Cebu Flowerpecker

The Cebu Flowerpecker (Dicaeum quadricolor) is a small passerine bird. It is endemic to Cebu Island in the Philippines. The Cebu Flowerpecker is a critically endangered breeding bird. It was feared to have become extinct early in the 20th century after the clearance of most of the island's forests, but was rediscovered in 1992 in a small patch of limestone forest in the Central Cebu Protected Landscape and has since been found at three other sites, namely, the Nug-as forest of Alcoy, Mount Lantoy of Argao and the forests of Dalaguete. Other possible sites for this species are in Malabuyoc. The current population is estimated to be between 85 and 105.[2] The four-color bird reached a size 11 to 12 centimeters. The male is characterized by a large, triangular, scarlet to vermilion coat stain.The lower back is ocher with green approach. Back, neck, head and sides of neck, wings and tail are glossy blue-black. The underside is pale yellow. Chin,belly center, armpits, under tail-coverts, and under wing-coverts are white.The edges are blurred light olive. In the female, the top is brown. The head is slightly faded olive, the back, the wing-coverts and outer webs of secondaries are strongly washed out olive. The rump is almost entirely olive-yellow. The underside is white with a faint gray olivgelben approach that is brighter towards the center of the chest and abdomen. The under wing-coverts, shoulders and inner webs of the quills are white

Spix's Macaw

Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), also known as the Little Blue Macaw, is a Brazilian macaw and the only small blue macaw. It is a member of Arini tribe in the subfamily Arinae (Neotropical parrots), part of the family Psittacidae (the true parrots). It was first described by German naturalist Georg Marcgrave, when he was working in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil in 1638 and it is named for German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix, who collected a specimen in 1819 on the bank of the Rio So Francisco in northeast Bahia in Brazil. The species inhabited riparian Caraibeira (Tabebuia aurea) woodland galleries in the drainage basin of the Rio So Francisco within the Caatinga dry forest climate of interior northeastern Brazil. It had a very restricted natural habitat due to its dependence on the tree for nesting, feeding and roosting. It fed primarily on seeds and nuts of Caraiba and various Euphorbiaceae (spurge) shrubs, the dominant vegetation of the Caatinga. Due to deforestation in its limited range and specialized habitat, the bird has been rare in the wild throughout the twentieth century. It has always been very rare in captivity, partly due to the remoteness of its natural range. The IUCN regard the Spix's Macaw as critically endangered and possibly extinct in the wild. Its last known stronghold in the wild was in northeastern Bahia, Brazil and the last known wild bird was a male that vanished in 2000. The species is now maintained through a captive breeding program at several conservation organizations under the aegis of the Brazilian government. It is listed on CITES Appendix I, which makes trade illegal except for legitimate conservation, scientific or educational purposes. The Brazilian government department of natural resources (ICMBio) is conducting a project Ararinha-Azul with an associated plan to restore the species to the wild as soon as sufficient breeding birds and restored habitat are available.

Mauritius parakeet

Description The Mauritius parakeet had the dubious honour of being the most endangered bird in the world in the 1980s, but following a massive conservation drive boasts a more secure future today. These medium-sized parakeets are bright emerald-green in colour with a black ring around the neck; the crown, nape of the neck and long tail have a blue tinge (4). Mature males bear a reddishorange upper beak and pinkish markings on the back of the neck (4). Mauritius parakeets give a loud 'kaaark kaaark' call in flight and shorter 'kik kik'

Golden Toad

The golden toad (Bufo periglenes) was a small, shiny, bright true toad that was once abundant in a small region of high-altitude cloud-covered tropical forests, about 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) in area, north of the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. For this reason, it is sometimes also called the Monteverde golden toad, or the Monte Verde toad. Other common English names include Alajuela toad and orange toad. They were first described in 1966 by the herpetologist Jay Savage.[2] On 15 May 1989, a single male was found, and not a single B. periglenes is reported to have been seen anywhere in the world since, and it is classified by the International Union for

Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an extinct species.[3] Its sudden extinction might have been caused by chytrid fungus and extensive habitat loss. The golden toad was one of more than 500 species in the family Bufonidaethe "true toads". B. periglenes inhabited northern Costa Ricas Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, distributed over an area of roughly 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) at an average elevation of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). Quagga

The quagga (/kwx/) (Equus quagga quagga) is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra that lived in South Africa. It was long thought to be a distinct species, but recent genetic studies have shown it to be the southernmost subspecies of the plains zebra. It is considered particularly close to Burchell's zebra. Its name is derived from the plains zebra's call, which sounds like "kwa-haha". The quagga is believed to have been around 257 cm (8.43 ft) long and 125135 cm (4.10 4.43 ft) tall at the shoulder. It was distinguished from other zebras by its limited pattern of primarily brown and white stripes, mainly on the front part of the body. The rear was brown and without stripes, and therefore more horse-like. The distribution of stripes varied considerably between individuals. Little is known about its behaviour but it may have gathered into herds of 3050 individuals. Quaggas were said to be wild and lively, yet were also considered more docile than Burchell's zebra. They were once found in great numbers in the Karoo of the former Cape Province and the southern part of the former Orange Free State in South Africa. Since Dutch settlement of South Africa began, the quagga was heavily hunted, and it competed with domesticated animals for forage. While some individuals were taken to zoos in Europe, breeding programs were not successful. The last wild population lived in the Orange Free State, and the quagga was extinct in the wild by 1878. The last captive specimen died in Amsterdam on 12 August 1883. Only one quagga was ever photographed alive and only 23 skins are preserved today. In 1984, the quagga was the first extinct animal to have its DNA analysed, and the Quagga Project has tried to recreate it by selectively breeding plains zebras to resemble it.

Tasmanian tiger

Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger (because of its striped back) or the Tasmanian wolf.[6] Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its family, Thylacinidae; specimens of other members of the family have been found in the fossil record dating back to the early Miocene. The thylacine had become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before European settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island of Tasmania along with several other endemic species, including the Tasmanian devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributing factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite its official classification as extinct, sightings are still reported, though none have been conclusively proven. Like the tigers and wolves of the Northern Hemisphere, from which it obtained two of its common names, the thylacine was an apex predator. As a marsupial, it was not closely related to these placental mammals, but because of convergent evolution it displayed the same general form and adaptations. Its closest living relative is thought to be either the Tasmanian devil or numbat. The thylacine was one of only two marsupials to have a pouch in both sexes (the other being the water opossum). The male thylacine had a pouch that acted as a protective sheath, covering the male's external reproductive organs while he ran through thick brush. It has been described as a formidable predator because of its ability to survive and hunt prey in extremely sparsely populated areas.

Cebu Flowerpecker

Spix's Macaw

Mauritius parakeet

Golden Toad

Quagga

Tasmanian tiger