Prehistoric birds and bats from the Atiahara Site, Tubuai, Austral Islands, East Polynesia

Abstract

The Austral Islands in French Polynesia have a depauperate land bird fauna and until recently have been little investigated archaeologically or paleontologically to know whether this is natural. Here we report an avifaunal assemblage and bones of bats of the genus Pteropus from the Archaic period (ca. A.D. 1000-1450) cultural site Atiahara, on Tubuai. Fifteen taxa are reported from the island, and a new species of rail in the genus Gallirallus is described. The data indicate that several petrel species have been extirpated from the island and that former land bird inhabitants included at least two small pigeons and a flightless rail.