacula bensoni""), is an extinct species of parrot which was endemic to the Mascarene islands of Mauritius and Réunion in the western Indian Ocean. It has been classified as a member of the tribe Psittaculini, along with other parrots from the islands. Subfossil bones of the Mascarene grey parakeet found on Mauritius were first described in 1973 as belonging to a smaller relative of the broad-billed parrot in the genus ""Lophopsittacus"". Apart from their size, the bones were very similar to those of other Mascarene parrots. The subfossils were"
"which remains today, because of deforestation. The surviving endemic fauna is still seriously threatened. On Mauritius, the Mascarene grey parakeet lived alongside other recently extinct birds such as the dodo, the red rail, the broad-billed parrot, the Mauritius blue pigeon, the Mauritius owl, the Mascarene coot, the Mauritian shelduck, the Mauritian duck, and the Mauritius night heron. On Réunion, it lived alongside the Réunion ibis, the hoopoe starling, the Mascarene parrot, the Réunion parakeet, the Réunion swamphen, the Réunion owl, the Réunion night heron, and the Réunion pink pigeon. To the sailors who visited the Mascarene islands from 1598 onwards,"
"of course the threats which had brought it to near-extinction only some two decades ago continue to hamper its recovery. Echo parakeet The echo parakeet or Mauritius parakeet (""Psittacula eques""), is a species of parrot endemic to the Mascarene Island of Mauritius in the southern Indian Ocean. It is the only extant parrot of the Mascarene islands; all others have become extinct due to human activity. The extinct Réunion parakeet of nearby Réunion was previously considered a distinct species, but a 2015 DNA study determined it to be a subspecies of the same species as the Mauritius population. If the"
"the replacement of their forest habitat by tea plantations and invasive weeds (including ""L. camara"", which the birds themselves help to spread) and predation by the introduced crab-eating macaque. In the mid-1970s, only 200 pairs remained, but then the decline was stopped. Today it is rare but has a quite stable population; 280 pairs were counted in 1993. Mauritius bulbul The Mauritius bulbul (""Hypsipetes olivaceus""), is a songbird belonging to the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to Mauritius. The Mauritius bulbul was the type species of the obsolete genus ""Ixocincla"", which united various more or less closely related bulbuls"
"Extinct reptiles include the domed Rodrigues giant tortoise (""Cylindraspis peltastes""), the saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise (""Cylindraspis vosmaeri""), and the Rodrigues day gecko (""Phelsuma edwardnewtoni""). Of the eight or so parrot species endemic to the Mascarenes, only the echo parakeet (""Psittacula eques echo"") of Mauritius has survived. The others were likely all made extinct by a combination of excessive hunting and deforestation by humans. Like mainland Rodrigues, the offshore islets were eventually infested by rats as well, and this is believed to be the reason for the demise of the Rodrigues parrot and other birds there. The rats probably preyed on"
"and may be very important for migratory birds. Most of the larger mammal species have been extirpated from Mauritania. Among the antelopes the Scimitar-horned oryx, addax, korrigum and dama gazelle are extinct, the bohor reedbuck, Buffon's kob, Dorcas gazelle and red-fronted gazelle are extinct and the bushbuck and slender-horned gazelle are of indeterminate status. In the area of Diawling National Park, the last lion was shot in 1970 and there have been no sightings of manatees or hippopotamus in recent years. The Mediterranean monk seal has one of its last strongholds in the world in the coves along the Cap"
"residents of Rodrigues remembered having seen living birds. The star constellation Turdus Solitarius was named after this bird. Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues were also once each home to one or more species of giant tortoises, now extinct, which comprised the genus ""Cylindraspis"". There are thirteen living endemic reptile species, including a number of species of day geckoes (genus ""Phelsuma""). The islands have no native mammals, except for bats such as the Mauritian flying fox. Today Mauritius has one of the highest population densities in the world and on all of the islands, there has been a great loss of habitat"
"of Mr Corby's hatchlings died or was killed, the species would have become totally extinct. Saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise The Saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise (""Cylindraspis inepta"") is an extinct species of tortoises in the family Testudinidae. It was endemic to Mauritius. The last records of this tortoise date to the early 18th century. One of two different giant tortoise species which were endemic to Mauritius, this saddle-backed species seems to have specialised in browsing higher bushes and low-hanging branches of trees. Its lower, flatter sister species grazed grass, as well as fallen leaves and fruit on forest floors. Although similarly"
"""et al."" 2002). It is found only on Mauritius. It usually snatches arboreal prey, typically geckos or small birds. Habitat loss and DDT poisoning pushed this species to the brink of extinction, down to possibly as few as six individuals (and an even smaller effective population size) in the mid 1970s. The conservation effort was initially unsuccessful but results improved when new approaches were tried by Carl Jones in 1979. Chicks hatched at a sanctuary run by Gerald Durrell were released to new areas, and the population has now almost reached the carrying capacity of the island; intensive conservation activity"
