We now have footage of the black-browed babbler in the wild after it was lost for 172 years.
After a 172-year-long absence, the mysterious black-browed babbler was finally seen in the wild.
The black-browed babbler, Malacocincla Perspicillata (Asian bird) has been missing since before 2020. After the surprise first sighting, Panji Gusti Akbar, from Birdpacker (a birdwatching organization in Indonesia), and his team set off in September 2021 to investigate the mysterious birds habitat in the limestone hills at Kotabaru Regency in Indonesian Borneo.
A pair of babblers were found in dense shrubbery close to the edge of the cliffs. Akbar noticed that the birds moved quietly and discretely which could have been why they were so hidden from us for so many years. The team was able to capture the first images of the birds in their natural habitat once they were sufficiently close.
A prominent bill, brown and grey feathers, and distinctive black eyestripe are some of the characteristics that distinguish the babbler. The only evidence of the bird's existence was found in a single stuffed specimen, and several natural history accounts that date back to the middle of the 19th century.
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Panji Gusti Akbar, a black-browed babbler
Akbar stated in a statement that it was an amazing moment to finally witness this species in its natural habitat. Most of its natural history remains unknown so every behaviour we observed can be considered new.
Paul Insua Cao is the chair of the Oriental Bird Clubs conservation board. He stated in a statement, "The rediscovery highlights the biodiversity crisis occurring around the globe." Cao stated that the black-browed babbler could have been extinct if it weren't for its rediscovery. We can now begin to protect its habitat.
These sightings are thrilling, but little is known about the ecology of the bird, its population size, or geographic distribution. Akbar and his team are currently looking for additional black-browed babbler sightings in order to obtain this information. This will allow them to determine the bird's conservation status and enable the relevant authorities to protect it.
