New species of hummingbird discovered in Colombia

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New species of hummingbird discovered in Colombia
mongabay.com
May 15, 2007

Ornithologists have discovered a previously unknown blue-and-green-throated hummingbird species in a cloud forest in Colombia, reports BirdLife International, a conservation group. The bird, called the gorgeted puffleg, measures up to 4 inches (10 cm) in length.

Ornithologists Alexander Cortés-Diago and Luis Alfonso Ortega first sighted the bird in the mountain cloud forest in the Serrania del Pinche in southwest Colombia during 2005.

We immediately suspected the bird as a new species," André Weller of the Brehm Fund for International Bird Conservation/Zoological Research Museum A. Koenig stated in a news release. "Further study has shown that this is certainly the most spectacular discovery of a new hummingbird taxon during the last decade or more."

Gorgeted Puffleg (Eriocnemis isabellae). Photo by Alex Cortes

The researchers said the hummingbird's habitat is threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture and farming of coca, the raw ingredient fore cocaine.

"The isolated nature of the Serrania del Pinche within the biodiverse Choco region makes it likely that further new species await discovery," said Luis Mazariegos-Hurtado of The Hummingbird Conservancy. "Yet a major threat to these forests exists: the increase in coca fields and slash and burn' agriculture. It is estimated that 500 hectares are lost each year."

The Choco is one of the world's most biodiverse regions but it has suffered from high rates of forest clearing for agriculture and, in Colombia, the presence of rebels who are believed to often rely on wildlife hunting for sustenance.

BirdLife International says the discovery necessitates the area's conservation.

Serrania del Pinche is shrinking dramatically due to the spread of coca farming and slash and burn' agriculture. Photo by Alex Cortes

"This is an important discovery for bird conservation and further evidence of how much more there is to learn about the world's forests, and how much we stand to lose if they are allowed to be destroyed." said Ian Davidson, Head of BirdLife International's Americas Programme based in Ecuador. "Gorgeted Puffleg is a flagship species for the biodiversity of Serrania del Pinche, which must be conserved."

"To go undiscovered for so long, the bird's range must be extremely small and fragile — hence conservation action is undoubtedly a priority for the Serrania del Pinche."

This is a modified news release from the Woods Hole Research Center

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