Mahendranagar, 25 May 

A new bird species for Nepal has been discovered in the Shuklaphanta National Park region in the far west. A new species of Bhadrai bird has been introduced to the Lanidae bird family.

The English name of this bird is 'Lesser Gray Shrike'. Kishore Mehta, Chief Conservation Officer of Shuklaphanta National Park, informed that a Lesser Gray Shrike bird was found on Baisakh 30th (May 13, 2023) during the regular wildlife survey conducted by the Park Office and National Nature Conservation Fund (NTNC) Shuklaphanta Conservation Program.

"When a new species of bird was seen, we sent the details along with the photographs taken in the field to the committee of ornithologists of Nepal to confirm whether it is a new species or not", he said, "It has been confirmed that it is a new species."

The bird was recorded by Devraj Joshi, a wildlife technician with the Shukla Phanta conservation program, according to a news statement published by NTNC. According to the organization, a new species of Bhadrai bird was discovered for the first time on the river bank of Kalapani in the park's northern region. The bird was photographed at an elevation of 218 meters above sea level.

So far, six species of Bhadrai birds have been identified in Nepal. The new species of Bhadrai bird was discovered and reported to the Nepal Ornithologists' Association's 'Rare Word Record Committee' for further identification. It was recognized from other Bhadrai due to differences in body form, peculiar black marks on the forehead and palate, the sole white mark on the black wings, and so on.

The committee has confirmed that the Bhadrai bird found in Shuklaphanta is a new species, along with the photos taken from the field and the opinion of nationally and internationally renowned ornithologists. Ornithologists in this committee Dr. Mehta said that ornithologists like Hemsagar Baral, Carol Inskeep, Hathan Chaudhary, Tikaram Giri, and others were there.

According to NTNC, Lesser Gray Shrike is a long-distance migratory bird. It is said that this bird migrates from Siberia to the African continent through Central Asia. In 2020, this species was recorded in the Ludhiana region of the Punjab province of India.

With the discovery of new bird species, the total number of bird species discovered in Shuklaphanta National Park has risen to 460. Similarly, the total number of bird species discovered in Nepal has risen to 892. According to Chief Conservation Officer Mehta, the addition of a new bird species to Shuklaphanta is a source of tremendous excitement for Nepal. "Although this bird is not rare, it is a matter of happiness for Nepal to add a new species," he explained.