 Subfossil parrot remains were later excavated from grottos on Réunion . X @-@ rays of the two existing stuffed Mascarene parrots made it possible to compare the remaining bones with the subfossils and showed these were intermediate in measurements in comparison to the modern specimens . The lesser vasa parrot was introduced to Réunion as early as 1780 but , though the subfossil parrot bones were similar to that species in some aspects , they were more similar to those of the Mascarene parrot and considered to belong to it . 
