Rare species of bird spotted in Rara park

RASTRIYA SAMACHAR SAMITI

The number of cheers is around 33 in the park...

JUMLA: A bird belonging to the most rare species in the world has been identified inside the Rara National Park in Karnali zone. 

A bird of Cheer species (pheasant) which is found only in Nepal, India and Pakistan has been found in the Rara National Park. 

The number of cheers is around 33 in the park, Park's Acting Conservation Officer Bhogendra Raymajhi said. 

Annapurna Conservation Area, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve and Api-Nampa Conservation Area are the home to Cheer birds. Nepal is a home to 272 species of birds, 51 species of mammals and 1,024 varieties of plants. 

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Rare+species+of+bird+spotted++in+Rara+park++&NewsID=382133

First nest ever discovered of one of the world's most endangered birds

Stresemann's Bristlefront nest discovered in Brazil
January 2013. The first known nest of one of the world's rarest birds - the Critically Endangered Stresemann's Bristlefront - has been discovered in Brazil. Of perhaps equal significance is that strong evidence of active nestlings was also found.

Rediscovered in 1995 - May be just 15 birds alive
The Stresemann's Bristlefront is one of the world's most threatened bird species - unrecorded for 50 years until it was rediscovered in 1995 near Una, Bahia, in Brazil's Atlantic Forest region. The world population estimate is fewer than 15 individuals. Its population is declining owing to fires, logging, and the clearance of humid valley-floor forest for cattle ranching and agriculture.

Nest tunnel
On October 30, 2012, Dimas Pioli and Gustavo Malacco, two Brazilian researchers visiting Fundação Biodiversitas' Mata do Passarinho Reserve discovered the bird's nesting tunnel entrance, a tennis ball sized hole, located about three feet from the ground in an exposed dirt vertical edge that contained overhanging vegetation. Nesting tunnels are typical for the ground dwelling Tapaculo family, to which the Bristlefront belongs. The hole is estimated to be approximately six feet deep. It was surveyed and filmed with a micro-camera and further data should be published shortly in an ornithological journal.

Probable chicks
"This is the discovery of a lifetime made all the more gratifying by the fact that not only have we found live adult birds, but we have also found strong evidence of several chicks as well," said Alexandre Enout, the Reserve's Manager. "It is urgent that we protect more of the natural Atlantic Forest in this area and reforest areas where forest has been lost. The best way to save this species is by increasing its potential habitat."

Stresemann's Bristlefront

The 8-inch long, medium-sized, long-tailed bird has distinctive, long, pointed forehead bristles and a slender dark bill. The female is cinnamon-brown above, with duskier tail and is a bright cinnamon-rufous below.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/stressmans-bristlefront.html

Rare bird rediscovered after 83 years

It may not look like much but this is one of the world's rarest birds.

Sillem's mountain finch was first spotted in Aksai Chin, Xinjiang, by Dutch ornithologist Jerome Sillem in 1929. It was not seen again until this June, when another was snapped by a French nature photographer, Yann Muzika, in the Yenigou valley, Qinghai, 1,500 kilometres away. 

Writing on his blog, Yann revealed that he 'did not venture into the upper reaches of Yenigou Valley... with any scientific goal, and it was not a birdwatching nor a photography expedition either'. He added: "It was just a trek with 2 friends, that was about to fail since Bertrand and myself were struggling hard with a food poisoning.

Continued:  http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1068009/rare-bird-rediscovered-after-83-years

Rare Socorro dove hatches at Bristol Zoo

Photo: ZSL

One of the rarest birds in the world has been bred at Bristol Zoo.

The Socorro dove, which originates from Socorro Island off Mexico, died out in the wild in the 1970s as a result of human disturbance and habitat loss.

The latest arrival was one of two birds to hatch, but one did not survive. It is the first time the doves have bred successfully at the zoo in five years.

There are 100 Socorro doves in captivity around the world, including 25 birds in six UK zoos.

Bristol Zoo's curator of birds, Nigel Simpson, said: "Sadly these birds now only exist in captivity, so to have this chick hatch and survive 40 years after they were last seen in the wild is a great achievement."

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-19684907


More information on the Socorro Dove (Zenaida graysoni):

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=2555