South Wayanad bird survey records 166 species

A comprehensive bird survey conducted jointly by the State Forest Department and the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology on the mountain ranges of the South Wayanad Forest Division recorded 166 species of birds, including 13 species endemic to the Western Ghats and two globally threatened species.

The survey, conducted after almost 15 years, recorded, for the first time, the nesting of Asian brown flycatcher, a migratory bird from central India found breeding in the shola forests of Camel’s Hump mountain complex. Usually, the bird arrived in the Western Ghats during October for wintering, returned by the end of April and bred in northern India, said Hume Centre director C.K. Vishnudas. As many as 40 bird enthusiasts from across the State participated in the survey. A similar survey was conducted in the region in 2007, said Mr. Vishnudas.