A bird missing from scientific records for nearly a century has been rediscovered in central Chad, turning a long-standing mystery into one of Africa’s most remarkable recent ornithological findings.
The Rusty Lark (Calendulauda rufa) was documented on 2 February 2026 in the Abou Telfane wildlife reserve in Guéra province, where a Franco-Chadian team observed, photographed and filmed the elusive species.
According to Tour du Valat’s account, the sighting is the first documented record since 1931 and produced the first known photographs of a living Rusty Lark.
Birds of the World’s report also highlights the significance of finding a species that had remained extraordinarily poorly documented despite its presence across the Sahel.Rusty lark rediscovered in Chad after nearly a century without a confirmed recordThe historic observation took place on 2 February 2026, when Idriss Dapsia of Chad’s Directorate of Wildlife and Protected Areas, Julien Birard of Tour du Valat and Pierre Defos du Rau of the French Office for Biodiversity encountered the Rusty Lark in the Abou Telfane wildlife reserve, around 10 kilometres east of Mongo.
Tour du Valat reports that the same individual was seen again on 15 February.
