Lost Birds

Latest News from the Search for Lost Birds

FOUND: Two Lost Birds in a week (almost!)

Josh Bergmark / 29 Nov 2024 / Bougainville Thicketbird

Josh Bergmark tells the story of visiting Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, to find the lost Bougainville Thicketbird and nearly-lost Moustached Kingfisher.

Lost forever: The Slender-billed Curlew is extinct

John C. Mittermeier / 26 Nov 2024 / Slender-billed Curlew

Last documented in 1995, the lost shorebird is the first extinction of a bird species from mainland Europe according to a new study.

FOUND: Mysterious Unicolored Thrush documented in Bolivia!

John C. Mittermeier / 2 Oct 2024 / Unicolored Thrush

Photographs taken in August 2024 are the first documented records of this rarely-seen species in 11 years.

FOUND: Rare goshawk photographed for the first time in Papua New Guinea

World Wildlife Fund Pacific / 13 Sep 2024 / New Britain Goshawk

Sighting of New Britain Goshawk, lost for 55 years, highlights need to protect biodiversity in Papua New Guinea.

FOUND: Birders rediscover lost bird on Mussau in Papua New Guinea!

Katie Doke Sawatzky / 26 Aug 2024 / Mussau Triller

Rarely glimpsed Mussau Triller documented for the first time in 44 years.

Updating the Lost Birds List to 2024

John C. Mittermeier, Alex J. Berryman & Cullen Hanks / 12 Aug 2024

What birds have been found since the first Search for Lost Birds List was launched in 2022? Have any new birds become Lost since then? We cover those questions and more in the 2024 list update.

Keeping the Dream Alive: an update on the search for the Pink-headed Duck

Laura Moreno / 8 Jul 2024 / Pink-headed Duck

A project in northern Myanmar holds out hope of finding the iconic and critically endangered waterbird.

New analysis reveals 126 birds are lost to science and haven't had a confirmed sighting in at least a decade

Search for Lost Birds / 17 Jun 2024

Citizen scientists could help rediscover and answer lingering questions about the whereabouts and status of some species

First photos of the Yellow-crested Helmetshrike!

Search for Lost Birds / 25 Apr 2024 / Yellow-crested Helmetshrike

Striking species found only in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo documented for the first time in 16 years.

New Research Reveals Habitat, Range and Behavior of the Santa Marta Sabrewing

American Bird Conservancy / 25 Mar 2024 / Santa Marta Sabrewing

Stunning Video Captures Beauty of the Once Lost Hummingbird

The rediscovery of a lost bird sparked an effort to find more species in Madagascar

Eddy Daniel / 1 Sep 2023 / Dusky Tetraka

Conservationists are headed to Makira forest to search for dozens of lost species

Mysterious songbird rediscovered in Madagascar after eluding scientists for 24 years

Jordan Rutter / 1 Mar 2023 / Dusky Tetraka

The Dusky Tetraka was one of the Search for Lost Birds' top 10 most wanted species.
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Large pigeon lost to science for 140 years rediscovered in Papua New Guinea

Jordan Rutter / 17 Nov 2022 / Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon

An expedition with the Search for Lost Birds captured the first-ever photos and video of the Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon

An expedition is preparing to search for an owl that hasn’t been seen in more than a century

Devin Murphy / 7 Nov 2022 / Siau Scops-Owl

The Siau Scops-owl is one of the top 10 most wanted by the Search for Lost Birds

Rare singing, emerald-green and iridescent-blue hummingbird unexpectedly rediscovered in Colombia

Jordan Rutter / 4 Aug 2022 / Santa Marta Sabrewing

New sighting of lost Santa Marta Sabrewing gives conservationists hope for the Critically Endangered species

An expedition for a lost bird finds dozens of other species thriving in a dense Colombian forest

Devin Murphy / 21 Dec 2021 / Sinú Parakeet

After exploring the Murrucucú Mountains in Córdoba, the Sinú Parakeet still hasn’t been found, but local communities are prepared to keep searching

FOUND: After dodging rediscovery for nearly 16 years, a tiny bird reveals itself to expedition in Venezuela

Jordan Rutter / 3 Jun 2021

Team captures first-ever clear photos and recording of the bird’s call

FOUND: Locals and scientists rediscover the Black-browed Babbler in Borneo after 172 years

Jordan Rutter / 25 Feb 2021

Expeditions planned this year will help scientists learn more about the species

After years of conflict, might a lost parakeet species reveal itself in this Colombian forest?

Molly Bergen / 24 Feb 2021 / Sinú Parakeet

After years of conflict might a lost parakeet species reveal itself in this Colombian forest

The search for Costa Rica’s most mysterious hummingbird

Gege Li / 14 Aug 2020 / Guanacaste Hummingbird

Confirming the existence of the Alfaro’s Hummingbird could also help to protect other species