New winged visitor in Telangana: Korean flycatcher sighted in Mahabubabad

Birdwatcher Hari Gopal Srirangam from Telangana recently spotted a Yellow-rumped flycatcher at the Bheemunipadam waterfalls in Mahabubabad district, marking the 445th bird species recorded in the state.

Sangareddy: Another new bird was sighted in Telangana, adding to the long list of avian species found in the State.

Hari Gopal Srirangam, a seasoned bird watcher from Telangana, sighted a Yellow-rumped flycatcher at the Bheemunipadam waterfalls in Mahabubabad district, taking the total number of bird species sighted in Telangana to 445.

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The Yellow-rumped flycatcher, a native to Eastern Asia, is also called a Korean flycatcher since it was found in Korea. It flies down to South Asia to avoid harsh weather during the winter season. It returns to Eastern Asia again during March and April. Hari Gopal had sighted the bird on April 23, but he could not identify it immediately as it was a rare sighting then. When he shared the picture on the e-Bird database, several other experts identified it as a Korean flycatcher, much to the elation of the birder.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Hari Gopal said he was on cloud nine as he became the first person to record the Korean flycatcher on Telangana soil. Though it was sighted in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, he said it was never recorded in Telangana.

The bird breeds in Korea, Mongolia, and Japan during the summer. It can be recalled that another wildlife photographer, Sriram Reddy, had recorded a Scaly Thrust, the 444th bird sighted in the State, at the Bheemunipadam waterfalls during the last week of November this year. The sighting of the Korean flycatcher at the same waterfalls has underlined the avifaunal diversity of the region.