科学美国人60秒:Sweet Song Gives Away New Bird Species

That, of course, is the sound of the Himalayan forest thrush. And that sound was a clue to field researchers that they might have a new species of bird on their hands. Even though it was in the bush. You know what I mean.

You see, the Himalayan forest thrush looks a great deal like another well-known bird called the alpine thrush. They’re both found in northeastern India and nearby parts of China. But the alpine thrush has a raspy song compared with the more mellifluous Himalayan forest thrush.

One of the researchers, Shashank Dalvi of India’s National Centre for Biological Sciences and the Wildlife Conservation Society, likened the two different birds to Rod Stewart versus Adele.

Further analyses, including of the birds’ DNA, confirmed that the song differences were indicative of these birds indeed belonging to two separate species. The finding is in the journal Avian Research. [Per Alström et al, Integrative taxonomy of the Plain-backed Thrush (Zoothera mollissima) complex (Aves, Turdidae) reveals cryptic species, including a new species]

The discovery of a new bird species is relatively rare. Since the year 2000, ornithologists have found five new species annually on average, mostly in South America. So this newly characterized thrush—only the fourth new species found in India since it became independent in 1947—should send birdwatchers from all over the world flocking. I mean, it’s a sound discovery.

—Steve Mirsky