Taliabu grasshopper warbler

The Taliabu grasshopper warbler (Locustella portenta) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It is endemic to the island regency of Taliabu in Indonesia.[1]

Taliabu grasshopper warbler
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Locustellidae
Genus: Locustella
Species:
L. portenta
Binomial name
Locustella portenta
Rheindt et al., 2020

It has a very small, restricted distribution in a few square kilometers of a mountainous region of the island. It can be distinguished from other members of the genus Locustella by its unique vocalizations, as well as the fine dusty speckling on its body which increases towards the breast and lower throat. It was described in 2020 alongside 9 other new species and subspecies of birds endemic to islands in Wallacea. All of them were discovered in surveys during 2009 and 2013, the largest such discovery in over a century. Unlike many other bird species described in the study, its existence was not known to the locals on its native island as its calls sounded more like an insect than a bird. Due to its very restricted distribution, it is potentially at major risk from wildfires and logging.[2][3][4]

References
  1. Rheindt, Frank E.; Prawiradilaga, Dewi M.; Ashari, Hidayat; Suparno; Gwee, Chyi Yin; Lee, Geraldine W. X.; Wu, Meng Yue; Ng, Nathaniel S. R. (2020-01-10). "A lost world in Wallacea: Description of a montane archipelagic avifauna". Science. 367 (6474): 167–170. doi:10.1126/science.aax2146 (inactive 2021-01-10). ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 31919216.CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2021 (link)
  2. Greenfield, Patrick (2020-01-09). "Flycatchers and fantails: new songbirds discovered on tiny islands". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  3. Liverpool, Layal. "Scientists have discovered five new species of songbird in Indonesia". New Scientist. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  4. "10 new birds discovered in 'lost world'". Animals. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-03-16.


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