"Lost" birds. Again (1 Viewer)

[Argentavis]

Hi all!

Yes, I know that the topic of lost birds has been raised many times on the forum in its various aspects. But, as usual, some questions remain...

This list contains bird species for which I have not been able to find confirmed sightings in the wild or in captivity since 2014. The list does not include the generally accepted “Holy Grails” like Ivory-billed Woodpecker or Pink-Headed Duck. The results of this small study are planned for publication as an appendix to a larger work, which I hope will be published next year. I will certainly inform you about the results here.

Actually, a question to the traveling forum participants: have you seen these guys over the past 10 years? Or maybe you know someone who definitely seen them, or know some new papers? Photos are especially welcome!

* - species for which there are observations in eBird without photos or videos
** - species kept in captivity, but without exact photo dates

Schlegel's Francolin (Campocolinus schlegelii) *
Somali Pigeon (Columba oliviae) *
New Britain Bronzewing (Henicophaps foersteri) *
Mindoro Bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba platenae)
Tawitawi Brown-Dove (Phapitreron cinereiceps) *
Little Brown Bustard (Eupodotis humilis) *
Ashy-tailed Swift (Chaetura andrei) *
Bare-legged Swiftlet (Aerodramus nuditarsus) *
Three-toed Swiftlet (Aerodramus papuensis) *
Luzon Rail (Lewinia mirifica)
Mayr's Rail (Rallina mayri)
Sulawesi Woodcock (Scolopax celebensis) *
Heard Island Shag (Leucocarbo nivalis) *
Slaty-mantled Goshawk (Accipiter luteoschistaceus) *
New Britain Goshawk (Accipiter princeps) *
Manus Masked-Owl (Tyto manusi)
Bismarck Kingfisher (Ceyx websteri) *
Sira Barbet (Capito fitzpatricki)
Blue-winged Racquet-tail (Prioniturus verticalis)
Striated Lorikeet (Synorhacma multistriata) **
White-naped Lory (Lorius albidinucha) **
Rio de Janeiro Antwren (Myrmotherula fluminensis)
Northern Catbird (Ailuroedus jobiensis)
Golden-fronted Bowerbird (Amblyornis flavifrons) *
Broad-billed Fairywren (Chenorhamphus grayi) *
Long-bearded Melidectes (Melidectes princeps) *
Foja Honeyeater (Melipotes carolae)
Bismarck Honeyeater (Vosea whitemanensis)
Taliabu Myzomela (Myzomela wahe) *
Mayr's Honeyeater (Ptiloprora mayri) *
New Ireland Friarbird (Philemon eichhorni)
Grauer's Cuckooshrike (Coracina graueri)
Ghana Cuckooshrike (Lobotos lobatus)
Mussau Triller (Lalage conjuncta) *
Papuan Whipbird (Androphobus viridis) *
Golden-backed Whistler (Pachycephala aurea)
Yellow-crested Helmetshrike (Prionops alberti) *
Bronze Parotia (Parotia berlepschi)
Santa Cruz Shrikebill (Clytorhynchus sanctaecrucis) *
Rufous Monarch (Symposiachrus rubiensis) *
Sharpe's Lark (Mirafra sharpie)
Somali Long-billed Lark (Mirafra somalica) *
Obbia Lark (Spizocorys obbiensis)
Short-billed Crombec (Sylvietta philippae)
Kabobo Apalis (Apalis kaboboensis)
Slender-tailed Cisticola (Cisticola melanurus) *
Rusty Thicketbird (Cincloramphus rubiginosus) *
Bougainville Thicketbird (Cincloramphus llaneae)
Prigogine's Greenbul (Chlorocichla prigoginei)
Sassi's Greenbul (Phyllastrephus lorenzi)
Naung Mung Scimitar-Babbler (Napothera naungmungensis)
Chapin's Mountain-Babbler (Turdoides chapini)
Guadalcanal Thrush (Zoothera turipavae) *
New Britain Thrush (Zoothera talaseae)
Bougainville Thrush (Zoothera atrigena)
Somali Thrush (Turdus ludoviciae) *
Rufous-breasted Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis camarinensis) *
Prigogine's Sunbird (Cinnyris prigoginei)
Rockefeller's Sunbird (Cinnyris rockefelleri) *
Yellow-legged Weaver (Ploceus flavipes) *
Bates's Weaver (Ploceus batesi)
New Hanover Munia (Lonchura nigerrima) **
Reichenow's Firefinch (Lagonosticta umbrinodorsalis) *
Warsangli Linnet (Linaria johannis) *
Vilcabamba Brushfinch (Atlapetes terborghi)
Saffron-breasted Redstart (Myioborus cardonai)
White-faced Redstart (Myioborus albifacies)
Carrizal Seedeater (Amaurospiza carrizalensis) *
Sira Tanager (Stilpnia phillipsi) *
Duida Grass-Finch (Emberizoides duidae)

