{"id":1785,"date":"2026-09-27T16:31:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T16:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/27\/unicorn778-lost-bird-reappears-in-west-africas-forests-after-more-than-a-decade-peluang-terburuk-saat-bermain-slot-online\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T16:31:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T16:31:43","slug":"unicorn778-lost-bird-reappears-in-west-africas-forests-after-more-than-a-decade-peluang-terburuk-saat-bermain-slot-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/27\/unicorn778-lost-bird-reappears-in-west-africas-forests-after-more-than-a-decade-peluang-terburuk-saat-bermain-slot-online\/","title":{"rendered":"UNICORN778 \u2018Lost\u2019 bird reappears in West Africa\u2019s forests after more than a decade Peluang Terburuk Saat Bermain Slot Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"post-330560\">&#13;<\/p>\n<div class=\"bulletpoints-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>In June, a team of researchers working in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s Ta\u00ef National Park spotted a Ghana cuckooshrike, a bird that hadn\u2019t been seen in 13 years.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The bird\u2019s home range in West Africa\u2019s Upper Guinean rainforest has been whittled away by logging and agriculture, leaving a patchwork of disconnected forests.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The \u2018rediscovery\u2019 shows the value of conserving places like Ta\u00ef, where mining and illegal hunting also pose threats.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The finding relied on close collaboration with West African researchers, the experience and knowledge of the team, and the Ghana cuckooshrike\u2019s listing by the Search for Lost Birds partnership.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"content-expander\"><span>See All Key Ideas<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<p>When Paulo Ditzel first laid eyes on the bird, he knew he\u2019d seen something special: a vibrant orange body with yellow and black wings and tail feathers, topped by a dark head set off by almost-whimsical splashes of copper on its cheek.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy brain registered, it\u2019s the Ghana cuckooshrike,\u201d Ditzel, a field research fellow with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdpartners.org\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">the International Bird Conservation Partnership<\/a> (IBCP), tells Mongabay. A surge of excitement rippled through him, he says. Still, the sighting also immediately sparked \u201cthe most chaotic calm,\u201d as he stood next to his partner and teammate Stephanie Bartlett on a bridge not far from an ecological research station in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s Ta\u00ef National Park.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOK, what do I do?\u201d he says he remembers thinking. \u201cPriority right now is that Stephanie gets a picture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the next few moments, Ditzel locked onto the bird with his binoculars and called out its movements to Bartlett, also an IBCP field research fellow. In almost-choreographed coordination, Bartlett trained her camera lens on the branches across the stream and pressed the shutter button.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got a photo of the bird before I saw it,\u201d Bartlett says. In six months of bird surveys in West Africa supported by U.S.-based IBCP, she says, she\u2019d come to expect only fleeting glances of the region\u2019s birds. \u201cThey\u2019re scared of you. You don\u2019t get to get close to them, and so often you have to use the camera as a tool for identification.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I had seen that bird with anyone else, it wouldn\u2019t have worked out, and we would not have gotten a picture,\u201d Ditzel adds. \u201cWe have this perfect little way.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_330567\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130024\/Ghana-cuckooshrike-2-.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-330567\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130024\/Ghana-cuckooshrike-2-.jpg\" alt=\"The Ghana cuckooshrike\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130024\/Ghana-cuckooshrike-2-.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130024\/Ghana-cuckooshrike-2--768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130024\/Ghana-cuckooshrike-2--1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130024\/Ghana-cuckooshrike-2--350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130024\/Ghana-cuckooshrike-2--610x407.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Ghana cuckooshrike can be difficult to spot, as it often spends its time in the forest canopy. Image by Stephanie Bartlett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That afternoon, Bartlett and Ditzel had gone out for a stroll to look for birds in this recess of Ta\u00ef National Park, as they have in countless other places around the world for years. Nearing the end of their expedition across four West African countries, they entertained only a faint idea that they might catch a glimpse of <em>Lobotos lobatus<\/em> \u2014 the Ghana cuckooshrike, or sometimes the western wattled cuckooshrike.