Evidence of the former existence of an endemic macaw in Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles

Abstract

The discovery of a bone referred to the genus Ara Lacépède, 1799 from a Pleistocene fossil-bearing deposit on Marie-Galante demonstrates macaws to have been present in Guadeloupe before any Amerindian settlement. This directly contradicts the hypothesis that macaws described in historical records concerning the Lesser Antilles were introduced by native peoples from South America. The fossil bone is a terminal phalanx similar in size to a large macaw. Based on its size and geographic arguments, the fossil bone found on Marie-Galante can be attributed to an endemic large macaw (Lesser Antillean Macaw, Ara guadeloupensis Clark in Auk 22:266–273, 1905) presumed to have inhabited the Guadeloupe Islands. This discovery currently provides the strongest evidence supporting the former existence of this now-extinct macaw.