image source, American Bird Conservancy
black-backed pheasant pigeon It is a large pigeon that builds nests and spends most of its life on the ground. only in Fergusson Island
Scientists are delighted after the discovery of black pheasant pigeons, a rare creature whose sighting was last recorded 140 years ago.
The discovery was made deep in the jungle on Papua New Guinea’s Fergusson Island. southwest Pacific Ocean by a team of scientists from the National Museum of Papua New Guinea Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology and the American Bird Conservation Society.
black-backed pheasant pigeon It is a species of large pigeon that builds nests and spends most of its life on the ground. found only on Fergusson Island Scientists recorded the last sighting of the species in 1882, and there have been no official records of sightings since then. despite search efforts in 2019
The team decided to search again in 2022 gathering information from local villagers and hunters who had seen this bird. Then, a number of cameras were installed to capture this rare animal. And it took about a month before he was successfully captured on September 29, just a few days before the team left the island.
image source, Jason Gregg/American Bird Conservancy.
Scientists hope this discovery will help save the black-backed pheasant pigeon from extinction.
Cornell University researcher Jordan Bursma said: “When I was looking through the images from the camera I was amazed to see this bird walking through the camera.”
while Dr. John Mittermeier the leader of the research team said Rediscovering the black-backed pheasant pigeon felt like “Finding a Unicorn” and “This is the moment you have dreamed of your whole life as a conservationist and ornithologist.”
At present, scientists do not have much information about the black-backed pheasant pigeon. But the bird population on Fergusson Island is believed to be small. and decreasing in number they hope this discovery will help protect the black-backed pheasant pigeon from extinction.
Christina Biggs, manager of the conservation organisation’s Re:wild Search for Lost Species program, said the rediscovery of the bird was a beacon of hope that other birds thought to be extinct would be found again.
