A flock of rosy starlings, a bird resembling a mynah but which has a distinct colour pattern, has been spotted in Tiruvannamalai. It is being claimed that it is the first time the bird is spotted here.
Painter and bird watcher Kumar alias Sivakumar spotted the bird in Samuthiram Eri (lake) during his regular bird watching a few days ago. “The birds with light pink pattern in its body came in large numbers like a cloud. They landed in the lake area. This is the first time I am observing them here,” he said.
V. Arun, a bio diversity activist and expert, associated with Forest Way, an organisation that has been taking up successful afforestation project in the Tiruvannamalai hills, said that he has spotted rosy starlings in Mumbai and other northern part of the nation.
“They are migratory birds not frequently seen in South India. I have never seen them in Tiruvannamalai and never heard someone else spotting the bird here. Kumar’s spotting the bird is the first time probably,” he said.
“Ecology in Tiruvannamalai hill and surrounding areas is improving and we spot two-three new species every year here”. When asked how the bird was seen even after the winter is over, he said some migratory birds were seen for a few days in a spot while taking upward journey and they would be seen again for a few days in the same spot during their return journey. Kumar might have seen them on their return journey, he said.
