An elusive, exotic species of spectacularly-colored pigeon has been caught on video camera for the first time after having remained unseen and undocumented by scientists for the last 140 years. This recording was followed up by an expedition and a human-to-bird close encounter of a lifetime.
Last fall, a team of researchers and conservationists set out for Papua New Guinea in search of the ultra-rare black-naped pheasant pigeon. This large, ground-dwelling pigeon lives only on Fergusson Island in the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago and was first found and cataloged by scientists in 1882.
The expedition—a collaboration between American Bird Conservancy, Search for Lost Birds, BirdLife International, and Re:wild—marked the first study of its kind conducted on Fergusson Island. They used remote camera traps to capture photos and video of the pheasant pigeon in early October, before delving into the forest during their month-long visit to the island….