Spotting small, olive-colored birds in the dense rainforest is an art in itself – especially when it comes to rare species in remote regions. Therefore, it is perhaps no wonder that the Sianakamadagascar Warbler (Crossleyia tenebrosa) has not been seen for many years: Since 1999, no birdwatcher had visited the forests in northeastern Madagascar, where the species was last seen. Only Rene de Roland from the Peregrine Fund and his team managed to track the birds again in December 2022 and January 2023.
The expedition took place as part of a global program, some of which had not been observed for more than a century. After the Santa Marta scabbard wing (Campylopterus phainopeplus) from Colombia, a second species can be removed from the list with the Sianakamadagascar Warbler.
The search began unhappily: After several days of travel and a long, steep march into the mountains, the participants had to realize that there was not much forest left at the site of the last sighting. Nevertheless, they searched for the bird, but they were also unsuccessful at lower altitudes of the mountains. At the same time, however, a second team from the Peregrine Fund came across the singer in the lowland rainforest of the Masoala Peninsula, who is unique to Madagascar.
De Roland’s team then quickly relocated the expedition to this region, where they were finally able to catch a glimpse of the bird on New Year’s Day 2023. One day later, even pictures of the species were taken, which obviously has different habitat requirements than previously assumed: The two observed birds spent most of their time in dense vegetation near the river, presumably in search of insects and other prey animals in the damp undergrowth.
«If Sianakamadagascar Warblers always prefer areas near rivers, this may explain why the species has been overlooked for so long,» says John Mittermeier, director of the Lost Birds Program.»Birdwatching in tropical forests is all about listening to birdsong, so of course you tend not to be near raging rivers where you can’t hear anything.» Further studies on the breeding season should clarify whether there are other areas in which the species has survived. After all, large parts of Madagascar’s rainforests have already been destroyed.
Source — https://www.spektrum.de/news/verlorene-arten-wiederentdeckt-nach-24-jahren/2118273