Bugun Liocichla
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| Liocichla bugunorum Athreya, 2006 |
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The Bugun Liocichla, Liocichla bugunorum, is a passerine bird species from the Old World babbler family closely related to the Grey-faced Liocichla. First spotted in 1995, it was described as a new species in 2006 by Ramana Athreya. The description was made without the collection of a type specimen as they were too few to risk killing one. It is thought to be an endangered species, with only 14 known individuals and commercial development threatening its habitat.
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[edit] Description
The Bugun Liocichla is a small babbler (22 cm) with olive-grey plumage and a black cap. The face is marked with prominent orange-yellow lores, and the wings have yellow, red and white patches. The tail is black with a flame coloured undertail coverts and red tips. The feet are pink and the bill is black at the face fading to pale white. A second duller individual was mist netted, which is probably the female. The voice is described as fluty and distinctive.[1]
[edit] Distribution and habitat
All sightings of the species are at an altitude of 2000 metres on disturbed hillsides covered with shrubs and small trees, with the exception of one sighting on the edge of primary forest. It lives in a territory similar to that of the Emei Shan Liocichla. Small flocks were observed during January, whereas pairs were observed in May, with an estimated total of 14 individuals.[1] It is thought that pairs may hold and defend territories. The Bugun Liocichla is only currently known from just one location. Populations may be discovered in other areas of Arunachal Pradesh or neighbouring Bhutan.[1]
[edit] Species discovery
The species was described in 2006 after being discovered in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh, India, by a professional astronomer, Ramana Athreya.[2] The species was first spotted in the sanctuary in 1995 but was not seen again for ten years. Athreya spotted them again in May 2006 but did not publicize it until he was able to confirm it to be a new species. It was initially identified as a Grey-faced Liocichla, Liocichla omeiensis, a species of liocichla endemic to China. Birds caught in a mist net differed slightly from the Chinese liocichlas and the species was identified as new to science. Due to the apparent rarity of the species no type specimen was collected, instead feathers from the mist net, photographs, recordings and notes were used as the holotype.[3] [2] The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature allows for new species to be described without the collection of type specimens, but this provision has been used only in a few instances. This provision was first used in the description of the Bulo Burti Boubou (Laniarius liberatus), an African bushshrike species.
[edit] Etymology
The species' scientific and common names are derived from the Bugun tribe on whose communal forests the species was discovered.[3]
[edit] Threats and conservation
For a "spectacular bird" with distinctive calls to have been overlooked until 1995 suggests that the species is not common. Only three breeding pairs are currently known. While the species is capable of living in degraded forests, its small population is considered threatened, especially in the light of plans to build a highway through an area thought to be its primary habitat.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Athreya, Ramana (2006-08-31). "A new species of Liocichla (Aves:Timaliidae) from Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India" (PDF). Indian Birds 2 (4): 82-94. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
- ^ a b New Multicolored Bird Found in India. Assoicated Press (2006-09-12). Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
- ^ a b c Bugun Liocichla: a sensational discovery in north-east India. Birdlife International (2006-09-12). Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
