A bird from Himalayas and NE States sighted for the first time in Telangana

Rare Scaly Thrush spotted in Telangana by noted birder Sriram Reddy, marking the first sighting in the region.

A Scaly Thrush (Zoothera Dauma), a winter migrant bird from the Himalayas and northeastern States, was sighted at the Bheemuni Paadam waterfall in Guduru forest range, Mahabubabad district of Telangana on Tuesday (November 26, 2024). This was the first sighting of the bird in Telangana. Noted birder Sriram Reddy spotted it during his bird tour.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Reddy said that 196 bird species have been documented in the Guduru forest since February this year.

“In April, we also sighted a Pied Thrush near this waterfall. This was the second recorded sighting of the Pied Thrush, which was first observed in Telangana at Umamaheshwaram in November 2022 by wildlife photographer Chandramouli. Regarding the Scaly Thrush, its last recorded sighting was at Lambasingi in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district in 1980,” he said.

Mr. Reddy and local Forest Divisional Officer (FDO) Chandrasekhar were the first to see the bird. The sighting is also believed to be the first in South India, although a confirmation is awaited.

“Many Himalayan bird species migrate south to the Western and Eastern Ghats during winter to escape the harsh weather of the north. They often make brief stops at places like Mulugu and Mahabubabad,” he said.

Mr. Reddy explained that he noticed movement in the foliage under bamboo trees, which led to spotting the bird. “I immediately recognised differences between this bird and other Thrush family species seen earlier,” he added.

He said that Mahabubabad’s forest areas are under-explored bird habitats in Telangana. “We have been visiting the Bheemuni Paadam waterfall and nearby areas for the past several months at the invitation of Mr. Chandrasekhar. However, Telangana has several bird havens that require recognition,” he said.