Presence of Hanuman Plover confirmed in Kerala

Wetland scientists and ornithologists have finally confirmed the presence in Kerala of the recently identified shorebird species which takes its name from the monkey god Hanuman of the epic Ramayana.

Wetland scientists and ornithologists have finally confirmed the presence in Kerala of the recently identified shorebird species which takes its name from the monkey god Hanuman of the epic Ramayana.

Hanuman Plover (Charadrius seebohmi), was spotted and photographed at Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary on February 2, 2019 for the first time in Kerala and for the second time on Kappad beach on January 20, 2024 by ornithologist Abdulla Paleri, also an Assistant Professor in Zoology at the Silver Arts and Science College, Perambra,Kozhikode. Dr.Taej Mundkur of Wetlands International, Dr.Sampath Seneviratne of Columbo Univesity and Andrew Baksh,a shorebird expert from USA confirmed the identification of the bird. This was also mentioned in Bionotes, a quarterly newsletter for research notes and news on any aspect related to life forms, last week.

Dr. Paleri said that Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus ), a shorebird in Eurasia and North Africa is one of the commonest winter visitors along the seashores of India. In the 1930s, Kentish plover and Hanuman Plover were merged into a single species. “ Thanks to the morphological and DNA studies conducted by some scientists from the U.K. and Sri Lanka the two species have been split and the Hanuman Plover got elevated into the species rank in April 2023, “ he said.

He said that Seneviratne who confirmed the present sighting is the co-author of the “split” paper published in the Ibis journal in April 2023.

Hanuman Plover has been found in Sri Lanka and South India but not reported from Kerala so far. “ It is a regional endemic bird that was recently found to be breeding in the Gulf of Mannar, “ Dr. Paleri said.

The common English name Hanuman Plover, was given to the bird by scientists because of its distribution in Sri Lanka and South India. Hanuman Plover has a smaller wing, beak, and tail in comparison with its relative, Kentish Plover, Further, the feet of Hanuman Plover is greyish black and that of Kentish is dark. Besides, the head of the male Hanuman plover has a distinct black stripe on its forehead missing it in the Kentish Plover.

Dr.Alex Bond who co-authored the Ibis paper on the split of Hanuman Plover says: “While we don’t know if the Hanuman Plover is threatened at the moment, it lives in an area which has one of the highest human population densities on the planet. “