Report Bird Species Instantly if Spotted: Emergency Alert
Let's team up to find 120 missing feathered friends!
In today's tech-savvy world, smartphones have opened up a treasure trove of data for bird lovers and scientists alike. Thanks to apps that allow amateur bird watchers to snap, catalog, and upload their findings, we have an astounding pool of over 42 million bird photos, recordings, and videos at our disposal.
A group of dedicated ornithologists, led by the American Bird Conservancy and its British counterpart, decided to sift through this massive trove to identify species that seem to have gone MIA for over a decade. Their analysis, recently published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, pointed to 144 bird species that haven't been spotted in over a decade. Since then, a number of these species have surfaced, either in the wild, in human care, or with a taxonomy update. However, a whopping 126 species are still nowhere to be found. Check out this list to see them all.
But fear not! Although they're classified as "lost," these birds aren't necessarily extinct. In fact, these elusive avians are often at risk but have a habit of showing up again, much to the relief of researchers.
"The Earth's most well-documented creatures, birds, have managed to evade documentation for a mere 1% over the past decade. While only about 62% of the missing birds are "on thin ice" and at risk, the rest are like Ghostbusters' ghosts - just out of sight,"remarks Cameron Rutt, former Lost Birds Science Coordinator at the American Bird Conservancy, in a statement. "These scant few represent precious opportunities to intervene before it's too late."
The search for these lost species isn't new for the American Bird Conservancy. In 2021, they issued a call-to-action for bird watchers to help locate 10 of the rarest species on the planet, all of which were suspects in the "Lost Birds" case. In 2022, the Santa Marta sabrewing, one of those elusive species, was spotted in northern Colombia, reported the New York Times.
Join the Mission!
John C. Mittermeier, director of the Search for Lost Birds at the American Bird Conservancy, emphasizes the crucial role citizen scientists can play in this global hunt:
"Finding these hidden gems is like solving a detective story. While some of these species may prove challenging, or even impossible, to locate, others could reveal themselves quickly if we set our sights on the right locations. Whether we're following leads or making our own, teaming up with local communities and fellow citizen scientists is the key to locating lost birds and ensuring that these species don't vanish again."
Lost species aren't unique to birds. Global Wildlife Conservation maintains a list of around 2,200 lost species from across the globe. Since its inception, only 13 have been spotted.
So, bird enthusiasts, let's lend a hand (and a smartphone) to help these lost species reemerge from the shadows. Here's how you can join the search:
- Participate in local bird counts and surveys, like the Audubon Christmas Bird Count or eBird projects.
- Share your sightings and photos of rare or unrecorded bird species with organizations like the Search for Lost Birds or local birding clubs.
- Get involved with local conservation groups and projects focused on habitat protection.
- Use platforms like iNaturalist or the eBird app to report bird observations and contribute to a valuable research database.
- Technology has empowered bird lovers and researchers alike, providing a vast pool of 42 million bird-related data through apps that enable users to upload their findings.
- The discovery of 144 bird species missing for over a decade led researchers to believe that these lost species, like ghosts, might reappear, holding precious opportunities for intervention.
- John C. Mittermeier, director of the Search for Lost Birds at the American Bird Conservancy, encourages citizen scientists to join the mission, using their smartphones to record sightings and contribute to research databases.
- The list of lost species doesn't only include birds; it extends to other wildlife, with Global Wildlife Conservation maintaining a list of 2,200 lost species worldwide, of which only 13 have been spotted so far.
