Birdfinding.info ⇒ The last certain observation of the St. Kitts Bullfinch was the collection of a specimen on July 26, 1929. Unconfirmed sight records in 1993, 2012, and 2021 suggest the possibility that it persisted for decades without being detected, and conceivably still exists. This seems unlikely considering that coordinated search efforts have thus far failed to rediscover it, the total habitat area is not large, and bullfinches sing, but local birdwatchers do not discount the possibility.
St. Kitts Bullfinch †
Melopyrrha grandis
Presumed extinct. Formerly endemic to St. Kitts, where it inhabited montane forests.
Reportedly common until at least 1880, when Frederick Ober collected the original specimens, but rarely detected during later surveys. Several possible causes of its decline have been speculated, but it remain mysterious. Two factors which together might have been sufficient are the arrival of the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, which colonized St. Kitts in the 1800s, followed by a series of hurricanes: two in August 1899, then two stronger ones in 1924 and 1928. This may have resulted in a string of population losses with continuous competitive pressure impeding the normally expected recovery.
Identification
Nearly identical to the Puerto Rican Bullfinch, but much larger: black with extensive patches of vivid orange-chestnut on the crown, throat, and undertail coverts.
The St. Kitts form’s bill averaged about 25-30% larger in linear measurements. Researchers who have examined specimens observed that they differ somewhat in the details of the chestnut markings: darker overall, more extensive on the chest, and streaked or spotted with black on the undertail coverts.
(Note that images posted online of a mounted specimen, RMNH.AVES.110037, attributed to grandis appear to be more consistent with the Puerto Rican form portoricensis, as does the sparse information provided about the specimen’s provenance.)
Notes
Monotypic species. Formerly classified as a form of Puerto Rican Bullfinch (portoricensis).
References
Birders of St. Kitts & Nevis. 2021. St. Kitts Bullfinch. https://www.birdsofstkittsnevis.com/st-kitts-bullfinch/. (Accessed March 30, 2021.)
BirdsCaribbean. 2021. The Caribbean has Two New Bird Species . . . Sadly, They May Both be Extinct. https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2021/07/the-caribbean-has-two-new-bird-species-sadly-they-may-both-be-extinct/. (Posted July 8, 2021; Accessed January 14, 2022.)
Bond, J. 1979. Birds of the West Indies (Fourth Edition). Collins, London.
Garrido, O.H., and J.W. Wiley. 2003. The taxonomic status of the Puerto Rican bullfinch (Loxogilla portoricensis) (Emberizidae) in Puerto Rico and St. Kitts. Ornitologia Neotropical 14:91-98.
Hume, J.P. 2017. Extinct Birds (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London.
Olson, S.L. 1984. The last St. Kitts Bullfinch Loxigilla portoricensis grandis (Emberizinae) and the extinction of its race. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 104:121-123.
Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Ryan, M. 2021. St. Kitts Bullfinch granted Full specie status—Although extinct for almost 100 years!!! (June 26, 2021). Birders of St. Kitts & Nevis, https://birdsofstkittsnevis.com/st-kitts-bullfinch-granted-full-specie-status-although-extinct-for-almost-100-years/. (Posted July 8, 2021. Accessed January 14, 2022.)