#53 -o-soar 21 September 2020

First photographic record of the Little Arachnothera longirostra from Kanger Valley National Park, Bastar, Chhattisgarh

The Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra (Latham, 1790) is a nectarivore bird species found in the (Ali & Ripley 1989), Lamasinghi in Vishakhapatnam District of the Eastern Ghats (Raju & Selvin 1971; Ripley et al. 1986), parts of Odisha (Majumdar 1979), eastern Himalayan foothills, and hills of northeastern (Grimmett et al. 2014).

They are usually seen in single or pairs. They have a distinctive long beak that sets it apart from other . The male and female are alike except for a paler base to lower mandible in the female. Male has complete black beak (Rasmussen & Anderton 2005). They make a buzzy zick-zick call that is made regularly when disturbed or foraging (Rasmussen & Anderton

2005). Photograph of Little Spiderhunter observed in Bastar Plateau have been noted as good on 29 November 2018.

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Recorded species from Chhattisgarh and surrounding state (Source www..org).

pollinators of wild banana foraging on a wild banana as indicators of biological species (Zhong et al. 2002) flower in Kanger Valley richness and health of our and several species of the National Park. Although the environment. The KVNP is ginger family (Yumoto et al. species was reported earlier rich in terms of (311 1997; Sakai et al. 1999). from the Udanti-Sitanadi species; Bharos et al. 2019) Tiger Reserve (20.3090N and other fauna with high Here we report a sighting and 81.9160E), Chhattisgarh endemicity but it is now and the first photographic in May 1996 (Bharos et al. threatened by habitat loss record of the Little 2018) after that there was and fragmentation. As a Spiderhunter from Koleng no report of this species for result of that, some habitats range (18.7610N & 82.0590E) more than 23 years. There have totally vanished of Kanger Valley National is around 150km aerial while others are getting Park (KVNP), Bastar, distance from previous fragmented. Chhattisgarh. sighting to this sighting. Furthermore, this is the first The major difficulties in The KVNP is located in photographic record of this conserving birds are limited Bastar Plateau of southern species from Chhattisgarh. by the availability of habitat, Chhattisgarh. On 29 which highly impacts wide- November 2018, a Little Birds are highly mobile ranging species. In this Spiderhunter was seen vertebrates and considered context, we suggest a

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systematic study of birds Liu, A.-Z., Li De-Zhu, H. Wang & American Journal of Botany 86(5): K.W. John (2002). “Ornithophilous 646–658. of this landscape is a and chiropterophilous pollination prerequisite for the long- in Musa itinerans (musaceae), a Yumoto, T., T. Itino & H. pioneer species in tropical rain Nagamasu (1997). Pollination of term conservation and to fill of Yunnan, Southwestern hemiparasites (Loranthaceae) by the existing knowledge gap ”. Biotropica 34(2): 254–260. spider hunters (Nectariniidae) in https://doi.org/10.1646/0006- the canopy of a Bornean tropical on birds. 3606(2002)034[0254:oacpim]2.0. rain . Selbyana 51–60. co;2

References Majumdar, N. (1979). New Acknowledgements: We thank records of the Birds from Ali, S. & S.D. Ripley (1989). Orissa. Journal of the Bombay Mr. A.M.K. Bharos, president, Handbook of Birds of India and Natural History Society 76(1): Chhattisgarh Wildlife Society for Pakistan. Compact Edition, Oxford 161–162. identifying and confirming the University Press, New Delhi, species; Softy Smith, Mahesh 737pp. Raju, K.S.R.K., Selvin & Kashyap and Aman Saraf from P. Justus (1971). “Little Crow Foundation, Jagdalpur, Bharos, A. M. K., Bux, F., Basak, Spiderhunter, Arachnothera Chhattisgarh for their logistic K., Ahmed, M., & Bharos, longirostris (Latham) in the Eastern support and encouragement A. (2018). Avian diversity and Ghats”. Journal of the Bombay during the survey. Natural History Society 68(2): range extensions records from 454–455. 1 Udanti-Sitanadi tiger reserve, Ravi Naidu , Anurag 1* Chhattisgarh, India. International Vishwakarma & Ameet Rasmussen, P.C. & J.C. 2 Journal of Fauna and Biological Mandavia Anderton (2005). Birds of South 1&2 Studies, 5(1), 214-227. Asia: The Ripley Guide. Volume Crow Foundation, Bastar, Chhattisgarh, India. 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx 1* North Eastern Regional Institute Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp & Edicions, 550pp. of Science and Technology, Nirjuli, T. Inskipp (2014). Birds of the Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh 791109, Indian Subcontinent. Blooburry Ripley, D., B. Beehler & K.S.R.K. India. Email: [email protected] publishing. P. 448. Raju (1986). Birds of the (corresponding author). Visakhapatnam Ghats, Andhra Bharos, A. M. K., Bux, F., Basak, Pradesh. Journal of the Bombay Citation: Naidu, R., A. Natural History Society 84: 540– K., Ahmed, M., & Bharos, Vishwakarma & A. Mandavia 558. A. (2018). Avian diversity and (2020). First photographic range extensions records from Sakai, S., M. Kato & T. Inoue record of the Little Spiderhunter Udanti-Sitanadi tiger reserve, (1999). Three pollination Arachnothera longirostra from Chhattisgarh, India. International guilds and variation in floral Kanger Valley National Park, Journal of Fauna and Biological characteristics of Bornean gingers Bastar, Chhattisgarh. Bird-o-soar Studies, 5(1), 214-227. (Zingiberaceae and Costaceae). #53, In: Zoo’s Print 35(9): 12–14.

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