Researchers find Ghana cuckooshrike in Côte D’Ivoire after 13 year absence

Researchers from the International Bird Conservation Partnership identified a Ghana cuckooshrike in Côte d’Ivoire’s Taï National Park.

Stephanie Bartlett and Paulo Ditzel captured the sighting of the small bird, which features an orange body and black and yellow wings. Bartlett took the identifying photograph while Ditzel tracked the bird's movements. The team worked alongside West African researchers to conduct months of fieldwork and bird surveys to locate the species.

The Ghana cuckooshrike had not been documented since 2013 in the Atewa Forest of Ghana. Ornithologists believe the bird lives in the Upper Guinean Rainforest, a region spanning from Guinea to Ghana. However, logging and agriculture have destroyed much of the bird's habitat, leaving only isolated forest patches. Because the bird had not been seen for over a decade, it was included on the Search for Lost Birds list.