Rare Endangered Black-Naped Pheasant-Pigeon Caught On Camera After 140 Years

Many species that existed years ago are now endangered as they don't exist on the planet anymore.

One such rare species was a black-naped pheasant-pigeon that was considered endangered, but now a video of the feathered species has surfaced on the internet after 140 years. Watch the video here.

Black-naped pheasant-pigeon caught on camera after 140 years

The black-naped pheasant-pigeon, a critically endangered bird, was last seen in 1882. However, recently, a scientist in Papua New Guinea captured the first-ever video of the rare and endangered bird that was considered lost to science for 140 years.

According to a press release, an expedition team that was working as part of the Search for Lost Birds was looking for the rare bird on Fergusson Island for a month. After a lot of efforts, the team finally decided to set up a remote camera trap and got lucky as they got footage of the endangered bird.

According to the American Bird Conservancy, the rare black-naped pheasant-pigeon is "a large, ground-dwelling pigeon with a broad and laterally compressed tail." The bird only resides on the island off the east coast of Papua New Guinea.

The bird is found in rainforests of New Guinea

The bird usually lives around hilly areas and lower mountain areas and can also be found in lowlands. This species is found in the primary rainforests of New Guinea and nearby islands.

The rare bird also has four subspecies, namely the White-naped pheasant pigeon, the Green-naped pheasant pigeon, the Grey-naped pheasant pigeon, and the Black-naped pheasant pigeon.

A big part of our job is making sure that pigeons/doves have accurate IUCN statuses. The white-naped pheasant-pigeon is ¡®Vulnerable¡¯. Ensuring this info is up to date helps conservation projects which aim to restore wild populations. ??? #ornithology #conservation pic.twitter.com/FhJyUcRpz2

¡ª IUCN Pigeon and Dove SG (@IUCN_Pigeons) December 29, 2021

The team worked with locals to find the bird

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The team that found the bird and captured the footage had to work with the locals in the region. They made many local connections and collaborated with teams that knew the area better. Particularly, the team worked with local Papua New Guineans who work for the Papua New Guinea National Museum, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Bird Conservancy.

"When we collected the camera traps, I figured there was less than a one percent chance of getting a photo of the black-naped pheasant-pigeon," said Jordan Boersma, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell and co-leader of the expedition team.

The breakthrough discovery happened with the help of a local hunter, identified as Augustin Gregory, who claimed that he had seen the pigeon and heard its call.

Following his advice, the expedition team decided to give it a shot, and they set cameras up on a ridge at 3,200 feet near the Kwama River above Duda Ununa. One of the men who set up the cameras, Doka Nason, said, "When I saw the photos, I was incredibly excited."

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