A black-naped pheasant pigeon, not seen since 1882, has been sighted

With black and orange feathers and red eyes, the critically endangered black-naped pheasant pigeon remained a mystery for more than a century after it was first and last observed by researchers in 1882.

But 140 years later, the bird has been seen for the second time.

The bird exists on the rugged Fergusson Island, just over 500 square miles, off the coast of southeastern Papua New Guinea.

There, a team of researchers from the National Museum of Papua New Guinea, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Bird Conservancy arrived in September hoping to find the bird.

The team spoke to locals to help them set up camera traps to capture an image of the bird. according to re:WildThey help fund the effort.

For almost a month, the team was without evidence of the bird. But just two days before the researchers left the island, Jordan Boersma, a postdoctoral researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and co-leader of the expedition team, was reviewing the camera footage when he was “stunned” to see that the bird was walking by. the camera

“After a month of searching, seeing those first photos of the pheasant dove was like finding a unicorn,” John C. Mittermeier, director of the American Bird Conservancy’s lost bird program, said in a statement. kind of moment when you dream of your whole life as a conservationist and bird watcher.”

The discovery comes after some members of the research team tried to find the bird in 2019, but were unable to find any trace of it.

The researchers attributed their success to local hunter Augustin Gregory, who told them he had seen the ground-dwelling bird in an area with steep ridges and valleys and heard its calls.

The team then moved into an area of dense forest on the island, where they set up a camera on a 3,200-foot-high ridge near a river, where the image was captured.

Serena Ketaloya, a conservationist from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, said local communities were “very excited” by the news because many people had not seen or knew about the bird until the research team arrived on the island.

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Not much is known about the black-naped pheasant-dove. The population of the species is undetermined, but it is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. As of July 2021, its estimated population was 50 to 249 birds.

Researchers suspect that the species’ population has declined due to logging and loss of forest habitat, according to the EDGE of Existence global conservation program.

Conservationists hope that confirming the existence of the black-naped pheasant-dove provides hope for other birds that haven’t been seen in decades. The team hopes to return to Fergusson Island to verify the population of the species.

“The reason I care, why I think we all should care, is that this bird has meant something and continues to mean something to the local people,” Boersma said. “It’s part of their legends and culture. If we lose this species, then its cultural importance will be lost along with the role it plays in this fantastic ecosystem.”

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.