For the first time in Punchakari wetlands of the city, bird watchers have spotted a migratory bird commonly called the Blue Throat, and scientifically called Luscinia svecica. While this is a rare sighting record of this migratory bird from southern Kerala, it is definitely not a good indication for the city as these birds are usually seen only in the drier regions of the country.
The Blue Throat was first sighted at Punchakari-Vellayani wetlands last Sunday by bird watchers and members of Warblers and Waders, C Sushanth, P B Biju and K R Nishanth. While they were not able to take photographs on Sunday, a second visit on Monday proved fruitful with the nature-lovers successfully capturing the image of the bird on frame.
Blue Throat - Luscinia svecica - is a small passerine bird and is similar in size to the European Robin at 13-14 cm. It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in Europe and Asia with a foothold in Western Alaska. The vernacular name for the bird is ‘Neelakanta pakshi’.
An abundant passage migrant in the Western Himalayas West of Nepal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and the dry regions of North India, ‘’the bird is a regular winter visitor to Gulf countries and Iran. It prefers dry regions and shrub and thorny areas as its breeding place. The sighting must be an indication of the climate change and warming up of this region,’’ remarked Sushanth.
The earlier sighting of this bird recorded from Kavassery, Palakkad and Kole wetlands in Thrissur. The bird was sighted at Punchakari by Sushanth and team in connection with their pre-waterfowl census 2011.
trivandrum@expressbuzz.com