Global hunt seeks ten birds that have not yet been classified as extinct

If you’ve never heard of the Siau Owl, there’s a good reason – and it’s not because your knowledge of birds isn’t extensive. No one has seen the elusive owl since 1866, and it’s not the only lost species.

Researchers, conservationists and bird watchers around the world are being called upon to make a new effort to find the ten “most wanted” bird species, which have not been identified for over a decade but have not yet been classified as extinct.

A joint effort by conservation group “Re:wild”, American Bird Conservancy and BirdLife International, with data support from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and its eBird birding platform, “Search for Lost Birds” hopes to locate these seemingly missing creatures .

The birds in question were last seen and documented on several different occasions, from the Siau owl last seen in 1866 in Indonesia to the Cuban kite last seen in 2010 in Cuba.

They also span five continents, four from Asia, two from Africa, two from South America, one from North America and one from Oceania. India is the only country with more than one bird on the list, with the Himalayan quail, last seen in 1877, and the Jerdon runner, which was most recently witnessed in 2009.

“We really want to find these species, which are completely forgotten and ignored, and turn them into species that are a focus for conservation efforts,” said Barney Long, senior director of conservation strategies at Re:wild, told CNN.

“Obviously, for those ten, we really hope they’re all found,” he added. “That might not be the case – it might be too late for some of them, but we really hope to find them all.”

The search will begin with two expeditions next year focusing on the Siau owl, which has only been documented once, and Madagascar’s Bernieria tenebrosa, which was last documented in 1999. The organizations’ efforts will also be aided by the eBird Platform, which has more than 700,000 registered users who can submit sightings.

Although all species are classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the team is optimistic, especially as the Indonesian black-browed chatterbox, which had not been documented since 1848, was found again in February this year.

“Search For Lost Birds” is an extension of Re:wild’s “Search For Lost Species” program, which has rediscovered eight of its 25 most sought after species since its launch in 2017.