New Bird Discovered in Andean Cloud Forest in Columbia

By Linda Orlando

Columbia has been considered a birdwatcher’s paradise for decades, because it is home to over 1,800 different species of birds. Bird watching is a risky hobby in the area because of the civil war that has raged in the country for over four decades. But researchers still travel there to explore, and on Monday it was announced that their persistence has paid off—another species of bird has been discovered.

The small colorful bird, about the size of a fist, has been dubbed the Yariguies brush-finch, named for the indigenous tribe that once inhabited the mountains where it was discovered. The tribe committed mass suicide instead of submitting to Spanish colonial rule. The Yariguies brush-finch has a bright yellow and red crown, and can be distinguished from its closest relative—the yellow-breasted brush finch—by its solid black back and the lack of white marks on its wings.

"There are about two to three new birds found in the world every year," said Thomas Donegan, a British scientist who was one of the two researchers who discovered the bird in January 2004. Donegan told The Associated Press on Monday, "It's a very rare event." One of the two birds caught by the duo was released unharmed after being photographed and having DNA samples taken. The second died in captivity. Donegan said that this was one of the first times researchers were able to confirm the existence of a new bird without first having to kill it.

To reach the isolated habitat where the bird was discovered, Donegan and his Columbian research partner Blanca Huertas made regular hikes 12 hours into the dense jungle area, relying on helicopters to drop off supplies for them periodically upon mountain peaks. "We first went to Yariguies about three years ago," Donegan said. "It's a huge patch of isolated forest that no one knew about, not even in Colombia."

Camila Gomez, of the Columbia conservation group ProAves, told reporters, "The bird was discovered in what is the last remnants of cloud forest in that region. There are still lots of undiscovered flora and fauna species that live in the area."

Conservationists are very excited by the discovery of the new bird, because the researchers who discovered it in January considered the bird close to being threatened, and determined that it needs close monitoring to prevent it from becoming endangered. As a result, the Columbian government has decided to set aside 500 acres of the pristine cloud forest in Columbia’s eastern Andean range, where the Yariguies finch lives. The area will become a national park.