[Photo] Andjar Rafiastanto/EU-INTAG/FIMP. The first sighting of Sumatran Ground-cuckoo for 81 years

The Sumatran Ground-cuckoo Carpococcyx viridis has been rediscovered after a gap of 81 years. A single bird was photographed by Andjar Rafiastanto in November 1997 at Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Lampung, during a European Union-Inventarisasi dan Tata Guna Lahan/Forest Inventory and Monitoring Project (EU-INTAG/FIMP) in Sumatra.

The ground-dwelling Sumatran Ground-cuckoo was previously known from eight specimens, the most recent taken in 1916, and all collected in foothill and lower montane forests in the Barisan Mountains in the southern half of Sumatra. Although very little was known about the species, the extensive deforestation in Sumatra and the unfamiliarity of the ground-cuckoo, even to experienced hunters in its known range, meant that it was inferred to have a tiny population. As such it was classified as Critically Endangered. The recent sighting provides proof of its continued existence and gives fresh hope and impetus for future surveys for this enigmatic species.