Inaccessible bird species (1 Viewer)

[Maffong]

I've now looked at the category B species. It seems that most of them can be seen targeted with bird tour companies, others should better be moved to other categories.

Therefore I will reject the following species.

9 Tepui Tinamou (Crypturellus ptaritepui); No expedition required, gettable at Sierra de Lema
975 Black Partridge (Melanoperdix niger); No expedition required, just a very shy and low density species
1338 Vietnamese Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata); No expedition required, just a very shy and low density species
1339 Malay Crested Argus (Rheinardia nigrescens); No expedition required, just a very shy and low density species
1379 Hainan Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron katsumatae); No expedition required, just a very shy and low density species
2142 Mayr's Swiftlet (Aerodramus orientalis); No expedition required, range sometimes visited by bird tour companies
4482 Polynesian Ground Dove (Pampusana erythroptera); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
4519 Tooth-billed Pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris); No expedition required, just a very shy and low density species off the beaten track
4723 Henderson Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus insularis); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
5285 Henderson Crake (Zapornia atra); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
6611 MacGillivray's Prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi); No expedition required, range visited by bird tour companies
6645 Henderson Petrel (Pterodroma atrata); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
6664 Mascarene Petrel (Pseudobulweria aterrima); No expedition required, likely targeted by bird tour companies
6699 Bryan's Shearwater (Puffinus bryani); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
9149 Moustached Kingfisher (Actenoides bougainvillei); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
9389 Niau Kingfisher (Todiramphus gertrudae); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
12216 Stephen's Lorikeet (Vini stepheni); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
12559 Louisiade Pitta (Erythropitta meeki); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
13359 Masafuera Rayadito (Aphrastura masafuerae); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
16915 White-chinned Myzomela (Myzomela albigula); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
17184 Tagula Honeyeater (Microptilotis vicina); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
18165 Tagula Butcherbird (Cracticus louisiadensis); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
18721 Louisiade Whistler (Pachycephala collaris); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
18815 Tagula Shrikethrush (Colluricincla discolor); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
19721 Annobon Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone smithii); No expedition required, island sometimes visited by travel companies
20445 Tagula Manucode (Manucodia alter); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
20662 Snow Mountain Robin (Petroica archboldi); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
22987 Caroline Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus syrinx); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
22988 Bokikokiko (Acrocephalus aequinoctialis); No expedition required, commercial flights to Kiritimati available
23009 Rimatara Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus rimitarae); No expedition required, commercial flights to Rimatara available (possibly also sometimes targeted by bird tour companies)
23013 Cook Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus kerearako); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
23017 Henderson Island Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus taiti); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
23018 Pitcairn Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus vaughani); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
24381 Annobon White-eye (Zosterops griseovirescens); No expedition required, island sometimes visited by travel companies
24437 Tagula White-eye (Zosterops meeki); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
24545 Louisiade White-eye (Zosterops griseotinctus); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies
28535 Louisiade Flowerpecker (Dicaeum nitidum); No expedition required, sometimes targeted by bird tour companies

Given how little is understood about these, I will move them to category A:
2138 Whitehead's Swiftlet (Aerodramus whiteheadi)
2191 Three-toed Swiftlet (Aerodramus papuensis)
32729 Duida Grass Finch (Emberizoides duidae)

Move to C
6921 Heard Island Shag (Leucocarbo nivalis)

Which means, these are the ones that remain, for which I didn't find any tours targeting them and that seem complicated to reach.

