Bird species new to science
Encyclopedia
This article describes bird species new to science since 1900. Prior to the 20th century, and indeed into its early decades, the pace of discovery of new species was fast; during this period, with numerous collecting expeditions into species-rich areas not previously visited by western ornithologists, up to several hundred new species per decade were being described. Since then, the pace has slowed, and new species are generally only being found in remote areas, or among cryptic or secretive groups of species. Nonetheless, several tens of species were described for the first time during the 1990s. Considerable time can pass between discovery and publication, for a number of reasons.
Individual countries particularly rich in species newly described during this period are:
A number of individuals have been particularly prolific in describing new species, such as:
The first such review was published in 1934, by the ornithologist Wilhelm Meise
, covering the period 1920 to 1934. Meise presented his review to the Eighth International Ornithological Congress
(IOC) in Oxford
. The review listed 600 new species' names described in that period. Meise was of the opinion that between 135 and 200 represented good species. At the ninth IOC in 1938, Meise presented a second paper, listing 23 new species described in the intervening period, plus a further 36 which had been described during 1920-1934 and not covered in the earlier paper. Meise's papers were:
After the Second World War, ornithologists based at museums in the American Museum of Natural History
produced further reviews; again, each of these listed newly described species and presented an analysis, indicating which were and were not good species. To date, six such papers have been compiled; they are, in chronological order:
No further detailed analyses have been published since the 1992 paper, although the British
magazine Birding World
has published two articles by Oscar van Rootselaar listing newly described species since 1990:
, as well as in the expanded, updated 2002 edition of this book, entitled The New Zoo (House of Stratus: Thirsk, 2002 ISBN 1-84232-561-2).
Individual countries particularly rich in species newly described during this period are:
- BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
- IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
- the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
A number of individuals have been particularly prolific in describing new species, such as:
- Niels KrabbeNiels KrabbeNiels Kaare Krabbe is an ornithologist and bird conservationist based at the Vertebrate Department of the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, researching various aspects of ornithology, especially bioacoustics and conservation; systematics and altitudinal replacements of Scytalopus...
- Paul Coopmans
- Bret Whitney
Species described that were not valid species
A number of species described during this period have turned out not to be valid species. There are a number of reasons for this. The following is a list of these species:- Cox's SandpiperCox's SandpiperCox's Sandpiper is the name given to shorebirds which are hybrids between male Pectoral and female Curlew Sandpipers. It was discovered in Australia in the 1950s, and named after Australian ornithologist John B. Cox...
, Calidris paramelanotos, in 1982, now known to be a stereotyped hybrid between males of the Pectoral SandpiperPectoral SandpiperThe Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos, is a small wader. It is sometimes separated with the "stint" sandpipers in Erolia. This may or may not represent a good monophyletic group, depending on the placement of the phylogenetically enigmatic Curlew Sandpiper , the type species of Erolia...
and female Curlew SandpiperCurlew SandpiperThe Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
s. - Bulo Burti BoubouBulo Burti BoubouThe Somali Boubou is a medium-size bushshrike. It was split from the Tropical Boubou as a result of DNA sequence analysis, and this change in status was recognized by the International Ornithological Committee in 2008...
, Laniarius liberatus, from SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, in 1991 - Kenyon's Shag or Amchitka Cormorant, Phalacrocorax kenyoni, in 1991, now considered to refer to small females of the Pelagic CormorantPelagic CormorantThe Pelagic Cormorant , also known as Baird's Cormorant, is a small member of the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. Analogous to other smallish cormorants, it is also called Pelagic Shag occasionally...
. - Mascarene Shearwater, Puffinus atrodorsalis, in 1995, now considered indistinguishable from the Tropical Shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri bailloni (or P. ballioni bailloni)
- Brigida's WoodcreeperBrigida's WoodcreeperThe Brigida's Woodcreeper , also known as the Mato Grosso Woodcreeper, is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is often considered a subspecies of the Red-billed Woodcreeper....
, Hylexetastes brigidai, in 1997, now usually considered a subspecies of the Red-billed WoodcreeperRed-billed WoodcreeperThe Red-billed Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It often includes the Uniform and the Brigida's Woodcreeper as subspecies....
pending thorough study.
The Meise and AMNH reviews
During the 20th century, ornithologists published a number of periodic reviews of newly described species. The purpose of each of these was to collect together in a single paper, for ease of reference, all new species' descriptions published in the period of study, and to present an analysis of these, indicating which represent valid species, and which, for various reasons, do not.The first such review was published in 1934, by the ornithologist Wilhelm Meise
Wilhelm Meise
Wilhelm Meise was a German ornithologist. He studied at the University of Berlin from 1924-1928, where he did his Ph.D. dissertation on the distribution of the Carrion Crow and the Hooded Crow, and hybridization between them under the supervision of Professor Erwin Stresemann, ....
, covering the period 1920 to 1934. Meise presented his review to the Eighth International Ornithological Congress
International Ornithological Congress
The International Ornithological Congress series forms the oldest and largest international series of meetings of ornithologists. It is organised by the International Ornithological Committee, a group of about 200 ornithologists...
