Am I reading this wrong or does the 'The Smithsonian Institution team' find and destroy new species?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080815/sc_nm/bird_gabon_dc

Key phrase:

" Genetic tests confirmed the bird, which measures 4.5 inches

in length and averages half an ounce (14 grams) in weight, was a unique species."

Answer 1

You're reading it wrong, they only took a DNA sample for comparison with databases.

They didn't find all birds belonging to that species, put them in a blender, then take a sample.

Answer 2

I can't imagine what part of that article led you to believe that they destroy them. They don't, of that I am sure.

Answer 3

if they said the bird was a unique species, then it looks like they did. if it was OF a new species then we'll just have to speculate.

Answer 4

You are reading too much into the quote which may not have been reported accurately to the word.  The bird is shown alive in the picture and a genetic sample does not destroy the bird, but normally when a biologist collects a sample and compares it to others in the collection, the sample is dead.   But it is assumed that it is one bird among many in the environment.