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Researchers from Trinity College in Dublin have discovered a new species of bird in Indonesia. Zoologists identified a currently unrecognised species from the threatened Sulawesi region.
They are proposing that the colourful bird – which looks like an exotic robin – should be called the ‘Wakatobi Flowerpecker’.
This follows numerous expeditions to South-east Sulawesi and its offshore islands. The group have published evidence stating that a population of birds from the Wakatobi Islands should be recognised as a unique species.
The genetic data from the Trinity study revealed that the two flowerpecker species did not mix or interbreed, which in turn suggests that they do not cross the 27km stretch of ocean between them.
These findings, just published in the open access journal PLOS ONE, suggest that the lack of research and particular absence of genetic analyses performed on similar birds has likely led to a significant underestimation of the number of species in the Sulawesi region.
This means there are many more bird species awaiting description and the zoologists are calling for more detailed study of the bird populations in the beautiful and under-explored Sulawesi region as a result.
Lead author of the journal article, and PhD student in Zoology at Trinity, Seán Kelly said that the discovery of new species has an impact on human life.
Accurate data on the distribution and status of bird species are regularly used to inform conservation practices and industrial development.
“As humans are changing the natural environments of Sulawesi at an incredibly fast rate, the discovery and description of species in the region is of major importance,”
Agencies/Canadajournal
