A night parrot thought to be extinct—since it has not been sighted for approximately a century—was captured by a researcher in Australia. The discovery has allowed scientists to include the said bird in a leading program to help protect remaining species.
In the past 25 years, only two night parrots had been found but they were already dead. The last sighting of a living night parrot was noted in the 1980s. It was regarded as extinct by majority of scientists who are particularly interested in birds. This is why many experts were surprised when John Young, an ornithologist declared that he saw and was able to take photos of a night parrot in 2013; however, it was blurry. Young spent about 10 years looking for the elusive bird in the caves and vegetation lands in Queensland.
On April 4, ornithologist Steve Murphy, executive manager of conservation group Bush Heritage Australia, was also able to spot a night parrot after searching for it for 18 months. The scientist obtained a feather sample from the bird and placed a small battery-operated monitoring device around its legs to track its activities in oder for scientists to learn more about this creature. The battery that runs the device can last by up to 12 days.
"It's fantastic to have this bird, which is such an enigmatic creature," said Murphy. The night parrot is something bird lovers may consider a holy grail, even comparing it to discovering a thylacine, he adds.
Since the discovery of the night parrot recently, scientists did not know what they feed on, where they get their water supply and the like. Basically, the experts are back at one in night parrot research. Now, they know that night parrots fly some 5 miles every night to look for food; however, they stayed in the same nests.
The total number of night parrots remaining are not yet clearly identified; however, Bush Heritage Australia opts not to disclose the exact habitat of the birds in Australia to protect the species from poaching and other harmful human interventions that can further endanger their number.
The night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is considered to be one of the most mystifying and different-to-catch birds around the globe. These birds are nocturnal and dwell on the ground most of the time. In Australia, the night parrot is endemic; however, it was presumed extinct as many years passed by without confirmed sightings.
Photo: Jim Bendon | Flickr
