New Parrot Species A Fake?

The Australian government’s drawing of the extremely rare Coxen’s Fig-parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni). The photograph of the “new” species of fig-parrot is unavailable, but the bird would resemble this species.

The Australian newspaper for (tomorrow) Tuesday, February 13, 2007, is reporting the Australian government is withdrawing support for the “reported discovery” of a new species, the so-called blue-browed fig-parrot reported to live in the rainforests of southern Queensland.

In November, 2006, John Young, his company, John Young Wildlife Enterprises, and Queensland Environment Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr announced the discovery of the new species, based on a photograph. The bird shown closely resembles the red-browed fig-parrot of north Queensland, except the forehead was blue, not red.

Gale Spring, associate professor in scientific photography at Melbourne’s RMIT University, who in the past has given evidence on the disappearances of British backpacker Peter Falconio and Victorian toddler Jaidyn Leskie, then became involved.

The newspaper noted: “Soon afterwards, Professor Spring was sent a high-resolution image of the photograph. At a briefing in Brisbane last week, Professor Spring showed computer images of the photo to Dr Gynther and other Environment Department officers. He pointed out differences between the texture of feathers around the bird’s head and feathers on the rest of its body. He thought the surface imaging of the photograph was typical of pictures that had been altered, and although there might be an explanation for this, said he needed to view the original image.”

Gale Spring has cast doubt on the photograph upon which the claim has been made.

At this time, John Young is refusing comment and declining the request to turn over the original negatives for further examination.

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.

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