 

[Xenospiza]

People are just to lazy to walk up the Sira Mountains. Curassow, Barbet, Tanager all there.
Pics from 2013: Sira Tanager - Stilpnia phillipsi

 

[Argentavis]

People are just to lazy to walk up the Sira Mountains. Curassow, Barbet, Tanager all there.
Pics from 2013: Sira Tanager - Stilpnia phillipsi

Thank you! As far as I understand, the inaccessibility of some regions is the main problem. Foja Mountains, New Ireland, remote DRC areas etc are still waiting.

 

[Ficedula]

Thank you! As far as I understand, the inaccessibility of some regions is the main problem. Foja Mountains, New Ireland, remote DRC areas etc are still waiting.

Foja Mountains and remote DRC are expedition territory but surely New Ireland straight forward, just fly there and walk into the mountains, unless things are very different now than when I did this in 1994? The Whiteman Mountains of new Britain are much harder to get into.

 

[temmie]

Rio de Janeiro Antwren (Myrmotherula fluminensis): is it even a species...?

Ghana Cuckooshrike (Lobotos lobatus) has pictures on ebird: https://ebird.org/checklist?subID=S65012088, and people like e.g. Robert Ntakor have seen it, in Ghana. Maybe extirpated from Ghana, but Cote-d'Ivoire, where most historic records come from, is underbirded thus no recent sightings it seems.

Yellow-crested Helmetshrike (Prionops alberti): I know people who've seen it on Nyiragongo, but that was before the Volcano burnt down the forest there.

Short-billed Crombec (Sylvietta philippae): photos in ebird. e.g. here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S77362590

Somali Thrush (Turdus ludoviciae) * photos in ebird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S77363516

Little Brown Bustard: Photos in ebird (again, by Nik Borrow and/or Charles Davies as with Somali Thrush and the Crombec)

Vilcabamba Brush-finch: I searched for info everywhere, and AFAIK, no photos (in the wild, unless maybe a field expedition has some unpublished?)

Given that I 'randomly' found pics of 4 species from your list on ebird: did you update the list recently?

ps: "The results of this small study are planned for publication as an appendix to a larger work, which I hope will be published next year. I will certainly inform you about the results here."

what's the larger work about...?

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Also pictures of Warsangli Linnet on Ebird:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S77363516

I wonder if this Birdquest trip is currently going on:

https://www.birdquest-tours.com/birding-tours/somaliland-djibouti/

 

[RyanI]

Rio de Janeiro Antwren (Myrmotherula fluminensis): is it even a species...?

Ghana Cuckooshrike (Lobotos lobatus) has pictures on ebird: https://ebird.org/checklist?subID=S65012088, and people like e.g. Robert Ntakor have seen it, in Ghana. Maybe extirpated from Ghana, but Cote-d'Ivoire, where most historic records come from, is underbirded thus no recent sightings it seems.

Yellow-crested Helmetshrike (Prionops alberti): I know people who've seen it on Nyiragongo, but that was before the Volcano burnt down the forest there.

Short-billed Crombec (Sylvietta philippae): photos in ebird. e.g. here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S77362590

Somali Thrush (Turdus ludoviciae) * photos in ebird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S77363516

Little Brown Bustard: Photos in ebird (again, by Nik Borrow and/or Charles Davies as with Somali Thrush and the Crombec)

Vilcabamba Brush-finch: I searched for info everywhere, and AFAIK, no photos (in the wild, unless maybe a field expedition has some unpublished?)

Given that I 'randomly' found pics of 4 species from your list on ebird: did you update the list recently?

ps: "The results of this small study are planned for publication as an appendix to a larger work, which I hope will be published next year. I will certainly inform you about the results here."

what's the larger work about...?

All your examples are pre-2014, the OP said that his list includes birds with no records since 2014

 

[Xenospiza]

Vilcabamba Brush-finch: I searched for info everywhere, and AFAIK, no photos (in the wild, unless maybe a field expedition has some unpublished?)

A trip into the northern Vilcabamba Mountains is apparently scheduled for this November.
Access to the area is through a rough corner of the VRAEM. No place for gringos.

 

[DMW]

I don't think it's right to describe any of the Somaliland species as "lost". The problem is mostly that security has deteriorated in recent years, deterring would-be visitors. There's no reason to suspect they aren't still there.

