A Malabar pied hornbill in the reserve.
The Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) harbours a wide variety of migratory and
endemic birds too, with various ornithological surveys in the sanctuary
recording 323 species so far.
In a recent survey, nine new species, Spot-billed
pelican, Pheasant-tailed jacana, Purple heron, Purple swamp hen, Western
reef egret, Oriental white ibis, Common teal, Common moorhen and Common
coot, were identified in the sanctuary
A. Veeramani, an ecologist at the Periyar Foundation,
who keeps a record of the bird surveys here from 1993, says that though
migratory birds here are less when compared to better known bird
sanctuaries like Thattekkad, 14 species endemic to the Western Ghats are
found in the PTR. An earlier survey had identified four new bird
species — Common green shank, Malabar pied hornbill, Ashy-crowned
sparrow lark and Chestnut-bellied nuthatch.
The avifauna of Periyar includes birds of prey
(raptors), water birds, galliform birds, pigeons, woodpeckers and
passerines. Cormorants and darters are numerous in the lake and
woolly-necked storks and grey herons are found on the fringes of
Thekkady Lake. Along with many common birds, the Great Hornbill, an
endangered species, is common in the park.
The Western Ghats is known as an area of high avian
endemism. Fourteen endemic species are reported from southern Western
Ghats viz., Malabar grey hornbill, Nilgiri wood pigeon, Malabar
parakeet, Crimson-fronted barbet, Rufous babbler, Nilgiri
laughingthrush, White-bellied treepie, Black-and-orange flycatcher,
flycatcher, White-bellied blue flycatcher, Broad-tailed grassbird,
Nilgiri pipit, White-bellied shortwing and Crimson-backed sunbird.
Except Nilgiri laughingthrush, all endemic bird species of Western Ghats
are found in PTR.
‘Disjunct species' too
Besides the endemic species, the Western Ghats is home
to certain ‘disjunct species,' which are found in the Eastern Himalayas
too but are absent in between. They include Black baza, Rufous-bellied
eagle, Great hornbill, Spot-bellied eagle owl, Sri Lanka frogmouth,
Great eared nightjar, Dollarbird, Scaly thrush and Little spider hunter.
All the disjunct species in the Ghats, except Grass owl and Oriental
bay owl are found in the the PTR.
0 comments:
Post a Comment