The Blue-fronted Lorikeet, one of Indonesia's most elusive birds, has been rediscovered on the island of Buru after not being officially documented for nearly a century. An Indonesian mountaineering expedition spotted the small green parrot in April on Buru's highest peak, marking the first confirmed sighting in over a hundred years.
The team photographed the bird and captured the first sound recordings of its high-pitched calls. John Mittermeier, director of the Search for Lost Birds at the American Bird Conservancy, said the odds felt slim. 'When you are looking for a bird that has only been documented once in the past century, it feels like a long shot.'
First described from specimens collected in the 1920s, the bird went unrecorded for decades until a 2014 photograph. The latest sighting confirms the species survives in highland forests that remained inaccessible until local climbers recently mapped a route.
Mittermeier said further work is needed to determine the bird's population size and potential threats. 'A finding like this is the first step to being able to protect it.'