Bugun Liocichla
Encyclopedia
The Bugun Liocichla, Liocichla bugunorum, is a passerine
bird species
from the Old World babbler
family
closely related to the Grey-faced Liocichla
. First spotted in 1995, it was described as a new species in 2006 by Ramana Athreya
. The description was made without the collection of a type specimen as they were too few to risk killing one. It is thought to be an endangered species, with the only known population estimated to consist of 14 individuals and commercial development threatening the habitat of this population.
and a black cap. The face is marked with prominent orange-yellow lores, and the wings have yellow, red and white patches. The tail is black with crimson coloured undertail coverts and red tips. The feet are pink and the bill is black at the face fading to pale white. A second duller individual was mist net
ted, which was probably the female. The voice is described as fluty and distinctive.
. It lives in a territory similar to that of the Emei Shan Liocichla
. Small flocks were observed during January, whereas pairs were observed in May, with an estimated total of 14 individuals. It is thought that pairs may hold and defend territories. The Bugun Liocichla is only currently known from just one location. Populations may be discovered in other areas of Arunachal Pradesh or neighbouring Bhutan
.
Attempts have been made to identify new locations where the species could occur based on identification of suitable habitats using computational models.
in Arunachal Pradesh
, India
, by an astrophysicist, Ramana Athreya
. The species was first spotted in the sanctuary in 1995 but was not seen again for ten years. Athreya spotted them again in January 2005 but did not publicize it until he was able to confirm it to be a new species. It was initially identified as appearing most similar to a Grey-faced Liocichla
, Liocichla omeiensis, a species of Liocichla endemic
to China
. It was however distinctly different and the full description was finally made by capturing and examining two individuals using mistnets, in May 2006. Due to the apparent rarity of the species no type specimen was collected, instead feather
s from the mist net, photographs, recordings and notes were used as the holotype. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
does not allow for new species to be described without the collection of type specimens, but this provision was circumvented in this case by the collection of feathers (the Code allows for "any part of an animal" to be treated as a type specimen; Art. 72.5.1). The 1991 description of the Bulo Burti Boubou
(Laniarius liberatus), an African bushshrike species later considered invalid, lacked a specimen and only blood samples were collected and has been more controversial.
The first report of the species was first made in a posting to the Nathistory-India, an electronic mailing list
in 1996. It was only in 2006, however that the species was formally described.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
from the Old World babbler
Old World babbler
The Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
closely related to the Grey-faced Liocichla
Grey-faced Liocichla
The Grey-faced Liocichla, Liocichla omeiensis, is a passerine bird in the Old World babbler family. The species, also known as the Omei Shan or Emei Shan Liocichla, is endemic to mountain ranges in Southern Sichuan, China...
. First spotted in 1995, it was described as a new species in 2006 by Ramana Athreya
Ramana Athreya
Ramana Athreya is a birdwatcher and an astronomer at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research. In 2006, he described a new species of bird, the Bugun Liocichla from the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in western Arunachal Pradesh, North-east India...
. The description was made without the collection of a type specimen as they were too few to risk killing one. It is thought to be an endangered species, with the only known population estimated to consist of 14 individuals and commercial development threatening the habitat of this population.
Description
The Bugun Liocichla is a small babbler (22 cm) with olive-grey plumagePlumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
and a black cap. The face is marked with prominent orange-yellow lores, and the wings have yellow, red and white patches. The tail is black with crimson coloured undertail coverts and red tips. The feet are pink and the bill is black at the face fading to pale white. A second duller individual was mist net
Mist net
Mist nets are used by ornithologists and bat biologists to capture wild birds and bats for banding or other research projects. Mist nets are typically made of nylon mesh suspended between two poles, resembling an oversized volleyball net. When properly deployed, the nets are virtually invisible...
ted, which was probably the female. The voice is described as fluty and distinctive.
Distribution and habitat
All sightings of the species are at an altitude of 2000 metres on disturbed hillsides covered with shrubs and small trees, with the exception of one sighting on the edge of primary forestForest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. It lives in a territory similar to that of the Emei Shan Liocichla
Grey-faced Liocichla
The Grey-faced Liocichla, Liocichla omeiensis, is a passerine bird in the Old World babbler family. The species, also known as the Omei Shan or Emei Shan Liocichla, is endemic to mountain ranges in Southern Sichuan, China...
. Small flocks were observed during January, whereas pairs were observed in May, with an estimated total of 14 individuals. It is thought that pairs may hold and defend territories. The Bugun Liocichla is only currently known from just one location. Populations may be discovered in other areas of Arunachal Pradesh or neighbouring Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
.
Attempts have been made to identify new locations where the species could occur based on identification of suitable habitats using computational models.
Species discovery
The species was described in 2006 after being discovered in Eaglenest Wildlife SanctuaryEaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary
Eaglenest or Eagle's Nest Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. It conjoins Sessa Orchid Sanctuary to the northeast and Pakhui Tiger Reserve across the Kameng river to the east. Altitude ranges extremely from to...
in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, by an astrophysicist, Ramana Athreya
Ramana Athreya
Ramana Athreya is a birdwatcher and an astronomer at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research. In 2006, he described a new species of bird, the Bugun Liocichla from the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in western Arunachal Pradesh, North-east India...
. The species was first spotted in the sanctuary in 1995 but was not seen again for ten years. Athreya spotted them again in January 2005 but did not publicize it until he was able to confirm it to be a new species. It was initially identified as appearing most similar to a Grey-faced Liocichla
Grey-faced Liocichla
The Grey-faced Liocichla, Liocichla omeiensis, is a passerine bird in the Old World babbler family. The species, also known as the Omei Shan or Emei Shan Liocichla, is endemic to mountain ranges in Southern Sichuan, China...
, Liocichla omeiensis, a species of Liocichla endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It was however distinctly different and the full description was finally made by capturing and examining two individuals using mistnets, in May 2006. Due to the apparent rarity of the species no type specimen was collected, instead feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s from the mist net, photographs, recordings and notes were used as the holotype. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
does not allow for new species to be described without the collection of type specimens, but this provision was circumvented in this case by the collection of feathers (the Code allows for "any part of an animal" to be treated as a type specimen; Art. 72.5.1). The 1991 description of the Bulo Burti Boubou
Bulo Burti Boubou
The Somali Boubou is a medium-size bushshrike. It was split from the Tropical Boubou as a result of DNA sequence analysis, and this change in status was recognized by the International Ornithological Committee in 2008...
(Laniarius liberatus), an African bushshrike species later considered invalid, lacked a specimen and only blood samples were collected and has been more controversial.
The first report of the species was first made in a posting to the Nathistory-India, an electronic mailing list
Electronic mailing list
An electronic mailing list is a special usage of email that allows for widespread distribution of information to many Internet users. It is similar to a traditional mailing list — a list of names and addresses — as might be kept by an organization for sending publications to...
in 1996. It was only in 2006, however that the species was formally described.