Bizarre bald bird discovered in Laos.Byline: ANI Washington, July 30 (ANI): Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Melbourne
In 2006, Times Higher Education Supplement ranked the University of Melbourne 22nd in the world. Because of the drop in ranking, University of Melbourne is currently behind four Asian universities - Beijing University, have discovered an odd songbird songbird Any oscine passerine (suborder Passere), all of which have a complex vocal organ, the syrinx. Some species (e.g., thrushes) produce melodious songs; others (e.g., crows) have a harsh voice; and some do little or no singing. See also birdsong. with a bald head living in a rugged region in Laos. Dubbed the "Bare-faced Bulbul bulbul, in zoology, bird bulbul (b  l`b " because of the lack of
feathers on its face and part of its head, it is the only example of a
bald songbird in mainland Asia, according to scientists.
It is the first new species of bulbul - a family of about 130 species - described in Asia in over 100 years. A description of the new species is published in the July issue of the Oriental Bird Club's journal Forktail Fork´tail` n. 1. (Zool.) One of several Asiatic and East Indian passerine birds, belonging to Enucurus, and allied genera. The tail is deeply forked. . "It's always exciting to discover a new species, but this one is especially unique because it is the only bald songbird in Asia," said Colin Poole, director of Asia programs for the Wildlife Conservation Society. "The discovery also underscores how much there is still to learn from wild places around the world," he added. "I am proud to report that news of this remarkable ornithological or·ni·thol·o·gy n. The branch of zoology that deals with the study of birds. or  ni·tho·log discovery, like that of the Calayan Rail in 2004, was
made public through the pages of the Oriental Bird Club's
scientific journal Forktail," commented Brian Sykes, Chairman of
OBC OBC Other Backward ClassesOBC Ontario Building Code OBC On Board Computer OBC Organization for Bat Conservation OBC Outline Business Case (UK government procurement) OBC Oriental Bank of Commerce (India) . The thrush-sized bird is greenish-olive with a light-colored breast, a distinctive featherless, pink face with bluish skin around the eye extending to the bill and a narrow line of hair-like feathers down the centre of the crown. The bird seems to be primarily tree-dwelling and was found in an area of sparse forest on rugged limestone karsts - a little-visited habitat known for unusual wildlife discoveries. "Its apparent restriction to rather inhospitable habitat helps to explain why such an extraordinary bird with conspicuous habits and a distinctive call has remained unnoticed for so long," said Iain Woxvold of the University of Melbourne. Fortunately, much of the bird's presumed habitat falls within legally protected areas in Laos. However, quarrying of limestone looms as a potential threat to wildlife in this area, along with habitat conversion for agriculture. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion