The Science Life Animals

This bird hasn’t been seen in 38 years. Its song may help track it down

Scientists are eavesdropping on a South American forest in search of the purple-winged ground dove

an illustration of the purple-winged ground dove

Bioacoustics may help scientists find the long-missing purple-winged ground dove (illustrated).

C.J. Temminck/Les pigeons 1811

By Meghie Rodrigues

How do you look for an animal you don’t even know exists anymore?

The last sighting of the purple-winged ground dove (Paraclaravis geoffroyi) — a small, bamboo-loving dove native to the South American Atlantic Forest in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay — was in 1985. But, researchers wondered, was it possible to capture the elusive bird’s sound in the wild to find out if any individuals are left?

It’s not an unheard-of idea.