Forest owlet may replace hariyal as Maharashtra state bird

Priya Ramakrishnan / DNA
Mumbai: The critically endangered forest owlet may soon take over from the green pigeon (Hariyal in Marathi) as the state bird of Maharashtra. The Bombay natural history society (BNHS) is in the process of recommending an elevation in the status of the bird to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).

The bird is an endemic species found in the Toranmal reserve forest and the Melghat tiger reserve in Amravati. For 113 years, the forest owlet was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 1997 at the Toranmal forest.

“The last bird count in 2005 estimates its population between 100 and 250. It is now categorised as critically endangered. We are now looking for sponsors and funding to conduct a thorough bird count across the whole Satpura region,” said Raju Kasambe, project manager, important bird areas (IBA), BNHS.

“The green pigeon is found across India and has no special connection to Maharashtra. The forest owlet, by contrast, is found only in Maharashtra and we should be proud of this endemic species,” said Kasambe.

According to him, unlike other owls, forest owlet is diurnal, hunting only in daytime “This bird is on the verge of extinction because it requires a specific habitat at an altitude between 300 and 500 metres. The biggest threat to the bird is the encroachment and conversion of forest areas into agricultural land,” said Kasambe.

Ian Barber, international officer, Asia, royal society for the protection of birds (RSPB), who is working on the project along with BNHS, said, “We need to spread awareness about this unique bird and if it is made the state bird, it would garner more support from various organisations. It is currently facing threat from the tribal population spread across these areas.”