Rare bird spotted in Joida forest

KARWAR: A rare bird known as Wynaad Laughingthrush (scientific name Garrrulax Delesserti) was recently spotted in the Joida forest region after 23 years, according to ZP chief executive officer, Vijaymohanraj.Prasanna Parab, a native of Joida, who spotted the rare bird in the Diggi forest region of Joida taluk, brought this to the notice of Vijaymohanraj, a forest officer of IFS cadre, who was easily able to identify the bird. According to Vijaymohanraj, the bird was last spotted in Castlerock forest region in 1988 by an ornithologist, Dr Ranjit Daniel. It is rarely spotted in Joida, and also in the Polem forest region in Goa, he explained.The bird can be identified by its dark brownish-grey upper part, a black mask  and a white throat. It bears a slight resemblance to another bird called Garrulax Gularish, found in northeastern parts of the country. The bird is endemic to the Western Ghats region.