New bird Species in the 21st century

Newly discovered birds 2008

Nonggang babbler
Stachyris nonggangensis	NOT YET EVALUATED
It has relatively short, rounded wings and medium-length rounded tail; wings longer than tail; relatively strong legs; medium-length straight bill; stiff forehead feathers; oval nares; and general body proportions. It is of relatively large size, it has a dark-grayish-brown body and chin; broad dark-grayish-brown spots on white throat and upper breast; white crescent-shaped patches behind ear coverts and black bill.
The principal habitat for the species is the seasonal rainforest. The Nonggang Babblers were often seen walking on rocks and were seldom seen in trees or flying. The birds flew only short distances, and only when frightened. The behavior of S. nonggangensis is similar to that of wren babblers (Napothera spp.), with which it co-occurs in this area. Nonggang Babblers often forage in the gaps between two rocks by turning over the fallen leaves, apparently preying on insects and other arthropods. Sometimes they foraged on the small mounds that appeared after the trees were logged. They were seen only in single-species flocks in winter. They occurred in flocks of 5–10 individuals in the nonbreeding period but were often seen in pairs during the breeding period. The known distribution of S. nonggangensis is limited to the Nonggang Natural Reserve.
Olive-backed Forest Robin
Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus	NOT YET EVALUATED
This species has forehead and crown blackish gray. Nape dark gray with slight Olive-Green wash increasing at the bacxk of the head. Back and rump olive-green. Rectrices fuscous fringed slightly browner than rump and same color as the upper tail coverts. Remiges brownish-olive narrowly fringed with olive-green. Wing coverts gray with olive fringing. Wing lining whitish and axillaries creamy yellow. Malar and eye ring black. Loral spot white. Chin and throat orange. Upper breast dark orangish ochre with feather fringes on sides of breast gray. Lower breast and belly creamy yellow with under tail coverts slightly darker. Flanks and sides gray Iris dark brown, bill black, legs and feet pink-gray. The full distributional range of the new species is not known, it was found in Gabon.
It is a locally common bird, but like other members of the genus it is unobtrusive and its presence is made known mainly by its call. Our visual observations were mainly in response to playback of vocalizations. Its ground dwelling behavior is typical of other members of this genus. Observations and encounters were mostly in primary lowland forest with light to moderate undergrowth. In open primary forest with heavy grazing by elephant and forest buffalo that greatly reduces undergrowth, the bird appears uncommon or even absent.
Monteiro’s Storm-petrel
Oceanodroma monteiroi	NOT YET EVALUATED
Iris dark brown; bill, legs and feet black. This species has the entire head, mantle, scapulars, back and upper rump and upper tail sooty brown-black. Nape, mantle and scapulars, back and upper rump with grey wash in good light. Longest scapulars thinly edged very pale grey. Upper tail coverts white (white feather shafts) forming a white rump band c. 15 mm wide in the centre and c. 20 mm wide at the sides. Lower 10 mm of upper tail coverts tipped black, same as upper tail.
Bases of outer three tail feathers white, extending 33 mm from feather base on outmost tail feather. Chin and throat slightly paler than upper headparts. Breast, belly, upper flanks, central undertail coverts noticeably browner than upperparts. Lower flanks and bases of outer undertail coverts white, forming a contiguous white band with rump, so the white rump ‘wraps around’ the flanks, but not joining ventrally. Underside of tail feathers brown-black (very similar to underparts) with silvery sheen. Undertail coverts extending almost to tail tip centrally. Wing: Lesser coverts, carpal coverts, primary coverts, primaries and secondaries uniformly sooty brownblack. Noticeable light-drab diagonal wing bar extending from tertials (and inner secondary), across the greater and median coverts, to the outer lesser coverts, almost reaching the leading edge of the wing. The outer three greater coverts have outer lower edge concolorous with the primary coverts. Underwing, but it appeared wholly dark, similar in colour to underparts. On current knowledge, Monteiro’s Storm-petrel is known only from the Azores islands and appears to have diverged between 125 000 and 300 000 years ago from populations in the Pacific and between 70 000 and 350 000 years ago from other populations within the North Atlantic. Within the Azores, the species is known to breed only on two small (c. 12-ha) islets, some 5 km apart, lying off the inhabited island of Graciosa. The combined breeding population at these two sites has been estimated at 200 pairs. Further small colonies, possibly holding a few tens of pairs, are suspected on other islets lying off Graciosa, Flores and Corvo. The total breeding population is therefore estimated at between 250 and 300 pairs, but there is a clear need for more accurate and up-to-date information on population size and demography. The distribution of Monteiro’s Storm-petrel outside the breeding season is currently unknown, although the capture of two individuals on Praia Islet in late October and a further individual on Vila Islet in mid November suggests that it remains in the vicinity of the breeding grounds, rather than dispersing into the western Atlantic.
Vanikoro White-eye
Zosterops gibbsi	NOT YET EVALUATED
A new species of white-eye, the Vanikoro White-eye Zosterops gibbsi, is described from the island of Vanikoro (= Vanikolo) in the Santa Cruz Islands (= Temotu Province) within the Solomon Islands. It differs from the geographically closest white-eye, the Santa Cruz White-eye Zosterops sanctaecrucis, by a number of features including a much longer bill, and different leg- and eye-ring colour. This is the second bird species endemic to Vanikoro; the neighbouring Nendo Island supports three endemic species. Although the conservation status of this species appears to be secure, the Santa Cruz Islands are very poorly known.
