Dodo’s closest living relative spotted in remote South Pacific rainforest
Dodo’s closest living relative sighted for first time in years
- The critically endangered manumea, a bird closely related to the extinct dodo, has been sighted in Samoa's rainforest for the first time in years.
- The Samoa Conservation Society's recent field survey recorded at least five sightings of the bird, though it is unclear if these were of the same individual or different birds.
- Wildlife experts suggest the rainforest valleys near Uafato village may be protecting the manumea and its habitat from cyclonic damage.
- The manumea plays a vital role in maintaining Samoa's forest ecosystems by dispersing large native seeds, but its population drastically declined from 7,000 in the early 1990s to an estimated 50-150 in 2024 due to habitat destruction and invasive predators.
- According to the Samoa Conservation Society, the last confirmed manumea sighting before this was in August 2020.