JOIDA(UTTARA KANNADA): Ceylon Frogmouth, a rare endemic bird species, has been photographed and recorded for the first time in Joida and surrounding areas. This is one of the very few sightings of this bird recorded in the state. Ceylon frogmouth is a species endemic to the Western Ghats, which has been sighted on a few occasions in Brahmagiri, and a few parts of Dakshina Kannada. This nocturnal bird has for the first time been recorded in Uttara Kannada.
“I heard the call which is quite rare here and followed it. It was thrilling to spot and photograph a bird so rare in the area,” said Rajini, a bird expert in Dandeli. She said that she found it behind an undisclosed property in Joida. “It was also sighted around Bapeli cross,” she said.
Another wildlife photographer and managing partner of Hornbill Resort also supported the claim stating that there has been a couple of sightings of Ceylon Frogmouth, which is rare in the state. “The bird is in the check list of Anshi Dandeli. This is the first time I was able to establish the bird’s sighting with a photograph,” he said.
Frogmouths are purely nocturnal in nature and prefer dense woods. They are primarily found in pairs. The bird is about 9 inches in size with a wide beak and split nostrils which appears like a frog. The male is more dominated by the greyish brown colour, while the female is chestnut brown. The bird is related to the Nightjars roost. The male and female are normally sighted together, except on a few rare occasions.
Though the bird is distributed across the world and is considered as least concerned, as per IUCN, its existence is threatened due to loss of habitat. The bird being totally nocturnal is rarely sighted during the day. However, there are instances of the bird being sighted during twilight in parts of Kerala and Brahmagiri.