Extinct
The last of the red series. I will do two random animals again for the weekend, and then start Monday with another colour.
These birds were from the Marquesas Island of French Polynesia. Like a disturbingly high number of the animals I've been painting, cats played a huge part in their extinction. The great horned owl and rats played some part as well. I know it can be difficult for a cat to be kept indoors, but please, if you love nature at all, build a cattery for your cats or keep them inside. It is safer for the cat, and certainly is for wildlife. This bird went from being listed as endangered in 1988 to being declared extinct in 1994. The last time they were seen alive was in 1922 though.
We have a pair of doves that live in our neighbourhood. My husband doesn't like the sound they make because he says it is too repetitive, but I think they sound rather soothing. They do talk a lot sometimes, I can understand why it would eventually drive you crazy. The doves aren't as annoying as the amorous robin we had several years in a row. It would attack our bedroom windows at 5 in the morning, our kitchen windows during the day, and our car mirrors all day. He was adamant that even robin reflections should not be allowed in the area. We put stuff in the windows to dissuade him, but it didn't work. He gave up after a few years.