A new bird species from Indonesia
17-03-2008

Ornithologists, including one from Michigan State University, describe for science a new species of bird from the Togian Islands of Indonesia – Zosterops somadikartai, or Togian white-eye, in the March edition of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

The announcement of the discovery of a new bird comes with a twist: It’s a white-eye, but its eye isn’t white. Still, what this new bird lacks in literal qualities it makes up for as one of the surprises that nature still has tucked away in little-explored corners of the world. Its eye isn’t ringed in a band of white feathers like its cousins who flock in other remote tropical islands of Indonesia. Still, it has many features in common with the black-crowned white-eye Zosterops atrifrons of Sulawesi, which is clearly its closest relative, said MSU’s Pamela Rasmussen, an internationally known ornithologist specializing in Asian birds.

The Togian white-eye first was spotted by Indrawan and Sunarto 12 years ago during their first trip to the Togian Islands. Those first sightings were fleeting, but they returned and made several more observations of these active little green birds, ... read the full story from the newsroom of Michigan State University.


Beck’s Petrel flies back from extinction!
06-03-2008

A bird that was known only from two records from the 1920s has been discovered in the Pacific after a gap of 79 years. Sightings of the Critically Endangered Beck’s Petrel Pseudobulweria becki - published by the British Ornithologists' Club - have finally proven the species is still in existence, and delighted conservationists... read the full story from birdlife.org


A new subspecies for the World found in Nepal
06-02-2008

Nepalese scientists have recorded a new subspecies of bird at Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) of east Nepal.

The bird was first recorded by Ornithologist and Chairperson of Nepal Rare Birds Committee (NRBC) Mr Suchit Basnet and Mr Badri Chaudhary on 1 April 2005 at Koshi Tappu. The bird was identified as Rufous-vented Prinia bringing Nepal's total bird list to 862 species. The bird is known as Prinia burnesii to scientific community. The new taxon from Nepal is referred to as Nepal Rufous-vented Prinia, Prinia burnesii nipalensis... read the full story from Bird Conservation Nepal