The North American parrots vanished mysteriously in the early 20th century. Now scientists are closer to solving their disappearance.

Lewis Hamilton insists his team are “almost there” as they look to agree a new contract with Mercedes – and has denied reports that Ferrari have approached him. The 38-year-old’s current contract with the Silver Arrows, where he has been since 2013, expires at the end of this season as he is set to take to the track on Friday in a revamped Mercedes car. COMMENT: Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it? A report this week suggested Ferrari have offered the seven-time F1 world champion – who has won six of his titles with Mercedes – a £40m-a-year contract to join the Scuderia from 2024. Yet Hamilton, who covets a record-breaking eighth crown after missing out controversially in Abu Dhabi in 2021, revealed that his representatives are close to concluding negotiations with Mercedes over an extension. First practice at the Monaco Grand Prix starts at 12:30pm (BST) on Friday, with FP2 at 4pm (BST). Follow practice at the Monaco Grand Prix with The Independent. Read More Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it? F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Why is practice no longer on a Thursday? Ferrari boss gives Lewis Hamilton update after reports of shock move

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Louis Vuitton’s boots made to look like a human leg, costing almost £2000 ($2,500), have been branded “creepy” by a TikTok user. The Illusion High Boots come in two skin tones and are designed to replicate a leg wearing a white sock and a black high-heeled shoe. They also come in a shorter ankle boot version for the same price. TikTok user @izzipoopi burst out laughing as she unboxed the bizarre footwear. “This is like the ultimate Polly Pocket shoe. It’s almost creepy, it’s giving doll legs,” she said. Read More Omid Scobie opens up on ‘upsetting’ revelation about Harry and William’s relationship Martin Lewis reveals top saving accounts with best interest rates Martin Lewis urges billpayers to claim from £8bn pot

