Hill myna spotted in Ghumusar division

Berhampur: Forest officials of Ghumusar division have recently found a very high concentration of hill myna in at least three ranges, a rare sighting since the bird is not commonly spotted in other parts of the state.

“Though the birds are distributed across the division, it’s abundant in Jagannath Prasad, Mujagarh and Central ranges,” Himansu Sekhar Mohanty, divisional forest officer (Ghumusar north), said.“They are most commonly sighted on bare tree tops, densely wooded areas and on Champa trees,” Mohanty said, adding that the availability of fruits like berries and figs and the protection given by locals are some of the reasons for abundant sightings of the myna in the area.“Although the bird is categorized as ‘least concern’ as per the IUCN list, its population, however, has declined. Rapid decline in forest cover area is one of the major causes for its declining population. Besides, it faces the threat of being captured and caged for its mimicking ability,” ornithologists said“The bird mimics the human voice and that’s why it is often captured by hunters,” Sagar Kumar Patra, a wildlife activist, said.

“Although there is no specific conservation project for the myna implemented in the area by the govt, we, however, created awareness among local people to protect the birds. We have taken up plantation of more Champa trees in the area,” Mohanty added.Like Chhattisgarh, the state govt needs to implement the myna conservation project in the area to protect and monitor its migration route and nesting sites,” Rabindra Nath Sahu, another wildlife activist, said.