Nagaland’s Bird Count drive

In News: A recent 4-day birding drive called Tokhü Emong Bird Count (TEBC), was organised in Nagaland during Tokhü Emong post-harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas.

• Birding is a unique enterprise in which birdwatchers contribute crucial information on the behaviour, distribution, and occurrence of bird species to ornithological knowledge.

About the event:

• Organised in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division, Nagaland Forest Management Project, Wokha, Nagaland and Bird Count India.
• Aim: To get people interested in birds, create awareness, celebrate the rich bird diversity of the state and set a benchmark against which future studies of avian populations can be compared.
• This initiative involves local communities to identify different species that are found in the state.
• It has documented a total of 178 bird species in the state.
• eBird is an online platform to record their observations.
• Nagaland is known as the “Falcon Capital of the World”.
• Species reported included:

• Brown Shrike
• Warblers — Ashy-throated, Buff-barred, Yellow-browed, Dusky, Grey-cheeked, Greenish, and Yellow-bellied Warblers, Whistler’s, Blyth’s Leaf, Grey-hooded, Brown Bush, and Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler.
• Spot-breasted Parrotbill
• Partridge — Hill, Rufous-throated, and Mountain Bamboo-Partridge.
• Raptors included Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Himalayan Buzzard, Oriental Scops-Owl and Amur Falcon.
• Asian Barred and Collared Owlet
• Scops-Owl — Mountain Scops-Owl, Collared Scops-Owl and Oriental Scops-Owl
• Black-tailed Crake.
• Bulbul — Black-crested, Crested Finchbill, Striated, Red-vented, Red-whiskered, Flavescent, Himalayan Black, Mountain Bulbul;
• Thrush — Long-billed, Black-breasted, Eyebrowed, Blue Whistling-Thrush
• Wagtail — Grey, Eastern Yellow, and White Wagtail.

About Bird Count India:

• Bird Count India is an informal partnership of organizations and groups working together to increase our collective knowledge about bird distributions and populations.
• The eBird India portal is managed by Bird Count India.

Source: Down To Earth

Previous Year Question

Q.1) With reference to India’s biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are: (2020)

1. Birds
2. Primates
3. Reptiles
4. Amphibians