Sulawesi Streak Flycatcher Confirmed as New Bird Species

Posted on December 2, 2014

The Sulawesi Streak Flycatcher has been confirmed as a new bird species. The bird was first observed 15 years ago on Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia. Researchers from Princeton University, Michigan State University and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences have confirmed the bird is a previously unknown species.

The flycatcher (Muscicapa sodhii) was compared to similar flycatchers and several differences were found. These include shorter wings, shorter tail and a bill that is more strongly hooked. The bird also has differences in its plumage and song. The bird's song is described as being "slightly more high-pitched" and lacking the lower-pitched notes found in the songs of other birds. Genetics also prove the bird is a unique species. DNA evidence found M. sodhii most closely resembles the M. dauurica siamensis, an Asian brown flycatcher found in Thailand.

J. Berton C. Harris, a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton and co-author of the study, says in a statement, "Considering that 98 percent of the world's birds have been described, finding a new species is quite rare. And despite being a globally important avian hotspot, Sulawesi has largely gone unstudied by ornithologists."

A research paper, "A new species of Muscicapa flycatcher from Sulawesi, Indonesia," can be found here in PLoS One. An image in the article compares the newly named flycatcher to other flycatchers.



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