New species of puff-throated babbler makes first appearance in Rajasthan

Jaipur: The spotting of a new species of babbler bird has added a new dimension to Rajasthan's rich biodiversity. The small resident bird spotted in Udaipur is a Puff-throated babbler, whose scientific name is Pelornius ruficeps.

This new species of bird has been found in the Phulwari Ki Nal Wildlife Sanctuary in Udaipur district.

The Puff-throated babbler was spotted by environmental scientists Dharmendra Khandal, Satish Sharma and Harkirat Singh Sangha, who are working for biodiversity conservation in south Rajasthan. A detailed report on this has been published in Issue 16 of the 'Indian Birds'.

Udaipur-baseed ornithologist Satish Sharma said that the newly-spotted bird is a member of the babbler family whose beak and legs are light pink in colour. The colour of the back is light black, the throat is completely white and there are deep stripes on the chest.

The white and black stripe above the eye extends to the back of the neck. It stays in pairs or small groups and eats insects lying on the ground in the clump of leaves falling down from the trees.

This babbler species is found in Vijayanagar, Gujarat, the plateau regions in Bihar and Odissa, Eastern and Western Ghats regions, Palakkad in Kerala, and Chitteri Hills in Tamil Nadu, among other places.