<\/p>\n<p>The bird had turned up in parts of West Africa\u2019s Upper Guinean rainforest as early as the 1970s. Ornithologists figure its range stretches from Sierra Leone and Guinea in the west to C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire and Ghana in the east, often in the canopy of primary forest but also <a href=\"https:\/\/searchforlostbirds.org\/birds\/ghana-cuckooshrike\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">in logged forests and plantations<\/a>. The last verified sighting was in <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/09\/illegal-mines-threaten-biodiversity-and-drinking-water-in-ghanas-atewa-forest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Ghana\u2019s Atewa Forest<\/a> in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>On that day in June, however, there it was, moving through the forest crown with chestnut-capped flycatchers (<em>Erythrocercus mccallii<\/em>) and a white-breasted nigrita (<em>Nigrita fusconotus<\/em>) \u2014 a \u201cmixed-species flock\u201d in ornithologists\u2019 parlance. As Bartlett took photos and video, Ditzel ran back to the station to get their colleagues. By the time they arrived, the cuckooshrike had disappeared. The team scanned the canopy for a few moments, but rain looked imminent, so they left Bartlett and Ditzel on the bridge and headed back to the station.<\/p>\n<p>Not long after, the bird reappeared and snatched a fuzzy white caterpillar. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. The team didn\u2019t see the bird again, even on a 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) hike through the forest the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Still, they had snapped \u201cprobably the best photos ever taken of this bird,\u201d says John Mittermeier, who is based at the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and director of <a href=\"https:\/\/searchforlostbirds.org\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">the Search for Lost Birds<\/a>, a global partnership of conservation organizations promoting bird species not recorded in a decade.<\/p>\n<p>Ditzel and Bartlett say luck played a role in their success. But Nico Arcilla, IBCP\u2019s president and research director who\u2019s based in Sweden, says they had \u201cthe technical skill\u201d to spot the bird and document it.<\/p>\n<p>Arcilla notes that rarely seen birds are often small and nondescript. But the Ghana cuckooshrike is \u201csuper flashy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just such a beautiful bird,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_330568\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130139\/Photo7_Tai-Bridge-by-Paulo-Ditzel.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-330568\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130139\/Photo7_Tai-Bridge-by-Paulo-Ditzel.jpg\" alt=\"The bridge where Stephanie Bartlett and Paulo Ditzel were standing when they saw the Ghana cuckooshrike.\" width=\"1168\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130139\/Photo7_Tai-Bridge-by-Paulo-Ditzel.jpg 1168w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130139\/Photo7_Tai-Bridge-by-Paulo-Ditzel-768x473.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130139\/Photo7_Tai-Bridge-by-Paulo-Ditzel-610x376.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1168px) 100vw, 1168px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bridge where Stephanie Bartlett and Paulo Ditzel were standing when they saw the Ghana cuckooshrike. Image by Paulo Ditzel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But why did such a striking bird drop off scientists\u2019 radar for so long? And perhaps more importantly, how might researchers ensure that the species survives?<\/p>\n<p>Its reappearance after 13 years suggests that ongoing efforts to protect places like Ta\u00ef National Park are critical, the researchers say. Ta\u00ef is a stronghold of wildlife habitat in the Upper Guinean rainforest. But logging and agriculture have whittled that expanse down into <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/06\/the-quest-to-reconnect-imperiled-rainforest-in-west-africa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">fragments of standing forests<\/a> scattered across the once-formidable range. Even places like Ta\u00ef face ongoing threats: Protectors there struggle to keep artisanal gold mining and illegal hunting out of the park.<\/p>\n<p>The sighting of the cuckooshrike, however, is proof to Yendoubouam Kourdjouak, IBCP West Africa project manager and a member of the expedition team, that protection efforts must be redoubled and populations monitored.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis rediscovery proves that the bird is not extinct,\u201d says Kourdjouak in a text message to Mongabay. \u201c[I]t\u2019s also a positive sign for local biodiversity and offers hope for conservation efforts within Ta\u00ef National Park.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_330576\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131927\/Upper-Guinea-Bay-Colobus-tai-.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-330576\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131927\/Upper-Guinea-Bay-Colobus-tai-.jpg\" alt=\"Upper Guinean bay (or western) red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus badius).\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131927\/Upper-Guinea-Bay-Colobus-tai-.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131927\/Upper-Guinea-Bay-Colobus-tai--768x502.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131927\/Upper-Guinea-Bay-Colobus-tai--1536x1004.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131927\/Upper-Guinea-Bay-Colobus-tai--1200x784.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131927\/Upper-Guinea-Bay-Colobus-tai--610x399.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ta\u00ef National Park is home to an array of biodiversity, including the Upper Guinean bay (or western) red colobus monkey (<em>Piliocolobus badius<\/em>). Image by Stephanie Bartlett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>\u2018Impactful\u2019 fieldwork<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>By the time Ditzel, Bartlett and the team arrived in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, they had noted <a href=\"https:\/\/searchforlostbirds.org\/birds\/ghana-cuckooshrike\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">the cuckooshrike\u2019s listing by the Search for Lost Birds<\/a>, and they knew Ta\u00ef would offer them a chance to see it.