“Great Eared Nightjar” spotted first time in Kollam’s Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary

March 21, 2014

Screenshot_2 As per the annual bird survey at the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, a brood of the highly elusive nocturnal forest bird, the Great Eared Nightjar was spotted first time in Kollam, Kerala. Earlier, it was recorded from the Siruvani foothills in Tamil Nadu in May 1995.
(The Great Eared Nightjar (Eurostopodus macrotis bourdilloni) belongs to the nightjar family. It gets its name from the two erect earlike tufts of feathers on its head, behind the eyes).
About the Kollam’s Bird survey at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary

Led by the team of the nature lovers’ forum Warblers and Waders.
For the survey, the sanctuary was divided into six sub-divisions viz. Kattilappara, Kallar-Rockwood, Umayar, Rosemala, Dharbhakulam, and Pandimotta.
194 bird species were recorded.
Objective: To update the checklist of birds in the sanctuary and study their status, abundance, and distribution in different habitats.
Noteworthy bird species recorded viz. Painted Bush Quail, Sri Lankan Frogmouth, White-Bellied Black Woodpecker, Great Indian Pied Hornbill, Black Baza, Blue-Bearded Bee-eater, Red-Winged Crested Cuckoo, Great-eared Nightjar, Lesser Fishing Eagle, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Booted Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush, Malay Bittern, Brown Fish Owl, Black-capped Kingfisher, Thick-billed Warbler, Speckled Piculet, Wayanad Laughing Thrush, and the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon.
Highest bird presence of 124 species was recorded at Kattillappara and the lowest of 51 at Dharbhakulam.
Important birds recorded during previous surveys but absent this time were the Osprey, Lesser Coucal, Long-tailed Nightjar, Grey Heron, and the Hair Crested Drongo.

Note: The Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary ( established in 1984 and located in Kollam District, Kerala) is rich in biodiversity and the Warblers and Waders has been conducting bird surveys there in association with the Kerala Forest Department since 1995. It is a protected area in the Western Ghats, India and comes under the control of Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve.

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