The moment Doka and I (Jordan Boersma) realized we had the first ever photos of the Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon, known locally as Auwo, on our very last day of searching on Fergusson Island, Papua New Guinea.
This species had not been documented since the 1800s and had never been photographed. We spent a month searching for this critically endangered and, at the time, potentially extinct species, and never saw the bird ourselves. Seeing photos of this elusive, almost mythical, bird walking past our camera was the most surreal and fulfilling experience we could have ever imagined.
Jason Gregg, Doka Nason, Eli Malesa, John Mittermeier, Serena Ketaloya, and Bulisa Iova were core members of the expedition team. We had the support of countless Fergusson Is. locals whose immense knowledge of birds led to this triumphant moment.
The expedition was supported by American Bird Conservancy and the Search for Lost Birds, a collaboration between BirdLife International, American Bird Conservancy and Re:wild. The Search for Lost Birds identified the pheasant-pigeon for an expedition after a global review revealed it was one of a few bird species that have been lost to science for more than a century.
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