Rediscovering the ghost bird of Australia

Rediscovering the ghost bird of Australia


Once in a while, we hear about a species coming back from the dead. That’s played out in Australia over the past decade.

For 140 years, there were no confirmed sightings of the small night parrot, also known as the ghost bird in Aboriginal lore. Then in 2013, a naturalist produced evidence that he’d seen one in the desolate Australian outback.

Sheltering, as it does, on the ground amid thick tufts of brittle grass, the night parrot is tough to track. But over the next few years, other scientists reported sightings too — enough to spark the participation of Aboriginal rangers in the search.

Fourteen populations of night parrots have been identified in Western Australia but the species remains critically endangered. Now, the goal is to protect these birds from their biggest threat — feral cats — as well as  unpredictable wildfires.

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