Undescribed (1 Viewer)

[Xenospiza]

Well, two other names might be possible too:

after its discoverer Dr. Niels Krabbe Megascops krabbesi

or after the locality

Megascops santamartae

Or rather krabbei and sanctaemartae.

I believe Robert Giles works very hard for ProAves, so it's well deserved.
I can only hope that Diego Calderón will set up a network of competing reserves to make sure that there will be a reason to come to Colombia for many years to come.

 

[jurek]

I am curious why taxonomists have a problem with invalid name, when dozens of subspecies are renamed species for conservation reasons?

 

[Mysticete]

uh..

because one is an issue of nomenclature and can potentially cause a lot of headaches.

The other is your subjective personal opinion

 

[Papuan birder]

There is an undescribed nightjar on Timor in the Lesser Sunda chain. In the past it has been erroneously positioned in with Caprimulgus macrurus schlegelii with which it appears identical in plumage, but the vocalizations suggests otherwise. As with Mees’s Nightjar Caprimulgus meesi which was described as new to science by Sangster & Rozendaal in 2004.

 

[Melanie]

The Wangi Wangi White-eye (Zosterops sp.) is still undescribed too. It would be interesting to know the reason.

 

[Daniel Philippe]

Tinamidae

I have two pending cases in this family:
"Hennessey's Tinamou" (Cotinga 22: 73-78)
"Bertelli's Tinamou" (Ornitologia neotropical 15 (Suppl.) 2004)

Anything new ?

 

[Richard Klim]

Manu banded owl sp

An interesting owl was also photographed on the east slope in southeast Peru recently, which might be a hybrid between Rufous-banded and Black-banded Owls, or something quite different.
I believe the finders are writing a short note (with photos) for Neotropical Birding.

This? http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=178949

Rodríguez, López-Velasco & Geale 2012. Unidentified banded owl Ciccaba sp. at Manu National Park, Peru. Neotropical Birding 10: 9–13.

...probably a Rufous-banded C. albitarsis x Black-banded Owl C. huhula hybrid,...
In conclusion, we believe that the owl we observed along the Manu Road should be treated as a putative hybrid, but that its identity must be left open until more birds of this phenotype have been observed and documented...

 

[Daniel Philippe]

Bananal Spinetail

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/bananal-spinetail-certhiaxis-sp-nova

Do we know more about this bird today ?

 

[Richard Klim]

Bananal Spinetail

Do we know more about this bird today ?

Also here:

• YouTube. Yet undescribed Certhiaxis Spinetail Endemic from Bananal Island region.
• Bernardon 2010. Birding the Araguaia Region of Central Brazil: Finding the specialties of the Bananal Island and Araguaia river 5–8 May 2010.
• xeno-canto XC50061, XC50062.
• WikiAves.

 

[Richard Klim]

New imperial pigeon

An undescribed Ducula pigeon has been identified in the Foja Mts, Western New Guinea. The announcment was made public yesterday.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/05/17/new-bat-gecko-pigeon-identified-papua.html
It somewhat remind you of the Zoe's Imperial-Pigeon Ducula zoeae, but still looks very unique.

Beehler, Diamond, Kemp, Scholes, Milensky & Laman 2012. Avifauna of the Foja Mountains of western New Guinea. Bull BOC 132(2): 84–101.

IMPERIAL PIGEON Ducula cf. chalconota / sp. nov.
A novel imperial pigeon was photographed in 2008 that is evidently a geographical representative of the Shining Imperial Pigeon Ducula chalconota lineage, but exhibits several plumage characters that distinguish it from D. chalconota. It will be described in a separate publication. D. chalconota has been recorded from the Wandammen Mountains to the west, but not in the Cyclops or Bewani / Torricelli Mountains to the east.

 

[Papuan birder]

Beehler, Diamond, Kemp, Scholes, Milensky & Laman 2012. Avifauna of the Foja Mountains of western New Guinea. Bull BOC 132(2): 84–101.

Is the Ducula pigeon the only undescribed species mentioned in that paper? if so that is very disappointing given the fact that a handful of undescribed species and about a dozen undescribed subspecies was discovered during the course of the recent Foja expeditions. There was a short article published in NG some year ago but apart from that almost nothing has yet been published concerning the discovery of these new birds.

