Stephens Island Wren (Xenicus lyalli)  

The Stephens Island wren was a small, brown bird that was found on a single island off the coast of New Zealand. Like the famous dodo bird and the Guam rail, the Stephens Island wren was adapted to a life with few predators on the island and was completely flightless. It was also nocturnal, hunting for insects at night.

In the late 1800s, a lighthouse was built on the island and the first human habitation began. The human population on the island consisted of three lighthouse keepers and their families for a total of 17 people. Sometime in 1894, cats were brought to the island and either escaped or were allowed to roam freely.

One of the assistant lighthouse keepers noticed in the summer of 1894 that his cat was regularly bringing small birds to his doorstep and he sold a number of the wrens to naturalists and museums. By 1895, approximately a year after cats were released on the island, the lighthouse keeper wrote that “…the cats have become wild and are making sad havoc among all the birds.”

The Stephens Island wren was presumed extinct by the end of 1895. Although it was probably never a common bird and was restricted to a very small range, the flightless bird made very easy prey for the cats on the island.