Communicating Science for Conservation
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Communicating Science for Conservation © Arjun Srivathsa ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online) Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organization Vol. XXXV, No. 9 September 2020 www.zoosprint.zooreach.org Communicating science for conservation Vol. XXXV, No. 9, September 2020 ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online) Contents Articles Canid Crisis? -- Arjun Srivathsa, Pp. 1-11 Bird-o-soar First photographic record of the Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra from Kanger Valley National Park, Bastar, Chhattisgarh -- Ravi Naidu, Anurag Vishwakarma & Ameet Mandavia, Pp. 12–14 Observation of Shaheen Falcon in Odisha, India -- Amit Kumar Bal, Nimain Charan Palei, Bhakta Padarbinda Rath & Deepak Ranjan Behera, Pp. 15–17 frog leg A new distribution record of Annandale’s Bush Frog from Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, Jharkhand -- Gopal Sharma & Rahul Kumar, Pp. 18–20 Bugs R All Observation of a unique nesting in Bullhorn Ant Polyrhachis lacteipennis -- Amar Paul Singh, Kritish De, Manju Siliwal & Virendra Prasad Uniyal, Pp. 21–23 REPTILE RAP COVID-19 Lockdown: ish in dinner, Gharials, and conservation -- Sunil Sapkota, Pp. 24–26 Gharial may head for IUCN Green-listing on securing its habitat! -- L.A.K. Singh, Pp. 27–28 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 1 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 2 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 3 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 4 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 5 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 6 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 7 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 8 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 9 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 10 Arjun is a wildlife biologist who works on the conservation ecology of large carnivores in India. He earned a PhD from the University of Florida (USA), and is currently a Research Associate with Wildlife Conservation Society– India. Arjun Srivathsa, PhD Dept. of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Florida Gainesville, Florida, USA www.arjunsrivathsa.org Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 11 #53 Bird-o-soar 21 September 2020 First photographic record of the Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra from Kanger Valley National Park, Bastar, Chhattisgarh The Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra (Latham, 1790) is a nectarivore bird species found in the Western Ghats (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 India (Grimmett et al. 2014). They are usually seen in single or pairs. They have a distinctive long beak that sets it apart from other sunbirds. 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). Spiderhunters Photograph of Little Spiderhunter observed in Bastar Plateau have been noted as good on 29 November 2018. Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 12 #53 Bird-o-soar 21 September 2020 Recorded species from Chhattisgarh and surrounding state (Source www.ebird.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 birds (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 Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 13 #53 Bird-o-soar 21 September 2020 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 forests of Yunnan, Southwestern hemiparasites (Loranthaceae) by the existing knowledge gap China”. 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 forest. 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. Zoo’s Print Vol. 35 | No. 9 14 #54 Bird-o-soar 21 September 2020 Observation of Shaheen Falcon in Odisha, India Shaheen Falcon Falco peregrinus peregrinator is a subspecies of Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka (Dottlinger 2002; Dottlinger & Nicholls 2005), central, southeastern China, and northern Myanmar (de Silva et al. 2007). The Shaheen Falcon has also been reported in Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Pande et al. 2009). It is said to be a resident bird of this region (Ali & Reply 1987) and described as a migratory subspecies by (Molard et al. 2007). According to the few specific data, the Black Shaheen / Shaeen Falcon is apparently rare, only prefer rocky outcrops to forest areas. Breeding pairs are mostly found in Sri Lanka (Wait 1931; Henry 1971; Cade 1982; Brown & A madon 1989; Weick 1989; Lamsfuss 1998; Döttlinger 2002). The national Red Shaheen Falcon Falco List of Sri Lanka peregrinus peregrinator sighted in Takatpur, (https://www.nationalredlist.org/ Baripada Forest Division search2/species-search/) 22.x.2016. classified the subspecies as ‘Vulnerable’ (Hoffmann 1998). The Vulnerable status is concordant with a population estimated to number 63–82 breeding pairs (Döttlinger & Hoffmann 1999; Döttlinger 2002). It is assumed that the population of this subspecies has always been numerically small. At 09.18h on 22 October 2016, we observed the Shaheen Falcon, which flew in front of us and sat on a mobile tower at Baripada, the district of Mayurbhanj, Odisha, which was outside of our university campus (21.909440 N, 86.769110 E). Nearly after a year, on 1 Nov 2017 we spotted this raptor for the second time in Joranda waterfall, Similipal Tiger Reserve, Odisha. It was identified as an adult Shaheen Falcon based on its blackish upper parts, rufous under parts, dark streaks, and white on throat (Ali & Reply 1987). The Zoo’sZoo’s PrintPrint Vol.Vol. 3535 || No.No. 99 1515 #54 Bird-o-soar 21 September 2020 complete black face mask is sharply demarcated from the white throat. The length of the bird ranged from 380 to 440 mm (Dottlinger 2002; de Silva et al. 2007). There is no record of the Shaheen Falcon documented from Odisha before. Shaheen Falcons were frequently reported from Bangiriposi, Rairangpur Forest Division Shaheen Falcon sighted in Joranda, Similipal Tiger Reserve, Baripada, 01.xi.2017.