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Flycatchers and fantails: new songbirds discovered on tiny islands
#1
Five species and five subspecies found in Indonesia in the largest discovery of its kind in more than a century

Ten new songbird species and subspecies have been identified on a trio of previously under-explored Indonesian islands in the largest discovery of its kind in more than a century, according to a new study.
Hidden away on the remote Wallacean islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka, close to where British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed the theory of evolution to Charles Darwin, five new bird species and five subspecies were detected during a six-week expedition to the area, off the coast of Sulawesi.

Although the new species and subspecies have only just been formally identified, researchers warned that rampant forest destruction on the islands caused by logging and forest fires driven by the climate crisis threatens the survival of the birds.

“It’s a real surprise to see that in the 21st century there’s still a place on Earth, a relatively limited area, where there are five new subspecies and five news species of birds to be found,” said Prof Rheindt. “It goes to show that there are still many areas on Earth that are underexplored.
“In this era of environmental crisis, the year 2019 has shown that we have entered a critical stage. We will lose a lot of biodiversity in the future and we have limited resources to conserve what we have. How are we to conserve our biodiversity if we don’t know where it is? We really need a new push for biodiversity discovery and I hope that this study will provide the impetus for that.”
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#2
I was going to post about this today. You beat me to it. I think it is so amazing that we can still find new bird species. There are more animals on this planet that we will even realize. Now we need to cherish these new species and all the other birds we know about.

This article I found has pictures. The birds are beautiful.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-...s-wallacea

It makes you wonder how many other species live on this planet that we know nothing about.
In light of recent tragedies where species have been lost it is a relief to have some good news.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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#3
(01-13-2020, 03:17 PM)prani_saa Wrote: Five species and five subspecies found in Indonesia in the largest discovery of its kind in more than a century

Ten new songbird species and subspecies have been identified on a trio of previously under-explored Indonesian islands in the largest discovery of its kind in more than a century, according to a new study.
Hidden away on the remote Wallacean islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka, close to where British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed the theory of evolution to Charles Darwin, five new bird species and five subspecies were detected during a six-week expedition to the area, off the coast of Sulawesi.

Although the new species and subspecies have only just been formally identified, researchers warned that rampant forest destruction on the islands caused by logging and forest fires driven by the climate crisis threatens the survival of the birds.

“It’s a real surprise to see that in the 21st century there’s still a place on Earth, a relatively limited area, where there are five new subspecies and five news species of birds to be found,” said Prof Rheindt. “It goes to show that there are still many areas on Earth that are underexplored.
“In this era of environmental crisis, the year 2019 has shown that we have entered a critical stage. We will lose a lot of biodiversity in the future and we have limited resources to conserve what we have. How are we to conserve our biodiversity if we don’t know where it is? We really need a new push for biodiversity discovery and I hope that this study will provide the impetus for that.”
Prani_saa, thank you for your thoughtful post. This is exciting news.

I often wonder how many species exist, yet become extinct before they are ever discovered.

I have provided a link to a full article about this in the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/...onesia-aoe
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#4
That is a good article. The pictures they post are of beautiful birds. It seems astounding to find out that there are so many beautiful new species on one island. We are surrounded by stories of loss and suddenly there are birds we have never seen before.
There is still a lot of hope for this planet.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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