Rare birds on tiger turf

The Telegraph , Sunday, February 15, 2015
Correspondent : A.S.R.P. MUKESH
Ranchi, Feb. 14: Two rare species of migratory birds have been spotted at Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) as a part of the first state-sponsored avian census for which the survey concluded on Thursday, a welcome development from the sanctuary that earned serious flak for its dwindling tigers and dodgy counting mechanisms.

Though the census count will be tabulated this month-end, raw data indicate around 45 avian species were spotted in the month-long survey at over two dozen water bodies while 17 were seen in PTR alone.

The two rare species were spotted on Tuesday - woolly-necked stork ( Ciconia episcopus) and Oriental white ibis ( Threskiornis melanocephalus), classified as vulnerable and near-threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Confirming the findings, PTR divisional forest officer (core area) Premjit Anand exulted: "It is a great indication that our forests are in good health."

Both the birds are striking to look at.

The woolly-necked stork has a black skullcap, white neck and white lower belly, but its upper part is coloured dark green and its upper belly has purple flecks. It is found mostly in Asia and Africa.

The Oriental white ibis, a little smaller than the woolly-necked stork, is mostly white, with some grey flecks on wings. These are primarily found in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

As many as 17 avian species, including migratory and resident, were found in the PTR area earmarked for the census comprising Kamaldah Dam inside the tiger turf and Malay Dam in Latehar.

At the tiger turf, the list of resident birds is also an ornithologist's delight. It includes the common moorhen ( Gallinula chloropus), the bronze-winged jacana ( Metopidius indicus), the river lapwing ( Vanellus duvaucelii), the openbill stork ( Anastomus oscitans), among others.

On the spectre of poaching, Anand claimed they had not come across any indication that pointed towards an organised racket but conceded that villagers might individually hunt birds for food.

Last month, the state forest department for the first time formally embarked on a state bird census, roping in an expert agency, Asian Waterbird Census (AWC), for the job.

A survey team headed by AWC state coordinator Satya Prakash, Kelvin Paul of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Sri Rajesh Kumar Paul (BNHS, Indian Bird Conservation Network) conducted the bird census across the state.

Ornithologist Prakash said the survey for the state's first bird census was well organised. "We have done surveys individually before, but this was a large project which the government officials planned well," he said.

Though he declined to speak on actual numbers, saying they would wait for the final compilation, a teammate pegged the figure around 45 to 50.

Asked for a memorable instance during the survey, Prakash said: "We discovered a migratory bar-headed goose ( Anser indicus) with a sophisticated neck tag in Tilaiya Dam near Hazaribagh. A tag can help us know the bird's homeland. I've sent the tag details to BNHS to track details," he said.

Prakash said they needed to finalise avian data in terms of resident and migratory birds. "Once that was done, we could then undertake a similar bird-tagging project to keep constant track on the movement of our avian species."

 
SOURCE : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150215/jsp/frontpage/story_3482.jsp#.VOGJpIKqqko
 


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