Zoologists from Trinity College Dublin, working with a research team in Indonesia, have found several new species of colourful, tropical sunbirds. The zoologists have identified a new species, the “Wakatobi Sunbird” (Cinnyris infrenatus), which lives on the tiny Wakatobi Islands in central Indonesia. They also examined the more widespread Olive-backed Sunbirds and Black Sunbirds, and found that individuals named as such actually belonged to multiple unrecognised species. In combination, these exciting findings have important implications for our understanding of evolution in this biodiverse region. Living in the tropics from Africa to Australia, sunbirds look similar to the American hummingbirds and fill a similar ecological niche. Male sunbirds often have bright plumage, wit...
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