New bird species discovered in the South Pacific

SHARE:

New bird species discovered in the South Pacific
mongabay.com
April 19, 2007

University of Florida scientists have discovered a new genus of frogmouth bird in the Solomon Islands. The findings are published in the April edition of Ibis: The International Journal of Avian Science.

A new genus of frogmouth bird is seen in the top right of this photograph taken April 18, 2007. It was found in the Solomon Islands by Florida Museum of Natural History ornithologists Andrew Kratter and David Steadman. New bird genera are rare discoveries --- only one per year is typically announced globally. Steadman believes the newly named Solomon Islands Frogmouth bird (Rigidipenna inexpectata) may be closely related to a genus of frogmouth bird found in the Philippines, (Batrachostomus), shown in the lower left.

"This discovery underscores that birds on remote Pacific islands are still poorly known, scientifically speaking," said David Steadman, an orinthologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History and co-author of the study. "Without the help of local hunters, we probably would have overlooked the frogmouth."

The bird was originally misclassified as a subspecies of the Australian Marbled Frogmouth, Podargus ocellatus, an error that was overlooked for decades until another specimen was collected on the island of Isabel in the Solomons.

The bird, thought to be a poor flier, feeds on insects and small animals.

The discovery of a new genus of bird is unusual--less than one new genus is discovered each year, according to Steadman, who is well known for his work on bird extinction across the South Pacific.

CITATION: NIGEL CLEERE, ANDREW W. KRATTER, DAVID W. STEADMAN, MICHAEL J. BRAUN, CHRISTOPHER J. HUDDLESTON, CHRISTOPHER E. FILARDI & GUY DUTSON (2007). A new genus of frogmouth (Podargidae) from the Solomon Islands — results from a taxonomic review of Podargus ocellatus inexpectatus Hartert 1901 Ibis, Volume 149, Issue 2: 271-286. doi: 10.1111/j.1474-919X.2006.00626.x.

This note is based on a news release from the University of Florida and materials from Ibis.

Comments?

News options

SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

News index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home

Advertisements:

Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing

SAVE $3 on mongabay shirts from Zazzle thru Aug 23!
Warning: hallucinogenic frog		Wildlife of Madagascar T-shirt
Bold and Dangerous - Pygmy tyrant		Orangutan: "I'm just here to look pretty"
Baby sea turtle shirt II		Save gorillas T-Shirt
Snake eating frog T-shirt		Will you miss me? Baby Orangutan
Love me before I'm gone - Gladiator frog		Licking this frog may make you crazy

MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)

CONTENTS

Rainforests
Tropical Fish
News
Madagascar
Pictures
Kids' Site
Languages
TCS Journal
About
Archives
Topics | RSS
Newsletter