11 March 2011

It is not everyday that a new species is discovered let alone two new bird species in only a few weeks. A new species of Storm-petrel has been found and captured from the area of Puerto Montt, Chile. A summary of the expedition, including stunning photographs, is available here. The species has yet to be formally described in scientific literature, but it will be named Puerto Montt Storm-petrel Oceanites australis.

Another new species, this time from Madagascar: the Tsingy Wood-rail Mentocrex beankaensis is related to the Kioloides Rail Mentocrex kioloides, an endemic from Madagascar. The scientific name comes from the Beanka Forest, a largely intact area resting on exposed limestone formation with razor-sharp pinnacle-like structures, which are known in Malagasy, the language of Madagascar, as tsingy. For more information on this incredible discovery, select this link.