An elusive white-bellied heron spotted in the high Himalayas

The rare and endangered white-bellied heron (Ardea insignis) was first spotted in a high altitude area in India, raising hopes for potential conservation habitats.

Marked as Critical danger In the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species due to its extremely small and rapidly declining population, the heron is listed as a Schedule 1 species in the Indian Act of 1972 on the protection of wildlife, which gives it the highest legal protection.

Graceful with its long neck, the large dark gray heron has a contrasting white throat, belly and orifice, giving it its name. It is mainly recorded in rivers. IUCN notes that the species has residential populations in Bhutan and India (including Manas National Park in Assam), and a breeding population in Myanmar. The bird may be extinct in Bangladesh and has been confirmed as extinct in Nepal. The is a bird global population It is estimated that there are around 250, of which 50 are in the northeast region of India.

In Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India, the bird has already been sighted, in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, and the first nesting site was recorded in 2014. Camera trap images have been recorded. recorded the species in the adjacent Kamlang Tiger Reserve. Today, two individuals of the birds were sighted at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level in Arunachal Pradesh – apparently the first time the species has been recorded at such a height in India, according to officials from the forestry department. The birds have been seen in areas close to human dwellings.

Officials from the State Department of Environment and Forestry consisting of Santosh Kumar Reddy, Divisional Forestry Officer (DFO) of Anjaw Forestry Division, Scientist Dekbin Yonggam and Field Forester (RFO) Nosing Pul spotted and photographed the white-bellied heron in Walong in Anjaw District of the state in early April.

An official statement, reviewed by Mongabay-India, said the presence of nesting sites in the area is a “positive sign for future habitats.” The bird’s breeding season begins in February and lasts until June. The state’s senior chief forest conservator, RK Singh, said: “It is great news that this critically endangered bird is creating new habitats beyond its traditional range. Singh said the sighting is a positive indicator of the state’s forest ecosystem.

The state’s chief wildlife custodian, G. Kumar, said in the statement, “It’s a good sign for the rare bird to appear in the rainforest.” A team of scientists from the state forestry department, the Wildlife Institute of India and the Zoological Survey of India will jointly begin field research for the future conservation prospects of the globally threatened bird, the official statement said. .

For Reddy, who was part of the three-person team that spotted the birds, this was his first time seeing the birds. “We had gone for a routine inspection when the villagers informed us that the birds had been seen near the Lohit River,” Reddy told Mongabay-India. The sighting took place on April 17. He informed that they also saw a nesting site in Walong. Reddy said the sighting could boost ecotourism for the state. He and others have also cast doubts on the actual number of the world’s bird population, saying it is probably not as high as 250.

In India, the White-bellied Heron breeds in Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh and occurs seasonally in several other protected areas, including Kaziranga, Dibru-Saikhowa and Manas National Parks, and the Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary, notes the IUCN assessment.

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New significant heron sighting

Samiran Patgiri, a researcher who has been studying and documenting information on the species for a number of years, said it was a “great find”. He said the population has dramatically decreased over the years. “Bhutan has the highest population with around 22 individuals according to the latest data,” he said, observing that this number is a decrease from around 30 individuals recorded in 2019.

The main threats are presumed to be the widespread loss, degradation and disturbance of forests and wetlands, according to IUCN. Patgiri said threats to the population are different in different places. “In Bhutan, the population is threatened by hydropower projects while in northeast India, birds are threatened with human interference,” said Patgiri, a doctoral student at Mizoram University.

Another reason the sighting, he said, was important is that it was the first time a nesting site had been recorded since the 2014 recording at Namdapha Tiger Reserve.

Patgiri is also a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Heron Specialist Group and has documented the bird’s presence in Manas National Park. He said the birds have been sighted in and around reserved forest areas and that a significant part of the threat to their population is possible human interference.

However, the recent sighting is significant given that the location is quite close to human dwellings, he noted. Contrary to figures online, Patgiri said the world’s population is likely less than 60 people. He said the “shy” nature of the birds could be the reason for their low numbers. The bird is so elusive that there is no local name for the bird in any of the languages ​​of the communities that live nearby in both Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

A Paper 2020 that documented results of a large-scale systematic river survey in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam revealed that the white-bellied heron was encountered six times at only three of the 81 sites surveyed. From field observations during river surveys as well as interview results, the authors found that certain fishing methods, litter, and sand / gravel extraction could be potential reasons for the heron’s restricted presence in the area. the region. Hunting is also a prevalent threat across the region, the study adds.

Banner Image: White-bellied Heron spotted in Arunachal Pradesh. Photo by Dekbin Yonggam.