When no one spots a plant or animal for a long time, chances increase that its species has gone extinct.

This year, many critically endangered flora and fauna teetering on the brink of extinction were rediscovered in the wild.

However, the bird was familiar to Indigenous hunters in Papua New Guinea.

It was thanks to the help of locals that scientists could track the bird down and record its whereabouts.

However, its presence in western Ecuador was recently recorded at five different sites, and reported in a study this year.

Despite the discovery, G. extinctus still remains endangered.

But scientists from New South Wales, Australia, recorded sightings of the bug for the first time since the 1930s.

It plays a key role in the island’s ecosystem, breaking down wood and being prey for other species.

It’s the first time anyone had formally recorded a sighting of the bird since 2011.

Before that, the critically endangered Santa Marta sabrewing hadn’t been seen since 1946.

Researchers detailed the full scope of their abundance in a 2022 report.

However, they caution that rediscovery does not necessarily mean recovery, as many species are still endangered.