There are few things we bask hearing of more than arediscovered specie . Since the uncommon Santa Marta sabrewing ( Campylopterus phainopeplus ) , a beautiful blue and green hummingbird , was circumstantially rediscovered in 2022 after 64 years as a lost species , researchers have been studying this striking bird to study more about this extremely rarefied population .
" The moment when I first found the Santa Marta sabrewing was very emotional , I really could n’t believe it . The Adrenalin , the thrill of that moment of rediscovery , it ’s hard to fully distinguish just how exciting it was , " sound out Yurgen Vega , one of the authors of a new subject area revealing insights into its compass , home ground , and behavior , in astatement .
Since the rediscovery in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mickle of northern Colombia in 2022 , another research group find out more soul in different location within the same broad domain . The species was list on theSearch For Lost Birdsand since being rule , an outside team has been monitor these hiss for the last two years .
The research worker supervise the behavior of these fowl , learning that the species has year - troll territory rather than migrate across the elevation as was previously thought . They also found that the birds have an extremely restricted range , only seen using four out of five known country along the Guatapurí river washstand .
“ Our finding show that this amazing hummingbird may be an model of microendemism , as it seems to be restricted to a special area within the humanity ’s most authoritative continental center of endemism , ” enounce Esteban Botero - Delgadillo , lead source of the study and Director of Conservation Science with SELVA : enquiry for Conservation in the Neotropics .
The team also establish out more about the bionomics of the species , which suggest that the males form lek and aggressively chase trespasser out of their territories . reckon tight at past historical records , and those from museum and Indigenous community , they paint a clearer picture of the lives of these critically endangered hummingbird . The propinquity to the water seems an important point in the ecology of this species and the presence of riverbanks near the lek could suggest female nest website , note the authors .
The researchers also foreground what a collaborative effort the Modern cognition involve , and it was specially important to work with the local Indigenous communities who coexist with the hummingbird .
“ Unveiling the Santa Marta Sabrewing ’s story was not only potential through a joint effort between academe , local , and international organization , but also by quislingism with the local Indigenous community who coexist with the species , " said Professor Carlos Esteban Lara of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in a separatestatement . “We are grateful for their supporter as our partnership and inquiry continue to expand , to help implement preservation actions that benefit both the local citizenry and the fowl . ”
The paper is available on the preprint serverBioRxiVand has not yet undergone peer review .
