Researchers recently rediscovered the Madagascar Pochard, a duck that was previously considered extinct. The biologists were working for the Peregrine Fund and conducting a survey in the northern part of Madagascar when they found nine adult and four juvenile pochards. The last known sighting of the duck was in 1991. Read the full article.
Evidence of a so-called “terror bird” has been found in Argentina, scientists revealed last week. The bird, part of a family of flightless carnivores called phorusrhacids, reached up to three meters in height and was among the top carnivores in South America. Mammals hold that distinction in all other parts of the ancient world. Read the full story Big bird had swift legs at Nature.com.
Experts say the recent decline of the Monal bird in India is due to indiscriminate hunting. The Monal, the state bird of Himchal Pradesh, is prized by hunters because its feathers are in demand for use in the fashion industry. The bird’s meat is also popular. Read more in New Kerala.
This week researchers from Auburn University and the University of Windsor revealed there were 14 Ivory-bill Woodpecker sightings in the Florida panhandle between May 2005 and May 2006. No photos were captured, however. Read the full story at Birdlife International. For views on both sides of the issue I recommend this skeptic’s blog and this believer’s blog. Above all I highly recommend the Ivory-billed Woodpecker t-shirts and paraphernalia available from MagnificentFrigatebird.com.
“The first global audit of threatened species has revealed that 16 species of bird that were on the brink of extinction in the mid-1990s have been saved by determined conservation efforts. In a stunning illustration of what can be achieved when concerted action is taken by governments and environmental groups, some of the most beautiful and rare types of birdlife have even seen their numbers increase tenfold in a decade.” Read the full story Saved from extinction: conservationists hail recovery of 16 threatened bird species in the Independent.
“NASA used a laser-equipped research aircraft to fly over the Big Woods area of the Mississippi Delta to learn more about the big woodpecker’s potential habitat, the space agency said Thursday.” Read the story NASA joins search for elusive woodpecker on MSNBC.
A judge halted a $320 million irrigation project in Arkansas, because the project would disturb the habitat of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, once thought to be extinct. Problem is, other than one controversial sighting last year, no one can find the bird anywhere.
read more | digg story
A research team from the natural history museum Naturalis in Leiden has discovered bones of the Pigeon Hollandais (Alectroenas nitidissima) on the island of Mauritius. The bones are the oldest ever found of the species.
The bird got the name Pigeon Hollandais from its coloration of white, blue and red, which reminded early observers of the Dutch flag. The species is also known as the Mauritius Blue Pigeon.
The species was heavily hunted in the 17th and 18th centuries. As the habitat of the bird was decimated by deforestation, sightings of the bird were already rare as early as 1730. The bird probably finally became extinct sometime around the 1803’s.
The research team from Naturalis is in Mauritius searching for information on the Dodo Bird. A weblog of their expedition, with some entries in English, can be found here.
Source: Onderzoekers Naturalis vinden botten ‘Hollandse duif’
The Manipur Bush-Quail, first discovered in the late 1870’s and last seen in the early 1930’s, was thought to be extinct for over 75 years. Two officials from the Manas National Park have spotted what they believe to be a Manipur Bush-Quail in the park. Read the full story Rare bird sighted after 75 years in Asssam in the Deccan Herald.
A Dutch research team has discovered a dodo skeleton on the island of Mauritius last week. The announcement came from the museum Naturalis, located in Leiden.
The research team’s goal is to document the environment of the dodo on Mauritius before Europeans came to the island. According to descriptions, the Portuguese came to the island about 500 years ago. In about 1600, the Dutch came to the island and began large-scale development and settlement. The last dodo bird was also seen in this period (1683)
So far the team has found near complete leg bone structures, along with skulls, wing- and breast-bones. The team still hopes to discover a complete skeleton. The research expedition will come to an end on 3 July.
