As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Wednesday, 6 January 2016

Top New Bird Discoveries of 2015

Jan 5, 2016 by Natali Anderson
A small warbler from China, a cryptic species of owl from the Middle East, and a tiny tapaculo from South America are just three of the incredible bird species discovered in 2015.

1. Sichuan bush warbler (Locustella chengi) from China:

The Sichuan bush warbler belongs to Locustellidae, a family of insectivorous songbirds.


The Sichuan bush warbler (Locustella chengi), Laojun Shan, China. Image credit: Per Alström et al.

Image credit: Per Alström et al.
It is a relatively small bird with an average length of 13 cm and weight of 10 g. The wing length is 5.5 cm, and the tail is 5.7 cm long.

This new bird is exceedingly secretive and difficult to spot as its preferred habitat is dense brush and tea plantations.

According to scientists, it is endemic to China, breeding in Shaanxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei and northwest Hunan, with a single record from NW Jiangxi.




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