Extinct Myanmar Birds ‘Jerdon’s Babbler’ Habitat found near Irrawaddy River

Due to the increasing amount of global warming and deforestation, many birds and various species of animals became extinct and could not be traced back. Many extinctive birds disappeared over night and were not rediscovered again. But this time, luck was in favor of nature. A small bird which was assumed to have gone into extinction has been relieved in Myanmar after a team of researchers and scientists used a recording of the bird’s different voice to call it to nail it down.

A small brown bird similar to the size of a normal house sparrow named the Jerdon’s Babbler (Chrysomma altirostre altirostre) was last spotted in the year 1941 and was assumed to have died in Myanmar altogether.

The scientists went into the wild grasslands of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar to find out some of the few remaining patches of wild, as a team of researchers in May 2014 managed to uncover multiple nesting’s of the birds in small grassland areas of Myanmar which was published in the latest edition of the birding magazine of Asia.

At a small grassland near the area the team was able to hear something distinctive which they assumed to be the babbler’s call and recorded it. Later on they played the voice of the bird and to their surprise; the birds readily came into the tune and revealed itself to the Wild Life Conservation Society.

The researchers did not stop their hunt there and continued the search for the next two days and they could locate the bird at several places of Myanmar and clicked a few highly excellent photographs.

Singaporean scientists state that though the birds have been found out, there is a possibility that the birds won’t be there in huge numbers. They also state that more habitats can be found in Myanmar soon as Myanmar has more species of birds than any other country in Asia has and hence it is likely to increase in Myanmar.

Mr Colin Poole, Director of WCS’s Regional Conservation Hub in Singapore said in a statement,

“The degradation of these vast grasslands had led many to consider this subspecies of Jerdon’s Babbler extinct. This discovery not only proves that the species still exists in Myanmar but that the habitat can still be found as well. Future work is needed to identify remaining pockets of natural grassland and develop systems for local communities to conserve and benefit from them.”