Hawk-eyed photographer captures endangered bird thought lost

A hawk-eyed photographer has thrilled scientists by capturing a threatened bird of prey in Papua New Guinea more than five decades after it was last officially sighted, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said Friday.

The New Britain goshawk is found only on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea and is considered threatened, although information on its status is scarce.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that there are between 2,500 and 10,000 mature individuals in the wild, but the bird’s elusive nature makes details difficult to confirm.

In fact, the bird is so unusual that Fiji-based photographer Tom Vierus didn’t even realize what he had captured until later.

“It was a great surprise to learn that this photo appears to be the first of this ‘lost species,'” he said in a statement released by WWF, an environmental NGO.

The last scientific documentation of the species appears to be a 1969 specimen, now housed in a U.S. museum, according to John Mittermeier, director of lost bird research at the American Bird Conservancy.

Although there have been sporadic sightings reported, “the New Britain goshawk appears to have eluded photos, sounds and documentation of specimens for 55 years,” he said.

WWF said the discovery highlighted the importance of protecting the area from threats such as logging and mining.

Much of Papua New Guinea’s population lives below the poverty line, and many officials are eager to welcome companies seeking to exploit vast reserves of gold, copper, nickel, natural gas and timber.

According to WWF, the region is also home to the world’s third-largest intact rainforest, and environmentalists warn that little research has been done on the diverse and rich ecosystems now under threat.

© 2024 AFP