It is not every day that a new species of bird is described, and this definitely does not tend to happen with birds that have been repeatedly collected and sit, as skins, in museums around the world. But the Varzea Thrush Turdus sanchezorum, described in this paper in The Condor (link is a PDF), is one such species. How cool is that?
Hat-tip to Duncan.
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
It is very cool.
However, I don’t fully agree with the closing statement of their summary: “This hidden taxon provides yet another case that argues strongly for continuing the tradition of general specimen collection.”
While I am certainly not opposed to collecting specimen, I don’t like the word “general”. We live in times, sadly, where even the seemingly insignificant number of specimen taken from a population of unknown size may prove to be a significant loss, particularly so if this taxon is later recognized as a separate species in dire straits. I am therefore of the opinion that collecting is necessary and okay and ethical and everything positive so long as it is done with a specific target and for a specific course. The days of taking a shotgun into the (Neotropic) woods and shoot everything that’s moving to later see what you’ve got ought to be over.
Jochen – sometimes you need undirected sampling in order to make discoveries like this. No one is suggesting Victorian style slaughter, but museum collections are essential for certain types of research.
Thanks for providing a link to that paper. How cool is that?
@Duncan: oh yes, I am very much in favour of museum collections and of course scientists need to keep collecting. And I – again – agree with you: “Sometimes you need undirected sampling…” Yes, true: sometimes. I’d just like to know that scientists think before they shoot.
Great! Yet another reason to go biridng in the Ecuadorian Amazon. I will let you know when I find it!
Renato, the new thrush hasn´t been documented from the Ecuadorian Amazon.