CLIMATE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Rare Bird Sighting in Congo Rainforest Expands Species' Known Range
WHY IT MATTERS
The finding strengthens the case for protecting the Congo rainforest across borders, as it highlights the need for conservation efforts to cover a broader geographic area to safeguard the habitat of rare and endangered species.
What happened
A camera trap in the Luki Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo captured footage of a grey-necked picathartes, a bird species previously known to inhabit the understory of rainforests in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo. The discovery, reported in the journal Ostrich, extends the species' known range by nearly 400 kilometers.
The grey-necked picathartes is a large, slender bird with vivid blue and red patches on its bald head, known to build cup-shaped nests from mud in caves and rocky overhangs.
The species is considered near threatened with extinction due to its small population size.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Rare bird finding strengthens case to protect Congo rainforest across borders
Mongabay · Terna Gyuse · Discovery and factual synthesis only; publisher copyright terms apply