KADAPA: Bringing a ray of hope among the bird watchers who have been searching for Jerdon's courser, known locally as Kali Kodi, a nocturnal bird believed to be extinct and was later sighted in Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary in Kadapa district, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for carrying out research on the bird.
Jerdon's courser, which was listed in the extinction birds' list in 1900, was sighted in Lankamala sanctuary near Kondur Aata by a shepherd identified as Itenna on January 5, 1986.
Around that time, two birds were sighted by the shepherd and by the time scientists arrived at the spot, one fled from the spot and another died. While scientists have installed CCTV cameras and sound recorders to track the nocturnal bird’s movement in the region, the mission failed.
The traces of the bird was discovered once again after the bird's chirp was reportedly recorded by scientist Jagannadham on December 29, 2019. After analysing the bird’s sound, Jagannadham came to a conclusion that the sound belonged to Jerdon’s courser.
Over the years, Jagannadham, a scientist belonging to Bombay Nature History Society, has been searching relentlessly to find out the traces of the nocturnal bird. Salem, an environmental scientist, who aspired to find the ‘extinct bird’, had carried out a survey project at the Ornithology lab in Hyderabad in 1932, but in vain.
Later, 1975-76, the Bombay Nature History Society, World Wildlife and the Indian government launched search operations, but couldn’t find the bird.
Again, the Government of India in 1981 launched a search operation to find the bird and handed over the project to Bharat Bushan, who was already involved in the study of Great Indian Bustard and he too failed to find its traces.
Kadapa divisional forest officer Ravindra Damu said Rs 50 lakh released by the Centre will be utilised to install more enhanced CCTV cameras and sound recorders to track the bird’s movement in the forest.