Ooty: Nilgiris summer is the perfect season for bird watching as the lush green surroundings and the salubrious weather makes it interesting. Spotting a banded or ringed bird adds to the joy of bird watching. For the bird watching foursome including A. Bhoopathy of Kotagiri Wildlife Association, his grandson A. Indrajith (class 10 student at Riverside Public School), R. Prabhu (Kotagiri) and Vinoba Anand of Madurai, this summer’s bird watching outing is very special as they spotted a banded Nilgiri Blue Robin, a rarely spotted threatened species, in Kotagiri hills.
“Banding or ringing of bird is nothing but attaching a tiny metal or plastic tag to the leg or wing of a bird with some numbers to help in individual identification of the particular bird. This banding helps to keep track of the movements of the bird, its migration and its life history” Bhoopathy said.
This Nilgiri Blue Robin was banded in Kerala in April 2011 by Bengaluru-based Mr Robin Vijayan, a noted bird watcher. Nearly five years after its banding, this individual bird along with others in its group was spotted in Kotagiri this summer which showcased its migration from Kerala to Kotagiri over the years, Bhoopathy said.
The Nilgiri Blue Robin (yiomela major) also known as the Nilgiri Shortwing, White Bellied Shortwing or the Rufous Bellied Shortwing refers to a kind of bird in the family muscicapidae, which is endemic to the shola forests of the of south India, he added.
