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 Avibirds European birdguide online
 New bird species discovered in the 21st century: the year 2004 |
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| Serendib Scops-owl | 
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| Otus thilohoffmanni | ENDANGERED |
| A small, short-tailed scops-owl, lacking apparent ear-tufts. Quite uniformly rufescent, paler below, with small dark markings all over. Central belly and undertail coverts paler and unspotted. Weakly defined facial disk, white supercilia, and yellow to orange irides with a black outer ring. Iris more yellow in female. Tarsi feathered for less than half their length. Similar spp. |
In range, only the rufous morph of the Sri Lankan race of Oriental Scops-owl Otus sunia leggei, which is slightly larger, and has obvious ear-tufts, tarsi feathered to base of toes, and obvious whitish spots on scapulars. Voice Female gives a short, piping, tremulous pU'U'u, rising and falling in pitch. Male gives a lower pitched, shorter, less tremulous version. Vocalisations most common in the hours just after dusk and just before dawn. Otus thilohoffmanni is endemic to the wet zone of Sri Lanka, where it is known only from Kitugala, Sinharaja, Morapitiya-Runakanda, Kanneliya and Eratna-Gilimale, despite investigation of c.75% of suitable habitat. It escaped detection until 1995 due to its unobtrusive and rather ventriloqual call. Less than 100 individuals have now been located in the five known sites, but it is likely that others remain undetected, and it may well occur at additional sites in the wet zone rainforests. It occurs in larger areas of lowland rainforest, at 30-530 m altitude. It appears to be generally rare, but locally common, and pairs occupy large territories. All locations where the bird has been found so far have been disturbed areas with tall, dense secondary growth3. It roosts around 1 m above the ground. For the two hours after dark, it hunts for prey in the undergrowth, later foraging higher; between the undergrowth and subcanopy. The breeding behaviour of this species is not yet known. It has not been found in forest patches smaller than 8.2 km2 in extent, indicating that it is sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation, which has been severe in Sri Lanka3. Habitat loss is still continuing, but at a slower rate since most lowland forest is now gone or under protection. (birdlife.org). Warakagoda, D.H. & Rasmussen, P.C. (2004) A new species of scops-owl from Sri Lanka Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club Vol. 124 pp. 85-105
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| Togian Hawk-owl | 
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| Ninox burhani | NEAR THREATENED |
| On Christmas night (25 December) 1999, in the village of Benteng on Togian Island, three unidentified hawk-owls were watched by torchlight, hunting from perches in a garden. They were medium-sized true owls, lacking ear tufts, with a dark, pale-scalloped mantle, darkish facial disc, grey bill, white underwings and undertail patterned with fine black spots, and pale underparts with broad pale brown streaks on the upper breast, becoming less dense on the abdomen. |
Ninox burhani is only known from the islands of Malenge, Togian and Batudaka in the Togian archipelago off central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Aural encounters, on Waleabahi Island to the east, believed to relate to this species imply it is widespread in moderate numbers throughout the archipelago. It may be declining but current trends have not yet been studied. A resident of lowland and hill forest it has been recorded in scrubby woodland surrounded by evergreen forest and also in mixed gardens and sago swamp, at elevations from sea level to 400 m. As the species is largely forest-dependent, continuing forest clearance represents a threat. (birdlife.org). Indrawan, M. & Somadikarta, S. (2004) A new hawk-owl from the Togian Islands, Gulf of Tomini, central Sulawesi, Indonesia Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 124:160-171
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| Rubeho Akalat | 
Very similar Sharpe's Akalat
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| Sheppardia aurantiithorax | DATA DEFICIENT |
| Rubeho Akalat Sheppardia aurantiithorax was described in 2004 (Beresford et al 2004). It is endemic to Tanzania, where it is restricted to montane forest at 1,800-2,200 m in the Rubeho highland, the small Wota forest in the Wota Mountains, north-west of the Rubehos and in the Ukaguru Mountains (the Extent of Occurrence is estimated to be 552 km2).
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| There is also one record from 400 m north-east of the Uluguru Mountains, although it is not known what its current status is there. Although it is reasonably common within its narrow altitudinal range, the species's habitat is threatened by encroachment for agriculture, and this is presumably fragmenting and diminishing the population. The species therefore appears to qualify as Endangered under criterion B1a+b(i,ii,iii,v), owing to an Extent of Occurrence less than 5,000 km2, known from less than five locations and declining, and possibly also under C2a(ii), fewer than 2,500 mature individuals and declining. This bird has the lores and top of supraocular region basally white, followed by band of dark saffron yellow, tipped clove brown; auriculars and malar region clove brown washed saffron yellow. Forehead to nape basally blackish slate, distally tawny olive. Dorsal feathers, tertials, and coverts slate, distally copper; rump feathers and trailing edge of rectrices more copper. Rectrices dorsally sepia, ventrally bistre; remiges dorsally clove brown, ventrally lighter shade of same; underwing coverts basally drab, tipped pale to dark ochre yellow. Chin feathers basally white, distally orange ochraceous; throat, upper breast, and underwing coverts basally blackish slate and distally orange ochraceous. Breast basally slate, distally dark ochre yellow, flanks and tibiotarsals basally slate, distally tawny olive; abdomen feathers basally blackish slate, distally cream buff; vent orange ochraceous. Bill black, eyes grey-brown, legs and feet grey with ochraceous soles. Beresford P., J. Fjeldså & J. Kiure (2004) A new species of akalat (Sheppardia) narrowly endemic in the Eastern Arc of Tanzania The Auk 121:23-24
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New species in:
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008
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| Acre Antshrike | 
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| Thamnophilus divisorius | LEAST CONCERN |
| The Acre Antshrike (Thamnophilus divisorius) is a member of the antbird family (Thamnophilidae). Its closest relatives are the Streak-backed Antshrike and the Amazonian Antshrike (Whitney et al. 2004). It was discovered in 1996 in the Acre Arch uplands in the state of Acre in Brazil, and described as a species new to science in 2004. It is found in low-growing woodland. Its known range lies within the remote Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor in Brazil and the adjacent Parque Nacional de la Sierra del Divisor in Peru, but it is believed to be common there. It has only recently been evaluated by BirdLife International where it has been given a status of Least Concern for the 2007 Red List.
