A pint-sized bird believed to be extinct and not seen in a lifetime has been rediscovered in Myanmar, wildlife officials announced Thursday, according to National Geographic.
The Jerdon's babbler, a brown bird the size of a sparrow, was last seen in 1941, leading scientists to consider the subspecies extinct due to its habitat being diminished by human developments over time.
But the bird made a surprise appearance last May while a team from the Wildlife Conservation Society was studying other birds in its grassland habitat, according to a statement from the society. After hearing the "extinct" bird's call, the team recorded the sound and played it back.
An adult male Jerdon babbler responded, leading researchers to later find several more babblers.
"This discovery not only proves that the subspecies still exists in Myanmar but that the habitat can still be found as well," said Colin Poole, director of the conservation society's Regional Conservation Hub in Singapore.
The Myanmar Jerdon babbler, one of three Jerdon babbler subspecies, was first discovered in the early 1860s and was last seen in grasslands in the Bago Region near the Sittuang River.
The bird may have returned from the dead, but experts now have to find a way to prevent another disappearance act by preserving its vanishing habitat. Blood samples were taken from the birds to determine if the Myanmar babblers can be designated a full species, wildlife officials said.
If so, that would make the babblers unique to Myanmar, making them a priority for conservation.
"Future work is needed to identify remaining pockets of natural grassland and develop systems for local communities to conserve and benefit from them," Poole said.
