Inaccessible bird species (1 Viewer)

[Maffong]

There are currently 11.140 species of birds recognized (IOC 13.1) of which 160 are considered extinct, meaning that world listers can strive for 10.980 species. The top world listers are all below 9.800, meaning that all still need over 1.000 species, which I find a surprisingly high number. Many probably relate to new splits or highly localized endemics, but some species are simply impossible to get under normal circumstances. I wonder what these are and therefore I'd like to compile them here.
What species are currently mostly or entirely inaccessible to birders?
I'd like to use four categories:
A) Birds without currently known populations
B) Birds that occur at inaccessible sites that would require concerted expeditions, as they can't be reached independently.
C) Birds that only occur within inaccessible sites, that require permits, such as conservation areas that may only be visited by certain researchers.
D) Birds that are currently off-limits because they occur only in politically unstable regions, such as war or terrorism regions.

Here are examples for all categories. Feel free to add your own.

A)
Luzon Rail
Colombian Crake
Luzon Buttonquail
Chestnut-shouldered Goshawk
Maned Owl
Nechisar Nightjar
Prigogine's Nightjar
New Caledonian Owlet-Nightjar
Coppery Thorntail
Congo Bay-Owl
Shelley's Crimsonwing
Yellow-crested Helmetshrike
Dulit Partridge
Oriole Cuckooshrike
Tana River Cisticola
Red Sea Swallow
Dusky Tetraka
Spectacled Flowerpecker
Kinglet Calyptura
Blue-wattled Bulbul

B)
Hainan Peacock-pheasant
Tepui Tinamou
Whitehead's Swiftlet
Mayr's Swiftlet
Three-toed Swiftlet
Buff-breasted Sabrewing
Louisiade Pitta
Mountain Starling
White-chinned Myzomela
Snow Mountain Robin
Vilcabamba Brushfinch
Scaled Flowerpiercer
Saffron-breasted Redstart
White-faced Redstart
Duida Grassfinch

C)
Laysan Duck
Ainsley's Storm-Petrel
Socorro Dove
Gough Moorhen
Inaccessible Island Rail
Night Parrot
Kakapo
Socorro Parakeet
Socorro Elf Owl
Narcondam Hornbill
Socorro Mockingbird
Socorro Wren
Clarion Wren
Millerbird
Nihoa Finch
Laysan Finch
Vampire Ground-Finch
Mangrove Finch
Gough Island Finch
Inaccessible Island Finch
Guadalupe Junco
Akikiki
Akekee

D)
Nubian Bustard
Archer's Buzzard
Sulu Hornbill
Somali Pigeon
Jerdon's Minivet
Hooded Treepie
Burmese Bushlark
Lesser Hoopoe-lark
Ash's Lark
Obbia Lark
Somali Lark
White-throated Babbler
White-browed Nuthatch
Afghan Snowfinch
Kordofan Sparrow
Abd-al-kuri Sparrow
Cinnamon Weaver
Yemen Serin
Yemen Linnet
Somali Grosbeak
Warsangli Linnet
Gray-crowned Palm-tanager
Grauer's Cuckooshrike
Bedford's Paradise-Flycatcher
Kabobo Apalis
Prigogine's Greenbul
Chapin's Mountain-babbler
Prigogine's Sunbird
Rockefeller's Sunbird
Slender-tailed Cisticola
Yellow-legged Weaver
Lake Lufira Masked-Weaver
Golden-naped Weaver
Black-lored Waxbill
Sulu Bleeding-heart
Sulu Boobook
Sulu Pygmy Woodpecker
Niam-niam Parrot
Kordofan Lark
Kordofan Rufous Sparrow

I'd like to follow IOC taxonomy and their designation of what's extinct.

 

[opisska]

Nubian Bustard has a huge range on maps, is it present throughout the range or only in some very specific regions? Because while the range has some hairy areas, there definitely are places that can be visited.

 

[opisska]

And what is the deal with Vilcabamba Brushfinch? The range is rugged mountains but there doesn't seem to be much chance of helping that - there is no navigable rivers and I would be skeptical to lading any aircraft there, so it's just a question of trekking there?

 

[Maffong]

I've added quite a few birds to the lists, which are a little bit of a mess right now. I will double-check the order, nomenclature and correct assignment once I'm no longer just on a phone.

 

[Maffong]

And what is the deal with Vilcabamba Brushfinch? The range is rugged mountains but there doesn't seem to be much chance of helping that - there is no navigable rivers and I would be skeptical to lading any aircraft there, so it's just a question of trekking there?

