Reuters AlertNet Lite - Biologists record call of rare Asian bird

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Biologists record call of rare Asian bird

26 Feb 2007 22:04:53 GMT
Source: Reuters

DALLAS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The call of the rare Sumatran ground cuckoo, which was widely believed extinct until a decade ago, has been recorded for the first time, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said on Monday.

Recognizing a bird's call is a vital tool of science as it is often the only way for ornithologists in the field to identify elusive forest-dwelling birds.

A team of WCS biologists managed to record the bird's call -- a piercing two-syllable shriek -- after it was caught by a trapper who handed it over to them.

A fairly large and striking bird with a long tail, green plumage and blue facial markings, it is found only in the remote jungles of the tropical Indonesian island of Sumatra.

"We were extremely lucky to have recorded the bird's unique call," said Firdaus Rahman, of WCS's Indonesia Program. "Our team will use the recording to hopefully locate other Sumatran ground cuckoos, and to eventually secure their protection."

It was known by only a handful of specimens collected over the past century and many scientists had written it off as extinct until one was briefly spotted in 1997.

It is regarded as one of the world's rarest and most secretive birds.

The bird that was recorded is being nursed back to health and will be released back into the wild. It is not known at this point if it makes other sounds.

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Last updated:Mon Feb 26 22:05:12 2007