A new species of hummingbird has been discovered in the mountains of Colombia, but environmentalists fear the discovery will be short-lived 鈥� the bird is already threatened with extinction.
The gorgeted puffleg, which sports bright iridescent blue feathers, was first spotted in 2005 by Alexander Cort茅s-Diago and Luis Alfonso Ortega in the cloud forest of the Serrania del Pinche, in south-west Colombia.
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鈥淲e were essentially following a hunch,鈥� says Cort茅s-Diago, of The Hummingbird Conservancy, Colombia.
He and colleagues decided to survey the area for new species after a new species of plant was found there in the late 1990s. The topography of the Serrania del Pinche give it a climate and ecology distinct from its surrounding regions.
Surprise find
During their 2005 survey, Cort茅s-Diago and Ortega captured and released 鈥渁n unusually coloured male hummingbird, apparently belonging to the genus Eriocnemis鈥�, and two females.
The team later realised the bird did not belong to any known species. New expeditions in 2006 confirmed that they had indeed discovered a new species of hummingbird, which they gave the Latin name Eriocnemis isabellae.
The isolated nature of the Serrania del Pinche 鈥渕akes it likely that further new species await discovery,鈥� says Luis Mazariegos-Hurtado of The Hummingbird Conservancy.
Disappearing habitat
However, the researchers are worried that the particular habitat of the new bird could mean its survival is in balance. During their surveys in the Serrania del Pinche, they noticed increasing slash-and-burn agriculture and coca fields.
鈥淭he gorgeted puffleg is a flagship species for the biodiversity of Serrania del Pinche,鈥� says Ian Davidson, head of BirdLife International鈥檚 Americas Division, based in Ecuador.
鈥淭o go undiscovered for so long, the bird鈥檚 range must be extremely small and fragile. Conservation action is undoubtedly a priority for the Serrania del Pinche.鈥�
Journal reference: Ornitologia Neotropical (vol 18, p 161)
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