Wildlife: Hidden in the woods

THE Ceylon Frogmouth (Batrachostomus Podargidae, Family Padargidae) is a very shy, nocturnal bird found in the Western Ghats. The species can easily be identified from its wide beak which is shaped just like a frog's mouth. It is predominantly gray with white streaks to enable it to blend with its surroundings.

The bird was first recorded by the late Dr. Salim Ali on field work during his Survey of the Birds of Kerala at the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and at Thattekad in Kerala in 1953, and then by Dr. V. S. Vijayan (SACON) in 1979 and by Dr. R. Sugathan in 1981. Two species are found in India - B. Moniliger in the Western Ghats and B. Hodgsoni Hodgsoni of the subtropical evergreen forests of North India.

An incorrect report about the distribution of this species, published in The Hindu (S. Faizi) on October 10, 1984, says that the bird has not been reported in Tamil Nadu even though there are suitable habitats. The bird is found in the State's shola forests.

The bird is no larger than a common Myna.I photographed three of these rare birds in 1998 in the Karian Shola forests of the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary near Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, in the morning. They were uncomfortable when the flash was used but did not fly away.

The species has also been reported in the Parambikulam Thattekad, Silent Valley, Periyar and Sabarimala-Pamba forests, besides Sri Lanka.

It is highly endangered due to habitat destruction.

K. RAMACHANDRAN

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