Chinese Pond Heron sighted in State

It was found in the marshy plains of Keerampara panchayat in Kothamangalam

The Chinese Pond Heron was sighted for the first time in Kerala on June 11.

Naturalists Anoop Jacob and Abid Haneef spotted the bird in the marshy plains of Keerampara panchayat in Kothamangalam. The bird that is generally found in shallow fresh and salt water ponds and wetlands of China has been reported from parts of north-east India, Andamans and Nicobar Islands and once from Tamil Nadu in 2013.

“Unlike Thattekkad which is a bird sanctuary, this area is not a hotspot for birding, so we were absolutely stunned to see the Chinese pond heron,” said Anoop adding that he could identify it by its breeding plumage — black upper body and chestnut head and neck.

The two adventurists were chalking out a carbon neutral bicycle trip for birdwatchers in Thattekkad and casually riding across the rural landscape when they spotted the bird amid a cluster of ducks, eagles and cormorants.

“Identification of the Chinese Pond Heron is very difficult as it can be done only in breeding plumage. Its breeding time is from May to August, after which it looks like the Indian Pond Heron and it is impossible to identify it. Such occurrences happen as vagrants, ones that get lost during migration. The bird has been spotted even in Rajasthan and parts of Pakistan but never in Kerala. What is interesting is that the month of June is rather late for a migratory bird to be spotted,” Praveen J, Co-ordinator, Bird Count India, says.

Sathyan Mattayur, a birder for the last 30 years, says: “Herons are freshwater birds and the Chinese version is one of the three species in Asia, the Indian variety which is widespread, the Chinese version seen in north-east of India and as vagrants, but the rarest is the Javan Pond Heron. In Kerala, we generally see the Indian pond heron. The Chinese pond heron does migrate but is commonly seen in Vietnam, Korea, Thailand and even in parts of Tibet. It must have come here through Bay of Bengal.”

Vishnupriyan Kartha, Secretary, Cochin Natural History Society, says: “The species Ardeola Bacchusis is fairly common and not considered a threatened species by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). It is exciting that the bird was finally spotted here.”

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