Almost four years after it was seen in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) near Borivli, the rare nocturnal bird was spotted by a wildlife enthusiast, Aditya Salekar, in the Yeoor forests during a 24-hour animal census on Saturday and Sunday.

Experts say the presence of this species is limited to the Western Ghats and the recent sightings in the north Western Ghats, which includes Mumbai and Thane, may indicate the growing green cover here.

"The Sri Lankan Frogmouth is present across tropical and dense forest regions in the South Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. This species lives in green habitats and thrives on small insects. As the SGNP, which includes the Yeoor range, has all the requirements, in addition to adequate water, they seem to have spread their habitat up north too," said a Yeoor forest official.

The census was conducted in the forest range over the last weekend to help the forest department get a clear picture of the animal population in the Yeoor range.

Avinash Bhagat, a member of Thane's Paryavaran Dakshata Manch, who has co-authored a book on the birds on Thane creek, believes that the SGNP may have many birds of this species.

"The bird can camouflage amid tree barks and other surroundings it resides in and is hard to spot. It is active after dark, when the park is closed for visitors," Bhagat said.

The 24-hour census, meanwhile, registered a decline in the number of animals—from last year's 300 to 250.

However, forest officials said the method of calculating animal population through manual headcount was inaccurate as there could be double counting or observational errors. Sanjay Waghmode, Yeoor forest range officer, said that the animal mcensus was carried out to involve wildlife enthusiasts and spot new species. "We managed to achieve both this year," he said.

(timesofindia.indiatimes.com)