New Species of Bird Found in Ecuador Forest

The Academy of Natural Sciences today is to formally announce the discovery of a new bird species, a native of Ecuador whose call is akin to a cross between an owl’s hoot and a dog’s bark.

Scientists have determined that the new bird is a species of Antpitta, a group of very reclusive, long-legged, nonmigratory birds that hop on the forest floor, feeding on large insects. At 10 inches, including its short tail, the bird is the second-largest known Antpitta, said Robert S. Ridgely, one of the bird’s discoverers and director of the Center for Neotropical Ornithology at the academy. Its most striking feature is a broad white facial stripe that arches below the eye, contrasting with a black crown.

The find was unusual in that it occurred in a well-explored area near the Podocarpus National Park.

“It’s a remarkable bird and any discovery of a new species is truly remarkable these days. There just aren’t many left to find,” said John W. Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y.

With about 9,000 species in the world, Fitzpatrick said, only about one new bird a year is discovered.

The academy soon will submit a description of the bird to a leading peer-reviewed ornithological journal, the Auk. The scientists will also name the bird.

Robert S. Ridgely was hiking down an Ecuadorean mountain path in November on a trip to record bird songs when he and fellow ornithologist Lelis Navarrete heard the strange call.

Ridgely and other ornithologists have set up a foundation to raise money to buy land to protect the bird’s habitat, much of which has been cleared for cattle grazing.

“It underscores the importance of the Andean mountaintops as refuges of very rare, isolated, biodiversity that is being discovered,” Fitzpatrick said. “If a big bird is out there being discovered, imagine how many bugs and plants are out there.”