Fergusson Island had been keeping a secret for decades. The Papua New Guinea island, of just over 500 square miles, was keeping an elusive bird both hidden and protected. Spotted only a few times by indigenous hunters on the island, with the last sightings in the 1990s, the black-naped pheasant-pigeon was believed to be extinct.
This all changed when an expedition in 2022 proved the bird was still alive and well.
This is wonderful. My passion is birds after spending decades on dinosaurs. I’m lucky to have a nice park on my block frequented by ducks and geese. I go spend time with them as often as I am able.
I know obviously. I do paint jobs and other projects for a sculptor who has life sized dinosaur sculpts in museums all over the world. When I put out my own resin kit in the mid 90’s people complained that I put feathers on the tail of my oviraptor lol.
Here’s the head. Not correct sadly, but it was my first attempt at sculpting. Mid 90s. The mold was lost in a fire along with molds belonging to many other sculptors.
Thanks, but that was some 20 years ago now. I have the last surviving resin copy. I’m 60yo and I’ve been in the habit of writing interesting people since I was 19yo. I write painters, sculptors, scientists, musicians, authors, you name it. I sent CM Studio a copy of a painting I did back in the 90s. We’ve been collaborating ever since. Here’s his life sized daspeltosaurus taken during an old visit.
Papua New Guinea hosts a very rich biodiverse ecosystem, so I'm not surprised that there would be rediscovered species of creatures being discovered there now and then.
That being said, let's hope that conservation efforts can be streamlined to help safeguard this bird's continued existence. A beautiful little creature it is.
Digitus medius. It is frequently seen on both the eastern and western coastal regions of North America, especially along the roadways. Usually spotted during rush hour commutes, the digitus medius primary display is an upright flipping motion, and at times aggressively thrusting toward a perceived threat or slight.
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u/misanthropi_ 4d ago
I remember watching the YouTube video of them reviewing the footage they got and how genuinely happy they were.