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Bartlett says, \u201cI\u2019m like, this is never gonna happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By the time they arrived at the ecological research station on the afternoon of June 19, they had driven along winding and jarring roads \u2014 when there were roads to take. The researchers say they would often hope to find a village so they could get directions to the next passable bridge that would get them a little closer to the park.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the least glamorous fieldwork you could be doing,\u201d Bartlett says, \u201cbut the most impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Working with IBCP has sparked a passion for birds in Kourdjouak, who is from Togo, so much so that he says he plans to pursue a master\u2019s degree related to ornithology to complement his undergraduate studies in zoology. At the research station, however, he stayed behind when Bartlett and Ditzel went birding. On that afternoon, the team\u2019s car needed servicing, and he had clothes to wash.<\/p>\n<p>In six months of traveling through four countries, Bartlett, who is from the U.S., and Ditzel, who is from Brazil, had come to realize the crucial roles that Kourdjouak and their West African teammates play in bringing birds like the Ghana cuckooshrike to the broader attention of the global birding community. They secured official documents and sorted out the logistical minutiae for road trips that took days to reach research sites. Along the way, they provided critical links to local communities and park guards and helped sort out basic needs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo say they were vital for this project is an understatement,\u201d Ditzel says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_330569\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130230\/Photo10_Team-in-Tai.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-330569\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130230\/Photo10_Team-in-Tai.jpg\" alt=\"Members of the research team in Ta\u00ef National Park. \" width=\"1431\" height=\"1073\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130230\/Photo10_Team-in-Tai.jpg 1431w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130230\/Photo10_Team-in-Tai-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130230\/Photo10_Team-in-Tai-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23130230\/Photo10_Team-in-Tai-610x457.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1431px) 100vw, 1431px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the research team in Ta\u00ef National Park. From left to right, Saint Guillaume Odoukpe, Paulo Ditzel, Ta\u00ef ranger \u00c9variste, Yendoubouam Kourdjouak,\u00a0 Stephanie Bartlett and Lin-Ernni Mik\u00e9graba Kaboumba. Image by Paulo Ditzel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kourdjouak and the rest of the team didn\u2019t catch a glimpse of the cuckooshrike on that June day. Even Bartlett and Ditzel only had a couple of good looks at the bird over the 10 or so minutes they spent with it. And for now, those observations \u2014 of the bird traveling with other species in the canopy or eating that caterpillar \u2014 add to <a href=\"https:\/\/searchforlostbirds.org\/birds\/ghana-cuckooshrike\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">the scant observations compiled by earlier researchers<\/a>. Older reports suggest it makes a soft \u201ctisk, tisk\u201d sound, but recordings of its vocalizations don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTa\u00ef is a treasure for biodiversity conservation in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire and indeed throughout West Africa,\u201d says Saint Guillaume Odoukpe, an ornithologist and assistant professor at C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s Universit\u00e9 F\u00e9lix Houphou\u00ebt-Boigny who organized and accompanied the IBCP expedition in the country. \u201cI think there is plenty more to discover in this forest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A key goal of the team\u2019s expedition was to scout areas where researchers could return, as well as to develop and strengthen connections with the researchers and communities that make the work possible. It\u2019s in places like West Africa, with vibrant birdlife but a paucity of recent documentation, that the Search for Lost Birds initiative can be particularly helpful, Mittermeier says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have this sense sometimes [that] there\u2019s nothing left to explore,\u201d he tells Mongabay. \u201cBut actually, there\u2019s so many things left to explore, and in a way, these lost birds are a call to exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_330572\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131559\/River_crossing_Tia_2.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-330572 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131559\/River_crossing_Tia_2.jpg\" alt=\"Paulo Ditzel, Lin-Ernni Mik\u00e9graba Kaboumba, and Yendoubouam Kourdjouak crossing a river inside Ta\u00ef National Park. Image by Stephanie Bartlett.\" width=\"849\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131559\/River_crossing_Tia_2.jpg 849w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131559\/River_crossing_Tia_2-768x926.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131559\/River_crossing_Tia_2-610x736.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 849px) 100vw, 849px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paulo Ditzel, Lin-Ernni Mik\u00e9graba Kaboumba and Yendoubouam Kourdjouak crossing a river inside Ta\u00ef National Park. Image by Stephanie Bartlett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>\u2018Lost\u2019 \u2014 and found<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When the Search for Lost Birds was started in 2021, bringing together ABC, BirdLife International and the U.S.