Nilgiri Four-ring
Great Indian Hornbill | Photo Credit: KALESH SADASIVAN
Paddyfield pipit | Photo Credit: KALESH SADASIVAN
A recent faunal survey at the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has added 11 new species records including three birds, four butterflies and four odonates to its database.
The exercise conducted by the Forest department in association with Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS) and other non-governmental organisations added four butterflies to enhance the checklist of the protected area to 287. A total of 204 bird species were recorded during the three-day survey.
The additions to the checklist are Nilgiri four-ring or Ypthima chenu (Guérin-Méneville, 1843); Sahyadri rosy oakblue or Arhopala alea (Hewitson, 1862);blue-bordered planeor Bindahara moorei Fruhstorfer, 1904;and variable plain palm-dart or Cephrenes acalle oceanica (Mabille, 1904).
Some of the other interesting sightings included Sahyadri birdwing, Malabar rose, Malabar banded swallowtail, Malabar banded peacock and Sahyadri grass yellow.
While 41 odonate species were observed during the survey, the new additions were Anaciaeschna martini Selys, 1897, Paragomphus lineatus (Selys,1850), Diplacodes lefebvrii (Rambur,1842), Trithemis pallidinervis (Kirby, 1889), and Agriocnemis pieris Laidlaw, 1919. As a result, the odonate checklist grew to 58 species.
A total of 162 species of birds were found in the survey. Short-toed Snake Eagle, brown wood owl, and paddyfield pipit are the new additions. The total number of bird species in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has gone up to 295.
Other notable bird species recorded include Sri Lanka frogmouth, great eared nightjar, oriental darter, river tern, black eagle, Bonelli’s eagle, lesser fish eagle, grey-headed fish eagle, brown fish owl, lesser adjutant, Malabar trogon, great hornbill and Malabar pied hornbill.
Other beings including herds of elephants, gaurs, spotted deer and sambar deer, Indian giant flying squirrel, striped necked mongoose, lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri langurs, smooth-coated otters and mugger crocodiles were also spotted.
According to R. Sujith, deputy director of the reserve, the data generated over the three days will be used to enrich the conservation plan of the region.
Range forest officers C. Ajayan, A. Vijin Dev, Brijesh V. and conservation biologist Vishnu Vijayan also spoke on the occasion. TNHS research associates Kalesh Sadasivan, Vinayan P. Nair, Toms Augustine and Anila Manalil compiled and analysed the findings of the survey.
