Elusive Turkey Discovered Before Christmas

By Jess Murray Truth Theory

Christmas has come early for wildlife conservationists as a nature organisation working with local communities has managed to capture an incredibly rare wild turkey on video for the first time ever!

Due to the aid of camera trap surveys, which were set up to map and monitor the wildlife of the Raja Ampat archipelago in Indonesia, conservation innovator organisation Fauna and Flora International were able to find and film the elusive bird.

Maurits Kafiar, Fauna and Flora International’s local partner, said, “this is a great example of scientific and local knowledge combining to uncover the biological riches of Indonesia.”

The Waigeo brush-turkey, which was only first photographed in 2007, is only found in a very small area in Waigeo, which is the largest of the islands in the Raja Ampat archipelago.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species is characterised as Endangered, due to its small population size of only around 980 mature individuals, and its restricted range.

Some explanations for such rare sightings of the bird are that it only lives in low densities of forest which are above 600m. This, combined with its home island of very rugged and inaccessible terrain, has meant very limited sightings of the conservationists’ feathered friend.

Very little is currently known about the bird who is usually quite silent, including unknown feeding habits and common movements, but with this new discovery, combined with increasingly efficient technology, hopefully this will mark the beginning of new discoveries of the Waigeo brush-turkey which will help us to protect the endangered species for years to come.

About The Author

Jess Murray is a wildlife filmmaker and conservation blogger, having recently returned from studying wildlife and conservation in South Africa, she is now striving to spread awareness about the truth behind faux conservation facilities throughout the world. You can follow Jess on Facebook Here

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Written by: Jess Murray

Jess Murray is a wildlife conservationist and writer who has spent a lot of time working and studying in South Africa. She is now striving to spread awareness about global conservation issues and the truth behind faux conservation facilities throughout the world. Read More stories by Jess Murray