JAIRAMPUR, 10 Sep: Bird species Hainan bluefly-catcher (Cyornis hainanus) was documented near Jairampur in Changlang district for the first time in India.
“PhD scholar Gamong Khasan Singpho, working under the supervision of Dr Daniel Mize of the ecology & wildlife biology lab in the zoology department of Rajiv Gandhi University, encountered the bird during a survey for seasonality of avian community composition and diversity in one of the sampling sites, Jairampur area,” stated a press release.
“Singpho observed the small bird with a pair of binoculars and photo-documented it. Analysis revealed that the plumage pattern did not match any of the 13 blue or bluish flycatcher known in India,” it said, adding that “further analysis under the supervision of Dr Mize, Moge Riba and Takhe Bam from the enhanced photograph and plumage pattern observed with characteristic feature described for the 357 species of flycatchers of the world listed in the International Ornithological Congress World Bird List (v14.2), identified the bird as the Hainan blue flycatcher.
“Further, analysis with Macaulay or OBC archive, eBird archive, Google lens and Merlene apps also precisely confirmed the bird as the Hainan blue flycatcher,” the release stated.
The bird is reported to be found across Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Laos and Cambodia, but had not been sighted in India till now.
“According to the distribution record maintained by Birdlife International & eBird, its distribution range extends from Vietnam up to Mandalay in eastern Myanmar, which is the westernmost extent of the distribution range of the Hainan blue flycatcher.
“This sighting of the blue-coloured small passerine species of bird, belonging to the family Muscicapidae (old world flycatchers and chats) in Jairampur area is exciting news for the whole scientific community of India, as it is a new bird for India,” the release said.
The Hainan blue flycatcher is a non-migratory species, which implies that the bird is a resident bird of the area, which offers the opportunity to further study the species, it said.
“This sighting reminds us of the rich biodiversity and potential for more biological discovery within Arunachal Pradesh, as in the recent past also the Bugun Liochicla (2006), the Himalayan forest thrush (2009), and the Lisu wren babbler (2022) were discovered from the region, and more recently, the giant shrike, new to India, was recorded from Tawang district.
“More birding activities may be promoted for more discovery, which will boost avitourism as well as ecotourism in Arunachal Pradesh,” the release stated.
