New Bird Species Found

Scientists from the Smithsonian Institution have discovered a brand new species of bird.

The olive-backed forest robin is around four and a half inches long with a fiery orange throat. It was discovered in Gabon, Africa, and has been given the technical name Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus.

The bird was first spotted back in 2001 but was initially thought to be from a known species, however Brian Schmidt of the Smithsonian realised it had a different appearance. DNA tests have now confirmed that the olive-backed forest robin is indeed new. The new discovery brings the total number of known species in Gabon to 753 - there may still be many more unknown ones.

Alfonso Alonso of Gambon’s Biodiversity Program commented:

“Finding the olive-backed forest robin strongly underscores the importance of our research. This helps us show the conservation importance of the area.”

Topic Tag: Cryptozoology