Rare black-browed thrush in Indonesia mysteriously appears after disappearing for more than 170 years

The Black-browed thrush, a mysterious bird endemic to Indonesia, has been spotted again after more than 170 years, much to the surprise of researchers who had previously believed the bird to be extinct. The picture shows a specimen of the black-browed thrush. (Naturalis Biodiversity Center/Wikipedia)

The black-browed babbler, a mysterious bird endemic to Indonesia, was long thought to be extinct and was last seen in the rainforests of Indonesian Borneo more than 170 years ago. Now the bird has been rediscovered, to the surprise of researchers.

According to a report published by Global Wildlife Conservation, in the 1840s a group of explorers found a mysterious bird in the East Indies that was recorded by Napoleon’s nephew, ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte, and named the black-browed thrush (scientific name: Malacocincla perspicina). Malacocincla perspicillata), but all subsequent attempts to locate the black-browed thrush have failed, and only one specimen was found in 1848.

There is only one specimen of the “Black-browed thrush” found in 1848. (Naturalis Biodiversity Center/Wikipedia)

Last October, two men in South Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia, found an unseen bird about the size of a hand with brown and gray feathers. They managed to capture it and take a photo of it before releasing it into the forest, and the two men later informed a bird-watching group.

Local bird experts confirmed that it was a black-browed thrush based on the bird’s shape, strong bill, brown feathers and distinctive black streak across the eye in the photo.

The discovery was published Feb. 24 in the bird journal BirdingASIA, where lead author Panji Gusti Akbar wrote, “This bird is often considered ‘the greatest mystery in Indonesian ornithology. It is incredible to find that it is not only not extinct, but still living well in these lowland rainforests.” (Click to see photos)

Unlike the specimen, the live bird’s irises are a striking maroon color, experts said. But scientists are not surprised by the difference because these parts usually lose its original color and are artificially colored during the taxidermy process.

Scientists currently know very little about this painted bird because the black-browed thrush has been “missing” for longer than any other Asian bird. Researchers now plan to return to the site where the bird was recently found to conduct further investigations.

According to conservationists, more than 150 species of birds worldwide have not been found in the past 10 years and are therefore considered “extinct”.

Barney Long, senior director of species conservation for the World Wildlife Federation, said, “This is a shocking discovery and gives us great hope that we may find other species that scientists have not been able to find for decades or more.”