Английская Википедия:Coua berthae

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Coua berthae is an extinct species of coua, a large, mostly terrestrial bird in the cuckoo family, from Madagascar. It was the largest member of its genus, living or extinct.[1] It was named in honour of the Malagasy zoologist Berthe Rakotosamimanana.

Discovery and naming

Alfred Grandidier discovered a complete tarsometatarsus at Apasambazimba as early as 1911.[2] This bone is in the Academie Malgache and is now classified as a paratype.[2] The holotype, a left half of the pelvis, was brought to light in 1983 in the Grotte d'Anjohibe near Andranoboka.[2]

It is named after the Malagasy primatologist and palaeontologist, Bertha Rakotosamimanana.[3]

Description

Due to the length of the pelvis half of Шаблон:Convert and the tarsometatarsus of Шаблон:Convert, it is assumed that Coua berthae represented the largest type of silk cuckoo.[2] An estimated minimum weight of Шаблон:Convert was calculated from the comparison of the basin lengths of four recent types of silk cuckoo using linear regression.[2] This estimated weight is twice that of Coua gigas - the largest of the living couas.[4] Given that all silk cuckoo species have proportionally small wing bones, it has been assumed that Coua berthae was not a good flyer.[1]

Extinction

Coua berthae is known only from fossilized remains from the Holocene period; the exact time of extinction and the cause are unknown.[2] Deforestation could have been a contributing factor to its extinction.[5]

References

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