Passage migrant bird spotted in Kanniyakumari is new addition to T.N.’s bird checklist

Rare Rufous-tailed rock thrush spotted in Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, first record in Tamil Nadu, documented on eBird.

A Rufous-tailed rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis) that was spotted in Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday (October 16, 2024) is the latest addition to the checklist of birds in Tamil Nadu.

As per birding platform eBird, a female Rufous-tailed rock thrush spotted and photographed by Vinod Sadhasivan, founder of Kanniyakumari Nature Foundation, is the first record of the bird in Tamil Nadu.

“It was an accidental sighting when we were engaged in invasive plant removal works in Kaliyal forest range in Kanniyakumari. A lot of grasshoppers were moving around as invasive plants were being removed. A female Rufous-tailed rock-thrush was found feeding on the grasshoppers. It disappeared after eating a few of them,” Mr. Sadhasivan said.

The spotting of the rare bird and its photograph were uploaded on eBird platform, where an entry was made after verification. The bird has been spotted a few times in Kerala and largely on north-western parts of India during migration.

According to Mr. Sadhasivan, the Rufous-tailed rock thrush breeds in Southern Europe across Central Asia to Northern China. It migrates to Africa during the non-breeding season. In the breeding regions, it is known as Common rock thrush.

Coimbatore-based birder K. Selvaganesh said the individual spotted in Kanniyakumari could be a passage migrant to Africa. It is believed to have made a brief halt during a long flight or possibly due to rain.

Mr. Sadhasiva added that spotting of two other birds, namely Persian shearwater (Puffinus persicus) and Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), in Kanniyakumari recently, were also the first sightings of the birds in Tamil Nadu.