"Mauritius bulbul The Mauritius bulbul (""Hypsipetes olivaceus""), is a songbird belonging to the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to Mauritius. The Mauritius bulbul was the type species of the obsolete genus ""Ixocincla"", which united various more or less closely related bulbuls from the entire Indian Ocean region. Formerly, some authorities considered the Mauritius bulbul to belong to the genus ""Turdus"". It has also been classified as a subspecies of the Réunion bulbul. Alternative names include the Mauritius black bulbul and the Mauritius merle. The Mauritius bulbul can reach a size up to . It is characterized by bright yellow-brown"
"species, which were often taken as pets by sailors, there are no records of broad-billed parrots being transported from Mauritius either live or dead, perhaps because of the stigma associated with ravens. The birds would not in any case have survived such a journey if they refused to eat anything but seeds. Broad-billed parrot The broad-billed parrot or raven parrot (""Lophopsittacus mauritianus"") is a large extinct parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. It is unclear what other species it is most closely related to, but"
"theodori"", but as more remains of the latter were unearthed this appears far less likely. Apart from a few, brief descriptions, not much is known about the bird in life, but its habits probably did not differ significantly from those of its close relatives. Bones have been found in the Mare aux Songes swamp on Mauritius and more recently on Réunion also. The scientific name honours Thé́odore Sauzier, who made many bones of extinct birds found on Mauritius available to science. The bird became extinct on both islands almost simultaneously and for the same reason: overhunting. On Mauritus, the ""grey"
"Mauritius kestrel The Mauritius kestrel (""Falco punctatus"") is a bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines. It is the most distinct of the Indian Ocean kestrels. It colonized its island home to evolve into a distinct species probably during the Gelasian (Late Pliocene). It is the most distant living species among the western Indian Ocean kestrels (Groombridge ""et al."" 2002, qv Réunion kestrel). It can reach a size between 26 and 30.5 cm. The weight is up to 250 grams. The males"
"classification as an endangered species is due to the same fact: on an island as small as Mauritius, chance events like volcanic eruptions (hardly likely in our time) or storms (common and possibly increasing in frequency and strength) can always wipe out major parts of a species' population (BirdLife International 2006a,b). Mauritius kestrel The Mauritius kestrel (""Falco punctatus"") is a bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines. It is the most distinct of the Indian Ocean kestrels. It colonized its island home"
"island's ecosystem. The Mascarene parrot lived alongside other recently extinct birds such as the hoopoe starling, the Réunion ibis, the Réunion parakeet, the Mascarene grey parakeet, the Réunion swamphen, the Réunion owl, the Réunion night heron, and the Réunion pink pigeon. Extinct Réunion reptiles include the Réunion giant tortoise and an undescribed ""Leiolopisma"" skink. The small Mauritian flying fox and the snail ""Tropidophora carinata"" lived on Réunion and Mauritius but vanished from both islands. Of the eight or so parrot species endemic to the Mascarenes, only the echo parakeet (""Psittacula echo"") of Mauritius has survived. The others probably all became"
"Small Mauritian flying fox The small Mauritian flying fox or dark flying fox (""Pteropus subniger"", known as rougettes to early French travelers) is an extinct species of megabat. It lived on the islands of Réunion and Mauritius in the Mascarene Islands of the Indian Ocean. It was abundant, with up to 400 sometimes crowding together at a single roost in a cave or in an ancient, hollow tree, while most other fruit bats prefer to roost in the branches of large trees. Local people believed there was only one male per roost, which may indicate the sexes roosted separately and"
"Broad-billed parrot The broad-billed parrot or raven parrot (""Lophopsittacus mauritianus"") is a large extinct parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. It is unclear what other species it is most closely related to, but it has been classified as a member of the tribe Psittaculini, along with other Mascarene parrots. It had similarities with the Rodrigues parrot (""Necropsittacus rodricanus""), and may have been closely related. The broad-billed parrot's head was large in proportion to its body, and there was a distinct crest of feathers on the"
"is now extirpated. Réunion harrier The Réunion harrier or Réunion marsh harrier (""Circus maillardi"") is a bird of prey belonging to the marsh harrier group of harriers. It is now found only on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, although fossil material from Mauritius has been referred to this species. It is known locally as the papangue or pied jaune. The Malagasy harrier (""C. macrosceles"") of Madagascar and the Comoro Islands was previously treated as a subspecies of this bird but is increasingly regarded as a separate species. The Réunion harrier appears to be declining in numbers and it is"
"resulting disruption of the island's ecosystem. The Réunion swamphen lived with other now-extinct birds, such as the Réunion ibis, the Mascarene parrot, the Hoopoe starling, the Réunion parakeet, the Réunion owl, the Réunion night heron, and the Réunion pink pigeon. Extinct Réunion reptiles include the Réunion giant tortoise and an undescribed ""Leiolopisma"" skink. The small Mauritian flying fox and the snail ""Tropidophora carinata"" lived on Réunion and Mauritius before vanishing from both islands. The missionary Père Brown's testimony of 1724 is generally believed to be the last unequivocal record of the bird, but an anonymous British naval officer reports stories"