Two New Bird Species Found In Borneo

Zosterops meratusensis (Kacamata Meratus). ANTARA/HO-BRIN PR

JAKARTA - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has identified two new bird species in the Meratus Mountains, Kalimantan, namely Cyornis Kadayangensis (Sikatan Kadayang) and Zosterops Meratusensis (Kacamata Meratus).

"The Meratus Mountains, which are isolated from other mountain chains in Kalimantan, form a unique faunal community as seen in bird groups," said a researcher from the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, BRIN Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, Mohammad Irham in a written statement quoted by Antara, Tuesday, March 29.

Physically, the Kacamata Meratus bird is olive green with a yellowish olive pattern on the lower body. The closest relative to the Kacamata Meratus is the Sea Glasses (Z. Chloris) which have a lighter yellow color.

While the Sikatan Kadayang has a more distinctive color, the upper body is blue and the lower part is light orange-brown to white.

The Sikatan Kadayang is different from the Sikatan Dayak (C. Montanus) which has a darker blue color and a brownish underbody without a white color.

Irham said that the conservation and preservation of birds in the Meratus Mountains has the potential to be threatened by habitat change and damage.

The lowland area of the Meratus Mountains has undergone changes, leaving relatively intact habitat in the mountainous zone above 500 meters above sea level with a fairly limited area.

Another threat is the hunting of birds to meet the chirping bird market. This hunting pushes the bird population in Meratus to the threat of extinction.

Therefore, said Irham, conservation of habitats and species in the Meratus Mountains is very important to do.