page_title: Chatham fernbird
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Chatham fernbird / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Megalurus rufescens
context_page_description: The Chatham fernbird is an extinct bird species endemic to Pitt Island and Mangere Island. Its next living relatives are the Snares fernbird and the New Zealand fernbird or Matata. Some scientists considered it as subspecies of the Matata and named it Poodytes punctatus rufescens but most others regarded it as full species. While some scientists classified it in its own genus Bowdleria. Other taxonomists synonymized it with the Australasian genus Megalurus.
context_section_description: It reached a length of 18 cm. It wings were 5.9 to 6.7 cm. In contrast to other fernbird species it had unspotted underparts, a chestnut brown crest, a distinct white loral spot, and a dark red-brown back. It was insectivorous but nothing more is known about its ecology.
caption: Chatham fernbird above
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