Subantarctic islands
486 Eaton's Pintail (Anas eatoni)
5579 Black-faced Sheathbill (Chionis minor)
6535 Amsterdam Albatross (Diomedea amsterdamensis)
6920 Kerguelen Shag (Leucocarbo verrucosus)

Tropical Pacific Islands
4716 Rapa Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus huttoni)
6670 Fiji Petrel (Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi)
6703 Rapa Shearwater (Puffinus myrtae)
22986 Nauru Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus rehsei)
24499 Vanikoro White-eye (Zosterops gibbsi)

Tepui Mountain range incl. Guaiquinima Mt (Venezuela)
3112 Buff-breasted Sabrewing (Campylopterus duidae)
32461 White-faced Redstart (Myioborus albifacies)
32462 Guaiquinima Redstart (Myioborus cardonai)
33544 Scaled Flowerpiercer (Diglossa duidae)

Tachira Mountain range (Venezuela)
14518 Tachira Antpitta (Grallaria chthonia)

Chiribiquete Mt (Colombia)
3052 Chiribiquete Emerald (Chlorostilbon olivaresi)

Sira Mountain range (Peru)
757 Sira Curassow (Pauxi koepckeae)
9834 Sira Barbet (Capito fitzpatricki)
33787 Sira Tanager (Stilpnia phillipsi)

Vilcabamba Mountain range (Peru)
31679 Vilcabamba Brushfinch (Atlapetes terborghi)

Mt Watiamasan, Mt Tabwemasana & Peak Santo (Vanuatu)
26456 Mountain Starling (Aplonis santovestris)

 

[cajanuma]

Chiribiquete Mt (Colombia)
3052 Chiribiquete Emerald (Chlorostilbon olivaresi)

This one has been found to occur on the outskirts of Araracuara, which can be reached by plane (I'm not sure if there are commercial flights at the moment, but charter flights are not too expensive) so Colombian and foreign birders are starting to make the trip. It should be fairly easy to find once there.

 

[temmie]

I would not include the Sira birds. Those can be reached and seen. But most people are just too lazy.

ps @ Maffong: thank you very much for your work with regards to this thread...!

 

[cajanuma]

22986 Nauru Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus rehsei)

I was curious about this one so I looked into it. Nauru has an international airport with direct flights to/from Brisbane several times a week, so this should be a very easy bird to see for anyone that can find the motivation to make the trip. A whopping 15 bird species have been recorded for Nauru in eBird, so they key word here would be "motivation"...

By the way I agree with temmie, this is a really fun thread!

 

[Xenospiza]

I was curious about this one so I looked into it. Nauru has an international airport with direct flights to/from Brisbane several times a week, so this should be a very easy bird to see for anyone that can find the motivation to make the trip. A whopping 15 bird species have been recorded for Nauru in eBird, so they key word here would be "motivation"...

By the way I agree with temmie, this is a really fun thread!

You can also try to enter Australia illegally which will get you deported to Nauru or Manus I believe...

 

[Andy Adcock]

I was curious about this one so I looked into it. Nauru has an international airport with direct flights to/from Brisbane several times a week, so this should be a very easy bird to see for anyone that can find the motivation to make the trip. A whopping 15 bird species have been recorded for Nauru in eBird, so they key word here would be "motivation"...

By the way I agree with temmie, this is a really fun thread!

I think the same might be said of St Helena Plover?

 

[Maffong]

I was curious about this one so I looked into it. Nauru has an international airport with direct flights to/from Brisbane several times a week, so this should be a very easy bird to see for anyone that can find the motivation to make the trip. A whopping 15 bird species have been recorded for Nauru in eBird, so they key word here would be "motivation"...

By the way I agree with temmie, this is a really fun thread!

I left it in for the time being because of these sentences i found on wikivoyage.org

"An off-the-beaten-track destination if there ever was one, Nauru is also one of the least visited countries in the world, with about only 200 tourists a year. The remoteness and that much of the island is a charmless open phosphate mine are two strong reasons for this.
(...)
The Australian offshore detention centre operating on the island means that there are always a lot of Australian government staff staying at the island's two small hotels and filling seats on the flights to and from Nauru (especially the direct flight to and from Brisbane). This, in combination with the visa requirement, means that you probably should plan and book your trip a few months ahead.
(...)
It may take a long time for the visa application to be processed, so you should send your application well ahead of your intended trip.
(...)
Flights are rather irregular, with each destination being served one to three times a week."

It seems that visiting Nauru is theoretically possible, but that the reality may be much more difficult. The remoteness and lack of attractivity explain why no one bothers to go. While the term "expedition" is perhaps a stretch, seeing this particular bird definitely requires much effort to get to, which no other party will organize for you.

