Scientists have discovered a new species of bird with a distinctive orange-red coloured tuft of feathers on its head in Cambodia's populous capital city, according to AFP.
The remarkable discovery of the Cambodian tailorbird, whose scientific name is “orthotomus chaktomuk”, in Phnom Penh and several other locations including a construction site just outside of the city, has astounded conservationists.
The small bird, which has a black-feathered throat and is the size of the more common wren, lives in thick, lowland scrub in Phnom Penh and other sites in the nearby floodplain, which the Wildlife Conversation Society (WCS) said had kept it concealed for so long.
The bird was named after a Phnom Penh riverfront area "chaktomuk" - the conjunction of three rivers - where it was found.
Simon Mahood, an expert from the WCS, said that it is currently not a threatened species despite its habitat in the city of 1.5 million people.
However, the WCS recommended that the species is classified as "Near Threatened" under the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because the bird's "habitat is declining" due to agricultural and urban expansion.-VNA
The remarkable discovery of the Cambodian tailorbird, whose scientific name is “orthotomus chaktomuk”, in Phnom Penh and several other locations including a construction site just outside of the city, has astounded conservationists.
The small bird, which has a black-feathered throat and is the size of the more common wren, lives in thick, lowland scrub in Phnom Penh and other sites in the nearby floodplain, which the Wildlife Conversation Society (WCS) said had kept it concealed for so long.
The bird was named after a Phnom Penh riverfront area "chaktomuk" - the conjunction of three rivers - where it was found.
Simon Mahood, an expert from the WCS, said that it is currently not a threatened species despite its habitat in the city of 1.5 million people.
However, the WCS recommended that the species is classified as "Near Threatened" under the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because the bird's "habitat is declining" due to agricultural and urban expansion.-VNA
