“While on a birding trip to the Sangam area, inside the Cauvery Wild Life Sanctuary, I heard a call that was very similar to that of the Indian yellow tit but was different as well,” says Bopanna Pattada who teaches bird photography via India Birding Adventures. “I walked for a bit and spotted a pair of white-naped tits feeding on a tree close by.”
According to a birding site, the white-naped tit (Parus nuchalis) is endemic to India and Bird Life International 2009 listed the white-naped tit as ‘vulnerable’ based on rapid population decline. While the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary was inaccessible earlier due to the presence of security forces combing the land for poachers, the situation has eased now. Scientists have noted the presence of white-naped tits all through the year in different locations in the sanctuary.
The bird is hard to mistake with its contrasting black and white patterns. The reason for its vulnerable status is because of the scarcity of suitable nest cavities, made by woodpeckers. The shy bird is best detected by its musical whistling call.
This species was discovered in the Eastern Ghats by T.C. Jerdon and the last specimen was later obtained in 1863 from near Bangalore, after which the species was not observed anywhere in southern India. As per the paper written by K. B. Sadananda et al, the bird was last spotted in the surrounding area of Sangam in 1995 by Eric Lott. So this is an exciting find for birders across the country.
Bopanna said: “This bird was sighted along the road leading to Sangam with a bunch of other birds such as the white-bellied drongo, yellow-crowned woodpecker, little minivets, common woodshrikes and grey-breasted prinias. I have only heard about these birds, I have never seen them before despite numerous visits to the Sangam area.”
Photographing the birds was extremely difficult due to the speed at which they move through the branches in search of food, Bopanna added.
“There was just one pair of birds in the area which I was able to watch for about 10 minutes before they moved deeper into the forest.”
