This article describes bird species new to science since 1900. Prior to the 20th century, and indeed into its early decades, the pace of discovery of new species was fast; during this period, with numerous collecting expeditions into species-rich areas not previously visited by western ornithologists, up to several hundred new species per decade were being described. Since then, the pace has slowed, and new species are generally only being found in remote areas, or among cryptic or secretive groups of species. Nonetheless, several tens of species were described for the first time during the 1990s. Considerable time can pass between discovery and publication, for a number of reasons.
Individual countries particularly rich in species newly described during this period are:
- Brazil
- Peru
- Indonesia
- the Philippines
A number of individuals have been particularly prolific in describing new species, such as:
- Niels Krabbe
- Paul Coopmans
- Bret Whitney
Read more about Bird Species New To Science: Species Described That Were Not Valid Species, The Meise and AMNH Reviews, Books
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