14 DAY TRIAL // 15 new bird species have been documented by wildlife researchers exploring the Brazilian Amazon. On average, just 7 new bird species are found and described each year.
Because of this, the discovery of these 15 previously undocumented creatures is regarded as a major achievement.
“Discovering new species 'under our noses' draws attention to the wealth of the forest. The Amazon continues to offer surprises, far beyond what we imagined,” researcher Mario Cohn-Haft explains.
Sources say that 11 of these 15 new bird species can only be found in Brazil. The others are believed to also inhabit various regions of Peru and Bolivia.
What worries the researchers is that, for the time being, 4 of these newly found birds risk going extinct. They fear that the birds might fall off the biodiversity map before they even get the chance to study them.
The birds' long-term survival is mainly threatened by deforestation.