Hanuman Plover Re-Emerges as a Species After 86 Years

The Hanuman plover, a bird species named after a Hindu god, has been reinstated as a separate species almost a century after being merged with the Kentish plover. The move is expected to focus conservation attention on at-risk habitats in Sri Lanka and southern India, where the Hanuman plover lives. The species was identified as a separate entity after DNA sequencing revealed subtle differences between the two groups. The researchers hope that the move will help protect the area's threatened wetlands, which are highly biodiverse and provide important overwintering sites for migrating birds.