E-Paper
Wildbuzz | Beware of great imposters!
Though not a common species of the greater Chandigarh region, the Indian cormorant is often listed wrongly in regional birding forums, thereby inflating its actual presence
A vivid example of identification complexities that bedevil allied avian species is the one presented by two renowned fish hunters, the great cormorant (GC) and the Indian cormorant (IC). Though not a common species of the greater Chandigarh region, the IC is often listed wrongly in regional birding forums, thereby inflating its actual presence.
Prof Gurpartap Singh, who enjoys a reputation for painstaking efforts and rigorous analysis with respect to species identification, photographed two genuine specimens of the IC at Mote Majra (Banur) wetland last week. The duo were definitely not great imposters! Singh also checked the records of alleged ICs from the region uploaded by birders on social media and the popular citizen science platform, eBird India. His evaluation turned up very few authentic regional records of the IC.
At my request, Singh penned a ready reckoner of IC identification in the field, which would be useful for budding birders. “The GC is of approximate size 80 cm whereas the IC is 63 cm. When in non-breeding plumage the GC, or its female due to a somewhat smaller size, gets wrongly identified as the IC,” he said. According to Singh, to differentiate between the two, consider the following points:
(i) The IC has an elongated, oval-shaped head with a long, narrow and finer bill than the GC whereas the latter has a large head, a much thicker neck and a long but thicker and larger bill.
(ii) The GC is readily identified in breeding plumage and differentiated from the IC due to its acquisition of white hair-like feathers but in the more subdued colours of non-breeding, it can be confused with the IC.
(iii) Both species have almost similar blue-green eyes.
(iv) However, the GC’s thicker bill, yellow skin around the eye and bigger size can help to differentiate it from the IC when in non-breeding plumage.
At a broader level, this identification confusion has confounded the actual distribution range of the IC, which has been pointed out in the seminal volume, ‘Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide’.
Blooms of the boundaries
Spring is a time when the senses are stirred by floral profusion in the jungles and agricultural tracts draining from the Shivalik foothills. The tiny, permed flowers of the invasive weed, Mexican floss, lord over jungle tracts and a ramble through them is akin to a voyage in a purple sea.
Another landscape that sprouts tiny blooms is the embankments of crop fields. On these narrow, raised boundaries, wild flowers and escapee plants bloom in thousands, dotting the earth like constellations of twinkling stars that overwhelm a night of the dark moon. By the embankments run streams of gurgling irrigation waters, so soothing to eye and ear.
On Wednesday last, while rambling across the Shivalik countryside and watching the antics of the greenish-blue verditer flycatcher, my eye caught an embankment bloom I had not seen before. It was of a pinkish hue and petite in shape. Truly, small is beautiful, was that flower’s message to a world obsessing with “whose got it bigger”.
I took a sample of the trailer plant sporting those quaint flowers and presented it for identification to Dr SP Khullar, author, fern specialist and former head of botany department, PU, Chandigarh. He identified it as the Indian bean/hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus).
“It is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae). Flowers are a mixture of pink, purple and white. Stem is purplish green, leaves are trifoliate,” said Khullar.
According to a research paper, the Indian bean is known for multiple uses: as a dal (pulse), fresh vegetable (pod, leaf), forage crop/green manure, ornamental purposes and also reported for bio-functional properties as pharmaceutical or nutraceutical, bioactive compounds like Chikusetsusaponin IV A, and protein isolate as food additives for improving cake quality.
