Striking new bird discovered in South America

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A British expert co-led the team which made the find during the first biological expedition to the Yariguies mountains in northern Colombia.

Ms Blanca Huertas, a curator at the Natural History Museum in London, said: "The description of a new bird is a rare event in modern times."

The bird, which has the Latin name Atlapetes latinuchus yariguierum, differs from its closest relatives by having a black back and no white markings on its wings.

Thomas Donegan, from the Colombian bird conservation organisation Fundacion ProAves, said: "Before we began this study, no-one knew what species lived in the Yariguies mountains and whether they needed protecting.

"Now, we are beginning to describe new taxa (types) and a national park was established in the region. It is surprising that this new brush finch and the forests of the Yariguies mountains could remain unstudied, undescribed and unprotected for so long."

Two birds were caught by the team, one of which was used to provide a DNA sample and photographs before being released unharmed. This is the first time a live specimen has been used for a description of a new bird species.

Ms Huertas said more discoveries would be made public later. "This is just the first of several new species that we will be describing from the Yariguies mountains," she said.

"In my own specialist group, butterflies, we have found several new taxa that will be described soon."

The find was announced by Conservation International which helped to fund the expedition.