Birdwatchers from Dharapuram in Tiruppur district spotted a red-throated pipit ( Anthus cervinus ) near Uppar dam on Sunday, which they claim it to be the first-ever recorded sighting in the State.
Member of Dharapuram Nature Society R. Magesh said on Monday that he along with another member Sadhasivam Dhamu visited the Uppar reservoir area on Sunday morning for birdwatching when they spotted this lone bird. “We initially thought it was a tree pipit, which is commonly seen,” he told The Hindu . However, he said that many streaks were visible on its plumage, which was characteristic of red-throated pipit.
After confirming with a few experts with the available pictures, Mr. Magesh said they checked the eBird portal, which contained data about bird sightings from all over the world. He said there were no other recorded sightings within Tamil Nadu in the portal, which purportedly made theirs the first recorded sighting of a red-throated pipit in the State.
This bird bred in far north of Europe which was a winter visitor to parts of the African continent and was a passing migrant to India, Mr. Magesh said.
“While a few sightings of [red-throated pipit] have been recorded in Kerala, no sightings in Tamil Nadu have been recorded so far,” said K. Selvaganesh, coordinator of Coimbatore City Bird Atlas who was one of the experts that confirmed the bird’s identity. Contrary to its name, the red-throated pipit spotted on Sunday did not have a red throat, which appeared only during its breeding season, he said.
