RECORDED EXTINCTIONS SINCE 1600 A.D.

                                                                                                                              

TAXON	MAINLAND	ISLAND	OCEAN	TOTAL	APPROXIMATE  NUMBER  OF SPECIES	PERCENT  OF  TAXON  EXTINCT
Mammals	30	51	4	85	4,000	2.1
Birds	21	92	0	113	9,000	1.3
Reptiles	1	20	0	21	6,300	0.3
Amphibians*	2	0	0	2	4,200	0.05
Fish	22	1	0	23	19,100	0.1
Invertebrates	49	48	1	98	1,000,000+	0.01
Flowering plants	245	139	0	384	250,000	0.2

Source: Reid and Miller 1989; data from various sources

*There has been an alarming decline in amphibian populations recently;   

   and many species may be on the verge of extinction.

Paradise Parrot

You won't see my colours flash upon your eyes no more

Not seen since 1927, I will soon be just folklore

The grassy woodlands of eastern Australia were my home

I lived in pairs or small family groups, alone did i not roam

Making my nest in a hollowed out termite mound, often near the ground

Feeding on grass seeds which were plentiful to be found

I was coloured more extraordinarily than another of my parrot kin

Turquoise, aqua, scarlet, black and brown, unlike mundane human skin

Beautifully formed my tail was almost the size of my body

That I am now extinct should not have been my plight, it is alas a tragedy

Despite being rapid and undulating in my flight through the air

I preferred to spend all my time on the ground close to my lair

Why I did so suddenly decline remains the subject of much speculation

Drought, overgrazing, land clearing, fire regimes, egg hunters and others predation

It saddens me that you will not again be so fortunate so as to me to see

I like my name am safe now in a heavenly paradise happy and full of glee