An expedition of researchers from the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, headquartered in Palma de Mallorca, and of the Azores Biodiversity Group, with the cooperation of Graciosa Natural Park, has recently discovered about 20 bones belonging to Rallus sp., an already extinct bird that lived in the endemic wetlands of the Azores.

Among the significant number of bones found, including seabird and passerine speciments, researchers also found what can be considered a new bird species, which might be related to the Azores bullfinch, as well as a large common chaffinch.

This expedition is part of a project designed to study changes occurred in faunal diversity of Macaronesia and Balearic Islands in Mediterranean during Holocene period, which comprises the last 11,700 years of the history of Earth.
In addition to Graciosa, the remains of birds already extinct in the archipelago have been also found on the islands of Santa Maria, São Miguel, Terceira and Pico.

During the expedition to Graciosa, research also visited some caves, including the Galeria do Forninho, a Gruta do Bom Jesus, Moinho, do Abel, do Enxofre, do Calcinhas, d’ Água, Maria Encantada and Dragoeiro.