An Australian bushman and naturalist claims to have captured video footage of the night parrot, a bird not seen alive for more than a century.

John Young, who describes himself as a wildlife detective, showed the footage and a number of still photos of the bird to a packed room of enthusiasts and media at the Queensland Museum on Wednesday. The desert-dwelling night parrot, Pezoporus occidentalis, has never been photographed and the only evidence of its continued existence has been two dead birds found in 1990 and 2006.

Wildlife authorities and birders responded to the sighting with excitement, saying the evidence supporting Young's claim was overwhelming....