The Santa Cruz Islands lie in the Vanuatu rain forests ecoregion. Within its range the Vanikoro White-eye is common in upland forests although it also occurs in degraded lowland forests. Despite supporting several globally threatened species, the Islands at present are not protected by any conservation activity.
Togian White-eye
Zosterops somadikartai	ENDANGERED
This new species is most similar to the Black-crowned White-eye (Zosterops atrifrons) but lacks the white eye ring which is narrow but conspicuous even in juvenile Black-crowned White-eyes. The Togian White-eye has a less extensive black cap, clearer yellow throat, distinct pale base to the bill and reddish (brown in the Black-crowned) iris. The species is separated from Zosterops surdus of the west-central Sulawesi by the paler and brighter olive above and clearer yellow on the throat. It differs from Zosterops subatrifrons of Peleng and Banggai Islands by the lack of the white eye ring, greyer breast and less extensive black crown. Its eye isn’t ringed in a band of white feathers like its cousins who flock in other remote tropical islands of Indonesia.
Yet it does have many features in common with the black-crowned white-eye Zosterops atrifrons of Sulawesi, which is clearly its closest relative. The new bird is believed to be endangered. The white-eye has been seen only near the coasts of three small islands of the Togian Islands in central Sulawesi. Unlike most white-eye species, it is evidently quite uncommon even in its very limited range. Considering its limited numbers and distribution, it falls into the World Conservation Union category of endangered. This finding also establishes the Togian Islands as an endemic bird area.
Nepal Rufous-vented Prinia
Prinia burnesi nipalensis	CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
The adult of this new subspecies has overall olive-grey to light brown plumage. The head and nape are greyer compared to the browner back, wings and tail. In most individuals, there is faint whitish supercilium which reaches behind the eye. The head is densely streaked compared to back. On the back, the streakings are bolder compared to the ones in head. The juveniles are similar to adults but slightly less marked on the head and body. Light rufous undertail coverts were visible in one young bird caught. All birds seen and heard were located on grassland patches on small islands of the Koshi River. The other two subspecies of Rufous-vented Prinia, the first one Prinia burnesii burnesii is found in Pakistan in the west along the tributaries of Indus River and adjacent Punjab in India, and the second Prinia burnesii cinerascens is found in Assam in the east along the Bramhaputra river systems and adjoining states of India and Bangladesh.
The other two subspecies of Rufous-vented Prinia, the first one Prinia burnesii burnesii is found in Pakistan in the west along the tributaries of Indus River and adjacent Punjab in India, and the second Prinia burnesii cinerascens is found in Assam in the east along the Bramhaputra river systems and adjoining states of India and Bangladesh. The newly described bird shows somewhat intermediate characters between the two subspecies and appears to form a link between them, is found in the Ganges river systems which is the other major river system in the India subcontinent. They were absent in heavily disturbed grasslands adjacent to villages indicating their preference for less disturbed grasslands. It is a resident breeding species and highly threatened in the country because of habitat loss and degradation. Future surveys might reveal its presence in grasslands in different parts of the country. Conservationists are warning that with habitat loss and degradation, the newly-identified variety is highly threatened, with at most 500 birds currently alive. conservationists are warning that with habitat loss and degradation, the newly-identified variety is highly threatened, with at most 500 birds currently alive.
Giles' Pale-bellied Tapaculo
Scytalopus griseicollis gilesi	NOT YET EVALUATED
This species ha a black bill with lower mandible slightly lighter at base; iris dark brown; head, mantle and tail dark graybrown; underparts to breast gray, becoming slightly lighter on lower belly; wing coverts and flight feathers dark gray with tertials tipped ochraceous brown, with dark gray, but darker than other wing feathers; subterminal bar; wing rounded with wing point hard to discern but close to fifth (sixth from outermost) primary.
flanks and undertail coverts ochraceous brown barred black on flanks; rump brown thinly barred dark gray; tarsus reddish dark gray frontally, behind lighter; Foot soles grayish yellow. S. g. gilesi is a skulking bird observed most frequently foraging in dense shrubs of páramo and subpáramo ridgetop habitat up to 2 m above ground level. Stomach contents suggest it is insectivorous, typical of the genus. It seems to be most numerous in slightly taller scrub found in sheltered alcoves, along exposed ridges and just above the treeline.
Yungas Tyrannulet
Phyllomyias weedeni	VULNERABLE
The Yungas Tyrannulet (Phyllomyias weedeni) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family. It is, as suggested by its common name, restricted to humid and semi-humid forest in the Yungas of north-western Bolivia and far south-eastern Peru. Although discovered in the early 1990s, it was only formally described in 2008. The species is morphologically and vocally most similar to widely allopatric P. fasciatus (Planalto Tyrannulet), but vocalizations recorded at the six localities from which it is known differ conspicuously and significantly from those of P. fasciatus, and differences in plumage and measurements are also apparent. Vocalization analysis further suggests that the P. fasciatus complex, which comprises three named subspecies, may consist of more than one biological species. Phyllomyias weedeni inhabits the upper canopy of humid and semi-humid foothill and lower montane forest within a narrow elevational range (700–1,200 m). It appears to prefer irregularly structured canopy dominated by small-leaved trees but has also been found in a mosaic of shade-coffee (Coffea spp.) plantations and remnant forest patches.
It occurs at low densities, is apparently patchily distributed, and has an estimated extent of occurrence of 10,000 km2. Its breeding population is estimated to be well below 10,000 mature individuals, and ongoing large-scale habitat conversion throughout much of the species' range could pose serious conservation problems. The new species thus qualifies as globally "vulnerable" under IUCN Red List Criteria.