Ornithologists spot 115 bird species in in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: As many as 115 species of birds were spotted during a programme held at Talle Wildlife Sanctuary in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The five-day 'Ziro bird workshop' organized by the Arunachal Pradesh Birding Club, in collaboration with the Hapoli forest division and Bird Count India, an umbrella group of a large number of birding, nature, and conservation organizations, concluded on Sunday, officials said here. The workshop was conducted by Ashwin Viswanathan and Chintal Sheth.

The team uploaded 48 checklists to the online platform eBird and prepared a trip report summarising all the bird sightings made during the survey. Of the many birds spotted during the workshop, the Fulvous parrotbill, the Manipur fulvetta, and the Ward's trogon were the main highlights.

Fulvous parrotbill is small in size with a pale belly and long gray eyebrow. It exclusively lives on dense stands of bamboo in or near forests.

"We reconfirmed the presence of Fulvous parrotbill in the unique and endemic bamboo-pine ecosystem at Talle valley for the first time since the winter of 2012 and found multiple breeding pairs," Viswanathan from Bird Count India said. "This species is quite difficult to find outside Talle valley in Arunachal Pradesh," he said.

"I strongly encourage the birdwatchers of Ziro and the forest department to survey the entire Talle Valley, of which just a tiny fraction has produced isolated treasures such as Manipur fulvetta and the parrotbill," he added.

Manipur fulvetta is a large-headed small brown bird with a grayish-brown head, dark brown brow, and orange sides and wings.

"I believe that this circuit has wonderful potential for well-planned bird tourism and education because it allows visitors to truly experience the many ecosystems and birdlife of Arunachal Pradesh while, also seeing special birds and the famed butterflies, moths, and frogs of the region," Viswanathan added.

The Ziro valley is home to migratory birds of the state. Till recently, several migratory birds, including the Mandarin duck and the white-cheeked starling, were spotted in the Ziro valley.

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