A new species of extinct flightless passerine (Emberizidae : Emberiza) from the Canary Islands

Long-legged Bunting (Emberiza alcoveri), a new species of extinct passerine , is described from bones found in Cueva del Viento, a volcanic cave at Ten erife in the Canary Islands. Cranial osteology situates the species at one end of the range of variation of the genus. Its reduced forelimb bones and carina sterni, long hindlimb bones, and estimated wing length, weight, and wing loading, show Long-legged Bunting to be a flightless passerine. The ra tio of humerus + ulna + carpometacarpus length/femur length is similar to S tephens Island Wren (Traversia lyalli) and Long-billed Wren (Dendroscansor decurvirostris), two extinct flightless passerines from New Zealand. The re duction of presumed habitat of Long-legged Bunting, the Laurel forest, and the introduction of terrestrial predators to the island seem to be the reas ons for its extinction.