Yes, you could trek there (as was done by the expedition that collected the specimens) or if you have the money, perhaps taking a helicopter might be an option. Once you get there it should be fairly easy to find

 

[Maffong]

Nubian Bustard has a huge range on maps, is it present throughout the range or only in some very specific regions? Because while the range has some hairy areas, there definitely are places that can be visited.

As with many bustards, their past ranges are mich bigger than their current ranges. Nowadays, you can basically only find them in Chad and Niger.

 

[opisska]

Yemen Serin is easily seen in Oman - I have it Yemen Linnet is regularly reported from Saudi Arabia which is now freely accessible. Abd-al-Kuri can be visited from Soccotra, can it not?

 

[vergan]

Yemen serin is a fairly easy species in safe south Oman.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Stresemann's Bristlefront probably needs adding to A. Purple-winged Ground Dove as well. I think Somaliland is at least somewhat doable for birding, so the stuff from there in D could be removed. Birdquest are apparently going there this year.

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

 

[opisska]

Somaliland is all the rage in mammalwatching, many people are going there.

 

[DMW]

A)
Luzon Rail - trapped in small numbers at Dalton Pass at least until recently
Spectacled Flowerpecker - can be seen in Borneo with luck
Blue-wattled Bulbul - widely regarded as a hybrid

 

[DMW]

B)
Hainan Peacock-pheasant - I think the "easy" ones got trapped a few years ago
Whitehead's Swiftlet - not sure how many actually try but should be findable with effort
Snow Mountain Robin - can be seen with moderate effort in West Papua

 

[lockbreeze926]

To my untrained eye, the Inaccessible Island Finch is a very discouraging name.

 

[DMW]

C)
Narcondam Hornbill - no problem if you have the money to charter a boat

 

[DMW]

D)
Some of these depend on your appetite for risk. I'm not sure how risky Burma is right now, but most of the endemics are easy at Bagan which is a major tourist site so might still be OK. As others say, Somaliland is currently "on limits".

Kordofan Lark - recent record in far N Senegal suggests this should be accessible here or S Mauretania, which should both be OK.

Afghan Snowfinch - backpackers are visiting Afghanistan, and the main site for it is considered safe.

 

[Joe H]

What a great idea for a thread!

I thought I’d second your inclusion of the Mountain Starling, (Aplonis santovestris), AKA the Vanuatu Starling, AKA the Santo Mountain Starling. I used to travel to Espirito Santo Island in Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides Island Group) for work, but I never got close to seeing this bird. As far as I know, it is restricted to one mountain top (Mt. Tabwemasana) on Espirito Santo Island. I read an account of a bird-watcher who set up an expedition to see the bird; it sounded terrible. He had to arrange cutters and porters (there aren’t any trails up the mountain) hired from the local villages. He brought tents for his group but had to buy larger supplies and tarps for shelter for the local hires. The big town on Santo is called Luganville but it's not really set up with stores to supply multi-day jungle expeditions. I remember reading that food was a problem as the hired group ate more rice than they had planned. I don’t remember if they ever saw the bird, but it’s hard to imagine this sort of effort and expense dedicated to seeing a dark brown starling. I see on e-bird that they have two recorded sightings of the Mountain Starling, so I guess some hardy souls are up to the challenge.

It will be interesting to research some of the other birds on this list, thanks for starting it!

 

[Mysticete]

The Kauai songbirds have been seen by dedicated birders in this past year. They are not easy and probably require an effort beyond what most birders would want to put in, but they are still gettable technically, as the habitat can be accessed without permit. Although the populations of both probably have only a few years left if that before they become extinct in the wild.

 

[Mysticete]

Zapata Rail certainly merits addition to the list...I don't think it's even certain its still extant.

 

[vergan]

D)
Some of these depend on your appetite for risk. I'm not sure how risky Burma is right now, but most of the endemics are easy at Bagan which is a major tourist site so might still be OK. As others say, Somaliland is currently "on limits".

Kordofan Lark - recent record in far N Senegal suggests this should be accessible here or S Mauretania, which should both be OK.

Afghan Snowfinch - backpackers are visiting Afghanistan, and the main site for it is considered safe.

I reckon reading that Beaman is leading a tour for the Snowfinch this year (the first in so many years) too.

 

[MJB]

I reckon reading that Beaman is leading a tour for the Snowfinch this year (the first in so many years) too.

Afghan Snowfinch is a breeding endemic in Afghanistan, but some do winter (and may also breed) in southernmost Tajikistan...
MJB -