New bird species may come from surprising biodiversity ‘cold spots’

icy ho by Tara Yarlagadda Dec. 16, 2020 Credit:Ciro Albano

In a study recently published in the journal Science , a global team of researchers surveyed more than 1200 suboscine bird species Ciro Albano

Suboscine birds are a type of perching bird native to South America. They differ from oscines, which are your typical songbirds.

photo by Mike Lanzetta We expect bird species to be more diverse in the tropics, which are known as biodiversity 'hot spots.'

Jose A. Bernat Bacete But the study reveals new suboscine bird species actually emerge more quickly from so-called 'cold spots.'

These cold spots include more extreme temperature environments, like the wind-swept mountains of the Peruvian Andes.

Hot spots like the Amazon rainforest are "places where lots of species live currently," but not "exactly engines of new species formation" according to Michael G. Harvey , lead author on the study. Joanne Hedger

Charles Harker The study gives a reason for scientists to consider conservation efforts in not just the tropics, but in these 'cold spots' too.

Anand Purohit The study was also critical for its diversity behind the scenes, featuring key contributions from women and Latinx ornithologists around the world.

New bird species may come from surprising biodiversity ‘cold spots’

Suboscine birds are a type of perching bird native to South America. They differ from oscines, which are your typical songbirds.

These cold spots include more extreme temperature environments, like the wind-swept mountains of the Peruvian Andes.

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