The Solomons frogmouth (''Rigidipenna inexpectata''), also known as the Cinnamon frogmouth or Solomon Islands frogmouth, is a

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the frogmouth

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

. It was first described in 1901, but not recognized as a distinct species until 2007.Cleere, Kratter, Steadman, Braun, Huddleston, Filardi and Dutson. 2007. A new genus of frogmouth (Podargidae) from the Solomon Islands – results from a taxonomic review of ''Podargus ocellatus inexpectatus'' Hartert 1901. ''Ibis'' 149:271-286 The Solomons frogmouth is the only known member of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Rigidipenna''. It is also

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the islands of

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Iberian origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of ''Elizabeth (given name), Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th c ...

, Bougainville and

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

, in the countries of

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

and the

.University of Florida News – UF scientists discover new genus of frogmouth bird in Solomon Islands

Description

When first encountered, the Solomons frogmouth was thought to be a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of the Australian marbled frogmouth (''Podargus ocellatus''). However, an expedition by the

Florida Museum of Natural History The Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) is Florida's official state-sponsored and chartered natural history museum. Its main facilities are located at 3215 Hull Road on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, Gaine ...

Santa Isabel Island Santa Isabel (also known as Isabel, Ysabel and Mahaga) is the largest island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split ...

managed to collect a new

specimen Specimen may refer to: Science and technology * Sample (material), a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount * Biological specimen or biospecimen, an organic specimen held by a biorepository f ...

in 1998. Upon examination, the ornithologists Nigel Cleere, Andrew Kratter, together with paleontologist David Steadman, Michael Braun, Christopher Huddleston, evolutionary biologist Christopher Filardi, and ornithologist Guy Dutson realized that it was highly distinct from ''P. ocellatus.'' As a result of this apparent distinction, the Solomons frogmouth was moved to a newly-coined genus, ''Rigidipenna'' in 2007. The Solomons frogmouth differs from other frogmouths in several ways. For instance, this species has only eight tail feathers instead of the more usual ten or twelve seen in other frogmouths, and the feathers are generally more coarse in texture. It also has barred primary feathers and tail feathers, larger speckles and more pronounced white spots.

Storrs Olson Storrs Lovejoy Olson (April 3, 1944 – January 20, 2021) was an American biologist and ornithologist who spent his career at the Smithsonian Institution, retiring in 2008. One of the world's foremost avian paleontologists, he was best known ...

, a senior zoologist at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

, has stated that the Solomons frogmouth's position as a new species "has profound biogeographical implications and represents a real breakthrough in elucidating the evolutionary history of the family."

References

External links

Scientists Discover New Genus of Frogmouth Bird in Solomon Islands
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1274319 Birds of Bougainville Island Birds of the Solomon Islands Solomons frogmouth Rigidipenna