Scientists have discovered that a widely recognized Amazonian antbird is not one, but five distinct species – including two completely new to science. This revelation of hidden biodiversity was achieved by integrating artificial intelligence, vocal analysis, and traditional museum work, demonstrating how cutting-edge technology can transform our understanding of life in Earth's richest ecosystems.
The study was conducted by Vagner Cavarzere and his master’s student Enrico L. Breviglieri from São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil, together with curator Luis F. Silveira of the University of São Paulo Museum of Zoology, and was published in the open-access journal Vertebrate Zoology.
The research focused on the Cercomacra cinerascens antbird species complex, a group of small, insect-eating birds widespread across the Amazon Basin. While these birds appear nearly identical in plumage, they produce strikingly different songs. “Birds rely heavily on vocal communication, which are important for species recognition”, the researchers explain. “Their songs act as acoustic signatures, providing a powerful key to unlocking hidden diversity”.
The team named one of the new species (Cercomacra mura) in honor of the Mura people, Indigenous inhabitants of the western Amazon where this bird occurs. The second new species takes its name from its most diagnostic trait: a song composed solely of two‑note, raspy phrases. From the Latin raucus (hoarse, raspy) and sonus (sound), the scientific name Cercomacra raucisona directly reflects its unique vocal signature.
To decode these signatures, the team employed BirdNET, an artificial intelligence tool developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This machine-learning algorithm converts sound into numerical data, allowing for the automated comparison of bird recordings collected across the Amazon. The vocal patterns it revealed were then cross-referenced with meticulous analyses of vocalizations, plumage patterns and morphology.
This multidisciplinary approach confirmed that populations separated by major Amazonian rivers, such as the Amazonas, Ucayali, Madeira, and Tapajós, have evolved into distinct species. “These rivers function as long-term natural barriers”, says lead author Cavarzere. “Populations diverged independently over millennia into the unique species we describe today, which are kept isolated by these major rivers”.
By merging artificial intelligence with the foundational science of bioacoustics and museum collections, we can uncover diversity that would otherwise remain invisible. Recognizing these species is the first and most critical step toward ensuring their protection in a rapidly changing world.
- the researchers conclude
The discovery underscores the vast amount of cryptic biodiversity still awaiting discovery in the Amazon, even among seemingly well-known birds. It also highlights a new paradigm for taxonomy, where AI-powered tools work in concert with traditional bioacoustics and specimen-based research.
Original source:
Cavarzere V, Breviglieri EL, Silveira LF (2026) Integrative taxonomy of the Cercomacra cinerascens (Sclater, 1857) species complex with description of two new species (Aves: Thamnophilidae). Vertebrate Zoology.