New bird species named after late Indian-origin scientist

An elusive bird species discovered more than 15 years after it was first seen on an Indonesian island has been named after late Indian-origin ornithologist Navjot Sodhi.
The newly named Sulawesi streaked flycatcher (Muscicapa sodhii), distinguished by its mottled throat and short wings, was found in the forested lowlands of Sulawesi where it had last been observed.
Researchers said the bird is markedly different from other flycatchers in its plumage (feathers), body structure, song and genetics, proving that it is a new species.
Because the bird has survived in a region heavily degraded by cacao plantations, the species is not currently at risk of extinction.

"Considering that 98 per cent of the world's birds have been described, finding a new species is quite rare," said co-author J Berton C Harris, from the Princeton University.
"And despite being a globally important avian hotspot, Sulawesi has largely gone unstudied by ornithologists," said Harris.

The new species found by Harris and his collaborators has awaited formal scientific description since 1997, when the bird was originally spotted in a patchy remnant of forest.
At the time, the Sulawesi birds were thought to be migratory gray-streaked flycatchers (Muscicapa griseisticta).
Harris and some of his collaborators travelled to Central Sulawesi in the summers of 2011 and 2012 to continue the search for the mysterious animal.

After weeks of camping near the town of Baku Bakulu, the researchers finally found the bird - in the place it was originally seen - in summer 2012, observing several of them.
A full examination of the bird's measurements, genetics, plumage and sound showed that, compared with similar flycatchers, the bird has shorter wings, a more strongly hooked bill and a shorter tail.
Its plumage also is distinct, as the bird has a plainer face and streaked throat. The new species' DNA shows that it is only distantly related to the gray-streaked flycatcher, and it most closely resembles the Thailand population of the Asian brown flycatcher (M dauurica siamensis).

In its song, the new bird is rather similar to other Asian species, producing whistles, chirps and trills, but is slightly more high-pitched and lacks the lower-pitched notes that other species make.
Co-author Pam Rasmussen of Michigan State University, said "We were lucky to be able to make the first known recording of this bird singing."
The Latin name the team gave the bird pays homage to the late ecologist and ornithologist Navjot Sodhi, who was Harris' former mentor and a professor at the National University of Singapore.
Several animal species have been named after Sodhi, including a snail, a fish and a new genus and species of crab.

The finding was published in the journal PLOS ONE.