For more than 15 years, a bird in Indonesia awaited confirmation, discovered in 1997 in the island of Sulawesi. Researchers from the Princeton University, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, and the Michigan State University finally have a name for the bird, reporting in the journal PLOS ONE about their findings.
Characterized by short wings and a mottled throat, the bird is officially known now as the Sulawesi streaked flycatcher. Its Latin name, Muscicapa sodhii, is taken after Navjot Sodhi, a way for the researchers to pay homage to the late ornithologist and ecologist.
According to the research report, the Sulawesi streaked flycatcher was first spotted in the island's forested lowlands and was mistaken for a gray-streaked flycatcher. However, it was markedly different than the other flycatchers in the area in genetics, song, body structure, and plumage, proving it was indeed a new species.
"Considering that 98 percent of the world's birds have been described, finding a new species is quite rare," said J. Berton C. Harris, a postdoctoral fellow from Princeton's Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy and the research's co-author.
Harris added that Sulawesi is also largely unstudied by ornithologists despite being one of the world's most important avian hotspots. He and his colleagues were only really able to explore the island in 2011 and 2012 after they received funding assistance from the National Geographic Society. After weeks of camping out close to the town of Baku Bakulu, the researchers finally spotted the Sulawesi streaked flycatcher again in the very same area it was first seen.
Compared to other flycatchers, the Sulawesi streaked flycatcher has distinct plumage, a shorter tail, and a more strongly hooked bill, on top of shorter wings and a mottled throat. DNA analysis also showed that while it was mistaken for a gray-streaked flycatcher, the bird's nearest genetic match is the Asian brown flycatcher from Thailand.
Co-author Pam Rasmussen from Michigan State University said that the Sulawesi streaked flycatcher's song resembles other species in the region, producing trills, chirps, and whistles, but is a bit more highly pitched and doesn't feature the lower-pitched sounds that other flycatchers make.
"We were lucky to be able to make the first known recording of this bird singing," she added.
Other authors include: Frank E. Rheindt, Philip D. Round, Dadang Dwi Putra, Dewi M. Prawiradilaga, and Ding Li Yong. Additional financial support for the study was provided by the Loke Wan Tho Memorial Foundation, the National University of Singapore Faculty of Science, and University of Adelaide's EIPR Scholarship.
