Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

A rare glimpse of Blue Throat

For birdwatchers:First recorded sighting of the Blue Throat in southern Kerala.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Blue Throat ( Luscinia svecica), a small, migratory, passerine bird, was spotted at the Punchakari-Vellayani wetlands the other day. According to bird watchers, this is the first recorded sighting of this bird in southern Kerala. Earlier sightings were recorded from Kavassery, Palakkad and Kole wetlands of Thrissur.

Blue Throat was sighted at Punchakari by C. Sushanth, P.B. Biju and K.R. Nishanth, bird watchers and members of city-based nature lovers group Warblers and Waders, as part of their pre-waterfowl census 2011 studies.

“Blue Throat, called Neelakanta pakshi in Malayalam, is usually sighted in dry open spaces. It is a species that breeds in Europe and Alaska and migrates to dry, hotter regions during winter. In India it is usually seen in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and dry regions of North India. It is also a regular winter visitor in the Gulf countries and Iran,” Mr. Sushanth said.

Blue Throat is insectivorous. Male adult birds have a blue coat of feathers at its throat and breast, from which the name is derived. “They are mainly terrestrial, shy and unobtrusive birds and so easily escape observation. At Punchakari we spotted two Blue Throats, a male and a female,” Mr. Sushanth said.

Hot days ahead

He added that the sighting could be an indicator of climatic changes in Thiruvananthapuram. “Other dry habitat birds like the Spoonbill, Painted Stork and Black-headed Ibis have also been spotted. This could also be an indictor of a harsh summer this year,'' he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Camp for plastic surgery
Holiday packages for Dubai fete
Contests
Union Minister to commission MCH projects
PSC norms for uploading photographs
A rare glimpse of Blue Throat
Flower show at Kanakakkunnu Palace after a gap of 7 years
GKSF Adivasi mela from January 9
Evaluate GM seeds scientifically: R.V.G Menon
PSC setting up question bank
Jalanidhi second phase soon

Copyright © 2011, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu