Up to 18,000 new species are discovered each year, very few of which are birds. Birds are being extensively studied as a group, and only 161 new bird species were identified between 1990 and 2019. Thus the recent discovery of 10 new species and subspecies of songbirds on three islands isolated in Indonesia, it showed that there is much more to learn about the ancient class of animals.
Lead researcher Frank Rheindt, an evolutionary biologist at the National University of Singapore, and his colleagues report their findings in a new study published in the journal Science. During a six-week trip through the islands of Taliabu, Peleng, and Batudaka in the Wallacean island series in Indonesia, the research team recorded five previously unknown bird-singing species and five subspecies. This is the first time in over a century that so many new bird species have been identified in such a small, remote environment.
The 10 new birds in the study are small songbirds. Some, like the Taliabu Myzomela, with its bright scarlet head and belly, is a colorful feather. Others were known for their distinctive voices; Describing the Peleng Fantail, the study authors wrote, “When we first found the species in the field, the bird stood out through its unusual, simple song that was not as good as normal complex quality [similar species]. “
“It’s amazing – even for birds, the most famous animal group on Earth – that there is still a place that will bring out so many new species and subspecies,” Rheindt tells Mental Floss.
The area has long been known for its biodiversity. It was here that Alfred Russel Wallace – the British naturalist named after the islands series – collected the data that helped to develop his theory of evolution in the 19th century. Today, the islands are estimated to host 2 percent of the world’s bird species.
Despite its reputation, the Wallacean islands are under-studied. In planning their voyage, the researchers used bathymetry, or a survey of the depths of the sea, to find the islands that had the deepest waters around them, so they were separation from other land holdings for the longest time. “This geographical isolation – coupled with the neglect of these islands by historical collectors such as Alfred Russel Wallace – has led us to suspect that they may be a number of undiscovered endemic species that are extinct. similar to these islands and are not shared anywhere else. on the world, “Rheindt says.
The team’s success suggests that similarly remote areas around the world could be hotspots of undiscovered biodiversity awaiting exploration.
About 11,000 bird species are currently identified by biologists, but it is estimated that there are thousands more that have not been identified. With climate change and other threats associated with human activity extinct 3 billion birds in North America alone, recording and understanding new species while still in existence around more important than ever.
“In this time of environmental crisis, we need to revitalize in the pursuit of biodiversity,” Rheindt says. “How do we know what will save us if we don’t even know what biodiversity is out there? Which islands have high levels of endemic species that are not shared Nowhere else on Earth? Which islands are not so special, as most of their species are not unique? It is just a revival of biodiversity rediscovery enabling us to make smart decisions when it comes to directing our limited conservation resources to the right places on Earth. “