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•  Bugun Liocichla: a sensational discovery in north-east India  More..

Bugun Liocichla: a sensational discovery in north-east India

 A professional astronomer has made the most sensational ornithological discovery in India for more than half a century.

Birdwatching at Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, in January 1995, Ramana Athreya glimpsed two liocichlas (a kind of Asian babbler) which did not fit any field guide descriptions.

Ten years passed before he saw the birds again. A colleague identified them—from Athreya’s field sketch—as Emei Shan Liocichla Liocichla omeiensis.

But Emei Shan Liocichla is endemic to mountains in south-west China. The nearest record was over 1,000 km from Eaglenest.

With Forest Department permits, Athreya mist-netted one bird in May 2006. After detailed notes and photographs—and feathers which had worked loose in the net—he released it. Similarities suggested it was closely related to Emei Shan Liocichla, but many differences in plumage and calls, especially song, indicated a new species. Bugun is about 10% larger in all measurements except the beak, which is smaller.

Since such a spectacularly colourful bird (with equally distinctive calls) had been overlooked during several years of surveys at Eaglenest, Athreya felt the population might be too small to withstand the loss of an adult bird. Instead, feathers from the mist-net have been designated the holotype.

Dated: 12-09-2006

Source: Web.

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