Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2023 | 15(5): 23273–23275

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8432.15.5.23273-23275

#8432 | Received 06 March 2023 | Final received 18 April 2023 | Finally accepted 05 May 2023

 

 

Sighting of Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves: Anseriformes: Anatidae) in Hadinaru Kere, Mysuru, India

 

Basavaraju Shivakumar 1 & Gopal Praphul 2

 

1 #4616, Link road, 3rd Cross NR Mohalla, Mysuru, Karnataka 570007, India.

2 Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641108, India.

1 shivanna.mys@gmail.com, 2 praphulgopal.btr@gmail.com (corresponding author)

 

 

 

Editor: H. Byju, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.          Date of publication: 26 May 2023 (online & print)

 

Citation: Shivakumar, B. & G. Praphul (2023). Sighting of Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves: Anseriformes: Anatidae) in Hadinaru Kere, Mysuru, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(5): 23273–23275. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8432.15.5.23273-23275

 

Copyright: © Shivakumar & Praphul 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements:  We thank Dr. H.N. Kumara for his guidance and support for writing this manuscript, and also Dr. H.V. Santhrupth for his continuous support.

 

 

The Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red List due to a decline in the key breeding population in its breeding grounds in Russia, and a further decline in global population (BirdLife International 2023). They are long-distance Palearctic migrants that breed intermittently in the subarctic zone from northern Fennoscandia to eastern Siberia; wintering and staging regions, as well as their migratory routes, are only partially understood (Jones et al. 2008). In India, the bird winters in several areas like Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra (Rahmani 2012). However, most sight records from India are still refuted and best regarded as tentative (Praveen et al. 2014), yet from 2013 onwards the bird has been sighted in the Kutch region of Gujarat (Khan 2013; Shreeram & Deomurari 2014).

On 10 February 2023, the first author on his birding to Hadinaru Lake recorded a smaller bird with a chocolate brown head, a prominent white patch above its pink beak, and a golden yellow eye ring among a huge flock of Bar-Headed Geese Anser indicus. Slow approach was made to the bird and was photographed for identification (Image 1,2) and later the bird was identified using field guide (Grimmett et al. 2016) as Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus from its characteristics.

Hadinaru Lake lies between 12.178–12.17 0N & 76.74 –76.759 0E, in the Nanjangud Taluk, Mysuru District, Karnataka State. The catchment area of the lake is 8.57 km2. The lake hosts several migratory birds such as Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata, Common Pochard Aythya farina, Striated Heron Butorides striata, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier Circus aeruginosus, Osprey Pandion haliaetus, and Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga (Gopal Praphul 2005–2020 pers. obs.). During its peak winter season, the Bar Headed Goose population rises to 400–600. In a total of 15 visits from 10 February 2023 to 4 March 2023, a lone Anser erthyropus was documented along with the gaggle of Bar-Headed Geese.

The available literature indicates that all the earlier sightings are confined to northern and northeastern India and a few sporadic sightings in the west (Praveen et al. 2014) (Figure 1). The present record of the bird this far in inland southern peninsula adds to its current distribution range. Thus, the current sighting stands to be the first record for the state of Karnataka and southern India. 

 

For figure & images - - click here for full PDF

 

 

References

 

BirdLife International (2023). Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus)—BirdLife species factsheet: Anser erythropus. http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/lesser-white-fronted-goose-anser-erythropus. Downloaded on 03 March 2023.

Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp & T. Inskipp (2016). Birds of the Indian Subcontinent: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. Bloomsbury Publishing, 528 pp

Jones, T., K. Martin, B. Barov & S. Nagy (Compilers) (2008). International single species action plan for the conservation of the Western Palearctic population of the Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus. AEWA Technical Series No.36. Bonn, Germany, 130 pp.

Khan, A. (2013). First Record of Lesser White-Fronted Goose Anser erythropus from Gujarat, India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 110(3) 224–224.

Praveen, J., R. Jayapal & A. Pittie (2014). Notes on Indian rarities—2: Waterfowl, diving waterbirds, and gulls and terns. Indian BIRDS 9(5 & 6): 113–136.

Rahmani, A.R. (2012). Threatened Birds of India: Their Conservation Requirements. Bombay Natural History Society, 861 pp.

Shreeram, M.V. & A. Deomurari (2014). A record of Lesser-Anser erythropus and Greater-White-fronted Geese A. albifrons from Gujarat, India. Indian BIRDS 9(5 & 6): 148–149.