New genera of living birds are rare discoveries — fewer than one per year is announced globally. David Steadman and Andrew Kratter, ornithologists at the Florida Museum of Natural History, turned up the surprising new discovery on a collecting expedition in the Solomon Islands. Theirs is the first frogmouth from these islands to be caught by scientists in more than 100 years. They immediately recognized it was something different.
The frogmouth: it’s a weird bird with a Jackie Robinson styled beak that seems wider than its head.
Frogmouths are predatory birds named for their strikingly wide, strong beak that resembles a frog’s mouth; but their beak also sports a small, sharp hook more like an owl’s. Steadman said their beaks are like no other bird’s in the world. They eat insects, rodents, small birds — and yes, even frogs.This “new” Genus has adaptations that mark it as just different enough: things like coarser feathers, fewer tail feathers, wing and tail barring, and larger spots on its breast.DNA examination was used to confirm enough of a difference to warrant reclassification into a new Genus.
New species identification is becoming more frequent with the use of DNA samples. What makes this discovery so remarkable that Steadman and Kratter feel the differences warrant a new Genus.
For perspective on the scale of evolutionary difference between genera, consider that modern humans and Neanderthals are different species within the same genus (Homo), while chimpanzees are our living relatives from a closely related genus (Pan), but that we share the same taxonomic family (Hominidae) with our chimp cousins.
