Mascarene parrot (Mascarinus mascarinus), 18th century artwork. This parrot, native to the Mascarene island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, was first described in 1674. It had a characteristic red beak, with a ring of black feathers around the beak and grey feather on its head. The body feathers were brown, with a flash of white on the tail feathers. This parrot was extinct by 1834 following the death of the last known captive specimen. Artwork published in The Natural History of Birds (1793) by George LeClerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788).