Scientists Puzzled by New Bird Species Discovered in Africa
Just over a month since the Smithsonian Institution announced the discovery of new bird species in Africa, little is still known about the olive-backed forest robin named for its distinctive olive back and rump.
Scientists are trying to unravel the little bird’s specific diet, mating and nesting habits, and the species’ complete habitat range, but the dense undergrowth of tropical forest where it was sighted may still offer further surprises.
Adult members of the robins - both male and female - measure just about 4.5 inches in length and average 18 grams in weight.
Males exhibit a fiery orange throat and breast, yellow belly, olive back and black feathers on the head. Females are similar, but less vibrant. Both sexes have a distinctive white dot on their face in front of each eye.
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The bird was first observed by Smithsonian scientists in 2001 during a field expedition in southwest Gabon but it was initially thought, however, to be an immature individual of an already-recognized species.
To ensure that the specimens collected were a new species, geneticists at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo compared the DNA of the new specimens to that of the four known forest robin species.
The results clearly showed that these birds were in fact a separate and distinct species but anything else is remains a puzzle to scientists.
“I suspected something when I found the first bird in Gabon since it didn’t exactly match any of the species descriptions in the field guides,” Brian Schmidt, a research ornithologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and a member of the team that made the discovery, said.
Image credit: Brian Schmidt
Wow dude a new species! That is so cool.
Rappa
http://www.anonymize.us.tc
It goes on to prove that we all are still evolving!!
Scientists discovered in Africa?
The article should read “a species new to us”. We humans are so anthropocentric! If we haven’t seen it before, it must be “new” to the world. But it’s cool news, nevertheless!
Scientists Puzzled by New Bird Species Discovered in Africa | Deliggit.com…
\r\nJust over a month since the Smithsonian Institution announced the discovery of new…
We really don’t know shit about our planet. Can we all stop fighting and explore the unknown here and in space? MMMM…k?
Okay, so we have found YET ANOTHER new species that is alive, and creationists are still insisting that we locate every single transitional species in the fossil record? Wow, simply amazing.
¡Viva La Evolución!
It doesn’t prove we’re evolving. It only means it wasn’t previously seen, for some reason. We don’t know what that reason is yet. It could be random chance, or evolution, or maybe someone’s lying to us. We don’t know.
Note to the author:
“Both sexes have a distinctive white dot on their face in front of each eye.”
should be…
“Both genders have a distinctive white dot on their face in front of each eye.”
Thanks.