Orangebauch-Raupenfänger wiederentdeckt
Female (left) and male Ghana cuckooshrikes (Lobotos lobatus) in a historical illustration. In 2026, the rare species was conclusively documented for the first time in 13 years. Images: Nicolas Huet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Two “Lost Birds” Rediscovered—in the Rainforest and in a Photo Archive

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The Ghana cuckooshrike has been photographed—and even filmed—for the first time in 13 years. In the case of the Mindoro imperial pigeon, however, a previously unpublished photo was enough for the species to lose its “lost” status. Both cases show how important accessible documentation of rare species is.

Within a few days in July 2026, the Search for Lost Birds project announced two successes. In both cases, a bird species was removed from the list of Lost Birds. But while one species was genuinely rediscovered in the rainforest, the decisive evidence for the other came from a private photo archive.

What does “Lost” mean?

The international project considers a bird species a “Lost Bird” when there has been no verifiable record for at least ten years. Accepted evidence includes photographs, audio recordings, videos, and genetic material. An unconfirmed sighting alone is not sufficient.

“Lost” by no means implies that a species is presumed extinct. The term merely denotes a gap in scientific documentation. The two recent cases illustrate precisely that.

Ghana cuckooshrike documented after 13 years

The Ghana cuckooshrike (Lobotos lobatus) or western wattled cuckooshrike is one of West Africa’s rarest birds. The last documented photographs had been taken in 2013 in Atewa Forest in Ghana. Although further sightings were subsequently reported, including from Taï National Park, there were no photographs or other verifiable records.

In 2026, researchers Stephanie Bartlett and Paulo Ditzel were working on a six-month project in West Africa. In Taï National Park in southwestern Ivory Coast, they were exploring potential sites for future research.

Shortly after arriving at a research station, the two set out into the forest. On a small wooden bridge, Ditzel noticed a bird in the canopy. The combination of a dark head, orange underparts, and yellowish-green plumage left little doubt that a Ghana cuckooshrike was perched above them.

Before the bird disappeared back into the dense canopy, Bartlett managed to take several photographs and a short video. They are probably the best photographs to date and the first known video footage of the species.

The sighting occurred only about a ten-minute walk from the research station. Nevertheless, the species is easy to overlook: Ghana cuckooshrikes usually remain 20–50 meters above the ground and move almost silently through the canopy in mixed-species flocks. So far, no audio recording of the species is known.

Ghana cuckooshrike at Naturalis in Leiden
A male Ghana cuckooshrike at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands—characterized by its black head, orange breast and belly, and yellow undertail coverts.
Image: Campephaga lobata (Temminck, 1824) collected in Ghana by Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CC0 1.0, via GBIF

An important record—but no cause for complacency

The species inhabits the remaining lowland rainforests of West Africa’s Upper Guinean region and is classified by the IUCN as Vulnerable (VU). Large parts of these forests have already disappeared or survive only as isolated fragments. In Liberia in particular, even large contiguous forest areas face increasing pressure from commercial logging. The resulting increase in accessibility encourages further settlement and small-scale farming.

In other parts of the Upper Guinean region, too, the remaining forest areas are used intensively for forestry and agriculture. Even areas of Gola Forest that were once considered untouched primary forest have been affected. Additional pressures include poaching in some areas and illegal mining.

The rediscovery shows that the Ghana cuckooshrike still exists and that Taï National Park could be one of its most important refuges. However, a single sighting reveals little about the size and distribution of its population, which is why further research is needed to develop targeted conservation measures.

According to Search for Lost Birds, the new record means that, for the first time, all West African bird species previously classified as lost have now been found. The rusty lark in Chad and the Togo yellow-billed barbet (Trachylaemus togoensis) had already been documented again.

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The Mindoro imperial pigeon was never truly lost

Mindoro imperial pigeon
A historical illustration of the Mindoro imperial pigeon. A previously unpublished photograph from 2019 showed that the rare species had not been lost for as long as initially thought.
Image: John Gerrard Keulemans, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Just four days before the news from West Africa, Search for Lost Birds reported a very different case. The Mindoro imperial pigeon (Ducula mindorensis) had been added to the list of lost birds in early 2026 because there appeared to have been no verifiable record of the species for more than ten years.

Ornithologists Kenneth Manuel, Dariel Naguit, and Erwin Torio then reviewed their personal records. They found a previously unpublished photograph that Torio had taken in the mountains of Mindoro in December 2019.

This confirmed that the species had been documented as recently as 2019. Since this evidence is less than ten years old, the Mindoro imperial pigeon does not meet the formal definition of a “Lost Bird” and was removed from the list again.

However, this is not a recent rediscovery. The photograph is now about seven years old, and the imperial pigeon continues to be documented only rarely. New observations, photographs, and audio recordings therefore remain important.

Small population, uncertain trend

The Mindoro imperial pigeon occurs only on the Philippine island of Mindoro and is classified by the IUCN as Near Threatened (NT). Its range is small, and its population is tentatively estimated at about 800–3,000 mature individuals. Around 650 square kilometers of forest remain within its elevational range of 700–2,000 meters. However, only about 270 square kilometers of this forest lie below 1,000 meters, where the species occurs most often.

At Mount Halcon, it still appears to be relatively common in some areas. In other suitable forest areas, however, it is recorded only rarely. The overall population trend is unknown.

Potential threats include forest degradation and hunting for food. Imperial pigeons of the genus Ducula are frequently hunted in the Philippines, but it is not yet possible to assess how severely this affects the Mindoro imperial pigeon. There is likewise little evidence of a current decline due to deforestation: satellite data show almost no loss of closed-canopy forest within its range since 2000. In the long term, however, the species, which lives primarily in mountain forests, could face additional pressure from climate change.

Two ways off the list

The two announcements had the same outcome but arose from entirely different events: the Ghana cuckooshrike was observed alive in 2026 and conclusively documented for the first time in 13 years. In the case of the Mindoro imperial pigeon, by contrast, what changed was not our knowledge of where it lives today. Instead, an older record emerged that had not previously been publicly accessible.

The two cases show that the list of lost species always depends on what information is available. Rare birds can survive in inaccessible forests without being photographed or filmed. Equally, important evidence can remain on cameras, hard drives, or in private collections for years.

Platforms such as eBird, iNaturalist, Xeno-canto and scientific collection databases therefore play an important role. Publicly shared photographs, audio recordings, and occurrence data help not only to find lost species, but also to study their distribution and protect their habitats.

But no longer being considered lost does not mean that a species is safe.

Sources

About the author: Doreen Fräßdorf

Doreen Fräßdorf is the author and publisher of artensterben.de. She researches and writes about extinct and endangered species in the modern era, with a focus on red lists, scientific studies, historical sources, and current conservation efforts. The goal is a clear, evidence-based overview of biodiversity loss and species protection.
She is also the author of a non-fiction book about extinct modern-era mammals.

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