Migratory bird willow warbler spotted and recorded in Mangaluru

MANGALURU With the winter migration of birds on, birders have spotted and recorded the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) in Mangaluru. It is said to be the first time this has been recorded in Karnataka. The bird was spotted and recorded by birder Arnold Goveas alongside fellow birder K. Vivek R. Nayak on Wednesday.

“The bird was spotted at 8.45 a.m. at Kenjar, on the outskirts of Mangaluru by Mr. Goveas who photographed it,” Mr. Nayak told The Hindu. “It is first record for Karnataka and fifth record for India,” Mr.

Nayak, with his more than a decade of experience in birding, said. Earlier it was recorded twice in Keralam, once each in Tamil Nadu and the north east, Mr. Nayak said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the willow warbler under the conservation status of ‘least concern.’ According to The Bird Count of India, Phylloscopus trochilus breeds across northern latitudes, stretching from western Europe to eastern Siberia, with all populations migrating to Africa.