Scientists Rediscover 'Extinct' Bird of Myanmar in Disappearing Grasslands

An "extinct" bird that hadn't been seen since 1941 has been rediscovered. Scientists have found the Jerdon's babbler, Chrysomma altirostre, alive and well in the grasslands near the town of Myitkyo in Myanmar.

The researchers actually found the bird in May 2014 while they were surveying a site around an abandoned agricultural station that still contained some grassland habitat. They heard the bird's distinct call and recorded it. After playing back the recording, they were rewarded with the sighting of an adult Jerdon's babbler. Over the next 48 hours, the scientists found several more of the birds at different locations in the immediate vicinity.

The small bird is about the size of a house sparrow and is mostly brown in color. Although it was common at the beginning of the 20^th century, agriculture and communities replaced most of its grassland habitat, which made many believe that the subspecies of the Jerdon's babbler became extinct.

The researchers took DNA samples from the bird to better understand its diversity. Already, the sound recordings that the researchers collected indicate that there may be pronounced bioacoustics differences between the Myanmar subspecies and those further west. The collected DNA may confirm this distinctness.

The findings reveal that this bird is alive and well. Currently, scientists are studying DNA samples to see whether or not the Jerdon's babbler should be considered a full species or simply a subspecies. If it is a full species, though, then it would be exclusive to Myanmar and be of very high conservation concern. This is due to its fragmented and threatened habitat.

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