A red-breasted robin living in the forests of Gabon has become the world's newest species discovered by humans, according to media reports Sunday quoting a study in the journal Zootaxa.
The little bird, which measures 4.5 inches (11.43 centimeters) in length and averages half an ounce (14 grams) in weight, was confirmed by genetic tests a unique species.
It was discovered by the Smithsonian Institution team when it was conducting a study on a biodiversity in the forest, said Brian Schmidt, a research ornithologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Brian Schmidt, a research ornithologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, makes notes of a female specimen of the newly-discovered olive-backed forest robin in this photo taken in September 2003.A red-breasted bird discovered by accident in the forests of Gabon is a new species, U.S. scientists said on August 15, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) The scientists have named the bird the olive-backed forest robin, or Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus.
According to the scientists, the males have a fiery orange throat and breast, yellow belly, olive back and black feathers on the head. Females are similar, but less vibrant. A distinctive feature of the species is a white dot in front of each eye.
A male olive-backed forest robin is examined in the hands of Brian Schmidt, the Smithsonian ornithologist who discovered the species during a biodiversity study in Gabon in this photo taken in September 2003.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) 
Although not as vibrant as the male, the female olive-backed forest robin still exhibits a bright orange and yellow throat and the white dot in front of each eye that is distinctive to this species in this photo taken in September 2003. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)Source:Xinhua/Agencies
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