(IOC) in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. The review listed 600 new species' names described in that period. Meise was of the opinion that between 135 and 200 represented good species. At the ninth IOC in 1938, Meise presented a second paper, listing 23 new species described in the intervening period, plus a further 36 which had been described during 1920-1934 and not covered in the earlier paper. Meise's papers were:
- Meise, W. (1934) Fortschritte der ornithologischen Systematik seit 1920 Proc. VIII Cong. Internat. Ornith. pp. 49–189
- Meise, W. (1938) Exposition de types d'oiseaux nouvellement décrits au Muséum de Paris Proc. IX Cong. Internat. Ornith. pp. 46–51
After the Second World War, ornithologists based at museums in the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
produced further reviews; again, each of these listed newly described species and presented an analysis, indicating which were and were not good species. To date, six such papers have been compiled; they are, in chronological order:
- Zimmer, J. T. & E. Mayr (1943) New species of birds described from 1938 to 1941 Auk 60(2): 249-262 PDF fulltext
- Mayr, E. (1957) New species of birds described from 1941 to 1955 Journal for Ornithology 98: 22-35
- Mayr, E. (1971) New species of birds described from 1956 to 1965 J. Ornithol. 112: 302-316
- Mayr, E. & F. Vuilleumier (1983) New species of birds described from 1966 to 1975 J. Ornithol. 124: 217-232
- Vuilleumier, F. & E. Mayr (1987) New species of birds described from 1976 to 1980 J. Ornithol. 128: 137-150
- Vuilleumier, François, Mary LeCroy & Ernst Mayr (1992) New species of birds described from 1981 to 1990 Bull. B.O.C.Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' ClubThe Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club is an ornithological journal published by the British Ornithologists' Club . It is cited as Bull. B. O. C.Many descriptions of birds new to science have been published in the bulletin....
112A: 267-309.
No further detailed analyses have been published since the 1992 paper, although the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
magazine Birding World
Birding World
Birding World is a monthly birding magazine published in the United Kingdom. It is the magazine of the Bird Information Service, based at Cley next the Sea, Norfolk....
has published two articles by Oscar van Rootselaar listing newly described species since 1990:
- van Rootselaar, Oscar (1999) New birds for the World: species discovered during 1980 - 1999 Birding World 12: 286-293
- van Rootselaar, Oscar (2002) New birds for the World: species described during 1999 - 2002 Birding World 15: 428-431
Books
A comprehensive, extensively referenced section documenting the discovery of each of the 20th century's most significant new species of bird is contained within The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century (HarperCollins: London, 1993 ISBN 0-00-219943-2) by British zoologist and cryptozoologist Dr Karl ShukerKarl Shuker
Karl P. N. Shuker is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist, and author living in the West Midlands, England. He works as a full-time freelance zoological consultant, media consultant, and noted author specializing in cryptozoology.- Career :...
, as well as in the expanded, updated 2002 edition of this book, entitled The New Zoo (House of Stratus: Thirsk, 2002 ISBN 1-84232-561-2).
1981
- Chubut Steamerduck, Tachyeres leucocephalus
- Okinawa RailOkinawa RailThe Okinawa Rail is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae. It is endemic to Okinawa Island in Japan where it is known as the...
, Gallirallus okinawae - Yellow-footed HoneyguideYellow-footed HoneyguideThe Yellow-footed Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, possibly Ivory Coast, and possibly Ghana....
, Melignomon eisentrauti
1982
- Mirafra ashi
- Malurus campbelli
- Ploceus ruweti
- Vidua raricola
- Vidua larvaticola
1983
- Amsterdam AlbatrossAmsterdam AlbatrossThe Amsterdam Albatross or Amsterdam Island Albatross, Diomedea amsterdamensis, is a huge albatross which breeds only on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean. It was only described in 1983, and was thought by some researchers to be a sub-species of the Wandering Albatross, exulans...
, Diomedea amsterdamensis - Glaucidium albertinum
- Cichloris llaneae
- Gerygone ruficauda
- Nectarinia rufipennis
- Meliphaga hindwoodi
1991
- Roviana RailRoviana RailThe Roviana Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is endemic to Solomon Islands.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and plantations ....
, Gallirallus rovianae from Roviana, Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
1997
- Lina's SunbirdLina's SunbirdThe Lina's Sunbird is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines....
, Aethopyga linaraborae, from MindanaoMindanaoMindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... - Red-shouldered VangaRed-shouldered VangaThe Red-shouldered Vanga is a member of the vanga family endemic to south-west Madagascar.This species is notable for being the last species viewed by internationally renowned bird watcher Phoebe Snetsinger before her 1999 death in Madagascar.-Description:Like many of the vangas, this species is...
, Calicalicus rufocarpalis - Batrachostomus pygmeus
1998
- Araripe ManakinAraripe ManakinThe Araripe Manakin is a critically endangered bird from the family of Manakins . It was discovered in 1996 and scientifically described in 1998. The species epithet commemorates Brazilian zoologist and wildlife filmmaker Werner Bokermann, who died in 1995...
, Antilophia bokermanni - Sangihe Scops OwlSangihe Scops OwlThe Sangihe Scops Owl is an owl endemic to the island of Sangihe.-References:**...
, Otus collari