'Extinct' Banggai Crow found alive and well
A rare bird which was feared to be extinct has been rediscovered on Indonesia's Peleng Island.The Banggai Crow was known to science only by descriptions from 1900 and two century-old specimens -- but now Indonesian biologists have spotted two new birds.
Experts have compared the birds to other members of the crow family by analysing specimens from Indonesia's national museum and New York's Museum of Natural History.
They concluded the birds are in fact the Banggai Crow (Corvus unicolor) and not as some had thought the more common Slender-billed Crow (Corvus enca).
After making the discovery we know of one biologist who just won't stop crowing about the find.
Pamela Rasmussen, anassistant professor of zoology and renowned species sleuth at Michigan State University said: "The morphometric analysis I did shows that all four unicolor specimens are very similar to each other, and distinctly different from enca specimens.
"We also showed that the two taxa differ in eye color -- an important feature in Corvus," Rasmussen said.
"Not only did this confirm the identity of the new specimens but also the specific distinctness of Corvus unicolor, which has long been in doubt."
LINKS
Michigan State University
"We also showed that the two taxa differ in eye color -- an important feature in Corvus," Rasmussen said.
"Not only did this confirm the identity of the new specimens but also the specific distinctness of Corvus unicolor, which has long been in doubt."
LINKS
Michigan State University
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