Finding new species

Thousands of species have been described, and, although most may agree that many thousand remain undiscovered, identifying new taxa of charismatic vertebrates, like birds, is rare. Rheindt et al. describe five new songbird species and five new subspecies found on a single small island near Sulawesi, Indonesia, over a single 6-week expedition (see the Perspective by Kennedy and Fjeldså). They targeted the area because of its geological history and complexity and the historical notes of other explorers. They argue that similar approaches in other regions could also lead to the discovery of new species.

Science, this issue p. 167; see also p. 140