Chatham Islands fernbird
| Chatham Islands fernbird | |
|---|---|
| Chatham fernbird below | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Locustellidae |
| Genus: | Poodytes |
| Species: | †P. rufescens |
| Binomial name | |
| †Poodytes rufescens (Buller, 1869) | |
Original distribution on a map of the Chatham Islands | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Bowdleria rufescens | |
The Chatham Islands fernbird (Poodytes rufescens) is an extinct bird species that was endemic to the Chatham Islands. It was historically known only from Mangere Island, but fossils have been found on Pitt Island and Chatham Island as well. Its closest living relative is the New Zealand fernbird or matata (Poodytes punctatus). It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the New Zealand fernbird, but is now widely recognized as its own species. Both fernbirds were formerly placed in their own genus Bowdleria; they were later moved to Megalurus and most recently Poodytes.