© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A video of a critically endangered white-bellied heron spotted in the Kamlang Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lohit district has surfaced online.
Set in a picturesque background, the heron is seen perching on a rock amid a water body as the camera zooms in. After a while, the bird flies away into the wilderness.
“White bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) sighted during the AITE 2021-22. Prefers undisturbed habitats. IUCN has categorized it under CRITICALLY ENDANGERED species list,with an estimated 250 individuals in the world,” said the Kamlang Tiger Reserve as it posted the clip on its Twitter handle.
The video shared on February 12 has been viewed more than 5,000 times so far. Netizens raised concern over the decline in the white-bellied heron’s population. “Such an alarming situation. These species needs to be preserve at any cost. They are on the verge of extinction,” commented a user.
The white-bellied heron is mainly dark greyish with contrasting white throat, belly and vent, white-streaked scapulars, fore neck and upper breast. Both females and males have two lace-like white plumes on the back of their neck, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Known as Ardea insignis, the species is found in the eastern Himalayan foothills in Bhutan, Northeast India to the hills of Bangladesh, north Myanmar and west, central Myanmar. Recently, the species was found in Assam and Namdapaha in Arunachal Pradesh, a few sites in Bhutan, and parts of Myanmar, according to IUCN’s data.
IUCN says the heron is categorised as critically endangered owing to its extremely small and rapidly declining population. Due to the loss and degradation of lowland forests and wetlands, their population is estimated to decline further.
The species is mainly found near small or large rivers, usually with sand or gravel bars, adjacent to the subtropical or tropical broadleaved forest. They are also spotted in lowlands up to at least 1,500 metres, and lakes near wet grasslands. Mainly found in inaccessible and undistributed areas, the birds are generally solitary. However, they may aggregate into small flocks and family groups during winter.
