Acrocephalus familiaris

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Millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris)

syn. -

distribution: Hawai'i Islands: Laysan

local name: Millerbird (English)

size: ca. 13 cm (length) extinction date: last seen in 1923

After the introduction of rabbits and guinea pigs to Laysan and the complete destruction of the island's vegetation by those mammals, three endemic birds vanished from the island, one of them was the Millerbird.

left: Millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris) depiction by John Gerrard Keulemans from 'The Avifauna of Laysan and the neighbouring islands with a complete history to date of the birds of the Hawaiian possession.' by Walter Rothschild from the years 1893 to 1900 Photo: by courtesy of Erin Clements Rushing http://www.sil.si.edu

left: Millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris) Photo from 'Birds of Laysan and the Leeward Islands, Hawaiian Group' by Walter K. Fisher from the year 1906 Photo: by courtesy of the Freshwater and Marine Image Bank http://content.lib.washington.edu

left: Millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris), bird on the right Photo from 'A key to the birds of the Hawaiian group. By William Alanson Bryan. Honolulu, H.I., Bishop Museum Press, 1901' http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org

References: - Dieter Luther: Die ausgestorbenen Vögel der Welt. Westarp Wissenschaften 1986 - Storrs L. Olson: History and ornithological journals of the Tanager expedition of 1923 to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Johnston and Wake Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 433. 1996