The good news and bad news about the rare birds of Papua New Guinea
- Written by Robert Davis, Senior Lecturer in Vertebrate Biology, Edith Cowan University
The rainforests of Papua New Guinea are home to one of the richest bird populations in the world. But many are threatened by logging and palm oil farming.
Now, a team of researchers led by Edith Cowan University have surveyed the PNG island of New Britain to see how the bird population is faring.
The good news: several bird species, like the Blue-eyed Cockatoo, were found to be doing better than before.
The bad news: the researchers saw only a few New Britain Kingfishers, and some vulnerable species, like the New Britain Bronzewing, Golden Masked-owl and Bismarck Thicketbird, were not seen at all.
Their results, recently published in the journal Bird Conservation International, help to inform the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Authors: Robert Davis, Senior Lecturer in Vertebrate Biology, Edith Cowan University
Read more http://theconversation.com/the-good-news-and-bad-news-about-the-rare-birds-of-papua-new-guinea-81899
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