Tawny Fish-Owl (Ketupa flavipes Hodgson, 1836): A new record from a sacred grove in Zemithang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh

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Malyasri Bhattacharya
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7152-9863
Bhupendra S. Adhikari
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5632-0044
G.V. Gopi
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0909-7086

Abstract

Individuals of Tawny Fish-Owl (Ketupa flavipes) were sighted and photographed in a sacred grove in Zemithang, Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh during nine months fieldwork between June 2017 and February 2018. Previous records from ebird have only listed the occurrence of Tawny Fish-Owl from Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh. The present sighting is the first photographic evidence from Tawang district in Western Arunachal Pradesh. The record shows the importance of sacred groves in the conservation of wildlife, which is threatened due to an upcoming hydroelectric power project in the area.

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