Solomons frogmouth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Solomons frogmouth |
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The Solomons frogmouth is a special kind of bird that looks a bit like an owl. It's also known as the Cinnamon frogmouth or Solomon Islands frogmouth. This bird is the only known member of its group, called Rigidipenna. You can only find it on a few islands in the Solomon Islands archipelago, like Isabel, Bougainville, and Guadalcanal. These islands are part of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands countries. Scientists first described this bird in 1901, but they didn't realize it was a completely different species until 2007!
What Makes the Solomons Frogmouth Special?
For a long time, people thought the Solomons frogmouth was just a type of another bird called the Australian marbled frogmouth. But in 1998, a team from the Florida Museum of Natural History went on an adventure to Santa Isabel Island. They found a new specimen (a collected example) of this bird.
When experts like Nigel Cleere, Andrew Kratter, and David Steadman studied it, they saw it was very different. Because of these big differences, the Solomons frogmouth was given its own new group, called Rigidipenna, in 2007.
Unique Features of This Bird
The Solomons frogmouth is special in several ways compared to other frogmouths:
- It has only eight tail feathers. Most other frogmouths have ten or twelve.
- Its feathers feel rougher or more coarse.
- It has stripes on its main wing feathers (called primary feathers) and tail feathers.
- It has bigger speckles and clearer white spots on its body.
Storrs Olson, a senior zoologist, said that finding this new species was a big deal. It helps us understand how birds have changed and spread across different places over a long time.
