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ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN

Always smiling: The rare recurve-billed bushbird

The rare recurve-billed bushbird, recently rediscovered by scientists in Colombia after a 40-year absence, sports a curving beak that gives the illusion of an enigmatic smile. The elusive species had not been spotted between 1965 and 2004, due to its limited range and remote habitats. It was seen recently in Venezuela and in a region of northeastern Colombia, where it was photographed. Researchers found the bird in a 250-acre (101-hectare) reserve next to the Torcoroma Hol y Sanctuary near the Colombian town of Ocaña, where in 1709 locals claimed they saw the image of the Virgin Mary in a tree root. The forests of the sanctuary have been protected by the Catholic Church authorities in the centuries since. The researchers also found and photographed the extremely rare Perija parakeet, of which only 30 to 50 individuals survive.

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