Photographer captures bird not seen in 55 years

The elusive New Britain Goshawk, last documented in 1969, has been photographed in the rainforests of New Guinea, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Nature photographer Tom Vierus, along with a team from WWF, was on an expedition to Niu Briten Island to study the island’s species. Vierus took photos of several birds but didn’t realize at the time that he had captured the rare New Britain Goshawk on camera.

– I photographed several bird species, including the New Britain Goshawk, but wasn’t aware of the significance at the time, Vierus said, according to the WWF.

Found exclusively on Niu Briten Island, the New Britain Goshawk is classified as globally vulnerable and is notoriously difficult to spot.

– The last documented scientific record of the species appears to be a July 1969 specimen that is kept in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, USA. While there have been multiple sight-only records in the intervening years, the New Britain Goshawk seems to have eluded photo, sound, and specimen documentation for 55 years, said John Mittermeier, director of Search for Lost Birds at the American Bird Conservancy.

The indigenous people on the island refer to the bird as “keango” or “kulingapa” and occasionally spot it, though even they acknowledge its rarity. Oscar Pileng, a WWF representative born on the island, hopes the photograph will encourage more conservation efforts.

– I was amazed to hear that this is the first time it has been photographed, but am very happy that an official global record now exists and I hope that this means more efforts are made to protect its habitat from the threats of large-scale agriculture, logging, mining, and infrastructure development, he said.