A bird has been unexpectedly rediscovered in Borneo 172 years after its only description, according to inform BirdLife International. Specifically, two inhabitants of the South Kalimantan province of Indonesia have found it.
Is about black-browed cowbird.
The biggest enigma of Indonesian ornithology
The black-browed cowbird was described by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850. Its description was based on a specimen collected sometime in the 1840s by the German geologist and naturalist Carl ALM Schwaner, during his expeditions to the East Indies.
Since then, no other specimens or sightings have been reported. Until now. As explained Panji Gusti Akbar, lead author of A study describing details of the rediscovery:
We also know what the black-browed cowbird really looks like: the bird photographed now showed several differences from the only known specimen, specifically the color of the iris, beak, and leg. These three parts of a bird's body are known to lose their dye and are often artificially colored during the taxidermy process. The discovery also confirms that this species continues to exist despite massive deforestation and habitat conversion in this little-known part of Borneo. Therefore, there is a very high possibility that it will be seriously threatened by habitat loss.
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The news
A bird that was believed to have been extinct for almost 200 years appears in Borneo
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.