One thing that makes surveying, studying and watching birds
so exciting is that new things are always being discovered. Recent discoveries
have included the startling find that Yellow Bitterns were breeding in Egypt and the extraordinary migration of the Red-necked
Phalarope to the Pacific coast off South America .
Nothing though can be more exciting than discovering a species unknown to science and this happens with surprising regularity. One of these discoveries occurred inBrazil
in 2005 when ecological surveyors cataloguing the area before the proposed
construction of a canal chanced upon the Sao Paulo Antwren. This species, which
was formally given its scientific name this month, is this week’s “Obscure Bird of the
Week”.
Nothing though can be more exciting than discovering a species unknown to science and this happens with surprising regularity. One of these discoveries occurred in
The discovery of this attractive marshland dweller follows
the discovery of the very similar Parana
(or Marsh) Antwren in 1995 in marshes around 400 miles south east of the known
sites of the Sao Paulo Antwren. The Sao Paulo Antwren was initially treated as
a disconnected race of the Parana Antwren but subtle differences can be
observed. The male bird has a much darker black breast and throat and a much
lighter crown than its relative. The females are also distinguishable in the
field as they have brown upperparts as opposed to the dark greyish tones of the
Parana Antwren.
Little is known about the bird’s behaviour and its taxonomy
is not entirely satisfactory, with debate as to whether it belongs to the genus
Formicivora or Stymphalornis. More crucially, exact population figures are unclear,
though clearly small as it is only known from 15 sites. This new species faces
many threats including the construction of new dams. The original site of its
discovery was flooded for the construction of a reservoir but the birds were
saved by a remarkable programme of catching them and releasing them at similar
nearby sites. Its precious and limited marshland home is also under serious
threat throughout the region due to housing developments and sand extraction.
I observed two males and a female of this species at
Biritiba Mirim near Sao Paulo back in 2011 when I was shown it by Rick and Elis
Simpson, the people behind Wader Quest (a great cause, check it out here:
www.waderquest.org), on the first day of my volunteering at the now defunct
Ubatuba Birdwatching Centre. I am privileged to have seen this bird but it
saddens me to think that many others may never get the chance. With the grave
threats it faces, it is possible that this species may be extinct in under a
generation since it was discovered.
-Oliver Simms
Oliver is a 21 year old Classics student in his final year at Durham university. When he is not studying or indeed "birding without birding" on family holidays, he likes to spend his time birding (without pretending he isn't) and hill walking. He is currently secretary of the Durham University Hill Walking Society and Project Co-ordinator of Next Generation Birders
Oliver is a 21 year old Classics student in his final year at Durham university. When he is not studying or indeed "birding without birding" on family holidays, he likes to spend his time birding (without pretending he isn't) and hill walking. He is currently secretary of the Durham University Hill Walking Society and Project Co-ordinator of Next Generation Birders
@osimmsbirding
Buzzetti,
Belmonte-Lopes, Reinert, Silveira & Bornschein, “A new species of
Formicivora Swainson, 1824 (Thamnophilidae) from the state of São Paulo , Brazil ”, Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 21
(2013), 269-291
Great read Oliver and thanks for the mention. This bird is currently only considered to be Endangered, but I suspect now that it has officially (at last) been given specific status it should surely now be upgraded to Critically Endangered; it has such a small and gravely threatened population.
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