02/09/2016
A very rare find, the yellow throated bulbul @ the ATR. - photo credit Dhiren Malani
"Saving the yellow throated Bulbul" - Swathi. V, published in the Hindu 5/9/2015.
‘Yellow Throated Bulbul’ could be the next in the line of wildlife species to find place in the conservation plans of the ‘Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES),’ a conservation arm of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).
The Hyderabad-based laboratory is studying the ecology and population distribution of this infrequently sighted avian species endemic to the southern part of India, so as to make a strong case for ‘preventive conservation.’
Protection of this bird, which is not cosmopolitan in nature unlike its oft-sighted sisters Red-vented Bulbul and Red-whiskered Bulbul, is hoped to make a case for extension of conservation efforts to its habitat—the scrublands.
“Affording protection of scrubland after identifying crucial sites for the species is the best way to preserve the bird. This will also serve other residents such as four-horned antelope, star tortoise and several species of amphibians and reptiles,” says Karthikeyan Vasudevan, senior principal scientist of LaCONES.
Expressing concern that the conservation efforts are limited only to the ‘eye-candy’ species and their habitats, Dr. Vasudevan points out that scrub forests of the Eastern Ghats are not ‘green,’ yet classified as ‘Tropical Savanna Biome’ and support large diversity of wild animals.
The yellow-throated bulbul ( Pycnonotus xantholaemus ) is one among the 22 bulbul species of India, and has not got much attention from many quarters. It is known from less than 100 observations spread over peninsular India, with less than 10 nests reported in the past century, Dr. Vasudevan says.
Wildlife photographer Masood Hussain corroborates, saying he had spotted the birds very rarely, once in Chevella region of Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district, besides Bangalore and Dandeli regions of Karnataka. It could also be spotted at Srisailam foothills and Nandi Hills of Mysore, adds Shafatullah, honorary secretary of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh.
Though categorised as ‘vulnerable’ under the IUCN Red List, there have not been definitive population studies on this species, and if ignored further, it could end up being another ‘Jerdon’s Courser’ of India—a near-extinct bird also from the scrublands of Eastern Ghats, fears Dr. Vasudevan.
Quite interestingly, the yellow-throated bulbul is not threatened by poaching or capturing, but by habitat destruction over decades, especially owing to granite mining, agricultural expansion and cattle grazing.
Besides estimating the numbers, the study by LaCONES will also make efforts to understand the genetics of the known sub-populations of the bird across peninsular India, Dr. Vasudevan says.
