| Polynesian Sandpiper |
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| prosobonia | |
| genera of birds | |
The two to four species of Polynesian sandpipers, the only members of the genus '''''Prosobonia''''', are small Wading Bird s confined to remote Pacific islands of French Polynesia . Only one species now exist, and it is rare and little known. The Tuamotu Sandpiper , ''P. cancellata'', is a unique short-billed all-brown wader previously found over a large area of the Pacific, but now confined to a few islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago and still declining. Its decline appears to be due to human habitation encroachment and introduced mammals. It feeds on insects, but takes some vegetable material from its coastal haunts. It nests on the ground, and has a soft piping call. The extinct Tahitian Sandpiper , ''P. leucoptera'' of Tahiti was similar in size and shape to ''P. cancellata''. It had brown upperparts, reddish underparts, a white wingbar, and some white on the face and throat. It became extinct in the 19th century, and little is known of it. There was a similar bird on Moorea which differed in some minor details from ''P. leucoptera'', notably the larger extent of white in the wing, and has been described as White-winged Sandpiper (''P. ellisi''). However, although two species are generally listed, the question whether they actually did constitute separate species is probably unresolvable as only a single specimen of exists today, apart from some contemporary paintings. Another extinct population occurred on Mangaia in the Cook Islands ; it probably became extinct before 1000 AD . It was almost certainly more closely related to the Tahiti and Moorea populations than to the Tuamotu Sandpiper, but the exact degree of their relationship is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. |
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