|
|
BIRDING ADVENTURES TV NEWS Greetings!
This week we feature some exciting news from BirdLife International about the discovery of a breeding population of one of the world's least known birds. Congratulations to the winner of our weekly quizz, Ellen Blackstone! And be sure to enter this week's quizz to win a copy of Life List by Olivia Gentile. Learn more below about our upcoming show, the birds of Suriname - in particular, the Guianan Toucanet. Stay tuned for another Birding Adventure! 
THE TV SHOW WHERE BIRDS OF A FEATHER ADVENTURE TOGETHER
|
|
BREEDING SITE OF "WORLD'S LEAST KNOWN BIRD" DISCOVERED The breeding site of one of the world's least known birds, Large-billed Reed-warbler Acrocephalus orinus, has been discovered in the remote and rugged Wakhan Corridor of the Pamir Mountains of north-eastern Afghanistan. The breeding site of one of the world's least known birds, Large-billed Reed-warbler Acrocephalus orinus, has been discovered in the remote and rugged Wakhan Corridor of the Pamir Mountains of north-eastern Afghanistan. Using a combination of field observations, museum specimens, DNA sequencing, and the first known audio recording of the species, researchers verified the discovery by capturing and releasing almost 20 birds earlier this year, the largest number ever recorded.
The discovery of Large-billed Reed-warblers in Afghanistan represents a watershed moment in the study of this bird. The first specimen was discovered in India in 1867, with more than a century elapsing before a second discovery of a single bird in Thailand in 2006 which was first reported by BirdLife International.
A preliminary paper on the finding appears in the most recent edition of BirdingASIA, the magazine of the Oriental Bird Club.
"Almost nothing was known about this species and it was consequently listed as Data deficient by BirdLife on the IUCN Red List, so the discovery of a breeding population marks a major step forward", said Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife's Global Research and Indicators Coordinator.
The find serves as a case study in detective work. The story began in 2008, when Rob Timmins from WCS was conducting a survey of bird communities along the Wakhan and Pamir Rivers. He immediately heard a distinctive song coming from a small, olive-brown bird with a long bill. Timmins taped the bird's song. He later heard and observed more birds of the same species.
Initially, Timmins assumed these birds to be Blyth's Reed-warblers Acrocephalus dumetorum, but a visit to the Natural History Museum at Tring in the UK to examine bird skins resulted in a surprise: the observed birds were another species.
In summer 2009, WCS researchers returned to the site of Timmins' first survey, this time with mist nets used to catch birds for examination. The research team broadcast the recording of the song, a technique used to bring curious birds of the same species into view for observation and examination. The recording brought in Large-billed Reed-warblers from all directions, allowing the team to catch almost 20 of them for examination and to collect feathers for DNA. Later lab work comparing museum specimens with measurements, field images, and DNA confirmed the exciting finding: the first-known breeding population of Large-billed Reed-warblers.
"This is great news from a little-known species from a remote part of the world and suggests that there may be more discoveries to be made here", said Mike Evans, BirdLife's compiler of the Important Bird Areas of the Middle East.
|
GUIANAN TOUCANETS! . Suriname is one of South America's most under-celebrated birding destinations. The country contains more undisturbed primary rainforest per geographica are than any other country on earth. Its is safe, easily accessible and has some excellent ecotourism lodges like Bergendal Eco Resort, situated just over an hours drive from the country's capital, Paramaribo. The Guianan Toucanet is a species of bird in the Ramphastidae family. It is found in north-western Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Guianan Toucanets are found in pairs and in feeding groups of up to 10 birds. They occur nearly exclusively in forested habitat where they feed on fruiting trees like cecropias. They make a distinctive, rattling call and are clearly identifiable by their red-and-black two-tone bill. Catch the quest for this beautiful species this week on BATV!
The range-restricted Guianan Toucanet |
 BATV WEEKLY QUIZZCorrectly identify the mystery bird in the photo at left and win a copy of Olivia Gentile's new book, "Life List". See below for more details on this great book. Email all answers to info@BirdingAdventures.com and title your email "Quizz". Clue: A difficult-to-see species from the Guianan Shield region. The winner (first correct entry drawn) will be announced in next week's newsletter.  LIFE LIST: A Woman's Quest for the World's Most Amazing Birds by journalist Olivia Gentile is a provocative and moving biography of Phoebe Snetsinger, who spent the first half of her adulthood raising children outside St. Louis and the second half making hundreds of expeditions to remote, rugged corners of all seven continents and seeing more bird species than anyone in history.
Congratulations to our last winner, Ellen Blackstone of www.birdnote.org, who correctly identified our last mystery bird as a Purple Gallinule! Ellen won a copy of Life List by Olivia Gentile |
TV SCHEDULE Our schedule for early 2010 is as follows: Week of January 18 Guianan Toucanet - Suriname Week of January 25 Red-crowned Parrots - Texas Week of February 1 Green Jays - Texas 
|
|
|
Happy Birding, Nikon's Birding Adventures Team 
|
|
|