 

[Maffong]

I think the same might be said of St Helena Plover?

Not quite the same

 

[Andy Adcock]

Not quite the same

Probably cheaper to get the Warbler

 

[Mysticete]

I left it in for the time being because of these sentences i found on wikivoyage.org

"An off-the-beaten-track destination if there ever was one, Nauru is also one of the least visited countries in the world, with about only 200 tourists a year. The remoteness and that much of the island is a charmless open phosphate mine are two strong reasons for this.
(...)
The Australian offshore detention centre operating on the island means that there are always a lot of Australian government staff staying at the island's two small hotels and filling seats on the flights to and from Nauru (especially the direct flight to and from Brisbane). This, in combination with the visa requirement, means that you probably should plan and book your trip a few months ahead.
(...)
It may take a long time for the visa application to be processed, so you should send your application well ahead of your intended trip.
(...)
Flights are rather irregular, with each destination being served one to three times a week."

It seems that visiting Nauru is theoretically possible, but that the reality may be much more difficult. The remoteness and lack of attractivity explain why no one bothers to go. While the term "expedition" is perhaps a stretch, seeing this particular bird definitely requires much effort to get to, which no other party will organize for you.

This assumes that even if you get there, you can access the habitat. Wouldn't surprise me if the warbler is only found in some part of the island without any safe access to visitors, given everything else going on there.

 

[Xenospiza]

This assumes that even if you get there, you can access the habitat. Wouldn't surprise me if the warbler is only found in some part of the island without any safe access to visitors, given everything else going on there.

According to the Dutch travel advisory, Nauru is still not admitting foreigners because of the Covid-19 pandemic and if you could get there, you need a two-week quarantine. With one flight a fortnight, 28 days for a single bird is a bit steep!

The Nauru government website does not say you cannot come though.

I think otherwise you shouldn't have trouble finding the warbler... and plenty of time.

 

[jurek]

Venezuela is not particularly dangerous at the moment if you're not on the regime's hit list, but infrastructure has crumbled, there is little gasoline outside Caracas and it is currently very expensive (compared with US or Europe) due to economic mismanagement and money laundering. Some of the areas of endemism would be difficult to visit at the moment (e.g. Paria, Sierra de Lema [=La Escalera])

If Paria peninsula is unsafe to visit, as per earlier post, then one can add endemics of the Paria region: Scissor-tailed Hummingbird, Venezuelan Flowerpiercer, White-throated Barbtail, Paria Redstart and others.

24381 Annobon White-eye (Zosterops griseovirescens); No expedition required, island sometimes visited by travel companies

This travel company seems to organize expeditions, probably often hyper-expensive (price on enquiry), so would revert Annobon endemics to impossible. They also offer trips to South Sudan, DRC, Central African Republic, Niger and Chad which would yield Kordofan Sparrow, Nubian Bustard and such. However, it is not sure which of these tours really took place already.

My feeling is that some places which you list as possible and advertised by tour companies are in fact more difficult, unsafe and expensive than some others considered impossible. Did you check that the tours which were advertised really occured and the birds were seen?

By the way, it would be interesting to make a new version of this thread: Did you see any of these birds?. This would also check what is really possible and impossible to see.

 

[Maffong]

If Paria peninsula is unsafe to visit, as per earlier post, then one can add endemics of the Paria region: Scissor-tailed Hummingbird, Venezuelan Flowerpiercer, White-throated Barbtail, Paria Redstart and others.



This travel company seems to organize expeditions, often hyper-expensive and luxury, so would revert Annobon endemics to impossible. They also offer trips to DRC, Central African Republic, Niger and Chad.

My feeling is that some places which you list as possible and advertised by tour companies are in fact more difficult, unsafe and expensive than some others considered impossible. Did you check that the advertised tours really happened and the birds were seen?

By the way, it would be interesting to make a new version of this thread. This would also check what is really possible and impossible to see:

I'm thinking about adding two new categories:
E) Excruciatingly difficult to find: Range known and accessible but low densities and shy behaviour make it extremely difficult to see.

