Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (E. Newton, 1867)

Taxonomic source(s) Brooks (2000), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Summary Psittacula wardi was endemic to Mahé and Silhouette, Seychelles, with a sight record from Praslin². It was already rare when described in 1867, the last specimens were collected by Warry in 1881, and the last birds recorded in captivity (on Silhouette) in 1883². The species was extinct by 1906 when Nicoll visited the islands². At least ten specimens exist¹.

Ecology: It was a forest species, probably feeding on fruit and seeds.

Threats Clearance of forest for coconut plantations and shooting and trapping (in particular, to protect maize crops) were the main causes of the species's demise¹.

References 1. Forshaw and Cooper (1989). 2. Lionnet (1984).

Text account compilers Tom Brooks (Conservation International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Tom Brooks (Conservation International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Alison Stattersfield (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Psittacula wardi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums