There have been countless expert teams gathered in search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and an infinite stream of videos, photos, and movies on the topic of its desperate search for signs of its existence. Anyhow, it's never been rediscovered; yet everyone still seems to think it exists somewhere in the deep reaches of mysterious North America. People see Pileated Woodpeckers and they're Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. People go hunting for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker with a 1-pixel camera and come back every time with infallible evidence of it. Not that it's a bad thing; several nature preserves were established for the sole reason that with all the publicity the Ivory-billed Woodpecker had garnered, it just didn't seem fit to not try and protect it.
In honor of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, here's a gallery of birds that were, in the words of the optimistic, unrediscovered but found again.
No one was searching for the Blue-bearded Helmetcrest that hadn't been seen for 69 years when they unexpectedly noticed it on an expedition to document the habitat in peril, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta during March 2015. Look, it's identifiable in this photo, too.
(photo & source: http://www.proaves.org/spectacular-lost-hummingbird-rediscovered-after-69-years-amid-rampant-fires-across-the-sierra-nevada-de-santa-marta-in-colombia/?lang=en)
The Myanmar subspecies/species (The news articles are just as hung up about IOC vs. Clements as our kind are) of Jerdon's Babbler was unseen for 70 years and rediscovered in a grassland this year. Here is the extremely rare, thought-to-be-extinct bird nonchalantly being held.
The Myanmar subspecies/species (The news articles are just as hung up about IOC vs. Clements as our kind are) of Jerdon's Babbler was unseen for 70 years and rediscovered in a grassland this year. Here is the extremely rare, thought-to-be-extinct bird nonchalantly being held.
Photo&Source: http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-subspecies-jerdons-babbler-chrysomma-altirostre-myanmar-02570.html
In 2007, the Banggai Crow, which was "known to science only by two specimens described in 1900" was rediscovered in Indonesia.
Holy crap.
It took two years for the rediscovery to be confirmed due to its morphological similarity with the Slender-billed Crow. Here it is, in utter rage and disbelief that anyone would ever confuse it with that ugly Slender-billed Crow.
Photo and source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013104340.htm
Bermuda Petrel-1951
Three centuries. Almost three centuries of being thought extinct. Perhaps that has to do with how it got its name, Bermuda Petrel. You know, with this rediscovery, everyone can now hope that all the planes that have gone into the famous triangle and never seen land again will come out one of these days, into the Western Paleartic ocean where the Bermuda Petrel now resides.
On the other hand, noone was really getting down and combing the ocean for this guy anyway, but don't tell the petrel that.
Source: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22698088 Photo: https://naturephotographersltd.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/bermuda-petrel-sightings/
In 2003, after 90 years, Fuerte's Parrots were rediscovered in Colombia. 14 are left. I would like to make a joke here, but as I continue writing this article I just feel somber...and more somber.
Source and photo: http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/030728.html
They didn't rediscover Forest Owlets for 113 years until 1997 in India. But when they did, they "forest"
it to pose so they could take bomb photos. HAHA get it
Source and photo: http://indiasendangered.com/forest-owlet/
Worcestor's Buttonquail: Eaten
In 2009, thought-to-be-extinct Worcestor's Buttonquail was rediscovered at a Luzon poultry market before being eaten. This is the type of thing where you hear about it and for a couple minutes you're like, "It's not April 1st, get with the times." Any ornithologist would quail at the thought of this happening.
Source and photo:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090218-extinct-bird-photo.html
Hope you enjoyed!
-chiccadee