F) Very expensive: Species that cost over 10.000$ (?) to see.

However, I'm still not done with checking all the A-D species. Mostly because I've never even been near their ranges so have to completely rely on information from the people here or elsewhere online.

I'll probably add Selva Cacique to A, Short-crested Coquette has been suggested for D, though ebird data seems to contradict this.

 

[Maffong]

I'll likely add all the Venezuela endemics too (rather to C or to D?), I just haven't found the time for this yet.

Furthermore I'm likely going to reject Vanikoro White-eye and Fiji Petrel as both seem possible on Birdquest tours.
Following your advice, Chiribiquete Emerald and the Sira species are going to be thrown out.

The lists are getting shorter and shorter

 

[Mysticete]

If Paria peninsula is unsafe to visit, as per earlier post, then one can add endemics of the Paria region: Scissor-tailed Hummingbird, Venezuelan Flowerpiercer, White-throated Barbtail, Paria Redstart and others.



This travel company seems to organize expeditions, probably often hyper-expensive (price on enquiry), so would revert Annobon endemics to impossible. They also offer trips to South Sudan, DRC, Central African Republic, Niger and Chad which would yield Kordofan Sparrow, Nubian Bustard and such. However, it is not sure which of these tours really took place already.

My feeling is that some places which you list as possible and advertised by tour companies are in fact more difficult, unsafe and expensive than some others considered impossible. Did you check that the tours which were advertised really occured and the birds were seen?

By the way, it would be interesting to make a new version of this thread: Did you see any of these birds?. This would also check what is really possible and impossible to see.

For what its worth, I have a friend who is gorilla trekking in the DRC at the moment. So at the very least DRC seems to be possible, if likely expensive.

 

[temmie]

For what its worth, I have a friend who is gorilla trekking in the DRC at the moment. So at the very least DRC seems to be possible, if likely expensive.

Sometimes the Volcanoes NP is relatively safe, starting from Goma, but unfortunately that doesn't mean that most of the range-restricted birds are within reach...

 

[cajanuma]

I can't edit the opening post anymore, so here's a revised list, which I've tidied up a little and added some more information.
I've also retouched the definitons a little, so their intent becomes clearer.

What species are currently mostly or entirely inaccessible to world birders?
There are four categories:
A) Birds whose populations / exact occurrences are unknown or not understood.
B) Birds that occur in inaccessible locations that would require concerted, self-organized expeditions because they cannot be reached otherwise.
C) Birds that occur only in inaccessible areas that require a complicated permitting process, such as protected areas that can only be visited by certain researchers.
D) Birds that are currently inaccessible because they occur only in politically unstable regions, such as regions of war or terror.

Here is a possible, preliminary list. Feel free to add more!

A)
1215 Dulit Partridge (Rhizothera dulitensis); No confirmed reports since 1937, known from Borneo

The latest issue of Bull. B.O.C. has a paper on Dulit Partridge, which dates the last confirmed report to 1902 instead of 1937, so this bird has been missing for over 120 years. The paper suggests areas where it may be looked for, though it looks like at least a moderate amount of time has been spent at some of the more likely sites without any evidence of it:

https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-british-ornithologists-club/volume-143/issue-1/bboc.v143i1.2023.a8/Uncovering-the-true-history-of-Dulit-Partridge-Rhizothera-dulitensis-to/10.25226/bboc.v143i1.2023.a8.full

Elsewhere in the issue is a paper that argues for species status for Albertine Owlet, another taxon known from just a handful of specimens/sightings, though in this case one of the sites from which it is known (Nyungwe forest in Rwanda) is accessible and regularly visited by birders: https://bioone.org/journals/bulleti...ium-capense/10.25226/bboc.v143i1.2023.a6.full

 

[DMW]

Another Cat A species I think we overlooked is Speckled Reed Warbler. I think it's about a decade since the last record.

 

[Maffong]

Nope, didn't miss it

 

[DMW]

Nope, didn't miss it

Oops, my bad!