Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 26: A rare bird species that was until now confined to the North-East, Himalayas, central and southwestern ghats and the Andaman and Nicobar islands was now for the first time spotted in Orissa.
The bird has been identified as dark brown-grey tailed Dollarbird (Eurystomus Orientalis).
It was spotted at Berbara forests near Banpur during this month during a visit to the forest by Bira Kishore Bhujbal, working with ‘Wild Orissa’, which works towards conservation of nature and wildlife. After its sighting, the bird’s features were recorded and documented.
According to the officials of Wild Orissa, the specimen recorded by the team was identified by its medium-sized rollers having a deep dark-brown head and neck that tapered into a bluish-green body plumage. The tips of the wings were dark-grey; the leading edge bluish-violet, as was the throat. The tail was dark brown-grey.
In flight, a light-blue patch showed in the primary flight feathers. The bill was stout, slightly down curved and very conspicuously red, with a tiny black tip. The legs and feet were also red, a release from Wild Orissa said.
Monalisa Bhujbal, Wild Orissa secretary, said the bird has been confirmed to be Dollarbird.
“From the observation of the physical characteristics and subsequent references to field guides and information databases, the bird was confirmed to be Dollarbird. The bird is also termed Oriental Dollarbird/Broad-billed Roller/Asian Broad-billed Roller,” Bhujbal said.
Authorities working with the organisation said the presence of Dollarbird was never recorded in Orissa in the past, and said the species would be added to the list of bird species found in Orissa, and would not only be a first for Orissa but also for the whole of Central and East India.
The Berbera-Dhuanali reserve forest falls under Puri forest division. It covers an area of 350 sq km of a mixed deciduous forest with few patches of semi-evergreen forests. This forest is known for very old teak trees. Protection of these forests has been entrusted to the Central Reserve Police Force since the 1990s.
“Conservation of these forests are critical not only from the perspective of the Eastern Ghats ecosystem but also from the perspective of the livelihood needs of thousands of humans settled in and around these forests,” the secretary of the organisation said.
Wild Orissa had recorded a new bird species from Orissa during January 2015 named Black-legged Kittiwake. These new findings have brought a great deal of excitement for birdwatchers and ornithologists.
