A new bird species discovered more than 15 years after it was first seen on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has been named after late ecologist and ornithologist Navjot Sodhi.
A mottled throat and short wings distinguish Muscicapa sodhii , the newly named Sulawesi streaked flycatcher.
“Considering that 98 per cent of the world’s birds have been described, finding a new species is quite rare,” said study co-author J. Berton C. Harris, a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University.
“Despite being a globally important avian hotspot, Sulawesi has largely gone unstudied by ornithologists.”
The Latin name the team gave the bird pays homage to the late Mr. Sodhi, who was Mr. Harris’ former mentor and professor at the National University of Singapore.
Several animal species have been named after Mr. Sodhi, including a snail, a fish and a new genus and species of crab.
“The naming of so many species in honour of Sodhi shows how important he was to his students and collaborators. He probably would have been particularly pleased with our bird description, though, because he was an ornithologist, and so few bird species remain to be described,” Mr. Harris noted. The species is markedly different from other flycatchers in its plumage (feathers), body structure, song and genetics.
