Three-branded Rosefinch: New bird species in India

A team of scientists from the Bombay Natural History Society recorded a new species of bird. It has been identified as the three banded Rosefinch. The new bird species was identified while exploring the high-altitude coniferous forests of Arunachal Pradesh.

Three branded Rosefinch

• The three branded Rosefinch is a resident of southern China and a vagrant in Bhutan. Vagrant is a person with no home.
• The bird was first photographed at an altitude of 3,852 meters above the sea level. It was seen along with the flock of white browed Rosefinch. The white browed Rosefinch is commonly seen in this landscape.
• According to the scientists the three branded rosefinch may be using the high altitude temperate coniferous forests of Arunachal Pradesh as a passage while they were migrating from China to Bhutan.

New Bird Species in India

Since 2016, 104 new species of birds have been added to the checklist of India. This has been possible mainly because of intensive surveys especially in the least studied landscapes such as eastern Himalayas.

Three Branded Rosefinch

• The Three Branded Rosefinch belongs to the finch species of birds.
• Finch birds have world wide distribution except for Australia and polar regions.

State of India’s Bird, 2020

The State of India’s Bird, 2020 report was released at the thirteenth Conference of Parties of Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The report categorised 101 species of birds in India as “high concern”, 319 as “moderate concern” and 442 as “low concern”. The following was found by the report:

• The Indian Vultures experienced catastrophic population decline. The White-rumped Vulture suffered the most severe decline followed by Indian Vulture and Egyptian Vulture.
• On the other hand, the Indian Peacock, the National bird of the country has increased dramatically in the last few decades. The increase in numbers has been attributed mainly to the penalties for poaching peacocks under Schedule I of Wildlife Act. They have been categorised as “Least Concern” in the IUCN Red List.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2021