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Thamnophilus divisorius was recently described from within the Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, Brazil. This large and relatively well protected area contains the sole known locality for this species, the Serra da Jaquirana, the easternmost of a series of narrow ridges in the Serra do Divisor, part of the Acre Arch. It favours stunted ridge woodlands with a broken canopy and thick understorey growing on very thin soils. It may occur on physiognomically similar ridges within the Acre Arch perhaps extending to the continuous Aierra Contamana in Ucayali, Peru. Given that the species is conspicuous, the lack of records from structurally favourable "Amazon Caatinga" habitats c. 100 km east-southeast of the type locality suggests it is absent from that area. Despite its restricted known range, this species is common within that range and apparently faces no immediate threats. Whitney, Bret M.; Oren, David C. & Brumfield, Robb T. (2004): A new species of Thamnophilus Antshrike (Aves: Thamnophilidae) from the Serra do Divisor, Acre, Brazil. Auk 121(4): 1031-1039.
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| Calayan Rail | 
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| Thamnophilus divisorius | LEAST CONCERN |
| A new species of bird has been discovered on a remote island in the northern Philippines, by a team of Filipino and British wildlife researchers. The Calayan Rail is a relative of the internationally familiar Moorhen, with bright red beak and legs contrasting strikingly with its dark plumage. But unlike its familiar relative, the Calayan Rail is almost certainly flightless, and found only on the small island after which it is named. |
Gallirallus calayanensis is endemic to Calayan island in the Babuyan islands, northern Philippines, where it was recorded and a specimen collected from Longog, Barangay Magsidel, in May 2004. It was found to be common within its preferred habitat (at an estimated density of one pair per 1-2 ha), and its population has been estimated at 100-200 pairs in the area surveyed. There is no evidence to suggest the population is undergoing a decline. Information on the total extent of suitable habitat is not available, but it is likely to have a very small range, possibly lower than 10 km2. The species seems to be restricted to primary and secondary forest on areas of coralline limestone that is permeated with sink-holes and caves. Within this habitat it was recorded in degraded areas with young secondary growth of low trees. It appeared to prefer areas near streams, but the strength of the association is unknown. It was not recorded in other habitats on the island, including rice-fields or open clearings, or along trails in the primary forest block on the south of the island. The type specimen was collected at an altitude of 300 m. The species forages by pecking at the ground, occasionally overturning leaves, and appears to be flightless, or nearly so. In those parts of the island with forested coralline limestone outcrops, the soil is often very thin or absent, and hence unsuitable for agriculture. The species seems tolerant of degraded habitat, and the human population of the area is very low. The species is occasionally caught in traps set for Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus, but is not directly targeted. Introduced predators such as dogs and cats are largely absent. However, the construction of a road round the periphery of the island, and a link to its centre, have already been started. These roads may encourage the spread of settlements, and hence dogs, cats and rats, and could threaten the species. Allen, Desmond; Oliveros, Carl; Espanola, Carmela; Broad, Genevieve & Gonzalez, Juan Carlos T. (2004) A new species of Gallirallus from Calayan island, Philippines Forktail Vol. 20 pp. 1-7.
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| Mees's Nightjar | 
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| Caprimulgus meesi | DATA DEFICIENT |
| scrubland with scattered small trees or at the edges of open forest. It is encountered inside dense forests or at the edges of dense forests. The species is characterized as common along forest edge and in wooded cultivation. C. meesi occurs sympatrically with C. affinis on Flores and Sumba. It is possible that C. meesi occurs syntopically with C. affinis at some localities. On Flores, the former inhabits scrubland, the latter inhabits 'steppes' and that both species meet in savanna with scrub ('Gebüschsavanne'). |
At Lewapaku, Sumba, C. affinis sings in flight over dry grassland and C. meesi singing from nearby small trees in the same dry grassland but closer to forest. Observed was C. meesi singing only from exposed perches at c. 5-10 m above the ground. No singing was observed from birds in flight. Feeding occurs in flight and as sallies from exposed perches that were also used as song points. At Riung, Flores, they were observed flying over the sea and mudflats to the mainland at dusk. Very little information is available about breeding. Available evidence suggests that territorial songs are given from June to November. It is as yet unclear if C. meesi also sings during other times of the year. An egg collected on 11.x.1956 at Djinggor, Flores was originally identified as an egg of C. affinis by its collector J.A.J. Verheijen but was later referred to C. macrurus by Mees (1977) and is therefore most likely referable to C. meesi. In his discussion of the breeding seasons of birds on Flores, Verheijen (1964) reported that nests and eggs of C. affinis were found from August to November, with a peak in September.
Sangster, G. & Rozendaal, F.G. 2004. Systematic notes on Asian birds. 41. Territorial songs and species-level taxonomy of nightjars of the Caprimulgus macrurus complex, with description of a new species. Zool. Verhand., Leiden 350: 7-45.
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