- Experts hope their database of lost birds can trigger sightings by the public
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Scientists are turning to the public to locate more than a hundred of Earth’s ‘lost’ birds.
In all, 126 bird species worldwide are officially considered missing because they haven’t been seen for at least 10 years, the experts say.
Among them are rare beauties including the purple-winged ground dove, the streaked reed warbler and the St. Kitts bullfinch.
Meanwhile, the slender-billed curlew – the only one on the list found in Europe – has not had a verified sighting anywhere since 2004.
A new study published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment warns that the majority – around 60 per cent – are in danger of extinction.
Among them are rare beauties including the purple-winged ground dove, the streaked reed warbler and the St. Kitts bullfinch. Meanwhile, the slender-billed curlew – the only one on the list found in Europe – has not had a verified sighting anywhere since 2004
‘The Search for Lost Birds’ is a collaboration between Re:wild, American Bird Conservancy, and BirdLife International.
Its website features a list of all the lost species, including its region and the date of its last sighting, as well as a map of distribution based on prior sightings.
The scientists describe say a ‘lost’ bird as one ‘not confirmed alive by photographic, audio or genetic information for over 10 years in the wild’.
Professor Cameron Rutt, ornithologist at American Bird Conservancy and lead study author, explained that ‘lost’ is a very different term to extinct.
Extinct when there is ‘no reasonable doubt’ that the last individual has died.
‘There are many species on this list that are at the lowest categories of extinction threat,’ Professor Rutt told MailOnline.
The slender-billed curlew has not had a verified sighting anywhere since 2004. Pictured, artistic impression by Danish naturalist Henrik Grønvold
‘Even for species at a high risk of extinction, it would take many years before all of these species would be listed as extinct, if indeed they no longer exist.’
As for why they’re lost, some birds may be in areas that are difficult to reach, preventing conservationists from mounting searches to find them.
It is also possible that these birds are lost only to scientists, and local and Indigenous communities are still sighting these species, as was the case with Papua New Guinea’s now-found black-naped pheasant-pigeon.
The sole European bird on the list is the slender-billed curlew, which breeds in southwest Siberia and migrates through Europe to wintering grounds primarily in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
‘Given those endpoints, it would only ever occur in the UK as a vagrant,’ Professor Rutt said.
The initiative’s website has profiles of the lost birds and a global map showing their distribution based on prior sightings
‘In fact, there is only a single British record – a contentious bird from Northumberland in May 1998 – that was ultimately rejected on grounds of uncertain identification.’
Others include the Papuan whipbird, an endearing dark green bird that hasn’t been documented in 13 years, and the Jamaican Pauraque, a stunning nightjar that was last seen in 1860, now considered ‘critically endangered’ and possibly extinct.
Birdwatching members of the public can join the search by first exploring the database for birds that were last seen in their region.
If you think you have spotted one, you’re encouraged to contact the initiative via a dedicated webpage and share photos, videos or even audio.