‘HANUMAN PLOVER’
A NEW SPECIES OF GROUND-NESTING SHOREBIRD IN MANNAR
Sri Lanka is a popular bird paradise for bird-watching and birding groups from around the world. Though it is not highlighted and promoted in Lankan travel industry, bird lovers (birders) and bird watching groups visit Sri Lanka for that purpose itself and the sector enjoys a considerable percentage in the inbound travel segment to Sri Lanka.
Both birdwatchers and birders are usually amateurs and they do this as a hobby. The scientific study of birds is called ornithology and the people who study birds as a profession are called ornithologists. According to statistics, Sri Lanka is home to some 34 endemic bird species, the total number of bird species recorded in the island is 492 of which 219 are breeding residents. ‘Birdlife International’ recognises Sri Lanka as one of the world's Endemic Bird Areas (EBAS).
Recently Sri Lanka discovered another new bird species endemic to Sri Lanka in Mannar after extensive study and research done by Dr. Sampath S. Seneviratne from the Zoology and Environmental Sciences Department of the University of Colombo along with Jude Janitha Niroshan, a graduate research student attached to UOC.
The new found little bird is officially named ‘Hanuman Oleviya’ in Sinhala and as ‘Hanuman Plover’ in English. The new bird species ‘Hanuman Plover’, found in the Mannar Islands and the in Palk Strait region, is endemic to Sri Lanka and the Palk Bay areas of India. Mannar is a popular destination for bird-watching among birders which is undeniably the best location is Sri Lanka to see the birds with easily accessible roads, flat open terrain and water lagoons.
‘Hanuman Plover’ is white in colour and it breeds in the wetlands of Sri Lanka’ said Dr. Seneviratne. He added the bird’s scientific name would most probably be called Charadrius Seebohmi.
When asked why the new species has been named as the Hanuman Plover, Dr. Sampath Seneviratne said it is to signify the affinity of Hanuman into Rama’s Bridge and critical areas for shorebirds in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Seneviratne who is a Research Scientist on Molecular Ecology, Evolution and Ornithology, explains that plovers are small shorebirds living in the interface between water and land – those strips of beaches, wetlands, sometimes even paddy fields and salterns.
The wetlands are important for migrant birds and breeding birds in Sri Lanka as well as the shorebirds. Among plovers, the smallest are Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) from the family Charadridae and distinguishable from other plovers by their prominent white hind-neck collar.
Pointing out that up to 2018, scientists believed that under Kentish Plovers there were six sub-species in different geographical regions across the world, Dr. Seneviratne explains that with modern-day genomics and widespread research, it had been found that there is no gene flow (reproduction) among some of these sub-species.
"We use technology and new methods for bird tracking programmes. The tracking devices have a built-in GPS module, sensors and wireless communication module and is capable of collecting Location-based data (GPS accuracy) and Environmental Behaviour data"
The researchers said this bird has been wrongly known as a subspecies of Kentish Plover, a migratory bird visiting Sri Lanka annually from the Northern hemisphere. However Dr. pointed out that this bird is not a migratory but endemic to Sri Lanka.
Dr. Seneratne is a senior lecturer in Zoology and Environmental Science University of Colombo. He has won many rave reviews and accolades, both here and abroad.
This is a collaborative project of field ornithology group of Sri Lanka of University of Colombo along with Dr. Sampath Seneviratne and Jude Janitha Niroshan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wetlands International, Dept. of Wildlife Conservation and Hotel Palmyrah House in Mannar.
‘We used technology and new methods for bird tracking programmes. The tracking devices have a built-in GPS module, sensors and wireless communication module and is capable of collecting Location-based data (GPS accuracy) and Environmental Behaviour data’ explained Dr. Sampath Seneviratne.
‘This satellite tracking technology helps us to capture the movements of the birds, their where about and other unique features’ Jude Janitha Niroshan said. ‘The important species that were tagged so far include Common Redshank, Grey Plover, Whimbrel, the rare Crab Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit, the globally threatened Black-tailed Godwit and Caspian Tern’ he added.
Referring to their finding of a brand new species, Dr. Seneviratne said that using their strong bonds with Chinese scientist Dr. Yang Liu of Sun Yet-sun University, they set about identifying the differences, both morphological and genetic divergences.
He explained about shorebirds and mentioned there are over 500 species globally and about 70 species in Sri Lanka. ‘True shorebirds, unlike forest birds which live on trees, have unique adaptations to suit their lifestyle’.