| Lyall's wren | |
|---|---|
| |
| 1895 illustration by John Keulemans | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Acanthisittidae |
| Genus: | †Traversia Rothschild, 1894 |
| Species: | †T. lyalli
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Traversia lyalli Rothschild, 1894
| |
Lyall's wren or the Stephens Island wren (Traversia lyalli) was a small, flightless passerine belonging to the family Acanthisittidae, the New Zealand wrens. Now extinct, it was once found throughout New Zealand, but when it came to the attention of scientists in 1894, its last refuge was Stephens Island in Cook Strait. Often claimed to be a species driven extinct by a single creature (a lighthouse keeper's cat named Tibbles), the wren in fact fell victim to the island's numerous feral cats.[a][2] The wren was described almost simultaneously by both Walter Rothschild and Walter Buller. It became extinct shortly thereafter.
- ^ BirdLife International. (2023). "Traversia lyalli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023: e.T22698593A235580956. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T22698593A235580956.en. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "How a Single Cat Hunted to Extinction the Entire Species of Stephens Island Wren".
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