After a game of hide-and-seek that lasted 24 years, Xanthomixis tenebrosa, a species of bird that lives only in Madagascar, has shown its beak again, fortunately for the scientific community, reports AFP.

The small bird with a yellow throat and green plumage was spotted twice during an ornithological mission in December in an isolated forest in northeastern Madagascar.

After a 40-hour drive and half a day of walking, the team of specialists arrived at the place where this rare species was last seen in 1999.

Arriving at the site, the scientists found the forest in a deplorable state, mostly converted to vanilla plantations, despite its protected status. But a few days later, the little bird was spotted jumping through the bushes near the rocky river and photographed.

“If Xanthomixis tenebrosa prefers areas near rivers, that may explain why it has eluded us for so long,” said John Mittermeyer, director of the American Bird Conservancy’s Endangered Birds Program and a member of the team.

Indeed, “watching birds in rainforests is just listening to their calls, so there’s a natural tendency to avoid spending time near noisy rivers,” he explained.

A second team spotted another specimen of Xanthomixis tenebrosa, which spent most of its time in the dense vegetation near the river, probably looking for insects and other prey.

“Now that we have found this bird and have a better understanding of its habitat, we can look for it in other parts of Madagascar,” said Lily-Arison René de Roland, Director of The Peregrine Fund’s Madagascar Program.

More than half of Madagascar’s birds are endemic

Xanthomixis tenebrosa is on the Top 10 Most Wanted Extinct Bird Species list run jointly by Re:wild, the American Bird Conservancy and BirdLife International, all expedition partners.

More than half of Madagascar’s birds, about 115 species, are endemic, meaning they don’t live anywhere else.

More than 40 species of birds on the island are classified as endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Xanthomixis tenebrosa is not classified as such due to lack of data.

The main factors contributing to biodiversity loss in Madagascar are deforestation to make way for agriculture, habitat degradation, invasive species, climate change and hunting.

According to previous studies, approximately 40% of the island’s original forest cover disappeared between 1950 and 2000. (Source Agerpres)