"The exquisite birds were perched on a branch of a tall tree. My companion, Dilip Pangging, immediately took out his camera and clicked their pictures. We mailed the photographs to ornithologists who confirmed their identity as golden-crested mynas. In India, the bird has previously been sighted only in the forests of Manipur and Cachar district of Assam many years ago. Probably this is the first time in three decades that the bird has again been sighted and it is undoubtedly the first time in Upper Assam region," said Das, addressing the media on Tuesday.
In his famous book "Birds of Southeast Asia", renowned ornithologist Salim Ali has mentioned about the birds being sighted in Assam and Manipur. Apart from North East India, the golden crested-myna (Ampeliceps Coronatus), a small bird with a bright yellow crest, blackish back and wings and an orange beak, is found in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China. The bird, which is around 21.59 cm in length has a life span of 15-20 years, mostly feeds on insects, fruits, small fish and lizards. The global population of the golden-crested myna is still not known, informed the passionate bird watcher who lives near the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Tinsukia.
Significantly, the bird lover has been instrumental in the inclusion of several birds in the list of avian species found in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park as well as other parts of Assam. The list includes birds like pied avocet, jack snipe, bartailed godwit, Eurasian thick knee, pied cuckoo, drango cuckoo, short-eared owl and Eurasian Sandpiper. Read the full report here.
Source: Times of India, Dibrugarh.
