Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps – GIB in short), a critically endangered Indian endemic bird on the verge of extinction, is showing signs of recovery in Bellary district. Two birds were recently sighted foraging in an agricultural field by seventeen-year-old budding naturalist Preeth Khona, in Chelugurki village 20 kms from Bellary and 60 Kms south of Sirguppa, where it was earlier rediscovered in 2006 by the author. Preeth Khona, Shruthi Punyamurthy and Sunaina Martin are budding naturalists and members … Read More
First Indian record of ‘Sind’ Jerdon’s Babbler from Harike, Punjab
While birding in Harike Wildlife Sanctuary in Punjab on October 31st and November 1st, 2012, we (three birders — Gunjan Arora, Shashank Dalvi and Saurabh Sawant) came across the Sind Jerdon’s Babbler (Chrysomma altirostre scindicum). This is the first record of this subspecies from India. This record is 370 kms away from the nearest known locality of this bird. It was earlier known only along the main Indus River from very few localities in Pakistan. We found the … Read More
A Dead Blue Pitta
The Blue Pitta (Pitta cyanea) is a very rare bird in India. There have been no recent reports (and certainly no photographs) from India. Pam Rasmussen (Birds of South Asia) lists it for the South Assam Hills (North Cachar, Tripura and an old specimen from Garo Hills).
This image of a dead Blue Pitta featured in the brilliant award-winning documentary called “The Wild Meat Trail” directed by Rita Banerji and Shilpi Sharma (Dusty Foot Productions) on sale in … Read More
Rare Bird — Spot-breasted Laughing Thrush, Nagaland
The Spot-breasted Laughing Thrush Garrulax merulinus is found in several South-east Asian countries. It is well known amongst birders for its beautiful vocalisations and extremely skulky nature. The bird is seldom seen and is known from India by very few, scanty records. The last time this bird was collected from the Indian sub-continent was in 1952. In 2007 Tanmoy Ghosh recorded this species from Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh where he photographed a dead bird killed by locals. Following this, … Read More
ZSI Scientists Discover Bird Species from Great Nicobar Island
Great Nicobar, July 27, 2012
A team of scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) here are presently inventorizing the fauna communities of Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (GNBR) under the man and biosphere programme of UNESCO with the sponsorship of Ministry of Environment and Forests, GoI. The GNBR is one the 17 biosphere reserves designed in India. The results of the recent survey conducted by ZSI in GNBR discovered a new species of bird Rallina (Water Rail or Crake). For … Read More
First Ever Camera Trap Photo of Striped Hyena in Bandipur Tiger Reserve
Striped hyenas have been documented before in Mudumalai, but there have only been anecdotal reports of their presence in adjoining Bandipur. Their presence in adjacent areas inside Karnataka is only speculative. The last two authentic evidences documenting their presence, are a road kill reported by Dr. Ullas Karanth around Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary in 1984 (observed and collected by the then ACF (Wildlife), Mysore); and another observation and a mobile phone capture by Praneet Goteti in farmlands around Bandipur (Moyar area) … Read More
Red Phalarope, a Rare Vagrant for India, Tal Chhapar, Rajasthan, April 2012
The Indian subcontinent records both Red (or Grey) Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) and Red-necked Phalarope. Both are Arctic breeders that spend the non-breeding (winter) season at sea in the south Pacific, with the Red-necked Phalarope also in the Arabian Sea, and Red off West Africa. Red-necked Phalaropes migrate overland in Europe and Asia, and are encountered in inland wetlands, but Red Phalarope is a vagrant and occur inland only when storm-driven.
On 18 April 2012, Range Forest Officer (RFO) … Read More
Bean Goose: First Record from Uttarakhand, India
The Bean Goose (Anser fabalis) is a migratory bird breeding in the high Arctic regions. It has its wintering ground in temperate and sub-tropical regions such as China, Japan, Europe, and so on. A solitary Bean Goose has recently been sighted in a wetland near Corbett Tiger Reserve by a group of bird-watchers and naturalists from The Corbett Foundation led by Ms. Anushree Bhattacharjee. This was the first recorded sighting of this species from the State of Uttarakhand. … Read More
Pale Rock Sparrow, A New Bird For India, Recorded In Kutch
The Pale Rockfinch or Sparrow (Carpospiza brachydactyla) is the latest addition to the list of Indian birds. The bird is a native of Middle East and Central Asia and has been recently recorded wintering in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
The bird which prefers its natural habitat of tropical dry shrub and grasslands, was discovered by four bird experts, including Jugal Tiwari, on January 27th, 2012. “I came across two flocks, and my estimate was there were … Read More
Discovery Of India’s First Ever Tigidia Trapdoor Spiders From Western Ghats
Three species of trapdoor spiders belonging to the Genus Tigidia have been discovered in the Western Ghats. The type specimens are from the Nilgiri and Coimbatore districts in Tamil Nadu and Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. This is the first time that Tigidia spiders have been recorded in India.
Tigidia rutilofronis, T. nilgiriensis and T. sahyadri are the three species discovered by a team of five student scientists including Manju Siliwal, Neha Gupta, Rajesh V. Sanap, Zeeshan A. Mirza and … Read More
New Species Of Bronzeback Tree Snake Discovered In Western Ghats
A new species of snake has been discovered in the Western Ghats. The snake was first spotted by nature enthusiasts in Amboli village in Maharashtra in 2001. The snake is predominantly bronze coloured, arboreal and when aggressive, expand their skin to reveal a blue coloured skin between the scales.
In 2003, Varad Giri, a deputy director and curator of the herpetological collection with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) saw a similar snake during his visit to Goa and took … Read More
Rare Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant Rescued In Manipur And Handed Over To Zoo
Residents of Pumlen, a part of Loktak lake in Bishnupur district, Manipur have caught a male nongin (Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant). A local MLA has paid Rs 1000 for the bird and handed it over to the Manipur zoological gardens. The nongin is the state bird of Manipur, and its discovery for the first time in the valley has brought cheers from wildlife officials. The forest department has so far collected 14 nongins by encouraging locals not to kill the birds. … Read More
Lost Amphibians of India (LAI) Initiative Coming to a Close
The Lost Amphibians of India (LAI), run by a team of field biologists from Delhi University, is about to come to a close. The project’s vision was to locate 52 ‘lost’ species of amphibians across India. The oldest in the list was a frog last seen in 1834 in Bengal. The youngest is a Caecilian last seen in 1992 in Kerala. A year of search in 17 states, involving 280 members from 20 teams has resulted in 70 percent of … Read More
WCS Discovers Healthy Snow Leopard Population In Afghanistan
- Camera trap surveys show surprising numbers of elusive big cats in Wakhan Corridor in northeastern Afghanistan
- With USAID support, WCS is working with Afghanistan communities on conservation to benefit wildlife and human livelihoods
NEW YORK (July 13, 2011) – The Wildlife Conservation Society has discovered a surprisingly healthy population of rare snow leopards living in the mountainous reaches of northeastern Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor, according to a new study.
The discovery gives hope to the world’s most elusive big cat, which … Read More
Black Pika Sighted in Arunachal Pradesh at 13,000 feet
A WWF-India team working in West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh have discovered Black Pikas which, until then, had been thought to be endemic to the Yunan province in China. The Pika is a mammal with short limbs, rounded ears and short tail and is covered in black fur. The animals were spotted at around 13,000 feet while the team was during surveys of the area along with villagers. The team took photographs and after returning, consulted experts to identify … Read More
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