The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius is a haven for bird lovers, hosting some spectacularly beautiful and interesting birds. Sadly, the island is also home to stories of species’ extinction, but successful conservation efforts have saved many species from a similar fate.
The Demise of the Dodo
It is sad but true, that you will not be spotting a dodo on holidays in Mauritius. The dodo was a beautiful bird endemic to the island that unfortunately became extinct towards the end of the 17th Century. A large bird, the dodo weighed about 20kg, and was about a metre tall. It is said to have somewhat resembled a large pigeon or dove, with a whitish grey colouring. The dodo was, however, a flightless bird, and built its nest upon the ground, living off the Indian Ocean island’s delicious tropical fruits.
The dodo’s existence was first documented by the Dutch when they arrived on the island hundreds of years ago. The name they attributed to the bird was “walghvogel”, literally translated as meaning “loathsome bird.” According to historians, the bird was so named because its meat was largely inedible and the Dutch found it to be a loathsome dish. It is unclear as to precisely how the name evolved into ‘dodo’, but in Willem van Westsanen’s 1602 journal, he referred to it as “dodaerse.”
The Mauritius Kestrel
While the dodo may be extinct, the island is still worthy of the attention of bird lovers, and there are a number of beautiful birds you may spot on your Mauritius holiday. One such bird is the Mauritius kestrel, which can be found in the island’s forests on the south western plateau. Nesting in the cliffs and ravines, the great bird is often difficult to spot, and a sighting is a rewarding experience.
The Mauritius kestrel is a bird of prey belonging to the Felconidae family. It is not a particularly large bird however, with an adult bird being about 30cm tall with a 45cm wing span, and weighing only 250g. The kestrel lives primarily off small insects and reptiles, its diet consisting of dragonflies, geckos, crickets, cockroaches, and occasionally small birds.
The Emerald Green Echo Parakeet
If there is one bird that will brighten up your Mauritius holiday, this little parakeet is it. It is the last surviving member of the Pstittacula family, a species which inhabited the Indian Ocean islands. The echo parakeet is a stocky little bird with a short tail and a deep emerald green colouring. These birds are decidedly striking in appearance and the females have pitch black beaks, while the males have bright red ones.
It is due entirely to the success of hard working conservationists that you can see this little beauty while you’re on holiday in Mauritius, as the birds faced extinction in the 1980s. Only 10 birds were thought to be in existence, a number which was dangerously low. Stringent conservation projects were put into place, and today, the number of individual birds is as high as 300, a number which is still steadily growing.
Author Resource:
Ricky Coates is a Mauritius holiday specialist for key2holidays, an online tour operator offering holidays in Mauritius, as well as holidays to other destinations in the Indian Ocean; the Far East, Cuba and the Caribbean, Egypt, Southern Africa, Italy & the Mediterranean, Canada and Australia. http://www.key2holidays.co.uk/mauritius
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