Dodo (Rafus coculatus) became a symbol of extinction when it disappeared from Mauritius, and from Earth, in the 17th century, shortly after Dutch colonists first encountered the bird.
Now, ornithologists say they have discovered a similar bird in the Amazon: the serra sururina (tinamus resonance)It looks like a chicken and seems to have no fear of humans. They are looking into the dodo case to prevent the newly identified species from suffering the same fate.
The comparison with the dodo was “scientifically accurate”, according to Luis Moraes, a doctoral candidate in zoology at the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro and lead author of the article announcing the discovery, which was published on Tuesday (2) in the journal Zootaxa. “The bird’s behavior mirrors historical accounts of the extinct dodo, and the threat of its extinction is just as real.”
It was discovered in the area of Serra do Divisor, in the municipality of Mancio Lima, in Acre, and is a taro of the family. Tinamides. It looks, sings and behaves surprisingly differently from any known Inhambu species.
Most taros are shy and have a coloration that allows them to blend into their environment. The mountain murrelet, in turn, is decorated with vibrant cinnamon red feathers with a dark stripe across the eyes.
What’s most surprising is his carefree behavior. Moraes’ team spent three years trying to discover the bird, after discovering it by sound for the first time in October 2021. When they finally found it, it seemed tame, walking around quietly and showing no aversion to human presence. The researchers were surprised when individuals of this species approached them directly on several occasions.
Their voices are also different: long calls that spread throughout the forest and confound the listener’s sense of distance and direction. Sororena’s complex, mountainous sound increases in frequency, reminiscent of a pianist playing a scale, one careful step at a time.
“This bird is an opera singer,” said biologist Diego Calderon Franco. A bird expert, he was not involved in the new research, but reviewed the results, including audio recordings, before publishing the article. “He has a voice like no other, it brings energy when he sings and it resonates everywhere he lives.”
Its scientific name refers to the wonderful echo and disconcerting acoustics of its song. This bird is believed to be the first new small species of taro to be discovered in 75 years.
“Finding new taro in the field is incredible,” Calderon Franco said. “The fact that this bird was hiding in a small, remote corner of the country is impressive.”
Like the dodo, the mountain sororina lives on something of an island: its entire known distribution area is confined to a narrow altitudinal range in the Serra do Divisor, on the border between Brazil and Peru. The remote and little-known region is an ecological island surrounded by lowlands in the Amazon, with peaks about 800 meters high and distinct flora and fauna occupying small habitats.
There are five other small inhambu at Serra do Divisor, but none live at higher elevations. Mount Sororena was discovered in an area over 300 meters high. The narrow altitude range places the bird in a highly sensitive environmental situation, vulnerable to increased external pressures, according to Morris.
Comparisons aside, the mountain sororina has no significant evolutionary relationship with the dodo, which was more closely related to pigeons and doves. But the similarities — land-dwelling and naivety about humans as potential predators — are troubling and startling, according to the researcher. Its total population is estimated at about 2,000 specimens.
“The area is almost uninhabited and largely intact, but the long-term survival of this species is by no means guaranteed,” Moraes said. “Species restricted to narrow elevation ranges are very sensitive to climate change.”
The forests in these areas resemble apartment buildings, with different animals living on different floors, and species often moving to higher elevations as temperatures rise. Species that reach the top have nowhere to climb.
Mount Sororena is located on what is arguably the highest level of the Divisor mountain range. As such, changes in land use and human activities pose a major risk, according to Morris. Fire, for example, represents a special danger. The Serra do Divisor Forest lies on ancient sandstone soil, where a single fire could wipe out thousands of years of habitat growth – and the entire Inhambu population.
Other potential human threats include the construction of a proposed highway between Brazil and Peru, as well as a transcontinental railway project that environmentalists say will accelerate the destruction of the Amazon. Furthermore, the Brazilian government has considered weakening the protected status of the area to allow greater economic exploitation of the area, and legislation could open up the Divisor mountain range to mining.
“All this makes me think that this species will not have an easy future,” Moraes said. “We are working to ensure they are recognized before we move forward with these policies.”
Environmental analyst Diego Mendes, of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), responsible for species conservation in Brazil, said the agency is implementing continuous monitoring and inspection measures in the area. Efforts to control illegal activities have helped reduce deforestation in the region by more than 11% by 2025, according to Mendes.
In December, Moraes’ team will meet with ICMBio to determine the official status of Mount Sororena and discuss its conservation.
“Mitigation measures will be determined based on scientific evidence obtained from ongoing studies and extinction risk assessment,” Mendes said in an email. “This species requires further studies on its distribution and ecology, which will serve as a basis for determining mitigation and conservation measures.”