Bermuda hawk
The Bermuda hawk (Bermuteo avivorus) is an extinct bird of prey that was endemic to Bermuda. It was the sole member of the genus Bermuteo.
| Bermuda hawk | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | †Bermuteo Olson, 2008 |
| Species: | †B. avivorus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Bermuteo avivorus Olson, 2008 | |
Distribution
The Bermuda hawk inhabited the island of Bermuda where it is recorded in the fossil record. It is thought to account for a report of sightings of raptors made on the island in 1603 by Diego Ramírez, which mentions their possible island tameness: "very handsome sparrow-hawks, so stupid that we even clubbed them".
Extinction
The species apparently was not present in 1623, when Captain John Smith noted that there were only migrant raptors on Bermuda.[2] Its date of extinction is not known but is presumed to have followed the human settlement on the island in the 17th century and may have been due to hunting and the introduction of invasive species, such as feral pigs.[1]
References
- BirdLife International (2022). "Bermuteo avivorus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T62183030A208123244.
- ^ HBW and Birdlife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World