New Bird Species Picked Out by its Eyes

Newly-discovered Laniarius willardi had been noted as an anomaly among Malaconotidae (pictured) for years. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

by David DeFranza on 03.16.10

One small branch of the bird kingdom's species tree has sprouted a new bud. Researchers from Texas A&M University believe they have found a new species of shrike living amongst the more common Malaconotidae. The new species, labeled Laniarius willardi, was picked out from the crowd by its unique blue-gray eyes.

Gary Voelker, who made the discovery, commented that the bird is "probably at least a couple million years; it's old, but it's new to science at least in the DNA age." He added:

"Clearly, it was noticed before, because as we started to look at comparative
material from other natural history collections, we saw that several specimens
collected in 1910 were noted to have had gray eyes...but it apparently never
occurred to those collectors that their find was potentially something different
than other black shrikes that might have been collected in the same basic
region."

It was conversations he had with colleagues over the last several years, he said, that led him to make note of the bird's eyes.

Such discoveries, he pointed out, are rare in Africa. Most new bird species are found in South America. Voelker attributed this find to the lack of DNA research that has been conducted on species of central Africa's rainforests.

To define the new species, Voelker analyzed specimens that had been collected years earlier. The bird, which is thought to occupy a narrow band of forest, is replaced by another very similar species of shrike outside of its limited habitat. Given the rate of deforestation in Africa, Voelker said, it is likely that Laniarius willardi is extremely threatened.

He explained:

"The discovery of this new species clearly illustrates that scientific collecting still has an important role to play in efforts to document and understand
biodiversity in Africa and other understudied areas...these and future results
from our ongoing work in various parts of Africa should have an impact on
conservation strategies now and in the future."

Unfortunately, like so many newly discovered species, Laniarius willardi may be extinct before scientists have a chance to study it.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/new-bird-species-picked-out-by-its-eyes.php
(Submitted by Chad Arment)