The olive-backed forest robin. Credit: C. Ward

Ornithologists from the US Smithsonian Institution have identified a tiny fiery breasted robin as a new species.

The olive-backed forest robin (Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus) was first found on an expedition to forests in southwest Gabon in 2001, but it was thought to be a juvenile of a known species. The researchers have now confirmed that the robin is a distinct species by comparing its vocalizations and genetic code with those of other specimens in the Smithsonian's collection.

The finding was published last week in the journal _Zootaxa_