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'Extinct' Bird Flies Again

Beck's petrel hadn't been seen since 1920s

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 8, 2008 10:45 AM CST
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(Newser) – The Beck’s petrel, a bird last seen in the 1920s and long thought extinct, appears to be very much alive, the AP reports. Spurred by unconfirmed sightings in Australia two years ago, an Israeli ornithologist set out for a group of islands off Papua New Guinea and brought back hard evidence: photos of about 30 of the birds (cousin to the albatross) and even the remains of one found at sea.

Hadoram Shirihai’s photos and a report from last summer’s trip were published in an ornithological journal yesterday, and so far skeptical bird-watchers, who’ve seen their share of hoaxes, seem to be satisfied. "I don't think there’s much doubt about it,” said one expert at BirdLife International.

In this photo provided by Hadoram Shirihai, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a Beck's petrel is seen in the summer of 2007 in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. (AP Photo/Hadoram Shirhai, RSPB)
In this photo provided by Hadoram Shirihai, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a Beck's petrel is seen in the summer of 2007 in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. (AP Photo/Hadoram...   (Associated Press)
A birder looks through binoculars. (AP Photo/Matthew S. Gunby. File)
A birder looks through binoculars. (AP Photo/Matthew S. Gunby. File)   (Associated Press)
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In depth on the expedition
Birdwatch

World • Green

 
endangered species • Australia • Papua New Guinea • birds • Beck's petrel • ornithology • Hadoram Shirihai • albatross

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