 

[jurek]

Perhaps you can additionally establish, whether a reasonable effort was made to find these birds in the first place. For some remote / politically unstable regions, no serious searches or trips were made.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. By extension, as no scientist visited Somaliland or whatever, one might propose that no lifeform exists there.

 

[Melanie]

The Buru lorikeet (Charmosyna toxopei) might be a nice target after its rediscovery.

 

[temmie]

All your examples are pre-2014, the OP said that his list includes birds with no records since 2014

* - species for which there are observations in eBird without photos or videos
OK, I didn't read this as:
* - species for which there are observations in eBird without photos or videos AFTER 2014.

Anyway, all of the species I mentioned I want to bet they are still out there, but it's just that the locations aren't visited (or birded by locals and sightings shared online) for various reasons.

The only criterium of the list seems to be the inclusion in ebird (with photo evidence), and certain factors why some birds are not included on ebird have nothing to do with the scarcity but rather with:
1. safety situation
2. accessibility
3. culture / adoption of ebird or other platforms in certain regions / countries combined with lack of birdwatchers.

 

[Argentavis]

Thank you all for the answers!

what's the larger work about...?

About extinct and possibly extinct birds. The species listed above are NOT in main list, and only part of them will be added in this appendix. I think there are no extinct species at all, and "lost" in the head of this thread is not "lost forever" like a Dodo. It's rather like a long "lost" kin. You know that he is exist, there is no information that he may be already dead, but too lazy or just don't want to seek and meet him Or yes, he may live in a country that is difficult to travel to.

About the four species you mentioned - thank you, but there is an answer from Ryan already, he noticed the time right.

The Buru lorikeet (Charmosyna toxopei) might be a nice target after its rediscovery.

Definitely! There are a little less than 10 years after the last sighting.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

“I think there are no extinct species at all”? Where are the dodos, solitaires, moas, passenger pigeons and even Archaeopteryx hiding then?

 

[Paul Chapman]

“I think there are no extinct species at all”? Where are the dodos, solitaires, moas, passenger pigeons and even Archaeopteryx hiding then?

If you read the thread, this list is not intended to cover those species. They are already collated and in a separate list. It is the "grey" species that are being discussed.

👍

The ability of species to be lost without being noticed I think is this influence. That can happen more easily in other orders and in more limited geographic areas. It is an interesting problem in conservation generally.

All the best

Paul

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

If you read the thread, this list is not intended to cover those species. They are already collated and in a separate list. It is the "grey" species that are being discussed.

👍

The ability of species to be lost without being noticed I think is this influence. That can happen more easily in other orders and in more limited geographic areas. It is an interesting problem in conservation generally.

All the best

Paul

That is what I thought was the case; it was just this one statement that seemed odd (but maybe just a mistranslation or similar).

 

[jurek]

Try searching for negative reports, that is whether anybody visited localities, tried for these species and failed. And checking whether there have been bird tours or reports on cloudbirders from ranges of these birds (DRC, Somalia, highlands of New Britain etcetera). Even better would be checking local websites, grapevines, social media groups and bird organizations. 99% of bird information in Asian countries may stay inside local networks.

For me, that a bird is not reported on American social media is a very weak argument in an ornithology publication. Unless you are doing a sociological study of Americans and their attitude towards birds. Even if one would use a formal and circumvented language, perhaps calling social media a citizen science.

Using the same approach for visible / widespread and not searched / remote species is misleading. That nobody seen a Great Auk in the North Atlantic for over a century means it is certainly extinct. But with a 10 year time frame and a small bird in Congo which range is visited irregularly, with an average of less than once per year, plus years of political inaccessibility, then the margin of uncertainty is too large and impossible to estimate well. It becomes obvious if you would extend from birds to other animals, for example deepsea fish or poorly visible insects.

 

[Melanie]

I think the Cebu flowerpecker will go extinct fast as the destroying of its habitat is faster than measures for its protection. (See the White-chested white-eye as similar case).

 

[Moo]

Hi all,

Sorry if I’ve missed this, but, does anyone know anything/tried to look for Negros Fruit Dove? I realised it’s incredibly unlikely with the level of habitat removal and hunting pressure.

Mark

 

[WalterRayle]

If only some of the twitchers that post on the forum here made an effort to go and see/look for some of these species with as much enthusiasm as the do to chase vagrants and stick their big cameras up their backsides, then these 'lost' lists wouldn't need to exist. Surely it would be more satisfying to find one of these species than chase after something that shouldn't be where it is that someone else has found and in some cases already identified for you, the recent grackle in Wales is a relatively good example.