Ornithologists rediscovered six species of rare birds in 2025
An active campaign is underway worldwide to locate birds that haven't been seen in the wild for ten years or more.
Mongabay reports on this.
Six new species have been added to the updated “List of Lost Species” for 2026, while thanks to the efforts of scientists and enthusiasts, several unique birds have officially been reclassified as “found.”
Unlike the IUCN Red List, this list focuses specifically on the lack of documented evidence of a species’ existence over an extended period.
The “Search for Lost Birds” project, a collaboration between the American Bird Conservancy, Re:wild, and BirdLife International, helps identify issues before wildlife becomes irreversibly extinct.
“The most interesting thing for me about this whole initiative and experience is watching the discoveries people are making around the world,” said project director John Mittermeier.
Over the initiative’s four-year history, the number of “lost” species has dropped from 163 to 120.
The real sensation of 2026 was the discovery of the rusty bush lark in Chad. French ornithologists were able to photograph this Sahelian bird for the first time in 94 years.
In India, researchers also managed to record the song of the white-browed runner, which had not been recorded for an incredible 125 years, although scientists still need photographs for official confirmation.
Throughout 2025, researchers documented five species previously thought to be lost. Among them are the Atoll Kingfisher from Papua New Guinea, which had not been seen for 13 years, and the Biaya Sunbird, recorded for the first time in two decades.
In the Philippines, ornithologists also photographed the striped shikachika and the blue-throated niltava.
However, the list is growing with new “runaways,” mostly island species. The Mindoro blood-breasted pigeon and the Mindoro imperial pigeon from the Philippines were added to the list of extinct species in 2026.
Also classified as “lost” were the Solomon Islands honeyeater, the Celebes alicorn, the Savaii spectacled warbler, and the Vanikoro spectacled warbler.
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