The broad-billed parrot is a large extinct parrot in the family Psittaculidae th

at was endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It has been class
ified as a member of the tribe Psittaculini, and may have been closely related t
o the Rodrigues parrot. The broad-billed parrot had a large head in proportion t
o its body, a distinct crest of feathers on the front of the head, and a very la
rge beak that would have enabled it to crack hard seeds. Subfossil bones indicat
e that the species exhibited greater sexual dimorphism in overall size and head
size than any living parrot. A contemporary description indicates that it had a
blue head, a greyish or blackish body, and perhaps a red beak. The broad-billed
parrot was first referred to as the "Indian raven" in Dutch ships' journals from
1598 onwards. It was first scientifically described from a subfossil mandible i
n 1866, but this was not linked to the few brief contemporary descriptions until
the rediscovery of a detailed 1601 sketch (pictured). The bird became extinct i
n the 17th century owing to a combination of deforestation, predation by introdu
ced invasive species, and probably also because of hunting.