‘Dream birds’ in the mist: First image of ‘lost’ bird in DRC mountains

The mountainous forests of the eastern DRC are home to a noticeably stunning bird: the yellow-crested helmetshrike.
The types was thoughtabout lost to science upuntil late last year, when an exploration of U.S. and DRC researchers spotted flocks of the birds sliding through the forests of the Itombwe mountains and snapped the veryfirst image.
Their observations will aid to fill in some essential understanding spaces on this obscure types, which dealswith dangers from environment damage and environment modification.

Michael Harvey remembers the minute he veryfirst saw a flock of yellow-crested helmetshrikes sweeping through a cloud forest in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: the veryfirst verified sighting by researchers of the types in 16 years.

“It was more strange and interesting than I might haveactually envisioned,” states Harvey, an ornithologist and assistant teacher at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

In December 2023, he and a group of U.S. and DRC ornithologists and herpetologists travelled for weeks in automobiles, on motorcycles and on foot to reach the Itombwe massif, on the western edge of the Albertine Rift, a huge ecoregion of mountains, valleys and forests covering 5 nations in East Africa.

Harvey and a DRC assistant had left their camp to hike up a ridge to appearance for cloud forest birds. When they reached a fern meadow in a natural forest clearing, rain clouds swept in, and thick swirling mist lowered exposure to around 10 meters (33 feet).

The first views of the high-elevation forests of Itombwe upon reaching the edge of intact forest. — The veryfirst views of the high-elevation forests of Itombwe upon reaching the edge of undamaged forest. Image by Mike Harvey.

“I’m in the meadow, and inside the cloud forest, I begin hearing these wild, snapping sounds and screeches that sounded like wind-up toys,” Harvey states. “Then, out of this pea-soup fog, I see these jet-black forms, practically blacker than black, beginning to emerge in the fog, and I raise my fieldglasses and that’s when I can see these dazzling, intense, whitish-yellow crests on the birds, the yellow eyes, the yellow eye wattles, and the pink-red legs.”

It was a little flock of 6 to 8 yellow-crested helmetshrikes (Prionops alberti), a types he’d just formerly understood from books — and one that researchers hadn’t spotted giventhat 2007.

“They were engaging with each other, making these strange sounds and doing balancings ideal on the edge of this cleaning and then they sort of melted back into the forest and moved down the ridge.”

The team leaving Mwenga and heading into the Itombwe Mountains. — The group leaving Mwenga and heading into the Itombwe Mountains. Image by Mike Harvey.

Harvey pursued them and handled to take some pictures — the veryfirst ever for this types — and make recordings of their calls. “We returned to camp, simply elated to haveactually hadactually the sighting,” he states.

Finding the yellow-crested helmetshrike wasn’t the primary factor Harvey went to Itombwe, though it was a “dream bird” that hadactually been at the back of his mind togetherwith the Itombwe owl (Tyto prigoginei) and Itombwe nightjar (Caprimulgus prigoginei). The latter 2 sanctuary’t been taped by researchers consideringthat 1996 and 1955, respectively.

The primary factor Harvey went to Itombwe was to acquire a hereditary sample from the Grauer’s broadbill (Pseudocalyptomena graueri), a small, brilliant-green bird that’s the sole types in its genus. He wassuccessful: both observing a set of Grauer’s broadbills and taking a hereditary sample. But his initially experience with the helmetshrikes, and more ones the group hadactually throughout the six-week-long exploration, stick strongly in his mind.

The expedition team in transit from Bukavu to Mwenga with all the expedition gear. Even major highways in the DRC are often unpaved and in poor condition, as depicted here. — The exploration group in transit from Bukavu to Mwenga with all the exploration equipment. Even significant highways in the DRC are frequently unpaved and in bad condition, as illustrated here. Image by Mike Harvey.

The stunning photo is the first ever of a yellow-crested helmetshrike. Image by Matt Brady. — The sensational picture is the veryfirst ever of a yellow-crested helmetshrike. Image by Matt Brady.

Fellow ornithologist and exploration member Matt Brady, likewise from UTEP, took a amazing picture of a helmetshrike that they lateron handled to capture in a mist internet.

The information gathered on the helmetshrikes might assistance fill in understanding spaces around this obscure types. It was formerly believed, for example, to live and feed in the branch