Scientists rediscover lost bird which was not seen for 140 years

Scientists have rediscovered the black-necked goura pigeon, a rare bird that was last seen around 140 years ago in Papua New Guinea. The discovery was made in September on Fergusson Island, off the east coast of Papua New Guinea.The researchers' cameras captured this rare bird, a species that has not been documented by scientists since it was first described in 1882, Audubon Magazine reported.

Scientists rediscover lost bird which was not seen for 140 years

During the final hours of an expedition searching for the Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon, camera traps captured photos and video of the bird, which had been long-lost to science for 140 years. #LostBirds https://t.co/701DV3Dokn pic.twitter.com/Qs715l6Cys

— Re:wild (@rewild) November 17, 2022

John C. Mittermeier, director of the lost birds program at the American Bird Conservancy and co-leader of the 8-member expedition team, said: "Finding something that has been lost for so long that you thought was nearly extinct and realizing that it wasn't extinct is like finding a unicorn or a Bigfoot. something,” he said.Extraordinarily unusual.

Research team; BirdLife International is part of The Search for Lost Birds, a collaboration between Rewild and the American Bird Conservancy, which funded the trip. The collaboration aims to rediscover more than 150 species of birds that have not been declared extinct but have not been seen for at least 10 years. The black-necked goura pigeon, about the size of a chicken, is among some 20 "lost" birds not seen in over a century. The bird, which is one of the 4 gura-pigeon species found in New Guinea, lives only on Fergusson Island.

In 2019, researchers tried to locate the large, ground-dwelling pigeon on the island but failed. While the latest expedition failed, the team found success this year in villages on the western slope of Mount Kilkerran, the island's highest peak, the BBC reported.