 Of the eight or so parrot species endemic to the Mascarenes , only the echo parakeet ( Psittacula echo ) of Mauritius has survived . The others probably all became extinct due to a combination of excessive hunting and deforestation . The cause and date of extinction for the Mascarene parrot itself is uncertain . In 1834 , German zoologist and author Carl Wilhelm Hahn published an often @-@ cited account of a live Mascarene parrot in the possession of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria . The bird must have been very old at the time , and Hahn claimed an accompanying illustration was drawn after this specimen . The IUCN Red List accepts the 1834 account as the last mention of a live specimen . 
