[ Bengia Ajum ]
MIAO, 2 Jul: Much to the joy of wildlife enthusiasts of the state, one of the rarest birds, the white-eared night heron (Oroanassa magnifica), has been sighted in the Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve here in Changlang district.
This bird species is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The night heron was captured in a camera trap set up inside the park by the members of Namdapha Wildlife Range and the research wing of the Namdapha National Park & Tiger Reserve.
In January this year, when the cameras were checked by the staff, they first had a glimpse of this rare bird. “We have deliberately announced the sighting of the night heron late, so that excited birders do not rush to the park and disturb the bird. Now that the park is closed, we are happy to make this announcement,” said an official of the park.
Namdapha has become the second place in India where this bird has been sighted. In 2016, the night heron was first recorded in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar. This highly reclusive bird is mostly found in southern China and in northern Vietnam. It is so rare that it is estimated that only 1,000 individuals of the night heron are found globally.
The white-eared night heron is a secretive, nocturnal species and is extremely difficult to observe in the wild.
Meanwhile, the authorities are excited about the presence of the rare night heron bird species. “Its presence in Namdapha underscores the park’s extraordinary ecological value and its role as a critical refuge for rare, lesser-known, and globally threatened species,” said AK Deka, conservator of forest-cum-field director, Namdapha National Park & Tiger Reserve.
He said that it is the only park in India that harbours a rich continuum of habitat types, from tropical rainforest to alpine meadows, allowing for extraordinary species diversity.
