A critically endangered white-bellied heron with a worldwide population of only 250 individuals was recently spotted in the Kamalang Tiger Reserve in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. The video of this rare spotting was posted by the Tiger Reserve on its social media pages. The video zooms in to focus on the bird perched on a distant cliff, starting from the reserve’s picturesque backdrop showing mountains and a flowing water body. Sitting on the rock for a while, the heron descends into the forest of the reserve.
“White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) seen during AITE 2021-22. Prefers disturbed habitats. The IUCN has classified it, along with an estimated 250 individuals in the world, under the critically endangered species list,” read the caption shared by the Kamlang Tiger Reserve along with the video.
Check it out here:
Since being posted online on February 12, the video has garnered over 6 thousand views with multiple reactions from netizens. Appreciating the bird’s beauty, netizens shared their concern over the alarming decline in the white-bellied heron population across the world.
Commonly found in wetlands of tropical and subtropical forests in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas of India, Myanmar and Bhutan, this bird is plain dark colored with white throat and underparts.
The isolation of the white-bellied heron prevented it from learning new sites and food sources, which could have facilitated its survival. The bird reportedly has a population of 10 individuals in India, the majority of which are believed to be in Arunachal Pradesh. It was listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List in 2007.
However, the white-bellied heron is not the only endangered species found in the Kamlang Tiger Reserve. According to its website, the tiger reserve is also home to more than 105 bird species, 20 species of reptiles and 60 species of mammals, including Royal Bengal Tiger, Common Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Marble Cat, Leopard Cat, Snow Leopard and Asian . Elephant among many others.
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