Researchers are currently in Papua New Guinea’s New Britain Island, embarking on a quest to find the elusive New Britain bronzewing (Henicophaps foersteri). This large pigeon, endemic to the area, has not been confirmed alive since a specimen was collected in 1972 by ornithologist Jared Diamond. Despite occasional sightings, there have been no documented photographs of the species since then.
The team comprises ten members, including four outsiders from the United States, led by Jason Gregg, a graduate student at Montana State University. They are joined by six local Arawe speakers, who are crucial for accessing local ecological knowledge vital for the expedition. “It would be nice to check in on it,” said Joe Wood, an expedition member and conservation program manager at the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium in Ohio, expressing concern about the bird’s status.
Efforts to locate the bronzewing have included extensive observations and the use of a makeshift speaker designed to mimic the calls of the bird’s relatives. However, these methods have yielded no results over the past week. Historical precedents are not in favor of the team; a 1950s expedition led by zoologists Thomas and Margaret Gilliard, which resulted in the collection of hundreds of specimens, did not yield a single bronzewing.
The dedication found among the researchers contrasts with the broader challenges facing scientific exploration in the region. The change in Papua New Guinea’s governance following its independence in 1975 has limited foreign researchers’ access, while increased logging activities have raised concerns about their impact on biodiversity. As logging continues, many biologists find the cost and logistical hurdles too daunting to study the area effectively.
Amid these challenges, the team has relied on insights from local inhabitants about where the bronzewing might be found. Recently, one local, Sylvester Maikli, indicated that the bird could be in nearby disturbed habitats where shampoo ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) grows, a plant that he noted the bronzewing might feed on. This advice diverged from prior assumptions that the bird primarily relied on pristine old-growth forests for food.
After Maikli led the team into the forest, hope surged as Gregg spotted a bronzewing. Over the next week, the team managed to photograph the bird and document its presence, an important finding for both local knowledge and scientific inquiry. This discovery underlined the significance of local input in ecological research, emphasizing that scientific progress often comes through collaboration and shared knowledge.
