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- Country’s first mangrove pitta bird census undertaken in Bhitarkanika, Odisha.
- Mangrove pitta birds are a nearly threatened species found in a few pockets of eastern India, including Bhitarkanika in Odisha and the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
- The census was carried out by point count method, either by walking in the forest or using country boats in the creeks.
- A total of 179 individual mangrove pitta birds were counted.
- The objective of the census is to record the growth pattern of these birds.
- These birds are yet to be conferred endangered category.
- The highest concentration of the birds has been found in the mangroves near the Mahipura river mouth inside the Bhitarkanika National Park,” the DFO said.
About the bird:
- The mangrove pitta is a species of passerine bird in the family Pittidae.
- It is native to the eastern Indian Subcontinent and western Southeast Asia.
- Its range extends from India to Malaysia and Indonesia.
- It is found in mangrove and nipa palm forests where it feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and insects.
The mangrove pitta is native to:
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand (primarily the west coast of the southern Thai peninsula).
Natural habitat:
- Its natural habitat is specialised and restriction to subtropical or tropical mangrove forests and Nipa palm stands.
- It is threatened by habitat loss.
| Bhitarkanika National park
● Bhitarkanika National Park is located in the Kendrapara district in Odisha. ● It was designated in 1998 and obtained the status of a Ramsar site in 2002. ● The area is also been designated as second Ramsar site of the State after the Chilika Lake. ● It is surrounded by Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and Gahirmatha Beach and Marine Sanctuary. ● The national park and wildlife sanctuary is inundated by the rivers Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra, Pathsala. ● It is the second largest mangrove ecosystem in India after Sunderbans. |
SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB
