Rare bird comes calling

The Hindu, October 10, 2015
Kochi:

A rare winter visitor to the northern stretches of south Asia, Spotted Crake ( Porzana porzana ), has been spotted at Thottappally in Alappuzha district. Birdwatchers believe that this is the first sighting of the bird in Kerala.

Avid birdwatcher and member of Kottayam Nature Society V. Prashob Kumar said he spotted the bird being attacked by crows at the compound of his house on October 3. The bird soon moved into the house seeking shelter and was there for about 10 minutes before it flying away, said Prashob, a teacher at Government Higher Secondary School, Thottappally.

He took photographs of the bird on his mobile camera and passed it to birdwatching communities who confirmed that it is Spotted Crake. “Its presence has not been reported in Kerala before,” said S. Prasanth Narayanan and A. Al Badush, birdwatchers.