Coturnix novaezelandiae

Coturnix novaezelandiae - New Zealand Quail

 * Time of Extinction: 19th Century
 * Date of Extinction: 1875
 * Ecozone: Australasian
 * Range: New Zealand
 * Island Taxa: YES
 * Megafauna: NO
 * Genus Extinct: No
 * Family Extinct: No
 * Order Extinct: No
 * Closest Living Relative: Coturnix (sp. unknown?)
 * Conservation Status of Closest Living Relative: LC
 * Time diverged from Closest Living Relative: Unknown

Existence over past 50.000 years:
''Each cell represents 1.000 years. If the bottom-right cell is filled the species went extinct after 1500 AD.''

Description
The New Zealand quail (Coturnix novaezelandiae), or koreke (the Māori name), has been extinct since 1875. The male and female were similar, except the female was lighter. The first scientist to describe it was Sir Joseph Banks when he visited New Zealand on James Cook's first voyage. Terrestrial and temperate, this species inhabited lowland tussock grassland and open fernlands.[2] The first specimen to be obtained by a European was collected in 1827 by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard on Dumont D'Urville's voyage.

Research was conducted between 2007 and 2009 into whether the quails on Tiritiri Matangi Island – which was spared the worst impact of introduced predators – might be a surviving population of this species, or koreke-brown quail (Coturnix ypsilophora) hybrids.[3] However, a genetic study showed instead that the quail on Tiritiri Matangi are Australian

brown quail, Coturnix ypsilophora.[4] Sequences were derived for all quail species within the Australian and New Zealand Coturnix sp. complex.[5]

It has sometimes been considered conspecific with the Australian stubble quail Coturnix pectoralis, which would then be named Coturnix novaezelandiae pectoralis as the New Zealand bird was described first. However, the genetic analysis showed that they are separate though closely related species.[6]