-based conservation NGO Re:wild, the aim was to inspire action to find species that hadn\u2019t been documented by Western science in at least a decade. Understanding where \u2014 or in some cases, if \u2014 these species persist is a critical first step in protecting them, Mittermeier says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t really make an effective conservation plan for a species that nobody\u2019s seen in 10 years,\u201d he adds. \u201cYou\u2019re not sure how it\u2019s doing. You\u2019re not sure where it is. So the driving force from our side is saying, let\u2019s collaborate with the global birding community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With the advent of apps like eBird and Merlin Bird ID, anyone with a smartphone can now contribute to global ornithological knowledge. The statistics demonstrate the impact that crowdsourcing data can have: Of the more than 11,000 known species of bird, <a href=\"https:\/\/searchforlostbirds.org\/birds\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">as of September 2026<\/a>, only 114 of them have escaped documentation in the past decade, Mittermeier explains. And of those, around 70 have never been photographed at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have all this amazing power as birders and conservationists around the world submitting all these records,\u201d Mittermeier says. Given the tools at the fingertips of birders and ornithologists, he adds, it seems as if there shouldn\u2019t be any of \u201cthese question marks on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And yet, these lost birds exist, so every opportunity to remove one from the list is momentous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnytime one gets found, it\u2019s just such a cool and exciting result,\u201d he says, and the sighting in Ta\u00ef was particularly so. \u201cThe fact that they were aware of this species as a lost bird and thinking of it as something to look out for is wonderful because that\u2019s really what we want \u2014 to highlight these gaps to the community and have people be aware of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_330578\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23132107\/Photo13_Western-Crested-Guineafowl.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-330578\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23132107\/Photo13_Western-Crested-Guineafowl.jpg\" alt=\"A western crested guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi) in Ta\u00ef National Park.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23132107\/Photo13_Western-Crested-Guineafowl.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23132107\/Photo13_Western-Crested-Guineafowl-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23132107\/Photo13_Western-Crested-Guineafowl-1536x1171.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23132107\/Photo13_Western-Crested-Guineafowl-1200x915.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23132107\/Photo13_Western-Crested-Guineafowl-610x465.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A western crested guineafowl (<em>Guttera verreauxi<\/em>) in Ta\u00ef National Park. Image by Stephanie Bartlett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A variety of factors help explain why birds disappear from the photographic record for years, decades or longer in an age of ubiquitous camera phones and an ever more sophisticated birding community comprising professional ornithologists and sleuthing citizen scientists. Their populations might be quite low, or they might be extinct altogether. In his own fieldwork, Mittermeier has pursued the Makira moorhen (<em>Gallinula silvestris<\/em>) for months in the forests of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. It\u2019s a species known from only one specimen, and it hasn\u2019t been seen in almost 100 years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf there was one species that I wanted a miracle rediscovery for, I\u2019d probably pick that one,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Still, he acknowledges it might never be found.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reality is that some of them are going to be extinct,\u201d Mittermeier adds. \u201cAs tragic as that is, that\u2019s also a really important story to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other cases, Mittermeier notes, lost birds might be \u201ctaxonomic mysteries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a few examples of birds that are known from a single specimen, described sometimes over a century ago,\u201d he says. \u201cIs this a species, or is it a hybrid, or is it some form of something else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Behavior can also help birds evade binoculars and camera lenses pointed in their direction. In the cuckooshrike\u2019s case, its preference for the canopy means it\u2019s hard to find. \u201cDespite the fact that it\u2019s got these incredible bright colors, it\u2019s a really tricky bird to pin down,\u201d Mittermeier says.<\/p>\n<p>And geography can also play a role, as in the case of West Africa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s so little actual fieldwork happening [there] with birds,\u201d Ditzel says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of birds that are completely underrepresented in the science.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_330574\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131759\/Photo11_Gold-mining-tai_SB.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-330574\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131759\/Photo11_Gold-mining-tai_SB.jpg\" alt=\"An illegal gold mine inside Ta\u00ef National Park.\" width=\"1257\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131759\/Photo11_Gold-mining-tai_SB.jpg 1257w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131759\/Photo11_Gold-mining-tai_SB-768x626.