Does Beehler and co. provide some concrete evidence for splitting the Foja Parotia? in a paper on the avifauna of the Foja Mts published in the BOC Bulletin back in 2010 Beehler said that this issue would be dealth with in another paper, but so far nothing has been published. It has already been split by some authorities so a paper dealing with the issue is long over-due.

 

[Mysticete]

It can take a year to just go from submission to final acceptance, so 2 years doesn't seem that bad for me.

 

[Richard Klim]

Beehler et al 2012

Is the Ducula pigeon the only undescribed species mentioned in that paper?

Hi, Iglezi. Yes.

Does Beehler and co. provide some concrete evidence for splitting the Foja Parotia? in a paper on the avifauna of the Foja Mts published in the BOC Bulletin back in 2010 Beehler said that this issue would be dealth with in another paper, but so far nothing has been published. It has already been split by some authorities so a paper dealing with the issue is long over-due.

BRONZE PAROTIA Parotia berlepschi
Details of the morphology, plumage, vocalisations, behaviour and systematics of this form will be treated in a separate publication. Video and audio files as well as many still images of male and female-plumaged birds were collected and all of this material has been archived at the Cornell Lab.

 

[Richard Klim]

'Ancash Canastero'

Here is a long list which certainly deserves a serious updating :
The “Ancash Canastero” Asthenes (dorbignyi ?) in Peru : Ancash (HBW 8: 309)

John Boyd:
www.jboyd.net/Taxo/changes.html [23 Jun 2012]
www.jboyd.net/Peru12/IMG_1911.html

Remsen 2003 (HBW 8): Asthenes dorbignyi.

 

[Richard Klim]

Great Nicobar Crake

Rajeshkumar, Ragunathan & Rasmussen 2012. An apparently new species of Rallina crake from Great Nicobar Island, India. BirdingASIA 17: 44–46.

Includes two photographs. Observed at Govind Nagar tsunami shelter on the east coast of Great Nicobar, 6 km from Campbell Bay - Nov 2011.

 

[Richard Klim]

'Siberut Frogmouth'

In a letter to the Editors (BirdingASIA 13:9 - June 2010), Philippe Verbelen says that a yet unidentified Frogmouth Batrachostomus sp. may be seen in a secondary forest in NE Siberut (Mentawai islands, Sumatra).
Do we know more on this bird ?

Verbelen & DeMeulemeester 2012. Field observations of an unidentified frogmouth Batrachostomus on Siberut, Mentawi Islands, West Sumatra, Indonesia. BirdingASIA 17: 106–108.

Includes two photographs, plus sonograms.

Although the presence of at least one frogmouth species on Siberut is now properly documented with images and sound recordings, the specific identity of this bird has yet to be established. None of the experts consulted felt able to draw a firm conclusion even though all agreed that the bird in question is most likely Javan or Sunda Frogmouth.
Considering the high level of endemism on the Mentawi islands, there is also the possibility that the 'Siberut Frogmouth' represents a new taxon. But the capture of a specimen will be necessary to allow genetic study and finally establish the identity of this enigmatic bird.

 

[Melanie]

Rajeshkumar, Ragunathan & Rasmussen 2012. An apparently new species of Rallina crake from Great Nicobar Island, India. BirdingASIA 17: 44–46.

Includes two photographs. Observed at Govind Nagar tsunami shelter on the east coast of Great Nicobar, 6 km from Campbell Bay - Nov 2011.

Here is a photograph of the Great Nicobar Crake

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120802/jsp/nation/story_15803856.jsp

 

[Ian Lewis]

Bismarck Flyrobin

I recently saw the Bismarck Flyrobin, an undescribed Microeca species on New Ireland, PNG.

Does anyone know if this species has been collected and waits description, or has not yet been collected?

Ian

 

[Hidde Bruinsma]

Both populations of the Bismarck Flyrobin are still only known from sightings. The New Britain bird is a bit different from the New Ireland bird, so both should be sampled. May I ask at what altitude you saw your bird ?

 

[Ian Lewis]

May I ask at what altitude you saw your bird ?

A bit below 850m on the Limbin road to the Lelet Plateau

Ian