Posted on 02/22/2024 2:39:07 AM PST by Red Badger
The Yellow-crested Helmetshrike was ready for what might be its first-ever closeup - Matt Brady, University of Texas at El Paso
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No-one has seen the Yellow-crested Helmetshrike for about 20 years. That changed when researchers embarked on a six-week expedition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and captured the dramatic-looking yellow-topped bird in its first-known photo.
With nearly 70% of the planet's wildlife populations having declined since the 1970s, there are not often stories worth cheering for when it comes to global animal welfare. But a new find in the remote Itombwe Massif in the Congo is certainly good news for bird enthusiasts and other wildlife conservationists.
An expedition made to that region by a combination of University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and Congolese researchers from the Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles stumbled upon the bird after hiking along a 75-mile course through the mountain where they were studying amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Even though the bird hasn't been seen in nearly two decades and has never been photographed, the team actually came upon a noisy group of them living in the midstory of the forest. They clocked a total of 18 birds at three sites during their expedition.
"It was a mind-blowing experience to come across these birds," said Michael Harvey, an ornithologist and UTEP assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. "We knew they might be possible here, but I was not prepared for how spectacular and unique they would appear in life."
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
What's wrong with this picture.
Taste like chicken...
(This is FR, after all).
;)
How do we know that “70% of the planet’s wildlife populations having declined since the 1970s”?
Just more anti human BS.
Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn’it, ay? Beautiful plumage!
By a well funded study dedicated to “proving” that with extrapolations, hypotheses and fuzzy math. With enough money you can prove . . .
IIRC, Audubon killed every one of the birds he drew.
Well, yeah they wouldn’t sit still for a portrait!..............
“No-one has seen the Yellow-crested Helmetshrike for about 20 years.”
That’s a bold statement. In order to arrive at that conclusion, they would have to have asked “everyone”. I doubt that happened, because they didn’t ask me.
No one in their little club of bird geeks has publicly stated that they’d seen one. That’s entirely different.
Grey and yellow. Good color combo.
Seems weird that a wild bird would sit on the guy’s hand that way.
“With nearly 70% of the planet’s wildlife populations having declined since the 1970s”
They know this for sure, but didn’t know that this little bird existed? Sounds like that 70% figure came out of somebody’s ass.
He’s probably holding the bird’s legs................
Thanks for the chuckle....
Not everyone is a bird watcher...in fact....most aren’t unless they’re cra***** on you car.
Re: 11 - that’s photographer’s grip used to hold the bird to make photography easier of the various feather tracts.
But I would deduct points for the person’s fingers being visible. The point of the picture is the bird. Just went out with a crew 2 weeks ago to band Eastern Screech Owls and my hands were not visible for pictures of three owls but were in one (hiss).
Failed to note that although the article does not mention, they probably caught the bird in a mist net.
There’s Billions of them. we’ve just been looking in the wrong places.
“IIRC, Audubon killed every one of the birds he drew.”
yes he did... and the smithsonian was willing to kill the last of the buffalo to display them
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