A rare bird, orange-breasted green pigeon, has been sighted at Madayippara here by local birdwatchers.
The orange-breasted green pigeon (Treron bicinctus) was spotted by birdwatchers P.C. Rajeevan and Khaleel Chovva at Madayippara on February 5. The bird is a pigeon found across tropical Asia, south of
the Himalaya across the Indian sub-continent and extending into parts of Southeast Asia, Dr. Chovva said.
Like other green pigeons, it feeds mainly on small fruit, he said, adding that the birds of this species might be found in pairs or in small flocks. The nape of the bird is blue-grey and the crown is yellowish green, while the upper-tail coverts and under tail-tail coverts are unmarked rufous, he said. The male has a pinkish band on the upper breast with a broader orange one below, while the female has a bright yellow breast, he added.
When contacted, ornithologist C. Sashikumar confirmed that the bird was a rare species to be spotted in the State. He said the bird had not been sighted during the bird survey covering the entire State in 2009 and 2010.
The sighting of this rare bird only reinforced the importance of the biodiversity-rich Madayippara. The Madayippara Samrakshana Samithi has been demanding that Madayippara should be conserved as a habitat of birds and butterflies.