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An Australian man, who discovered he is a distant relative of the Princess of Wales through an AncestryDNA test, has said they both have the same “smashing smiles” and “great dress sense”. David Willis, 54, a union organiser, who lives in Avenel in Victoria, Australia, with his partner of 18 years, Rodney Kendall, 52, found out, in 2017 after doing the DNA test, that he is Kate’s fourth cousin once removed through his mother’s working class family from Durham in the UK. David, whose friends now call him a “queen”, has also tracked down a fourth cousin in Durham who he speaks to regularly via email – he hopes to one day meet her in person, and joked he might “extend (his) invitation to Kate”. But, despite the genetic evidence, David’s mum “still won’t believe him”, as she “always understood (their) roots to be working class”, but his cousins “are loving” the royal connection. On David’s father’s side, he has discovered that “they were a boat full of convicts”, so he now likes to jokingly refer to himself as “Kate’s convict cousin”. “I thought, what do Kate Middleton and I have in common? We both have smashing smiles, great dress sense and we’re distant cousins,” David said. “I have blue blood – my friends call me a queen – I truly am!” David began researching his family history more than 20 years ago, he explained: “I’m a bit of an amateur historian. “When Ancestry started – I’ve been involved for probably 18 to 19 years – I was able to access materials, resources and documents that in the past I would have had to have travelled to England to gain access to, so I was able to do that all online. “I researched my family on both sides, and that’s when it came up with an interesting connection.” In 2017, it appeared as if Kate was on David’s family tree, he said: “No one believed me – I had to double check the paperwork, and I thought what better way of doing it than testing my DNA through Ancestry. “I was able to just submit my DNA to finally prove and say to everybody that I got my research right.” It was confirmed that David’s mother’s working class family, from Durham in the UK, had links to Kate – they are fourth cousins once removed. David explained their connection: “We share a common ancestor, and we’re fourth cousins once removed. “We go back six generations and Kate goes back seven to our common ancestor, Jane Conyers, who was the daughter of a fellow called Sir Thomas Conyers, the ninth Baronet of Horden. “But, because he had three girls, the title died off with him and they married the local folk in the town. “So one of those girls was called Isabella, and her sister was called Jane. “About six generations ago, when my family sort of fell out of royalty with Sir Thomas, the rest of them were working in the coal mines – I find that fascinating stuff.” David has also discovered a third cousin, the daughter of his great-grandfather, who lives in Durham. He said: “We’ve actually been talking by email for probably one and a half years now, every couple of weeks. “She’s all excited about our family’s story. “And she did her DNA test too, and she’s definitely also related to Kate.” David explained how his family in Australia feel about being related to Kate: “My mother just doesn’t want to know – she doesn’t believe it because our family were always understood to be very working class. “Our family comes from Durham in the north, and my grandfather and his mother emigrated to Australia, after World War One, when my great-grandfather was killed. “He was a coal miner from Newcastle upon Tyne, so my family escaped poverty by moving to Australia, and we just always understood our roots to be working class. “So when there was a bit of a royal connection I don’t think we quite knew how to feel. “Mum still won’t believe me, but my cousins are loving it.” David explained how it feels to have a link to the current royal family: “I’m not a massive royalist by any means, because, in Australia, we’re a few steps removed. “But having said that, I still have a fascination with UK culture – I watched every bit of the coronation for example.” David explained the stark contrast between his mother’s and his father’s side of the family: “On my mum’s side we have sirs and Kate Middleton, but on my dad’s side, on the other side of the world, they were a boat full of convicts, so I joke that I’m Kate’s convict cousin!” Looking to the future, David hopes to meet some of his closer relatives in the UK, he explained: “I’d love to meet the cousin I’ve been emailing and have a trip to Durham. “Maybe I’ll also extend my invitation to Kate and see if she fancies joining!” Read More Kate Middleton sticks to royal protocol after fan asks for an autograph: ‘I can’t write my name’ ‘I did a DNA test and found out I had 7 siblings I didn’t know about’ Kate Middleton has touching response after child asks what it’s like to be a princess Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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Ordering supermarket groceries via delivery apps such as Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats could cost twice the price of buying directly from the same store, according to Which? Meanwhile, Amazon is charging up to 45 per cent more for Morrisons products than if they were bought from the supermarket’s own website, the consumer group found. Which? acknowledged that ordering groceries from Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats is “undeniably convenient” and could be received in as little as 30 minutes, but warned it found “shocking” price differences across a range of products in its snapshot investigation. It compared the price of a basket of 15 popular grocery items at five major supermarkets against the cost of ordering the same basket from the same supermarket to the same postcode via a delivery app, not including delivery fees. Almost all of the items were either more expensive on the delivery apps or the same price. Ordering groceries from Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats is undeniably appealing but the cost of this convenience could be double what you'd pay if you cut out the middleman Ele Clark, Which? Which? also found that customers would pay on average 8 per cent more for Morrisons groceries via Amazon than by ordering directly from the supermarket. In one case, a 250g pack of Country Life unsalted butter cost 45 per cent more on Amazon. The rapid delivery apps also charged a premium of as much as 106 per cent in one instance. The Which? basket, which included branded goods such as Doritos crisps alongside own-label milk and ready meals, would have cost £36.63 from Iceland, but getting the same items delivered from the same Iceland store by Just Eat would have cost £50.50, not including delivery fees – a 38 per cent premium. In some individual price differences, own-brand Fairtrade bananas cost 85p at Sainsbury’s and £1.75 on the three apps, Warburtons Toastie Thick Sliced White Bread cost £1 on Iceland’s website but £2 on Just Eat and Uber Eats, while Hovis Best of Both Medium Bread cost £1.19 on the Morrisons website but £2.05 from Uber Eats. Other examples included Asda own-brand Pinot Grigio costing £7 on the supermarket’s website and £9.10 on all three apps. Which? retail spokeswoman Ele Clark said: “Ordering groceries from Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats is undeniably appealing but the cost of this convenience could be double what you’d pay if you cut out the middleman. “As well as the extra cost on your groceries, you’ll probably have a delivery fee too, so it’s worth weighing this up before ordering anything to your door.” Customers who choose to order groceries via apps like ours do so because of the convenience, speed and choice on offer from rapid delivery Uber Eats A Deliveroo spokeswoman said: “The prices for grocery items available on the Deliveroo platform are set by our grocery partners. “Deliveroo always seeks to deliver great choice, availability and value for money to our customers, and we have agreed price-matching with our grocery partners including Morrisons, Co-op, Asda and more across hundreds of items.” An Uber Eats spokeswoman said: “Everyone who partners with Uber Eats sets their own prices and we always encourage them to match the prices offered in-store. “Customers who choose to order groceries via apps like ours do so because of the convenience, speed and choice on offer from rapid delivery.” A Just Eat spokeswoman said: “At Just Eat, we want all of our customers to have a positive experience when ordering from our platform. We work with more than 75,000 partners across the UK, giving our millions of customers access to choice and convenience through a variety of local takeaway options, restaurant brands and grocery stores. “As independent businesses, any restaurant or grocer using Just Eat are in control of their menus and set the prices they charge. We continue to work closely with our partners to bring value to our customers.” Amazon said that all prices of products sold through the ‘Morrisons on Amazon’ service were set by Morrisons, and added that being able to shop for Morrisons groceries on Amazon offered customers fast delivery options and value.