New bird species identified on Indonesian island thanks to Belgian recordings

A new bird species has been identified on the Indonesian island of Babar. Although it looks the same as the long-tailed fantail, a bird found on the nearby Tanimbar Islands, scientists discovered that its song is completely different.

The first recordings of the bird were made in 2009 by Belgian ornithologist Philippe Verbelen from Ghent during a research trip to Babar, part of Indonesia’s Maluku Islands. At the time, he believed he was recording a long-tailed fantail and did not realise it was a separate species.

Years later, British researchers James Eaton and Alex Berryman analysed the recordings and found that the bird’s song differs strongly from that of the Tanimbar fantail. Their study was published last week in The Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. They proposed the English name “cheerful fantail” and the scientific name Rhipidura laguceria, referring to its cheerful-sounding song.

Birdsong is an important way of identifying species because birds use it to recognise members of their own species. Tests showed that birds on Babar reacted strongly to recordings from their island, while Tanimbar fantails did not respond. Statistical analysis also confirmed that the two birds have very different song patterns.

The cheerful fantail is endemic to Babar, meaning it is found nowhere else in the world.

The discovery follows the identification of another new bird species on Babar in 2025, for which Verbelen also made the first photos and sound recordings.

According to Verbelen, the finding highlights the importance of Indonesia’s forests for biodiversity. He warned that many forests are being destroyed before scientists have fully documented the species living there, and stressed the need to protect habitats on islands where unique species occur.

^{The cheerful Fantail, cinnamon-tailed fantail at the Babar Islands, Maluku Province, Indonesia © PHOTO HANDOUT PHILIPPE VERBELEN}