BANGKOK, Jan 29: A new species of the fist-sized babbler bird has been found in a network of underground caves in southwestern China, raising the prospect the country may become a hot spot for other discoveries, according to a conservation group.

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 un-described species. They named it the Nonggang babbler, or Stachyris nonggangensis, for the region in China where it was found.

A 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 Nigel Collar of Birdlife International, which announced the discovery on Thursday.

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, Mr Zhou said. About 100 Nonggang babblers have been identified so far in the Nonggang Natural Reserve in southwestern China.

A similar habitat straddled the border of northern Vietnam and southeast Yunnan, China, and it was possible the species might also be found there, he 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,” he added.

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