A new species of the fist-sized babbler bird has been found in a network of underground caves in southwest China, raising the prospect the country could become a hot spot for other new discoveries, a conservation group said yesterday.

Ornithologists Zhou Fang and Jiang Aiwu first spotted the dark brown bird with white specks on its chest in 2005 and have since confirmed its identity as an undescribed species. They named it the Nonggang babbler, or Stachyris nonggangensis, after the region in China where it was found.

A formal description was published last year in The Auk, which is the quarterly journal of the Virginia-based American Ornithologists' Union.

"This is exciting evidence that there could be many more interesting discoveries awaiting ornithologists in China," said Birdlife International's Nigel Collar, which announced the discovery.

The new species resembles a wren-babbler in that it prefers running to flying, and seems to spend most of its time on the ground foraging for insects, Zhou said. About 100 Nonggang babblers have been identified so far in the Nonggang Natural Reserve in southwest China.

A similar habitat exists straddling the border of north Vietnam and southeast China's Yunnan Province, and it is possible the species may also be found there, Zhou said.

"The discovery shows that there are still some birds that haven't been (identified) yet in China, such a vast territory that is rich in biodiversity," Zhou said in a statement.

Xi Zhinong, the founder of the conservation group Wild China, said similar finds are likely to become more common in China as laymen join professionals in the search for new species.

"In recent years, more and more bird lovers and photographers are participating in the research of wild birds," Xi said.

"The participation of those nonprofessionals has pushed forward the research of wildlife in China."

(Shanghai Daily January 30, 2009)