Rare Indian bird returns to Margalla after 30 years

Islamabad : As a result of reduced human interventions especially due to the number of lockdowns in the past, a rare bird Indian Pitta has finally returned back to the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) after long thirty years.

According to the details, India Pitta bird left the area when human interventions increased manifold due to the establishment of a number of new villages in the heart of MHNP in the early 90s.

The consistent lockdowns after the emergence of coronavirus pandemic decreased human interventions in the Margalla Hills. A number of local animal and bird species returned back to their natural habitats in the last year.

But the return of Indian Pitta to the Margalla Hills is being considered as a major development by the conservationists who now say that the relevant authorities must take effective measures to ensure this trend continues in the future.

Famous wildlife photographer Riaz Khan captured some rare snaps of Indian Pitta birds that showed that they are also breeding on various locations of the Margalla Hills.

Indian Pitta bird has now been discovered through its ‘keee-kee’ note that it utters mostly in the morning time. Its most common call-note is a loud, clear double whistle wheel-tew, heard mostly in the morning and evening time. Indian Pitta is a very colourful bird. Size between 18 cm to 20 cm it is a small stubby-tailed bird. The beak of Indian Pitta is orange or brownish-orange with a black tip. It has long, strong legs, a very short tail, and a stout beak, with a buff coloured crown stripe, black coronal stripes, a thick black eye stripe, and white throat and neck.

The upper parts of its plumage are green, with a blue tail, the underparts buff, with bright red on the lower belly and vent.

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has announced that it would make all-out efforts to protect the natural habitats of bird and animal species and also create a peaceful environment for them by reducing human interventions.