Rediscovered species 2022

I was just logging in to post this, so you saved me a job. Very surprised its not been more popular in terms of replies since it was posted, this is very interesting animal news.
It just shows that we are again and again surprised what is really out there! - yet alone in the seas and unexplored (and explored) forested areas.
I really wouldn't be surprised should a Thylacine roll up in the next 10 years.
 
I am unclear- the article says there are four species- or subspecies- of pheasant-pigeon in New Guinea. So does this discovery represent the very first pheasant pigeon still known to exist, or does it just relate to the Ferguson Island birds?
 
Pertinax said:
I am unclear- the article says there are four species- or subspecies- of pheasant-pigeon in New Guinea. So does this discovery represent the very first pheasant pigeon still known to exist, or does it just relate to the Ferguson Island birds?
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I think it is from reading it again, that you have possibly opened a can of worms!:p
My initial thought was first pheasant pigeon for 100 odd years...
 
Pertinax said:
I am unclear- the article says there are four species- or subspecies- of pheasant-pigeon in New Guinea. So does this discovery represent the very first pheasant pigeon still known to exist, or does it just relate to the Ferguson Island birds?
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The other three are all fairly plentiful and live on other islands. It's just the one species/subspecies that was uncertain. Several zoos in the USA have green-naped, not sure about grey-naped and white-naped.
 
Pootle said:
I think it is from reading it again, that you have possibly opened a can of worms!:p
My initial thought was first pheasant pigeon for 100 odd years...
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Its often not what it seems at first look. The way its worded is for maximum impact of course but its not quite such stupendous news perhaps as it first appears.
 
Pertinax said:
I am unclear- the article says there are four species- or subspecies- of pheasant-pigeon in New Guinea. So does this discovery represent the very first pheasant pigeon still known to exist, or does it just relate to the Ferguson Island birds?
Click to expand...


Pheasant pigeons are quite common, several major zoos have them at least in Europe and they're not even at minor risk in the wild. The article of course relates only to the insularis subspecies, as the same article says (referring only to "black-naped" ones).
 
Pertinax said:
Its often not what it seems at first look. The way its worded is for maximum impact of course but its not quite such stupendous news perhaps as it first appears.
Click to expand...
The Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon is endemic to Fergusson Island (a very large island off eastern PNG), and until these photos were obtained was known only from two specimens collected in 1882, so it is definitely a newsworthy rediscovery whether it is considered "just a subspecies" or a full species. However Fergusson Island is not exactly well-covered by ornithologists, and any tourists and birders who do go there are usually only visiting certain areas, so the rediscovery isn't quite in the same realm as rediscovering a species somewhere like New Zealand or Hawaii.

The four pheasant-pigeons are all very distinct in appearance from one another, which appears to be the sole basis for the four-way split (using the Tobias Criteria) because I can't see any genetic studies.
 
Chlidonias said:
The Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon is endemic to Fergusson Island (a very large island off eastern PNG), and until these photos were obtained was known only from two specimens collected in 1882, so it is definitely a newsworthy rediscovery whether it is considered "just a subspecies" or a full species. However Fergusson Island is not exactly well-covered by ornithologists, and any tourists and birders who do go there are usually only visiting certain areas, so the rediscovery isn't quite in the same realm as rediscovering a species somewhere like New Zealand or Hawaii.

The four pheasant-pigeons are all very distinct in appearance from one another, which appears to be the sole basis for the four-way split (using the Tobias Criteria) because I can't see any genetic studies.
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So, have we a possible sub-spp or have we found a full species that was classed as extinct?

Big difference, your opinion?

full, as in hello again...........
 
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Pootle said:
So, have we a possible sub-spp or have we found a full species that was classed as extinct?

Big difference, your opinion?

full, as in hello again...........
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It was never classified as extinct. It's been listed as Critically Endangered, because "based on reports from local people, it is believed to remain extant, but it may have a very small population."

Top bird people who have been researching these animals extensively disagree on whether they're one species or four.
 
Pootle said:
So, have we a possible sub-spp or have we found a full species that was classed as extinct?

Big difference, your opinion?

full, as in hello again...........
Click to expand...
I'm not entirely sure what you are asking.

Whether it is considered a subspecies (i.e. O. nobilis insularis) or a full species (O. insularis) is irrelevant to the rediscovery itself - the Fergusson Island taxon (insularis) was only known from two specimens from 1882 until it was photographed this year. I consider it to be an important rediscovery whichever way the taxon is classified. As far as I'm aware it was never classed as Extinct, at least officially, because the limits of knowledge for the area's avifauna are well-known.

The Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon has more commonly been treated as a full species than the other pheasant-pigeon taxa, but recently all the taxa have been elevated to full species by some authors (i.e. four species rather than four subspecies).

If you're asking for my opinion on the split then I don't really have a strong one - I'm fine with the split based on visual distinctiveness because all four taxa are clearly distinguishable by colour, but I'd prefer that to be backed up by genetics.
 
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Pootle said:
I think it is from reading it again, that you have possibly opened a can of worms!:p
My initial thought was first pheasant pigeon for 100 odd years...
Click to expand...
Both White-naped and Green-naped Pheasant Pigeon are in zoos and private collections, in small numbers but breeding, and probably sustainable.
 
Pootle said:
I think it is from reading it again, that you have possibly opened a can of worms!:p
My initial thought was first pheasant pigeon for 100 odd years...
Click to expand...

There are actually pheasant pigeons not so far from you - Chester has White-naped (in the Monsoon Forest free-flight if I recall).
 
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