1	Newly-Discovered Bird Species An average of 3-5 new birds are described each year in the world. During years 2000 through 2004 approximately 23 new birds were discovered, or rediscovered.
2	Calayan Rail Gallirallus calayanensis Discovered in the Philippines May 2004. Habitat – rainforest found at an altitude of approx. 1,000 feet. Dark brown with orange-red bill and legs. Loud, harsh, rasping call. Estimated that about 100-200 pair exist in an area which is threatened by habitat destruction.
3	Carrizal Blue-black Seedeater Amaurospina carrizalensis Discovered on Island of Carrizal in Eastern Venezuela in 2003. Habitat – impenetrable spiny bamboo vegetation near the Caroni river area in the Orinoco basin. Bill is larger than the other similar finches; male is dull greyish- blue; female is brownish, no description of call was noted in literature. Only 3 birds were collected – total population unknown.
4	Pernambuco Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium mooreorum Discovered in Brazil in 2002. Habitat – fragmented secondary forest in Northeastern Brazil. First recorded in 1990 – without the realization that it was new to science. Tiny owl, measuring 6 inches from bill to tail and weighing just 2 ounces. Crown is dark brown with white spots, back dark reddish brown, tail is dark brown with 5 horizontal white bands that look like irregular white spots, the abdomen is white with light reddish brown streaks. Closely related to the Amazonian Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium hardyi and the Least Pygmy-Owl. Population estimate is undocumented.
5	Golden-crowned Manakin Pipra vilasboasi First found & last seen in 1957. Rediscovered May 2002. Habitat – endangered Amazonian rainforest. Population unknown.
6	Munchique Wood-Wren Henicorhina negreti Discovered in 2003 in the West Andes of Colombia. Habitat – confined to the highest elevations of densely saturated cloud forest of one mountain of the Andes of southwest Colombia. Distinctive flute-like song very different from similar Wood-Wrens found elsewhere in South America. Population is extremely small.
7	Cryptic Forest-Falcon Micrastur mintoni (Falcao Cryptico) Discovered in Brazil in 2002. Habitat – humid terre firme forests of Brazil and Northeastern Bolivia. Distinctive voice, but closely resembles Lined Forest-Falcon. Plumage differs from other SE Amazonia Forest-Falcons in pattern of head, underparts and tail.
8	Okarito Brown Kiwi or Rowi Apteryx rowii Found only in the Okarito forest on the West Coast of South Island, New Zealand. Most closely related to the North Island Brown Kiwi. Differences are in plumage color and coloration of bare parts – Rowi has paler coloring than in other Brown Kiwis with the head, neck and belly feathers noticeably grey with some white on the head. Softer feathers noticed when stroked backwards, shorter bill, barred outer wing feathers not seen on other Brown Kiwis. Estimated population is 200 birds in 2002.
9	Little Sumba Hawk-Owl Ninox sumbaensis Discovered in 2001 in Sumba, Indonesia. Thought to be a Scops Owl by observers in the late 1980s. Three pairs of the owl were located, photographed, videoed and tape recorded. One was collected and analysis of the cytochrome-b gene revealed it was a Ninox species. No overlap in body length or body mass between Little Sumba and other Ninox owls of the region. The call is a monosyllabic hoot repeated every 3 seconds, unlike the repeated cluck-cluck-cluck of Sumba Boobook or the calls made by most Hawk-Owls. No population estimate found.
10	General statistics of newly-discovered bird species More new bird species have been found in Brazil in the last 10 years than in anywhere else on Earth. South America is considered the hotspot for new species discovery. Deforestation and illegal mining threaten the vulnerable species most. Ironically, many species are discovered through environmental surveys conducted for the logging industry. A great resource to investigate these new found species further is online at: www.dutchbirding.nl/journal/species.html
11	Try this yourself! Maybe you too can locate a new species! Thank you and Good birding!