Dedicated Scientists and Birdwatchers Tracked Down These Five ‘Lost’ Birds

More than 120 species of birds are considered to be lost—not recorded or captured in the wild for more than ten years. Now, the Search for Lost Birds, a global partnership of conservancy organizations, is offering everyday people a database and encouraging them to gather and share information about the lost birds they might see in the wild. Even in an era of record-breaking species loss, the wild corners of the Earth may still harbor creatures long feared extinct. Collating data from experts and citizen scientists, the project has found 15 missing species since its founding in 2021, including these.

Long-billed bush warbler
Lost: 1977 | Found: 2022

This songbird was once so abundant in the river valleys of Kashmir that some said it could be heard all day long—until shifting agricultural practices threatened its habitats. After 45 years of mystery, in 2022, birdwatcher and conservationist James Eaton tracked down a warbler not far away, in a potato field. 

Black-naped pheasant-pigeon 
Lost: 1896 | Found: 2022

For 126 years, this secretive pheasant-like bird was considered all but lost on its homeland of Fergusson Island, a rugged and mountainous landmass off Papua New Guinea. Recently, an international team of scientists, guided by Indigenous hunters, finally snapped a photo of the critically endangered pigeon.

Santa Marta sabrewing 
Lost: 2010 | Found: 2022

This missing hummingbird—strikingly emerald and iridescent—long bedeviled researchers, until a sharp-eyed birder spotted a lone male in the mountains of Colombia, perched on a branch and singing in what scientists would come to understand was a territorial display. 

Dusky tetraka
Lost: 1999 | Found: 2022/2023

In late 2022, researchers returned to the same coordinates in the lowland rainforest of Madagascar where the dusky tetraka had last been seen in 1999. They found the forest razed to make space for a vanilla farm. Descending in the rainforest, they eventually spotted the songbird at a lower elevation, hunting in the dense undergrowth along a river.

Urich’s tyrannulet
Lost: 2005 | Found: 2021

This flycatcher, spotted only three times since its discovery in Venezuela in 1899, seemed to disappear entirely after 2005, but in 2021, a team led by ornithologist David Ascanio captured unprecedented photos—and the first recording of its call. 

Kate Wheeling | READ MORE

Kate Wheeling is a former staff writer at Pacific Standard.