Brazil: caatinga woodpecker, thought extinct, rediscovered

From BirdLife:

‘Lost’ woodpecker reappears

06-12-2006

One of Brazil’s most enigmatic birds has reappeared after an absence of 80 years.

The news of the rediscovery of Caatinga Woodpecker Celeus obrieni has delighted conservationists in the region and gives hope for other ‘lost’ birds feared extinct in South America.

Caatinga Woodpecker was found by a Brazilian ornithologist Advaldo do Prado whilst surveying in the Tocantins region of Central Brazil.

This enigmatic species had not been observed since its initial discovery in 1926.

“Rediscovering birds is what many conservationists dream about,” said Pedro Develey IBA Coordinator of SAVE Brasil (BirdLife in Brazil), “There is something truly special about finding a bird that many of us considered ‘lost’ for so long.”

See also here.