Ecologist Jean Semeki set up camera traps along a path in the Luki Biosphere Reserve, located in the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to study the mammals in the area. When he and his team examined the footage, they were surprised by their findings. Along with footage of curious apes, specifically the endangered central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) that remain in the reserve, they spotted a unique, long-legged bird hopping through the leaves. This bird was identified as a grey-necked picathartes (Picathartes oreas). Hugues Dethier, Semeki’s co-author, expressed disbelief upon first seeing the video and asked colleague Guillaume Baltus for confirmation of the identification.
Grey-necked picathartes are large, slender birds that are grey and white and have bright blue and red patches on their bald heads. They typically live secretive lives in the understory of rainforests found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo. These birds are known for making their nests out of mud on the walls of caves and rocky ledges. Until this recent discovery, they were not known to inhabit areas as far south as the DRC. The findings, published in the journal Ostrich, show that their range has increased by nearly 400 kilometers (249 miles). This species is already classified as near threatened by the IUCN due to its limited population.
What are your thoughts on the implications of this discovery for conservation efforts in the region?
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Source: Mongabay Animals, by Terna Gyuse