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131759\/Photo11_Gold-mining-tai_SB-1200x978.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/09\/23131759\/Photo11_Gold-mining-tai_SB-610x497.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1257px) 100vw, 1257px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illegal gold mine inside Ta\u00ef National Park. Image by Stephanie Bartlett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of course, it\u2019s often a combination of these factors, some of which are outside the control of the ornithology community. Groups like ICBP can help address gaps in understanding, which can start with spotting a bird like the Ghana cuckooshrike. Such exciting findings help make the case for its continued protection \u2014 and clarify how little is known about birds in the region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt encapsulates just how beautiful and amazing all this life in West Africa is,\u201d IBCP\u2019s Arcilla says. Still, it also underscores the stress the region\u2019s forests face, increasing the urgency to document more species and their behavior. Ditzel and Bartlett say they plan to return to West Africa and to Ta\u00ef for more fieldwork in the next year. And for Arcilla, the cuckooshrike sighting offers a glimmer of hope mixed with a dose of pragmatism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s there for the finding. It\u2019s there for the discovery, and it can still be saved,\u201d she says. \u201cBut all of these forests, these habitats, this wildlife, all of these birds are very, very threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Banner<\/em><\/strong><strong><em> image:<\/em><\/strong><em> A Ghana cuckooshrike in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. Image by Stephanie Bartlett.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>John Cannon<\/em><\/strong><em> is a staff features writer with Mongabay. Find him\u00a0on <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/john-cannon.bsky.social\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><em>Bluesky<\/em><\/a><em> and <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/johnccannon\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><em>LinkedIn<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"C5nqEcikoz\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/06\/in-search-of-the-rare-and-beautiful-in-an-ivorian-rainforest\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">In search of the \u2018rare and beautiful\u2019 in an Ivorian rainforest<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cIn search of the \u2018rare and beautiful\u2019 in an Ivorian rainforest\u201d \u2014 Conservation news\" src=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/06\/in-search-of-the-rare-and-beautiful-in-an-ivorian-rainforest\/embed\/#?secret=PVSWKIANZw#?secret=C5nqEcikoz\" data-secret=\"C5nqEcikoz\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"gpAL09WDZG\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/06\/the-quest-to-reconnect-imperiled-rainforest-in-west-africa\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">The quest to reconnect imperiled rainforest in West Africa<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cThe quest to reconnect imperiled rainforest in West Africa\u201d \u2014 Conservation news\" src=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/06\/the-quest-to-reconnect-imperiled-rainforest-in-west-africa\/embed\/#?secret=3Wv3YVQUMJ#?secret=gpAL09WDZG\" data-secret=\"gpAL09WDZG\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>FEEDBACK: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/form.jotform.com\/70064259869164\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Use this form<\/a> to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.<\/p>\n<div id=\"single-article-footer\">\n<div id=\"cite-article\" class=\"align-left banner bg-brand-color crossref-doi outlined ph--16 pv--16\">\n<h2>Cite this article<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"crossref-doi\">John Cannon (2026). \u2018Lost\u2019 bird reappears in West Africa\u2019s forests after more than a decade. Mongabay Conservation news. DOI: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.66709\/news-330560\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.66709\/news-330560<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"container in-column about-editor-translator gap--40 pv--80\">\n<div class=\"container grid--3 repeat gap--40\">\n<div class=\"in-row gap--16\">\n<div class=\"author-avatar\">\n                    <img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3211d4774d10f7666706bf3cb7d62273164be601bb3f25c6c357b112f0e5ddb3?s=32&amp;d=identicon&amp;r=g\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3211d4774d10f7666706bf3cb7d62273164be601bb3f25c6c357b112f0e5ddb3?s=64&amp;d=identicon&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-32 photo\" height=\"32\" width=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/>        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                            <span class=\"article-comments\"><a href=\"\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"\/><\/span>&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n                            &#13;<br \/>\n        &#13;\n                        <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#13; In June, a team of researchers working in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s Ta\u00ef National Park spotted&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[466,12,181,4030,533,1332,14,9,2863,11,13,10,2,867],"class_list":["post-1785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-unicorn778","tag-africas","tag-bermain","tag-bird","tag-decade","tag-forests","tag-lost","tag-online","tag-peluang","tag-reappears","tag-saat","tag-slot","tag-terburuk","tag-unicorn778","tag-west"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webmediamall.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}