Wood Harrier
Encyclopedia
The Wood Harrier or Mime Harrier (Circus dossenus) is an extinct bird of prey which lived in Hawaii
during the Holocene
. This rather small species of harrier
with short wings which inhabited the forests of Molokai
and Oahu
where it presumably hunted for small birds and insects.
and Montagu's Harrier
.
The Wood Harrier or Mime Harrier (Circus dossenus) is an extinct bird of prey which lived in Hawaii
during the Holocene
. This rather small species of harrier
with short wings which inhabited the forests of Molokai
and Oahu
where it presumably hunted for small birds and insects.
and Montagu's Harrier
.Olson & James 1991, p. 67
The Wood Harrier or Mime Harrier (Circus dossenus) is an extinct bird of prey which lived in Hawaii
during the Holocene
. This rather small species of harrier
with short wings which inhabited the forests of Molokai
and Oahu
where it presumably hunted for small birds and insects.
and Montagu's Harrier
.Olson & James 1991, p. 67Accipiter
or the Stilt Owls Grallistrix
), making it a typical example of insular dwarfism
.Pratt 2005, p. 233
and Molokai
, since there are no records from other Hawaiian islands. It probably became extinct due to habitat degradation and the introduction of the Pacific Rat by early Polynesians
. Since the Wood Harrier was most likely a ground breeder and it preyed upon small birds, it might have been affected severely by the colonization of Hawaii.Olson & James 1991, p. 85
first discovered remains of a bird they believed to be an Accipiter
because of its proportions. This misidentification was also due to the poor material, consisting only of a few bones. They finally rejected their identification in 1991 after they had examined several other subfossil records of the bird and finally placed it in the genus Circus
. They named it dossenus, explaining the name as follows: “Latin, dossenus, a clown or jester, without which one cannot have a circus; especially applicable here because the species initially fooled us as to its
generic placement.” They noted that the wide global extension of Circus would support this placement and added that there had been sightings of Northern Harriers in Hawaii so that the evolution of a Hawaiian species of Harrier would indeed seem plausible.Olson & James 1991, p.85.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
during the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
. This rather small species of harrier
Harrier (bird)
A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds....
with short wings which inhabited the forests of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
and Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
where it presumably hunted for small birds and insects.
Description
The Wood Harrier was a small harrier, compared to the recent species of the genus Circus. It had rather short wings but long legs and was even outsized by the small Pied HarrierPied Harrier
The Pied Harrier is an Asian species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is migratory, breeding from Amur valley in eastern Russia and north-eastern China to North Korea. Wintering individuals can be found in a wide area from Pakistan to Philippines...
and Montagu's Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
The Montagu's Harrier is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.-Plumage:...
.
The Wood Harrier or Mime Harrier (Circus dossenus) is an extinct bird of prey which lived in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
during the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
. This rather small species of harrier
Harrier (bird)
A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds....
with short wings which inhabited the forests of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
and Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
where it presumably hunted for small birds and insects.
Description
The Wood Harrier was a small harrier, compared to the recent species of the genus Circus. It had rather short wings but long legs and was even outsized by the small Pied HarrierPied Harrier
The Pied Harrier is an Asian species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is migratory, breeding from Amur valley in eastern Russia and north-eastern China to North Korea. Wintering individuals can be found in a wide area from Pakistan to Philippines...
and Montagu's Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
The Montagu's Harrier is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.-Plumage:...
.Olson & James 1991, p. 67
The Wood Harrier or Mime Harrier (Circus dossenus) is an extinct bird of prey which lived in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
during the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
. This rather small species of harrier
Harrier (bird)
A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds....
with short wings which inhabited the forests of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
and Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
where it presumably hunted for small birds and insects.
Description
The Wood Harrier was a small harrier, compared to the recent species of the genus Circus. It had rather short wings but long legs and was even outsized by the small Pied HarrierPied Harrier
The Pied Harrier is an Asian species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is migratory, breeding from Amur valley in eastern Russia and north-eastern China to North Korea. Wintering individuals can be found in a wide area from Pakistan to Philippines...
and Montagu's Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
The Montagu's Harrier is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.-Plumage:...
.Olson & James 1991, p. 67Accipiter
Accipiter
The genus Accipiter is a group of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, many of which are named as goshawks and sparrowhawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large...
or the Stilt Owls Grallistrix
Grallistrix
The stilt-owls are a genus of true owls which contains four species, all of which lived on the Hawaiian Islands but are now extinct....
), making it a typical example of insular dwarfism
Insular dwarfism
Insular dwarfism, a form of phyletic dwarfism, is the process and condition of the reduction in size of large animals – typically mammals – when their population's range is limited to a small environment, primarily islands. This natural process is distinct from the intentional creation of dwarf...
.Pratt 2005, p. 233
Distribution
The Wood Harrier was presumably restricted to the islands of OhauOhau
Ohau may refer to:*Lake Ohau*Ohau River*Ohau *Ohau A power station*Ohau B power station*Ohau C power station...
and Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
, since there are no records from other Hawaiian islands. It probably became extinct due to habitat degradation and the introduction of the Pacific Rat by early Polynesians
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
. Since the Wood Harrier was most likely a ground breeder and it preyed upon small birds, it might have been affected severely by the colonization of Hawaii.Olson & James 1991, p. 85
Discovery and taxonomy
In 1981, Helen F. James and her husband Storrs L. OlsonStorrs L. Olson
Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
first discovered remains of a bird they believed to be an Accipiter
Accipiter
The genus Accipiter is a group of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, many of which are named as goshawks and sparrowhawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large...
because of its proportions. This misidentification was also due to the poor material, consisting only of a few bones. They finally rejected their identification in 1991 after they had examined several other subfossil records of the bird and finally placed it in the genus Circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
. They named it dossenus, explaining the name as follows: “Latin, dossenus, a clown or jester, without which one cannot have a circus; especially applicable here because the species initially fooled us as to its
generic placement.” They noted that the wide global extension of Circus would support this placement and added that there had been sightings of Northern Harriers in Hawaii so that the evolution of a Hawaiian species of Harrier would indeed seem plausible.Olson & James 1991, p.85.
Literature
- Storrs L. Olson, Helen F. James: Descriptions of thirty-two new Species of Birds from the Hawaiian Islands. In: Ornithological Monographs 45, 1991. ISBN 0-935868-54-2, pp. 65−85 PDF
- Harold Douglas Pratt: The Hawaiian honeycreepers: Drepanidinae. Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 019854653X
- Alan C. Ziegler: Hawaiian natural history, ecology, and evolution. University of Hawaii Press, 2002. ISBN 0824821904