An international team of ornithologists discovered a brand new species of honeyeater of the genus Myzomela within the highlands of Alor Island in southeastern Indonesia on the small island of Sunda.
Myzomel it’s the most important genus within the honeydew family Meliphagidae.
Members of this genus are colourful nectar-feeding birds. They are a very important component of island ecosystems and are sometimes amongst essentially the most abundant crown birds in eastern Indonesia.
Named Alor myzomela (Myzomela prawiradilagae), the newly discovered species is the one representative of the genus on the island of Alor.
The bird was discovered by National University of Singapore ornithologist Frank Rheindt and his colleagues from Indonesia, Australia, Belgium and Singapore.
“Myzomela prawiradilagae is called after Dr. Dewi Malia Prawiradilaga,” the researchers said.
“Ibu Dewi, one of Indonesia’s first leading ornithologists, is the head of the bird department at the Zoologicum Bogoriense Museum, the Biology Research Center of the Indonesian Institute of Science.”
Alor myzomela prefers mountain eucalyptus forests and is now known from several localities across the island.
“The species feeds mainly at altitudes above 1,000 m, but has been observed feeding on flowers White eucalyptus at an altitude of 900 m on the slopes of Mount Koya Koya in far eastern Alor and at an altitude of 900 m within the Manmas region,” scientists said.
“A total of 20 individuals were observed in Manmas-Subo at an altitude of 1,000-1,270 m, occurring singly, in pairs and in small groups. Eucalyptus oropsylla in the forest and in the village.”
“As many as three birds were heard, recorded and photographed while feeding under the canopy (4-12 m above the ground) Eucalyptus oropsylla trees, Acacia sleeps Casuarina Junghuhniana in and around the village of Manmas.”
“They were feeding on flowers, fruit, around leaves and under and around bark, picking and collecting insects and collecting nectar. They have also been observed feeding low, at a height of about 1 m, in a fruiting mountain bush Photinia integrifolia together with the ashen, white-eyed (Zosterops citrinellus).”
Based on the species’ occurrence records and human population trends within the Alor highlands, the team recommends classification under IUCN’s Threatened Status “Endangered.’
“We propose IUCN status”Endangered‘ To Myzomela prawiradilagae based on criteria B1 and B2 (i.e. range estimated at lower than 5000 km2 and the world covered by them is estimated at lower than 500 km2), combined with our observations that the range of this latest species is significantly fragmented, currently known to occur in not more than five localities, and we infer a unbroken decline in its area of occupancy, given the increased habitat degradation in Alor highland areas as a result of to the growing human population,” said ornithologists.
“The discovery of a new bird species on Alor is of great biogeographic importance and raises the island to the status of an endemic bird area,” they concluded.
The discovery is reported by A paper In Journal of Ornithology.
