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Description

Thirioux’s grey parrot was a long-tailed, large-billed bird and considered one of the commonest species on Mauritius during the 18th century. Large flocks of many hundreds gathered in the forests to feed on fruits, seeds and leaves and it used tree cavities for nesting. When using one as a decoy, Dutch accounts talk about the ease of catching the parrots with their bare hands, enabling an entire flock to be taken for the pot. During the 1730s there was large-scale slash and burn forest clearance, which had a serious impact on tree nesting birds, and Thirioux’s grey parrot disappeared rapidly as a result. The last mention was in 1759.